[OOC: Sorry, Admiria.  Are you licking your own face, or Relba's?  Just need to be sure].

     The noontime sun it at its peak, but it is low in the sky this time of year.  The depth of the chasm casts the bottom in a bit of gloom.

OOC: Like this without the floating islands.

https://assets.vg247.com/curre...asm_102412_jpeg2.jpg

Franna averted her eyes from the sensual face licking.  She wasn't sure how she felt about it, Or how it made her feel.
Just another of the strange and new things she'd seen as an Adventurer.

"I can see in the dark well enough - as well as a dwarf, I'd warrant" said the tall woman. She quirked an eyebrow at Relba and smirked. "What about you? I know the darkness is a bother but I'd hate for you to walk into danger... distracted."

     The halfling Barbarian unsheathed her battleaxe and bounced it in one hand.

     "Are we here to rescue people or discuss everyone's visual acuity?  Zokkara and Kitty can see in the dark.  Relba, Franna and myself can't.  They lead the way, or someone lights a torch before it gets too gloomy," she insisted.

Franna nodded,  making a little scowl that meant she was thinking really hard about something.
"I can bring up the rear...."
She paused and winced,  that phrase sounding much more suggestive 9ut loud than it had in her head.
"I mean....I can walk rearguard,  and light a Torch when it's needed.  I only need one hand for my sword,  if need be."
Granted,  it was WAY more work to swing her sword one handed, but she didn't want to admit that.

Relba smiled back at Zakorra and gave Corra a little glance of mock shock when the Halfling piped up.  My oh my, was she a grumpy one.  "Then it is settled.  Admiria and Zakorra will take point, Franna and myself just behind while Corra, if you would be a dear, brings up the rear.  As has been pointed out, we are here on a rescue mission, so let us onward to rescue," she said, and waited for the group to form up.

Franna blinked in surprise at being summarily dismissed from rear guard,  but hid her disple,  as she presumed it was probably a good decision.
After all, she couldn't even ask for it properly,  for goodness sake, so why should she be trusted with it.
With a somber nod, she took up her position in the second line with Relba

     As the party descends the final flight of stairs, a fortress emerges in the gloom.  The subterranean citadel, though impressive, seems long forgotten.  All is quiet along the lightless windows, cracked crenelations and leaning towers.  A cold breeze blows up from below, carrying the scent of dust and a faint trace of rotting flesh.

     The narrow stairs leads through a field of disparate masonry, down to a small courtyard.  The masonry stretches north and south along a crumbling wall, and looks difficult to cross.

     The courtyard seems to be the top of a crenelated battlement.  The castle has sunk so far into the earth that the battlement is now level with the surrounding area.  A ruined tower with a closed wooden door lies on the west side of the courtyard.

From just behind the lead two, Relba was studying everything around the group, looking for weaknesses here, solid footing there, and making general observations about the environment and the terrain.  The path they were on seemed true enough, but they most surely did not want to venture outward from it.  At the courtyard, Relba whispered to Zakorra and Admiria to be extra vigilant as they approached the tower door.  Once there, she moved to the front and made certain to give the door, and everything around it, solid scrutiny in hopes it was just a door and not booby trapped in some way.


[Private to Omni-Tent: 11:06, Today: Relba Nightswain rolled 18 using 1d20.  Investigation.]

Franna moved carefully through the broken masonry, not wanting to fall on her face in front of the other women.  She was supposed to be a deadly warrior after all, and picking bits of stone out of her teeth would seriously undermine her gravitas.

     In the dim light of the courtyard, Relba could just barely make out some footprints in the dust that seemed to avoid a 10-foot square area in front of the door.  Closer investigation revealed a subtle crack that was evocative of a pit trap.  Bending down close, she could hear very faint squeaking underneath.  Any pressure place on the panels would cause it to open.

     There did seem to be a safe 2-foot wide section to the left of the door.

Relba relayed the information she had obtained to the rest of the party, certain that there would be more traps like this ahead.  She said as much to the group and told them of the new formation, which would consist of Relba taking point to locate and disarm traps, Admiria and Zokarra just behind in case of ambush by parties unknown, leaving Franna and Corra to bring up the rear.  If everyone was in accord, she would carefully make her way to the door and inspect that also, both for traps and as a way to gain entry if normal methods were not available.  Of course, this would all go more smoothly if they had some light, and Relba asked, finally, for a torch to be lit, hoping it would not be noticed by any others.


[Private to Omni-Tent: 17:12, Today: Relba Nightswain rolled 19 using 1d20. Investigation.]

In reply to Relba Nightswain (msg # 63):

Admiria would also be looking for traps having brought out her thieves' tools.

Franna lit a torch, trying to provide light for the others,  and watched what they did

     The safe catwalk to the left of the door is about 2-feet wide, easily used by all of you.

     Relba finds the wooden door unlocked and not trapped.  It swings out making it easy to enter.

     Inside is dark, but the thick smell of decaying flesh wafts out of the open door.  There is no trap inside the doorway and you hear nothing out of the ordinary.

In reply to Omni-Tent (msg # 66):

" The stench of death hmm could be interesting. "

In reply to Admiria Moonwhisper (msg # 67):

Franna wished she had a perfumed handkerchief to block the smell, and raised an eyebrow at Admiria's comment.
"You and I have very different definitions of that word."

Zokkara slaps her maul's head into her left hand, and takes the lead, stepping into the dark room. "It could be just rats", she notes, though she doubts the words as soon as she speaks them.

"Death is death, and where-soever you find it, know that it cannot be a good thing.  Be aware, everyone, for if the scent of death rushes out of this place, just imagine what might have stayed behind," remarked Relba, clearly going from bright and breezy to staunch and focused instantly.  Her whole demeanour had changed, also, and she brought out her own Thieve's Tools in case she spotted what she was certain she would find in here eventually.


[Private to Omni-Tent: Is it only Investigation to spot traps, or will Passive Perception do?  Maybe there is another Skill Relba could use?  Thanks.]

In reply to Relba Nightswain (msg # 70):

Admiria pets Relba's arm.

" Let me clearly reiterate my position. The Stench of Death is interesting doesn't mean good. It usually means bad or old. If it is old Death then it just needs a good airing out. A Bad Death needs a different kind of cleansing. Both situations are interesting. As they both can provide knowledge. "

Franna nodded at the sage words, trying to incorporate them into her own emotional state, rather than "ignorance is bliss"

     The room is circular and has the bodies of four dead goblins, apparently slain in combat.  One body stands with it's back against the western wall, held up by a spear through its chest.  Two wooden doors lead to the northwest and southwest.  The walls of the tower reach up about 30 feet, with the hole-filled remains of higher floors overcome with rot.

     As the half-ogre checks one of the bodies, she sees it has already been looted and dead for quite some time.  Much of the body has been chewed away by rats.

  [Private to Relba Nightswain: Both Investigation and Perception can be used to find traps.  Perception (even passive) is kind of a hands-off approach.  You perceive with your senses.  Investigation is more hands-on, using clues and hints to discover something.  If anyone's passive perception is high enough to spot something specific, I'll tell you right away.  Otherwise, you need to make an active check.]

Franna saw the bodies, and started to gasp with surprised terror.  She had enough presence of mind to stifle it, for the most part, and it ended up only being a mostly squelched "meep".  She then tried to disguise that further by coughing a bit,  presumably from all the dust in the place.
She moved into the room further.

As usual, Relba took in everything around her from the floor up.  The dead bodies were not a surprise, nor was the fact they had already been looted.  What was interesting was the two doors leading from this very room.  She had known many a Keep or Castle to have several doors leading from one room to various places within.  Conjecture here would do them no good at all so instead, she walked to both doors and studied them thoroughly.  This would determine which door they entered.


[Private to Relba Nightswain: 09:49, Today: Relba Nightswain rolled 17 using 1d20. Investigation.  Thank you for the information.]