"Lead the way."

Rudo smiles. He turns to the goblin. "You heard the dwarf. Where's the treasure?"

Droop looks down and stammers. "Yes, yes sir... um... yes. Glasstaff sleeps that way." he points to the north. "That's where his treasure is. Secret stairs to the back of his room, too. Droop can show you."

"We've already been there. Where else?"

Droop looks increasingly nervous. "Sorry, yes. Of course. Yes...there are prisoners too, near the old crypts. And weapons, in the storeroom. But please, do not make Droop go there. The dead do not rest." He shudders. "The bugbears...they sometimes...throw Droop in there. To waken the dead, and scare Droop."

"Not any more." Willow smiles as the goblin looks up at her.

"We're not prisoners any more." Nars is back on his feet, clutching his shortsword. "We won't ever be again."

"Yes, yes, obviously we've been there too. Where else? Get on with it!" Rudo glares impatiently at Droop.

Droop trembles visibly now. "Well...um...yes. Please forgive Droop. Um....yes. There is the water room. And the sleeping room for the Redbrands. Surely there is more treasure there!"

"Finally! That doesn't sound like anywhere we've been yet. Where is it?"

Droop turns and points up the stairs enthusiastically. "That way. Across the bridge. There is a secret back door, so no need to go through the crypt. Much safer!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:20, Mon 15 Aug 2022.

Rudo nods, then bustles into the bugbear barracks room and returns shortly with Glasstaff's unconscious body slung over his shoulder. He turns to the Dendrar family. "Keep up, and try not to get lost."

He turns to Droop. "Lead the way then!"

The party gathers themselves and follows Droop up the stairs into the cavern. When they reach the southern plank bridge across the chasm, the bugbear's body is gone. A slick smear of blood stretches from its former location toward the edge of the chasm.

The party peers into the shadows below and can just make out the huddled silhouette of the eye monster beneath the bridge, gnawing and cracking at the bugbear's lifeless corpse.

The group continues across the bridge, trying to ignore the sounds of the wet feast below them. They come to a narrow passageway in the southeast corner of the cavern, with finished square walls and flagstone flooring. Droop leads the way into the passage, which turns right and then left before ending at a flat stone wall. Willow pulls out her troll's claw to illuminate the darkened tunnel.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:21, Mon 15 Aug 2022.

"Hmm...yes..." Droop mutters to himself as he moves his tiny hands across the stone surface of the dead end wall. "Ah..." he breathes as the wall gives way to his touch, swinging open to reveal a secret door.

The party edges through the door into a high-ceilinged room, crowding into a storage space filled with barrels alongside a wide stone cistern. The room appears to be a large cellar, illuminated by oil lamps burning softly in wall sconces all around. More kegs and barrels are stacked along the north wall on the other side of the cistern, beside a closed wooden door leading to the west. The eastern side of the room is dominated by a double switchback stairwell leading to a landing fifteen feet above, and another closed wooden door. A third door is situated in the northeast wall beneath the stairs.

Aside from the burning lamps, there is no sign of life or activity anywhere in the room.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:22, Mon 15 Aug 2022.

Zhaquadan moves to look at the cistern.  He kneels, says a prayer, and takes a drink.

The cistern is enclosed by a two-foot stone wall forming a large 10 by 15 foot rectangular basin set into the cellar's west wall. It is filled with cold, fresh water to a depth of about 10 feet. Drain pipes from the roof above presumably fill the cistern with rain water collected from the site of the ruined manor house atop the hill.

When Zhaquadan rises from his prayer, he notices something out of place under the water. He looks closer and sees what appears to be a submerged oilcloth bag, tied to a metal fixture in the near wall of the cistern about two feet below the surface.

Zhaquadan takes the bag and shows it to the group.

Zhaquadan reaches into the water and hauls up the bag. Beads of moisture roll down its oiled surface as he settles it onto the lip of the cistern wall.

The party gathers around to examine the bag. When no one moves to open it, Rudo presses forward and grabs it, unrolling its watertight closure.

He reaches in and rummages around, pulling out a handful of items and placing them on the stone wall beside the bag: two glass vials, one filled with a glimmering red liquid that flashes as it moves and one that appears empty, yet sloshes with weight as if filled with liquid; a small leather drawstring pouch tinkling with coins; and a bundle of what appear to be clean ordinary traveling clothes tied up in twine.

"It seems someone hid their stash in this well."

Rudo nods and gathers the items back up, returning them to the bag. Then he begins roughly wiping the bag's surface with his hand to dry it off.

"Do any of you magical types want to take a look at any of this?" he asks. "Otherwise I'll just add it to the haul and we can split it up later."

"Those potions look interesting. Could be valuable. No time to identify them now though."

Steamknuckle nods at Rudo. "Go ahead. I'll examine all of it later."

Rudo gathers the items back into the bag, then retrieves his treasure sack from his backpack. The sack bulges as he stuffs the bag into it atop all the other accumulated treasure. He grins and licks his lips.

Shouldering his pack once more, Rudo turns to the goblin. "What's behind that door?" he asks tersely, jabbing a finger toward the door on the opposite side of the cistern.

"Uh...uh, yes," Droop stammers. "That is the sleeping room. For the Redbrands." He looks down from Rudo's stern expression. "They...sleep there..." he trails off in a timid voice.

Rudo looks at the party. "Let's check it out. Probably some personal funds stashed in the barracks."

He quietly draws his longsword. "But be careful. They might have heard the fighting. Could be waiting to ambush."