2. The First Delve

Roasted room. I will open the far door. Swan says as she strides to the far door to again force it open.

Ricard waits to enter the room until Swan has safely crossed it, just in case the cause of the burnt debris becomes suddenly evident...

"Bizarre..." Looking in the door, Gabbro muses. "Something here was hot enough to set all that furniture on fire, but didn't burn long enough to consume everything, and it was recent enough that we can still smell it." He puts out a hand, trying to feel if the air in the room feels warmer than the corridor outside. "What do you think? Magic?" Like Ricard, he watches Swan walk in. He's less concerned with a trap - why would they have a trap that would burn up their own furniture? - and more interested in whether she's leaving boot-prints in the soot...Are there any prints other than hers?

Druin charges into the room alongside Swan as the door is opened, choking a bit on the cloying fumes.

He nods toward the charred door. "Well, that's ominous."

He steps off to the west side of the room to begin poking through the smoking debris for anything intact.

Burned Room

Whilst Swan "checks for traps" by marching across the burned room to the door on the far side, the rest of the Hellions inspect their surroundings. Nothing suggests the fire is recent; the room seems no hotter than the Grand Foyer and its surfaces are cool to the touch.

There are clear signs of traffic between the two doors.

Druin spots nothing of note amongst the debris, only charred pieces of wood.

Swan barges the other door open to reveal a room that extends beyond the range of the lantern light. From what she can see, the space appears to be dominated by a long table and chairs. Battered shields and torn tapestries adorn the walls, giving the room a militaristic feel.

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Day 1, 2:00 pm
Druin, Dwarf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Orelia, Cleric 1: 3/3
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 6/6
Tess, Thief 1: 3/3

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

Swan says as she tries to penetrate the darkness with her eyes and of course failing, "This room looks like it might be worth checking out."

Seeing Swan live through the short walk, Ricard moves to join her and Druin at the door.

"OK, I'll take a look!" Gabbro follows Ricard, hoping to get a look at the room while it's still dark.

Feast Hall

Gabbro advances into the new room ahead of the others to inspect it with his infravision. It seems to be a dining hall, although there are no signs that it is still in use. A large, L-shaped table dominates the space, with numerous matching chairs scattered along its length. The furniture looks like it was once of good quality, but it’s now cracked and rotting.

Various shields (serviceable if you want to use them) decorate the walls, along with the tattered remains of tapestries. Gabbro cannot make out any details on the tapestries with his infravision.

Mapping information: irregularly-shaped room. Immediately after the door through which Gabbro enters there is a 10’ x 10’ corridor. This then opens into a space that is 40’ x 20’. The 10’ corridor arrives in the northern section of the west wall. However, there is a further "alcove" to the north that is 20’ x 10’ in the north-east corner. If drawn correctly, you should have (west -> east) a 10’ x 10’ space, followed by a 20’ x 20’ space, followed by a 20’ x 30’ space, with the southern wall continuous. The only other visible exit is a door in the westernmost section of the southern wall. Hope you can make sense of this!

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Day 1, 2:10 pm
Druin, Dwarf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Orelia, Cleric 1: 3/3
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 6/6
Tess, Thief 1: 3/3

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

Meanwhile, back in the Burned Room, the rest of the Hellions hear the sound of movement and harsh voices back in the Grand Foyer. It sounds like a group, moving none too stealthily, has just entered that area (the door in the Burned Room back to the Grand Foyer will have swung shut behind you, so you can’t see who the new arrivals are).

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Day 1, 2:10 pm
Druin, Dwarf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Orelia, Cleric 1: 3/3
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 6/6
Tess, Thief 1: 3/3

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

Swan says in a more whispering volume as she is at the doorway to the dining room and the reason the door isn't closed, We have company. Quickly get in here and see if we can lose them.

"Quick - does anybody need a shield?" Gabbro tries to project his whisper to the others as he heads back to Swan at the door. He thinks to himself ::Well, I'm glad I didn't start spiking the doors yet!::

Tess hustles into the room with Swan and the rest of the party. She prepares to quietly close the door behind them if needed

Ricard soft steps quickly into the room...

Feast Hall

As you all move into the Feast Hall, the sounds of the other group fade.

With the assistance of the lantern’s light, you can now get a better look at what remains of the tapestries. Both the needlework and its depictions are crude, but the images are mainly of mobs of unarmed men fighting smaller groups of soldiers. In all scenes, the mob has the upper hand. In one scene, several men appear to be eating a fallen soldier.

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Day 1, 2:10 pm
Druin, Dwarf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Orelia, Cleric 1: 3/3
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 6/6
Tess, Thief 1: 3/3

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

"Lets not make too much noise hear and see if we have lost the other party." as the door is closed.

"I think we are getting deeper. Looks like this hasn't been used in a while." She walks over to the large "L" table putting her hands on it to see if it is still sturdy.

Gabbro, suspicious that the southern door may lead to a room connected to the Grand Foyer, listens at the southern door in the hopes that he will hear if the other group enters that room.

Ricard busies himself with checking behind the various tapestries to see if any of them conceal something valuable...

Feast Hall

It doesn't take Ricard long to check behind the ragged tapestries; they conceal nothing but rough stone walls.

Meanwhile, Gabbro listens at the southern door ...

... but hears nothing. There is no sound of the other group.

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Day 1, 2:10 pm
Druin, Dwarf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Orelia, Cleric 1: 3/3
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 6/6
Tess, Thief 1: 3/3

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

"I'm not hearing anything," Gabbro whispers to the others. "Do you want to go through now, wait a little bit longer, or go back?"