Against the cult: the Forest Ruin (1.5)

There is no reattaching the stone sphere to the column it was suspended from, short of Mending magic. Aanbo is fairly confident that he could craft some kind of sling to suspend it from the ceiling again, with the correct materials. As an alternative, given the sphere's surprisingly light weight, he could fashion some kind of stand for it, so that it would be elevated from the tabletop (which would cast shadows downwards if he were to just leave it there).

Albertus realizes that the rust on the metal is recent. If there had been moisture in the air to rust the iron for centuries, the chain would have fallen apart and the bars of the portcullis degraded to the point that he could snap them with his hands. That this isn't the case means that something changed in the last months or years.

Kragga examines the boxes, which are slightly swollen. Cracking the top, a smell of mildew wafts in his face. Inside are more of the Heralds' white robes, but they're all rotted. A second box contains textiles or blankets, similarly befouled. In another crate are various bits of metal chain and wire, all of which are corroded like the portcullis and winch chain. He checks a small barrel; the contents within slosh and glop viscously, and the sides of the barrel weep with moisture, which smells like badly fermented cider. Whatever magic has been preserving things upstairs for the many centuries since the Heralds went to sleep has either worn off here or didn't extend down in the cellar in the first place.

Satisfied that the crates are full of junk, Kragga comes forward to aid Albertus with the portcullis, in case it is too heavy.

Upstairs, Aanbo puts the finishing touches on the rope sling he's fashioned to hold the glowing globe and is working on attaching it to the ceiling. Xana is providing supervision and suggestions, as usual. Theran is examining the plants in the conservatory; amongst all the herbs and vegetables, several of the plants are unfamiliar to him, either breeds that he doesn't recognize, plants that are foreign to these lands, or species that have been lost to time. Joseph is sharpening a dagger with a whetstone. This activity is all interrupted by a faint vibration they feel through the floor and, a split second later, the sound of a crash.

Downstairs, Al and Kragga haul on the winch as Ogbar stands ready to confront any dangers in the room beyond the portcullis. But the chain was apparently not connected to the gate! Instead, a hidden latch releases as the heroes pull the chain, and the section of floor they're standing on drops out from under them, swinging down on hinges to slam against the side of a hidden pit with a loud BOOM!

Ogbar, Albertus, and Kragga must make a DC13 DEX saving throw to avoid the pit or fall in if they fail.

Ogbar tries to catch the edge but his hands are full with his axe and he bounces off and into the pit.
Ogbar takes 2 points of bludgeoning damage.

The party regroups in the basement, with Aanbo, Joseph, Theran, and Xana rushing down the stairs from the kitchen to find Al, Kragga, and Ogbar in a dusty cellar storeroom, dusting themselves off at the edges of a pit opposite a closed portcullis.How do you want to proceed?

Xana edges around the pit, tries to lift the gate, then looks around a bit more when she is unable to budge it. It clearly isn't loose in a channel; it's hooked up to some mechanism separate from the winch and the trap. As Kragga hovers protectively near her, the gnome looks to her left, peering into the shadows behind the boxes. "Aha!..." she begins, pouncing at something she sees, but then is disappointed that it was just a place where the stones forming the wall had shifted slightly.

She follows this hunch further, looking behind the boxes that the wizard had examined earlier. "Aha!" she says again, this time with more definite satisfaction as she shifts some boxes on the eastern wall to reveal a small lever. "Sometimes it requires more complicated thinking!" She flips the lever, and, following a few groaning clunks of machinery in the walls, the portcullis retracts into the ceiling with the rattle of more hidden chains. Joseph and Ogbar lead the way into the room beyond, stepping lightly over the corner of the pit in front of the doorway.

The dust is less thick in this workshop room: evidence that there is less here to decay, though the smell of mold is stronger here. Sturdy wooden tables stand here, their legs speckled with mildew. Each table is littered with tools and crafting implements, and on the south wall is a small forge and anvil. A small collection of rusted weapons - spears, arrows, scythes - is carelessly stacked on the table in the southeast corner. There is a closed wooden door with discolored patches and banded with rusty iron leading east.Each character who enters the room can attempt a Perception or Insight check, DC10.