Saran dodges out of the way, hoping the swarm will be more interested in escaping out the well than attacking.

The bats swarm around you nipping and biting, though a large portion escape out the well (swarm takes 11 "damage").

(At the beginning of your turn)

The swarm attacks with disadvantage and rolls a 12 (which i think is a hit, right) for 3 damage.

It is your turn, you are occupying the same square as the swarm.

Saran disengages the swarm and runs down the tunnel into the larger room.

Note, I think it would be uncharacteristic of bats to follow, but I am not a bat expert, and you are the DM.

Does shield happen automatically, or do I get to choose whether I take it as my reaction?

You get to choose after knowing the roll is the way I play it, so you know if it will be wasted or not. Do you have shield. If so, we can retcon that hit away.

You disengage from the bats and move away. The rest of the bats flee out of the well.

You are now in the big room and a swarm of... just kidding. You are in the big room. There are curtains to other rooms lining all the walls.

Take 50xp

Saran decides it's a good time to catch his breath and take a short rest. (regaining 7 HP, and 1 spell slot assuming the rest is uninterrupted)

I have shield, but I'll use the hit die to regain the HP rather than using the spell slot.

Also that puts me to level 2.  How do you want to handle leveling?

Go ahead and level with your short rest. I think it is more typical to wait until the end of an adventure or quest, which maybe we will do later on. Levels 1-3 are the shortest levels to gain, so they are kind of the exception.

You hang out near the entrance of the large room, not wanting to disturb anything while you recover your wits, tend to your light wounds, and put the finishing touches on a couple spells you have been working on. (you will have to take a long rest to prepare different spells)

Inspecting your new torch you come to learn that you can use it to make melee spell attacks, dealing 1d8 fire damage. You use your spell casting modifier to do so. This is not a bludgeoning attack, rather you touch the target with the torch to inflict magical fire damage.

You also see the smoke in the large room sift out through the damaged area of the ceiling.

OK, Saran casts unseen servant as a ritual.  The servant carries the torch and opens the different curtains, while Saran has a firebolt ready should anything jump out.

so He's at a distance from the curtain when it is opened.

What distance? Are you looking straight into the room or are you along the wall?

I guess I was imagining being like 12' away, looking straight down the hall.

Saran positions himself on the stair side of the book case closest to curtain 1, so that he can see the curtain (half or 3/4 cover or whatever seems reasonable to still be able to see past).  Then has the unseen servant with torch pull back the curtain so he can see what is behind the curtain, with a firebolt ready should anything jump out.

Or maybe first he should search the room for anymore rats, bats or boogie things.

The main room is clear.

Your unseen servant pulls back the curtain to reveal a mostly empty room. You can see a disheveled bed and a padded moldy chair.

Do you enter?

Unseen servant enters first with torch, then Saran enters.

Ok, you see the aforementioned accoutrements, as well as a desk with chair and some scattered notes. Next to the bed is a nightstand. There is a painting on the wall of a scene of nymphs, dryads, satyrs, etc. frolicking in the woods, in various states of dress. Everything is very old and dusty.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:08, Fri 20 Oct 2017.

Saran takes 11 minutes to cast detect magic again.  The he searches around the bed, pull off covers and stuff, in and behind nightstand, behind and under drawers, and behind picture.

You find a scroll among some arcane notes and half finished formulas on and in the desk. Most of the papers are crumbly and the ink faded, but the scroll is in good condition.

There is a safe type box behind the painting, but it is empty.

What kind of scroll is it? Also looks around and under the chair.

Saran takes the scroll.  He exits the smaller room and wanders briefly around the main room to detect any magical aura.  Unseen servant is still following holding the torch.

Next Saran peeks behind curtain 2.

Disguise Self
Saran also finds 3ep and 3sp and 7cp in scattered in and under the chair, like loose change that fell from pockets.


Most of the shelves are empty. It has the look of being cleared out in haste, but among the crumbling papers and rotting tomes Saran finds a number of scrolls:

Cantrips:
Chill Touch
True Strike
Minor Illusion
Prestidigitation

Level 1:
Illusory Script
Chromatic Orb

Level 2:
Misty Step


Nothing happens when the curtain is moved. The unseen servant moves in to no ill effects. You enter and see a smaller room (the last was about 15' by 15'), about 10'x 10'. There is a simple bed and a desk with a wooden chair. There are no papers scattered. The bed is made, but time and neglect has made it dingy and a little moth eaten.

Saran pockets the coin, and puts the scrolls in his pack.  Then he searches for anything interesting in the room behind curtain 2: bed, desk, chair, floor, walls.

EDIT: You don't find anything interesting behind curtain #2.

Assuming you repeat the same procedure on the next rooms, you find a similar situation, but you find 19cp in curtain 3, and 9sp in curtain 4. You are nearing the corner of the room that is water damaged and the is more mold and fungus growing on the floor, walls, and bookshelves. The curtain even hangs heavy with mold and fungus, like the curtain has mostly deteriorated and has been replaced by a network of fungus and accumulated dirt and mold.

But it is not so heavy that your unseen servant couldn't push it aside.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:08, Fri 20 Oct 2017.

any magic aura about the curtain?

No.

OK, let's see what's behind moss curtain #4 then.

The Servant pushes aside the curtain and illuminates the room and your world is full of a high pitched shriek as behind the curtain you see a fungus that has grown to be the height of a man, the stock being about 2' in diameter. There is smaller fungus growing around it, but the large one appears to be the source of the physic attack (it contracted slightly before the shriek and almost seems to be trembling, or is that all of your vision?).

The unseen servant pops out of existence and the torch drops to the floor.

Roll an intelligence save, DC 12.
Fail: 3 damage, disadvantage on next attack roll
Success: No adverse effects.