Staying near to Sereyna, Sylvy checks her crossbow and follows along as quietly as she can. The house had a feel of tension to it. They all expected to find something. What that would be and how friendly or menacing was the part they waited to find out.

I'll move at Passive stealth if possible.

Drawing close to the doorway, Kerrik reaches out to test the door and attempting to open it. "Here we go, lets see what we find." He whispers.

The group moves quietly down the hallway to the last door.

Kerrek tests the door and finds it locked.

Looking down for a moment, Kerrik shrugs and reaches down to pick up something from the floor need the door. Looking at the key in his hand he tries it on the door's lock.

Sereyna places a hand on kerrek's shoulder and looks on with a frown. She places a finger over her lips, indicating silence as she looks at the door. She pointed at her ear, then the door. She looked at Sylvy and nodded, drawing her scimitar. She leaned into kerrek and whispered. "Careful....there is human sounds behind there. It maybe enemies, but may be the girl."

Noting the hand signs, Sylvy ratcheted up the level of her sneaking. She'd often been told halflings had a knack for it. About that, she had become more certain as she met others of her kind. However, a lifetime of shady activities had taught her the art of silence. She used the tips of her fingers to trace along her crossbow, a habit she had learned on many a black night when a properly loaded weapon was the difference between success and failure. She then shifted her self to stand more or less directly behind the door but across the hall so she'd get a clean shot if all others moved out of the way. OR, failing that, a messy shot between legs.


11:29, Today: Sylvy rolled 18 using 1d20+5.  stealthy.

Preston had allowed the quieter folks to get in front of him in here, because stealth seemed more needed than might.  But now, hearing that there might be enemies ahead, he readies for a fight and waits for a signal from the others to move up and engage.

Kerrek inserts the key into the door's lock and finds that it opens easily. The door pushes open with a soft creaking sound to reveal another dilapidated, dusty room with remnants of various rubbish strewn about. The doorway is in the northwest corner of the room; there do not appear to be any other entrances or exits other than windows on the southern and eastern walls.

In the southeast corner of the room lies a human male. He is alive, but bound and gagged, lying on his side with his hands tied behind his back and his legs tied together at the ankles. He appears to be clad only in undergarments.

He gazes over at you with a pleading look in his eyes and tries to speak through his gag, making only muffled noises, which Sereyna recognizes as the sound she heard coming faintly from behind the door before it was opened.

Kerrek stares at the man on the floor far a moment before speaking. Somehow, totally not what I was expecting."
Moving forward he steps into the room and works hos way over to the man and starts examining the bindings to see how they come off.

Sereyna, holding her scimitar, followed after Kerrek, seeing the man bound. She replaces her scimitar and kneels next to him, placing a finger over her lips indicating quiet. She draws the dagger and begins cutting his bonds.

She removes his gag and speaks softly. "Who caught you, how many are here and are there any other captives?"

Sylvy regarded the bound man with exasperation, "Was that it? Seems a lot of fuss for nothing." Still, she courched with a good line of sight to both doors and listened to teh questions and answers.

Kerrek moves into the room heading for the man in the southeast corner. As he crosses the room, he feels a floorboard start to give way under his weight. He catches himself in time and steps to the side.

As he does so, you all suddenly note that the floor in a good third of the room looks worn and unstable, as if something might be rotting it from below. The rest of the floor looks fine, and you can see traces of tracks leading to the corner where the man lies.

Taking care to navigate the somewhat treacherous floor, Kerrek and Sereyana make their way over to the bound man. Sylvy stands watch near the door along with Preston, while Thaylan traces a line in the dust on the floor to mark off the zone of unstable floorboards.

Kerrek starts working on the man's bonds and notes that they are effective knots, though hardly tied by an expert.

"Thank you, thank you," are the first words out of the man's mouth as Sereyna removes the gag. He coughs and clears his throat before looking up at her. "I...I don't know. I just came in here for shelter...thought I'd see if there was anything left in the kitchen. Maybe find a drink. Just saw a blur behind me in the kitchen, then woke up here a while ago."

With his hands unbound, he rubs at his wrists. "Thank you again. Are we near Saltmarsh? I was on my way from Seaton but the hour was late so I came into this foul place. The name's Ned by the way, Ned Shakeshaft."

Serenya looked at the man and smiled. "Saltmarsh is but a few miles down the road...not far at all. I suggest you go there Ned. But before you do, have you heard any noises here...people coming and going or anything else strange?"

Sylvy listened to the man's story and felt bad for him but kept her weather eye out for troubles more aggressive than rotting boards.

Preston kept his weapon ready and as the others talked, he watched the direction they came from for any trouble.

Ned looks between the various members of the group as he slowly rises to his feet, stretching his arms and legs. He raises a hand to his head and rubs at the back, wincing and grunting quietly.

"Again, you have my thanks," he says. He glances at each of you again, as if taking the measure of the group.

"Say, you look to be an adventuring party, right?" he says after a moment. "I'd heard there was work for adventurers in Saltmarsh. I wonder if I might stick with you lot for a bit. I'd like to at least find my proper clothes and my gear. Your freeing me is all the compensation I need. What do you say?

Sylvy looked around at the others and then, seeing no one volunteering, looked at the poor man with sympathy then shook her head. "I'll be willing to see you as far as the door, Ned, but I don't know you from a hole in the wall. This place has proven... troublesome... already, and I don't need strange knives at my back." She held up forestalling hands in the face of any possible arguments and looked at her allies for support or disagreement, "It's just how I feel. Nothing personal to you. I don't expect you'd backstab us as such, but you can't be too cautious these days, savvy?"

Sylvy would back down if her allies objected to her objection, but someone needed to start talking.

Sereyna smiled at Sylvy and shook her head. Even in the short time they’d known each other, she had found the halfling skilled, particle and cautious. She looked at her. “Don’t be too hasty....maybe we all search the rest of this floor. He can team with the warriors. When we go back downstairs he can make his way to saltmarsh.”

He held the man out a dagger. “You can use this until we find your gear, but I expect it back....it was a gift from my uncle.” She sides up to Sylvy’s side and whispers to her.

Ned sighs and shakes his head at Sylvy's words. "Aw come on now, miss, yer words sting me very heart. That I would even consider drawin' a blade 'gainst those what saved me. It's not fair to say." He doesn't sound terribly offended or upset, only to defending his honor.

He looks a bit pleased when Sereyna speaks up. "Sure, I'll team up with any of you. You look like a rough and ready crew." His eyes light up a bit when he's presented with the dagger. "I'll tell you one thing though--if'n we find the one that cold-cocked me, I want first dibs on him." He twirls the dagger in his fingers. It certainly looks like he has some experience with a blade.

Thaylan and Kerrek nod their heads at the compromise Sereyna seems to have struck, seeming willing to go along with the plan to explore this level with Ned before heading downstairs.

With their newfound companion Ned joining them, the group moves back into the hall and heads back toward the center  of the mansion, stopping at the first door (the one next to Ned's accommodations). Thaylan checks the door and it seems safe. He pushes it open.

The room inside appears to be another dirty, decaying bedroom without furniture. Even viewed from the doorway, it's evident that the floor in here does not look safe; some of the floorboards are missing, and others are partially dislodged.

Thaylan crouches for a moment then looks back over his shoulder to the others. He points to a trail of tracks that appears to lead from the door to the window, following mostly along the west side of the room to avoid the decaying section of the floor.

Sylvy crouched to gaze at the floor (13:06, Today: Sylvy rolled 8 using 1d20+4.  perception.). She nodded once the trail was pointed out to her and made a tsking sound that she had missed it. Looking to the window, she bit her lip then looked at the others and motioned to herself then made a walking gesture with her fingers. She glanced at the weak floor and then smirked. Perhaps he slight stature was more and more a gift.

Gritting her teeth all the same, Sylvy made her way along the west wall, following the tracks, as carefully as she could.

Pre-emptive Dex save: 13:09, Today: Sylvy rolled 24 using 1d20+5.  dex save.

Sereyna, behind the small form of sylvy, noted the next room and then the trail pointed out. At the woman's gesture,  she simply nodded once, her scimitar in hand, she wished she had magic for healing.

Watching her step by step, she waited, barely breathing to see what she found

Preston continues to watch the rear, but his concern for Sylvy shows on his face.

Sylvy edges along the side of the room. About halfway across, a rotten board suddenly gives slightly underfoot, but she nimbly pulls her foot away before anything worse happens.

She reaches the window shortly. Her journey across the room is clear enough for anyone else to follow safely.

At the window, you can see that this room has a commanding view of the Azure Sea. The sky is gray, and a strong wind whips up whitecaps on the sea's surface.

Ned stands just outside the door, looking in. "Doesn't look like my stuff is in here," he says. "How 'bout we split up to save time? This lot can come with me." He nods his head toward Thaylan and Kerrek.

"Fair enough," replies Preston. "Yell if you find something."