Part 5: Return to the Moathouse Ruins

Though he cannot see clearly what is found in the cells, Eltrezar is confident that his companions are efficient and professional. He is content with providing the light. After all, how would they all fare in the darkness? Once the rest of the group seems satisfied with their efforts, he speaks up. Hrmph! "As you all have fumbling around in the cells, I noticed an extension of the chamber along the opposite wall. Let us continue through there, and see if any keys can be found." The lighting from the lantern makes it difficult to notice, but a keen eye might notice an expression of pride on his wizened face, perhaps related to the group working as a team.

Gilly slinks out of the room, and follows behind the wizard. She step in front of him before they enter another room, to ensure he doesn’t come face to face with anything that wants to hurt the party! It’s hard not to feel concerned about the moans, sure that she is that they are turned.

"This way?" Gilly asks rhetorically, before heading in!

After showing the lustrous green gemstone to the others, Mal takes position at the front of the group and cautiously peers around into the eastern passageway...

Glancing at one of the racks, and the poor skeleton fastened to it, Norris feels inclined to comment, "You know... this reminds me of this one girl..." he trails off, before realizing that he is not with his usual crowd.

Catching himself before saying too much, the wily and clever thief pivots and spins the direction of the story into something much more innocent, "She was... skinny. Real skinny" he explains unconvincingly, nodding in the direction of the skeleton.

Hoping to redirect any attention away from the sputtering anecdote, the thief interjects, "There was a door back there... should I double-back and fail at opening it?" he offers, showcasing his often employed disarming grin.

"Might as well. The worst that can happen if you fail is we laugh at you. Or if it's booby trapped you could die. I guess there is that possibility too," Bors adds after giving the matter some thought.

Norris stares blankly at the fighter for a few moments. Then as dryly as he can manage, offers a short but emphatic bit of advice, "Never have children".

Without lingering on the topic, he moves to the [Q15] door and tries his best to overcome the lock, though his hope is low and his confidence wavering.

Eltrezar takes a quick glance at the skeletons to see if they perhaps had tried to take any valuables into the next life, grumbling at Norris' quite tasteless joke. Hrmph! "Yes, let us check that door and perhaps delve deeper into this dungeon. I feel there is little else to gain from this main chamber." He follow closely, lantern held high.

Standing up in an almost thoughtless, automatic manner, as if propelled more from reaction than deliberate thought, Norris glances over at the wizard and shares something which is clearly bothering him, "Why would a place so aged and withered, so old and abandoned, have so many locked doors?" he ponders aloud, though his return to the present suggests it may have been a rhetorical question and one that he would rather not hear the answer to. That is until he continues to ramble...

"I've been in countless homes, most of them lived in, most being lived in while I was there... and they had fewer locked doors..." he stumbles. "Heard of", corrects Norris.

"Head of homes. I've heard of them" emphasizes the footpad gingerly as if dismissing the validity of the words would make them that much less impactful.

Prior to departing the torture chamber, Eltrezar stand stoicly and strokes his beard. Ahem! "I do believe we have found more proof that this dungeon is not uninhabited. The bandits we slew were afraid to delve deeper, and yet we find cleaned and oiled doors, along with these fresh, abeit poorly maintained, instruments of torture. I feel it needs not repeating, but we must be on guard." He follows, hoping to make progress soon rather than stand pondering the horrors that have taken place in this unholy place.

Gilly, unseen by her companions, rolls her eyes there in the fresh darkness, and begins to fish around awkwardly for a torch. When she eventually finds it, she sets about lighting it, holding it in one hand, her sword in the other.

"Have to do everything myself…" she mutters as she follows the wizard into the room, careful to wait for her friends to follow along this time.

Realizing that the door hasn't defeated him, but rather outsmarted him, Norris seems no less dejected; moreso, in fact.

"Bors? Your foot, please?" he prods, hopeful the smash-happy warrior may be able to jar this jammed door loose from its moorings, and give the party a more appealing and optimistic area to search.

"With pleasure. Although I should use my left foot, since the right one is still a little sore."

Mal looks upon the poor souls chained to the racks and offers them their last rights. Whoever they were, whatever their affiliation, surely no one deserves to die like this.

When Angel mentions the secret door hidden in the pillar Mal snaps out of her melancholy and trots over to where Bors is putting boot to portal.

"Anyone try opening the thing before we kick it down? Is it even locked?"

Before opening it, Gilly will clamber forward to listen at the door that Angel has stumbled upon!