The forest is silent after the violent baptism of the Asylumites. The evidence of their gruesome pre-dawn work now feeding the roots of the surrounding trees.

Menden's own blood mingles with that of his victim, bringing balance to the offerings to the birthing dawn.

Walks over to check and see if he can do anything for Menden.
hey, what can I do to help you.
Is arrow in arm? Glancing blow? Thru and thru?

The arrow is in his shoulder and Kalve knows nothing of medicine.

Neldi gets everyone together back in the camp and frowns unhappily at the arrow sticking out of Menden's arm.  "Every step I take on this expedition, I find myself wishing I'd made different choices... like buying a healing kit, or hiring a guide so we don't need one in the first place."  He sighs and gets Menden to lay down, "We can't do much to treat the wound, but I do know that the arrow has to come out. Here, bite down on this," He hands the man a folded strap from his backpack, and gets Telorn and the others to hold Menden while he pulls the arrow out, then presses what used to be one of his spare shirts against the wound.

Before going back to camp checks to see what all the archer had on our with him.  ie: armor, weapon, coin purse, and backpack.

Leather armor, a bow, quiver w/ half a dozen arrows, a hatchet, basic clothes, a cloak, a belt pouch with 5 bits in it.

Take it all back to camp with us, except clothes unless they look better than Telorn's.

When back at camp toss belt pouch to Telron, you killed him this is all yours.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:03, Tue 11 May 2021.

Telorn hands the pouch over to Menden, the look on his face says quite clearly he isn't at all comfortable with this.

Alarven followed Neldi back to the camp, visibly a bit shaken as the excitement faded. While the others were pulling the arrow, he had gotten his things together to be waiting in the wings- nudging Neldi aside.

"Just like a doll... made of meat... don't think of the blood..." is muttered in a whisper quietly, as he rinsed the area with a dash from a waterskin and sewed the area shut. He tries to not leave too much of a noticable raised seam.

When Kalve returned to the campsite with the bloodstained belongings of the archer, Alarven has grown somewhat pale.

Wheezing against the pain of his wound and wiping the blood from his hands and dagger on the leaf litter, “You can’t beat yourself up, Neldi.  None of us have ever done...  any of this before.  Mistakes will be made.”

He sighs looking out into the darkness, “It’s the same as killing a wolf that is attacking a flock.. He shakes his head, They have stained their souls with greed.  We have simply helped that one return faster.”

Neldi nods, looking over the items looted from the dead bandit.  "It's... humbling... to see a life reduced to this, and to think of all the choices that lead to their death."  He sighs and portions out the bits, one to each man.

"The armor should go to whichever of us wants to be the... The one that wants to stand up and fight face to face... And the bow and arrows to whomever feels they can best use them. I'd personally like to take the hatchet, or trade it with one of you for an extra dagger."

"I will take his boot, pants, and shirt. There will always be need of cloth, and I can use it for scraps if needed."

Alarven looks settled by Mendens words, but only slightly. "I was raised to avoid unnecessary killing. Only in most dire self defense, or for food. Never for sport. I would not say that ... what happened here, was sport... but that I wish we had been given another way. We tried, right..?"

"Menden... can you make heads or tails of the book?"

Menden tries a shrug, wincing as the stitches pull against his flesh before giving up on the gesture, “I will do my best.  Hand it here and I can go through it once we have some light.  We should try to get some more rest and protect the camp i case they come back.”

Alarven nods silently at Mendens words, and looks to Neldi. As he starts moving to the edge of camp, Alarven would pause for a moment near the bow and arrows... But with a glance towards where he knows the Archer's body still lies, he leaves the weapon where it sits.

"I'll, uh ... keep watch for a bit, from outside the fire's light. Someone come get me in an hour?" Alarven sounds like he is still troubled.

Neldi unpacks and lights a torch, "I'm going to go do what I can for the fellow that we killed.  Menden, you and Telorn get some rest. Kalve, try to keep watch the other side of the camp from Alarven."

Proceeding to gather rocks and branches to make a low cairn for the dead fellow.Not like anyone is gonna sleep again anytime soon.

alright Neldi. moves opposite direction of Alavern outside of fire light

The sun slowly rises, bringing much needed clarity to the camp and the surrounding forests, chasing the shadows back to the hidden kingdoms from which they seep. With new light comes new sight and the extent of the blood soaked clothes, armor and skin is ascertained.

Alarven wraps around their camp after the better part of an hour, watching over Neldi building the cairn. He makes no effort to speak and distract him from that important task.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:07, Tue 11 May 2021.

As Alarven pass by
if you want bow take it

Let me know who is taking what fom the archer so I can get the items added to your character sheets.

Neldi is taking the hatchet. Everyone gets 1 bit from the loot. Alarven took the bow and arrows and the dead man's clothes.  The armor is up for grabs.

Please deduct the coin value of the basic clothes I bought and donated to Telorn, then add the 1bit Neldi distributed and the basic clothes from the Archer.

I strongly suggest Telorn receive the cloak, he needs to stay warm.

Bow/Quiver I'll carry and practice with until someone else asks. Does the half dozen arrows include the one in the ground near the tent, and the one from Menden's shoulder?

Put the armour and cloak on Telorn, if nothing else will keep him warmer

Neldi comes back into the camp a bit after dawn and sits down tiredly next to the fire, unwrapping a hardtack biscuit and chewing on it, eyes distant.  "... We should discuss which way we mean to go today," he starts, then straightens up and actually looks at each of the men. "But first, how is everyone doing? Menden, are you fit to travel or do you need to rest longer first? Telorn, how are you feeling?"

Menden smiles, “I should be ok to travel so long as we don’t push too hard.  I think... Thank you for dealing with the corpse.  I don’t know if I could have done too much to help him along with my wound.”  He fingers absently at the book, “Do we want to wait a bit to see if I can make sense of this, or leave it for later?”

"We can wait a bit, go ahead and look through it."

“Ok.  I’ll see if I can make head or tails of it.” Menden let’s out a sigh, making the sign of the New God before opening the book and leafing through its pages.

The book is actually a folio, with a cover made of leather...or is it not leather. There is something unsettling about the cover, not the blue dye and tooling of stylized waves, but the feel of the...leather...is wrong. It seems to have seen better days, the cover and many pages are stained. Scratches and tears mar the surface of the cover as well as the pages within.

While Menden is reading, Neldi gets up and restlessly paces around the campsite, kicking over bits of fallen masonry and shifting dead leaves and debris with his feet, working methodically from the edge of the ruined walls inward.

Alarven is going to approach Neldi, the quiver with arrows and bow slung on his back. The arrows rattle around with plenty of space to move."I don't know which direction we should go... I'm not much of a navigator. But I can try to maybe find the tracks of the guys from last night, if that's how I can best be of use." Alarven looks unsure as to how he can help.


After a few moments, he brings up another question. "Boss, I don't want to burden you with troubles, but ... they didn't bring many arrows with them last night. Do you want me to risk practicing with the bow, and maybe breaking one?"

Neldi stops, looking up at Alarven and blinking, his face blank.  A moment later, he smiles and claps the man on the shoulder.  "Checking for tracks is an excellent idea, but don't follow them too far.  We can't afford to lose anyone. As for the arrows... I'd say use one for practice, use it until you break it or lose it but save the others for battle."

Menden closes the folio uncomfortably, “I can figure out what this is in time though it gives me disquiet.  Still, it is something to be looked at over time and not right now.  Perhaps we search the ruins of that structure and get on our way.’

Alarven hesitates a moment and then rests a hand on Neldi's shoulder. "...Ah, right. Battle. I was ... meaning to practice, and maybe hunt to stretch out provisions. But our luck might mean more battles, yeah..." With a shake of his head, he calls out across the camp to Telorn.

"Hey, Telorn? Mind joining me? Two heads are better than one. I want to see if I can figure out where those guys came from last night... Get us back to a landmark Menden will recognize on our map." Alarven would move toward the edge of the camp, in the direction the Archer had come from.

Telorn, silent for the morning, jerks at his name and stands. He hesitates and looks around before walking towards Alarven to help. "Yeah," he says quietly. "Sure."

Listening to convo from where I was standing'guard'

Alvaren, go ahead and make a Perception Challenge.

Alarven moves around past the cairn, and starts looking around for disturbed brush or footprints that would show where the Archer had come thru from.

14:06, Today: Alarven rolled 15 using 1d20 ((15)).

This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Wed 12 May 2021.

Telorn and Alarven make their way further into the woods.

If we have identified tracks, I'd rather we move as a group. I want to head back and inform Neldi of our find. 

Alarven and Telorn return to the camp. Menden has finished reading through the folio. Kalve has continued to stand guard. Neldi has found nothing of interest in the rubble. Now the Asylumites must face that they must continue on.

"Friends! I have some good news!" Alarven returns to the camp in noticably better spirits than when he and Telorn had left.

Over where Neldi had been picking thru the ruins, he gives his report. "I assumed it would be the easiest site to find, of the three who visited us last night, and it paid off. Over past the Archer's cairn, we found tracks- they weren't trying to hide their trail. Which means that, barring anything else, we possibly now have a direction in which to go... at least until we find a landmark, or someone to ask for guidance."

"Unless you guys have a better idea of which direction gets us less lost?"

sounds good to me

As I walk back into camp

“I could try the map again.  If I could just find some features that line up...   Or we could track the bandits, but we all know where that leads and it’s not necessarily the direction of the mining camp.”  He winces as he stands and even more when he hefts his gear.  “Either way, I’ll apologize now for slowing us down.”

Telorn clutches the base of his club nervously. "What do you think we should do? Could they follow us to the mine?"

How many bandits were there? I got the impression from the posts here there were multiple but only one was killed.

Three that you know of.

Alarven lets out a short chuff of amusement. "Menden, you are far more of a help than a hinderance. Same as to Telorn. Just because you're feeling less than your best doesn't mean you're a burden."

Alarven will gather his supplies, and looks ready to move on. "Neldi, no pressure here but ... The choices here, none of them are great."


OOC Options I See here: 1) Backtrack where the archer and friends came from, 2) figure out where the Voice Guy/Chanter Guy ran to (Opt.2 might be the same as Opt.1, but we don't know yet), or 3) Go in a different direction for different criteria.

For any of those 3, our ultimate goal is "Figure out where we are so the map becomes useful again.", right?

I'm putting in my vote here for Opt.1 due to suspicion that they didn't come across us suddenly in the night, but had potentially found/followed us earlier. Backtracking the Archer's path, if correct, brings us back closer to starting point and us figuring out where we are.

I'm down for option 1.

Neldi finishes rolling and packing the last tent in and strapping it on top of his backpack, then shoulders the pack and stands, surveying the distant hilltops.

"I think we should avoid any appearance that we're trying to track down the gentlemen that tried to rob us last night.  We might have traveled slower than expected through the day yesterday so let's continue as we have been." He points at one of the mountains that's as close to northeast as possible and says, "We're going to head toward that peak till the sun is overhead, then re-evaluate if we haven't found the ravine yet.

GM, please note that Neldi is going to be blazing trees by stripping a piece of bark with his new hatchet as we go, so that we can find our way back to where we just camped if needed.

The Asylumites setout once again, searching for the site of their future riches, eyes darting to woods when not looking for the peak that is their signpost. Every breath of wind brings whispers of the many ways one can find their end out here, but by midday they have found their bearings as the scrawling on the map looks more like the surrounding terrain.

Neldi consults with Menden regarding the map, "That ridge with the large tree looks like the one on the map, doesn't it?  I think we're almost there! We should be able to follow the map from here, let's go."

Asylumites continue on, the foothills becoming ever more treacherous the closer they get. It is no wonder the mine hasn't been found in all this time, the walk alone seems like it is actively trying to kill them. This is made even clearer when Neldi slips during a particularly steep descent into a dried creek bed. A few scratches and bruises are all he sustained but a sideward glance from where he came to rest shows how close his came to being split open.

The sun slowly falls to the jagged horizon, pulled to its grave below. The wane light of the moon does more to increase the soundless clamor of the night creatures than to give comfort to the sore legs and struggling lungs. Rounding a massive boulder split by the parasitic roots of an ancient tree, the party ducks back into cover.

They have found their mining office, the second floor completely collapsed onto the ceiling of the first, the front door missing and the windows empty, yet firelight flickers within. It would appear they have competition for squatters rights.

What is the terrain like between the boulder we're hiding behind and the building? Is there any spot that would give a vantage to look through the door at a distance, with or without cover? What kinds of banes and boons would we have on sneak and hide checks while trying to check out our new neighbors?

The boulder is the "corner" of a gap on the ravine wall that is about 15 yards wide. The opening goes about 30 yards deep before opening into a cul-de-sac a few yards wider than the office.

The ground is rock strewn and covered with pine needles, making the footing treacherous at more than a cautious pace.

A few dead trees stick out of crevasses in the sides of the cliff, but otherwise is clear of any real cover.

There will be a picture of the office uploaded to Discord. The rear and sides marked as fences in the picture are the cliff walls of the cul-de-sac. The front fence is about 5 yards from the end of the entrance to the cul-de-sac.

The pine needles mute a lot of noise if your careful. Anyone inside the house will have Banes to spot anyone sneaking up.

From where you are, peering around the boulder you can see the various openings in the ground floor walls. The firelight is dim and the flickering causes deformed shadows to dance making it difficult to make out any details of worth.

Alarven taps Neldi on the shoulder, and leans in close. At a whisper, "Do you want me to get a bit closer, and see who is here? It might be my brother, if you had him checking out the area for you."

gm, you're describing conditions that are a lot like dusk, right? how many hours of light do we have left, or is twilight basically upon us here in the mountains?

if it's already getting dark, we may want to approach openly tomorrow when there's light... Or covertly when it's a bit darker yet.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:19, Thu 13 May 2021.

It is night time, the sky is dark, lit by the corpse candles that fill the River Styx.

Neldi shakes his head and huddles down with everyone behind the boulder, whispering, "I mislike the chance that it's your brother. Kalve, I'd like you to come with me. We two will sneak closer, try to get a look through the door from a distance. Alvaren, Menden, get your bow and sling ready, just in case, but Menden, keep an eye for people coming from behind us. Telorn, I want you to hang back until I either signal for you to come, or a fight breaks out. All of you, keep your eyes open and stay as quiet as you can. Any questions?"

"No, I'll be ready," Telorn says as he takes his club into his hand. He is obviously trying to focus but his nerves come through.

Alarven checks to make sure his sling is tucked into his belt for easy access, pocket full of smooth shaped stones, and then pulls the bow to make sure the string is secure to the stave. "Got it, boss. Hang back and protect these guys while you and Kalve have all of the fun.

hey wait! how come I'm assigned to the burden bunch?! (joking!)

Menden readies his sling, “I hope this is peaceful, but if there is trouble, don’t hesitate.”

Whispersyou got it, boss
Checks to make doing is ready and pulls dagger to quietly sneak up to door

Neldi nods and motions for Kalve to follow, and begins moving as quietly and carefully as possible across and down the ravine, trying to get a better view of what's going on inside the building without getting too close.

GM and Kalve, please note the plan is not to go to the door, but to get a better view from a safe distance to avoid being noticed.

What is the absolute closest you will go?

Depends entirely on what you let me see before I get close enough to be seen, doesn't it? The goal is to observe without being seen.  Getting close enough to be seen through the door or windows would not be a smart.

Sneaking up to closest window or door

Ok, we're gonna sneak up to beside the door, staying out of sight, then stop and listen at the wall before deciding what to do next.

Neldi and Kalve make their way back to the group and as they do, they hear Menden calling out, “You should move along or show yourself.  We mean no harm unless you have I’ll intent.” though it doesn't sound like he is addressing Neldi and Kalve.

Kneel down and take a long look at shack

There is no response to Menden's challenge.

Alarven nudges Menden's good shoulder, and says quietly- "I'm going to go see what made that noise, if I can." Tucking the bow into the quiver on his back to move more easily, Alarven moves from the rocks that he, Telorn, and Menden had been sitting in to move toward where the sound had come from.

Do you have a rough layout so I can have my bearings? Kalve and Neldi went into a cul de sac, there's a passage that leads into the cul de sac, and our ways "away from the sound" were a) into the passage that goes to cul de sac, and b) up the wall. What lies behind us, towards where we heard the sound of rocks coming from? Do I see any movement?

The ravine forms a rough 'T' with the bottom of the 'T' being the passage to the cul-de-sac. If you were looking at a 'T' on a page, the party would have approached from the right arm of the 'T' and have been hiding at the corner. The falling rocks came from 'behind' the party assuming the party was facing the direction of the cu;-de-sac. To het to where the rocks fell from, you would need to climb the cliff face of the ravine.

You can make a Perception Attack roll if you'd like.

Perception attack roll.


12:04, Today: Alarven rolled 17 using 1d20 ((17)).

The Ravine proper, i.e. the top of the 'T' is anywhere between 10-15 yards wide.

Alarven says to himself, somewhat loudly, "It must just be some wind in the trees up above. Menden, I don't see anyone down below here." Alarven looks around for a couple seconds longer, trying to see if he catches more movement out of his peripheral.

I'm wanting to keep an eye down here for a bit longer, and I'll turn back to the party after about a minute or so. Bow is in the quiver, no knife drawn, Alarven doesn't look obviously armed. I want to palm my sling if I can do so without drawing attention.

As he comes back up to stand with his fellows, Neldi scans the top of the ravine, looking for movement or unnatural shadows.

I'd like to make a perception challenge

15:46, Today: Neldi rolled 16 using 1d20.  Perception

Neldi scans the ravine furtively searching for that which watches.

Neldi sighs and calls out, "Look, it's been a bloody long day. If you're going to try to kill us, get it over with already. We've already dealt with one ambush today, what's one more before bedtime? If you'd rather not deal with five pissed off travelers who know how to defend themselves, go on about your way!"

Intimidation or something?
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 20:23, Sun 16 May 2021.

Go ahead and make a Will Attack.

19:21, Today: Neldi rolled 16 using 1d20+1.  Will Attack.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 23:24, Sun 16 May 2021.

There is no response to the challenge.

Wondering if all the yelling behind me has alerted something to come investigate from cabin.

Perception check direction of cabin

Nothing has left the cabin the entire time you've been watching.

Neldi mutters something under his breath, then turns to his companions. "All together now, let's go see who, if anyone, is in the building. I'm tired and my feet hurt and I'll be damned if I'm going to put up with anymore bloody banditry today."  He turns and strides toward the partially-collapsed building.

Menden nods still holding his sling at the ready.

Alarven nods, moving up the passage a bit to catch up with the others, aiming to stay about 10 feet behind Neldi.

Advance towards cabin staying inline with Neldi

Telorn glances back up the ravine but starts carefully moving down towards the cabin.

You set off into the cul-de-sac, the cliffs on either side of you as you approach, makes the darkness of the night seem even closer, more claustrophobic. Your thoughts wander a bit as you realize that if anyone were on those cliffs...well, best to keep your thoughts on what you know, right?

You near where the cul-de-sac opens, mere paces from where the remnant of the fence stand as a delineation rather than a barrier. The gate stands wide open and the state of the ruin before you becomes a little clearer.

A modest dwelling squats in the middle of the cul-de-sac, cliffs tower over the sides and rear of the structure. The rough stone walls of the first floor look mostly intact, the second floor has completely collapsed. Rubble and dense weeds choke the yard.

Made of smooth stone blocks, this building stands in shambles. Thick vines creep up the side and most of the windows are broken. The front door hangs open, barely on its hinges, under a sagging and partially collapsed porch.

The source of the firelight is now much clearer, it emanates from the fireplace on the left side of the house. It's weak light illuminates the room it resides in and the partially collapsed walls of that room give easy access to your probing eyes. What can be seen is little more than the ruins of a long abandoned building. Rotting furniture casts wavering shadows across the walls, and piles of debris cover the floors.

The firelight grows weaker still as it gets further from its source, the collapsed porch does nothing to help in your endeavor. Visibility through the front door and the broken window between it and the holes in the fireplace wall, is not as easy. The broken windows to the right of the front door are completely dark, anything could be standing there, watching you, waiting.

Are you continuing on?

Neldi continues past the gate, stopping just off the porch. "Hail in the building," he calls out.  "We don't want to quarrel, just looking for a place to rest the night."

The wind through the trees above the ravine and the soft crackle of the fireplace are the only response Neldi receives.

Neldi steps up on the porch and approaches the door, peering into the dimly lit interior.

Perception? or am I getting stabbed in the face and don't need to look around anymore?

Small mounds of debris litter the floor of the building’s interior. Loose stones, dead weeds, and grime cover virtually every surface. Paintings must have once adorned the place as indicated by the particular stain patterns marring the walls. The only light comes from the fireplace in the room to the left.

A stair case heading up to the collapsed second floor is further in on the right. At the end of the room is a set of double doors. To your immediate right is another door.

Map will be pinned in Discord

Neldi walks slowly into the main room of the building, testing the floor as he goes and angling for the fireplace.

He makes it into the room with the fireplace. Not a single instance of falling through the floor can be found.

Assuming nothing attacks me...

Neldi pulls a torch from his backpack and lights it at the fire, looking around the side-room before walking back out into the main room.

Moving back into the main part of the living room, Neldi can see the staircase directly across from him, the double doors to his left, the side door next to the front door, and the front door where he sees the pale faces of his companions as they watch him brave the ruin.

Neldi takes a minute, standing in the center of the room and looking around at the dirt and debris on the floor with the added light of his torch, looking for footprints that aren't his own and other signs of recent use.


15:55, Today: Neldi rolled 4 using 1d20.  Perception.
Gonna assume I see nothing, I know nothing.

He looks back at the fellows at the door, "Do any of you want to come in and help me look around?  I'll understand if you would rather wait..."

Alarven turns to his companions, and gestures for the stair. "Right then, can I have a volunteer to check upstairs with me? If I'm to find trouble, I wish to find it with a friend at my back."

Alarven will move to the staircase, and visibly be waiting for one of his companions to join him before he moves upstairs.

While taking a moment for the others to decide who will come with him, he addresses Neldi. "Assuming I don't find any houseguests upstairs... I will probably take up watch up there. If you have to fire the house, give us a solid shout before you put the torch to the place, alright?" Alarven's last remark seems full of humor dry enough to use as tinder.

Telorn swallows and steps inside away from the front door. He clutches his club and watches the side door.

"Here, light one of your torches from mine," Neldi holds his out to the man.

"I'll go with you," Teloen says as he makes he way towards the stairs.

Alarven waits for Telorn to get his torch lit, and cautiously ascends the stairs leaving Neldi, Menden, and Kalve below.

do you need Telorn and I to make Perception tests as we head upstairs? I am checking each step as we ascend before putting full weight on it, because part of the building has collapsed or seen better days.

Neldi opens the double doors, one of which twists out of his grasp as its hinges give way and it collapses to the floor. The room appears to have once been a sizeable dining room, but the furniture is all but rotted away. A door sits in the wall to the right.

Alarven and Telorn head upstairs, each step seeming to be the one that will give way and cause the whole structure to collapse. Stepping over debris from the collapsed roof does nothing to ease the mind.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:33, Mon 17 May 2021.

"Try not to step on the bits of roof there, Telorn - If you twist your ankle, I'm not carrying you downstairs." Alarven comments dryly, gesturing to the collapsed roof and walls to their right.

After giving a glance through the shattered bedroom, Alarven shakes his head and mutters out, "Could have sent a guide. Should have sent a carpenter. Might have sent a guard. Sent a tailor..." before turning his attention instead to the left side, closed door, and tests to see if it is locked or jammed.

The door doesn't budge, could be debris behind it or it could be swollen shut, definitely not locked.

Following Neldi, looking about each room we enter.

trying to make sure we do not step thru floor, looking for tracks other than party

Alarven calls out down the stairs, "If you're in the room beyond the main room by the stairs... Watch your head. I'm going to try and force a stuck door soon."

“I’ll watch the way we came then.  The signal can be a bloodcurdling scream if anyone needs help.”  He watches out the door the way they came trying to have some sort of cover from outside.

Neldi calls back to Alarven, "Go ahead!"

GM - Alarven will take a deep breath, square up, and reach for the door handle.

He will attempt again to jostle the door free, more firmly this time than his tentative push before.

If met with impassable resistance again... Alarven would attempt to shoulder the door open with his body weight instead.

Telorn moves away from the door to stand by the stairs in case the floor nearby collapses. He still keeps an eye on the rest of the room and the ceiling in case anything comes in from the night sky.

With a mighty heave and a welcome word of encouragement from Telorn, the door is forced from the loving embrace of its frame and goes tumbling down, revealing a bedroom that now houses the remains of the roof.

Alarven will cautiously move into the new bedroom, looking around this room- and testing his footing very carefully before trusting the floors.

I would like to be looking specifically for signs of habitation in the last few years here in the (left bedroom). if I can move safely to the broken wall area that goes into the (top room) and (bottom room), I want to glance into those as well.

I'm not necessarily trying to inventory the rooms like looting them, this place has been abandoned a while. I'm seeing if it looks like the area has been disturbed, debris moved out of the way, clean corners to lay down in, etc...

Alarven can be heard moving around the upstairs, the floor boards creaking ominously and the occasional muttered curse as debris slides out from underfoot.

Neldi listens to the ruckus upstairs for a moment, making sure there isn't any screaming, and then proceeds to check the door in the righthand wall of the dining room.

Turning to Telorn, "It should be safe to go tell Neldi to finish checking out the house. I will stay up here for a bit, to keep an eye out. Nothing up here but us and the squirrels."

Alarven will move carefully back into the left room-

Sending Telorn down with their torch, so he's not obvious silhouetted in the collapsed roof hole-

and keep an eye towards the ravine they came thru and the trees above.

Neldi enters the remains of the kitchen. The shelving has long collapsed and the remains of the butcher block work table has collapsed in the middle of the room. The stone oven is a bit covered in old vines, but appears to still be in good shape.

A set of stairs is off to Neldi's immediate right and seem to lead down into a basement. The remains of the door to his left, and part of the wall, opens out to the backyard of the place.

Neldi stays in the doorway from the dining room into the kitchen, holding his torch and looking back and forth between the back door and the basement stairs.  "Kalve, come here, I need your eyes for a moment," he calls and waits for the fellow to come.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 17:28, Tue 18 May 2021.

Telorn comes downstairs carrying his own torch. "Nothing up there for a long time."

sure thing boss, but I thought we came out here to look at gems not rotting houses

Moves to assist Neldi

"I'm more worried about what might be in the house right now," Neldi says and advances into the kitchen. "Watch the stairs down while I check out the back door."

Checking out the back door with the torch, looking for anyone or anything hiding back there.

okay dokey
Sneaks over beside basement door

Kalve quietly moves to the top of the staircase that leads down into the basement, realizing there isn't a door there. Meanwhile, Neldi looks out into the backyard.

After checking the backyard, Neldi has Kalve reposition in the dining room, just outside the kitchen door, telling him, "Keep watch in the room, make sure nobody sneaks in from the back or up out of the basement."

With that taken care of for now, he goes to check behind the last door on the ground floor.

Alarven, left on the second floor without a light (albeit by his own design) keeps an eye on the ravine ridge lines to see if he can spot more tree movement.

Moves to where instructed

The door opens with relative ease to show what was once the office of the mine owner. The bookshelves and desk have thoroughly rotted, the remains of papers are scattered about and several small rodent nests can be spotted in the debris.

After giving the room a quick once-over, Neldi calls Alvaren down from the 2nd floor and assembles everyone in the dining room.

"The only place we haven't gone over yet is the basement," he says quietly.  "Menden, I want you to stay here, stay out of sight and keep watch through the doors to make sure no one sneaks in the front without us knowing. The rest of you, come with me into the kitchen, and I'll check the basement. Be prepared to come down if..."

Neldi trails off and swallows hard before straightening his back and continuing, "If anyone is down there, I'll likely need help, so be ready. Questions or suggestions?"  He looks around at the small group.

Alarven looks around the kitchen with an appraising look, "I saw what looks like an old library open, at the bottom of the stairs... Have we seriously found no signs of activity other than the burning fireplace yet? I don't want to seem like we are inviting trouble or being too cautious... But if no one is down there, what's next?"

"Then we keep our guard up and rest in shifts until dawn, and continue to stay alert while we check out the mine."

do we want to see if there is an outdoor entrance to basement

Move back to kitchen

Menden nods when told what to do, “I’ll do what I can.  If there is a library and we don’t get murdered in the next few minutes I can take a look through it tonight.  Along with that folio.”

"There's an entrance to the basement outside as well, alongside the kitchen, I'm not too worried about it, though." Neldi steps closer to Kalve and lowers his voice to a whisper, "I want you to go out the back door and stand at the corner of the building to watch it, don't go down the stairs." He raises his voice to normal conversational levels again, "Ok, let's finish checking this place out, then."

Everyone has marching orders now, so I'd like to go ahead and move to the stair and start down after Kalve gets in position outside.

The staircase down to the basement is choked with debris, but Neldi picks his way through it. The cellar is partially collapsed, but appears to be stable at the current time. Along one wall, a crumbling wine rack still stands, although age has left a pile of empty and broken bottles at its base.

Alarven makes his way to the fireplace, the inconsistent symptom of a building long abandoned and showing to have been empty for a long time. Staring at the burning logs, he makes a quick appraisal of the situation there.

GM, I would like to see if I can solve the following questions.

Can I tell about how long the fire was left burning here before we arrived, a fresh fire with new logs or a fire about to go out?

Is there more firewood collected and available to sustain the fire?

If there is more firewood available, is it fresh cut/split or old, dust covered, and looking like it hasn't been touched since the mining office was last in operation (decrepit like the library)?

Neldi calls up the stairs, "Nothing down here."

GM, i'd like to do a comprehensive search of the basement.  just to be safe.

The fire seems to be have been well stocked prior to your arrival, though exactly how long ago is difficult to tell. There is gathered wood nearby, a mix of "fresh" kindling and wood that has been scavenged from the debris.

In reply to Neldi (msg # 137):

Moves outdoor without comment

Alarven will move over to Menden to fill him in on what his observation was, and help keep watch at the front door. His words are addressed to any of his companions within earshot, but primarily to Telorn and Menden.

"So it looks like someone stoked the fire a bit before we had arrived... and there is fresh gathered kindling, not just debris collected. I don't like this, guys- Did we chase someone from the only shelter they had, with our arrival? Where did they go?"

Neldi continues his rummaging around in the basement.

What is Kalve doing now that he is outside?
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:59, Thu 20 May 2021.

Look around for tracks or any movement.

While Neldi is searching the basement, Kalve wanders the grounds.

Menden shrugs, keeping his eyes fixed out the door, “Does it matter?  If they come back and they are angry we explain our purpose if they don’t come back it’s one less thing to deal with.”

Move back into house through kitchen, make way to darkened windows.

"It's here. It would be a shame to let the fire go to waste. And the roof," Telorn says.

Telorn, you got it right, how you feeling?

"A roof, sure. Not much wall to hold the warmth in near the fire, though. I think we will want to use our tents for shelter still, tonight- keep the damp and chill off of us, less we all end up with Telorn's cough."

Alarven nods to Kalve as he returns. "Any news from outside, signs of whoever was here earlier?"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:45, Fri 21 May 2021.

couldn't see any sign of recent movement in back, they probably just came in front like we did. look out the darker house right windows for movement outside

"If we are going to spend the night in here, we will need to do a few things. This building is not closed off, so we'll need to set up our tents here inside, or use a tent cover to close off part of the missing walls in the Library or the Living Room here for us to not catch a head cold... Do we have a preference, between those rooms? The living room will be harder to close off, but it has the fireplace to keep warm..."

"Also, after two days of wandering in the forest, I'd like to get clean, if there's water in the well out back. We can heat it up using a pot and wash up."

"And thirdly, we will want to set up another watch rotation.

go right a head I will watch from here

Neldi returns from searching the basement and says, "let's settle down in what used to be the dining room, use one of the tents to cover the collapsed wall to cut the draft a bit. It'll be colder without a fire in here, but we can close and spike the kitchen door and generally only have to watch in on direction. I'll check the well and see if it has water or not."

Neldi goes out into the backyard.

"I'm fine, Telorn says but a stifled cough gives him away. "I can take a watch."

Neldi stares dumbstruck at the bucket, then empties it out and tries again.

Must have just dragged against the wells walls the first time. The bucket comes up without any issues and filled with only water.

Neldi unhooks the bucket and brings in some water to fill the cookpot. His face is pale and drawn in the torchlight. "Probably boil that thoroughly before using it... Just to be safe," he says quietly before putting the bucket next to the back door and sitting down in the corner of the dining room, where he wraps his blanket around his shoulders and mechanically gnaws on a piece of hardtack, blankly staring out through the double-doorway into the entrance of the house.

Occasionally, his eyes skitter-dart toward the kitchen, then back to the entrance.

Alarven nods, a confused look on his face for a moment as he watches Neldi leave the room. "Alright, so... in trying times, sometimes one needs the comfort of having holy water on hand to ward off evils. My father had a method he spoke of, for making holy water anywhere it was needed."

With the most deadpan expression he can muster, he looks to each of the others in the room. "The process of making holy water is simple, but takes time. A ritual with only two steps, in fact. First, you fill the cooking pot with the water... and then, you boil the Hell out of it." The edge of Alarven's mouth curls up slightly, as he fights to not smile.

a bit of humor seemed necessary to break the black mood Neldi brought inside with him. :-)

Telorn smiles and chuckles. "Good one," he says before coughing slightly.

Telorn tries to warm himself by the fire.

Strength Challenge. 17:57, Today: Telorn rolled 10 using 1d20+1 ((9)).