2. The First Delve

Ricard knocks his fist against his breastplate,

"He'd have a hard time gnawing through this!"

Ricard considers that the market might well pay the same amount for an unskinned animal as for a skinned one, but the comment about the stomach reminds him of why he learned to skin in the first place.

"Yeah, you never know what these things might have swallowed. A ring on a finger it bit off, a gem it thought was food... Never know."

South Entrance
I’ll say the skinning and butchering of the giant shrew take a turn, and that brings you to your hourly rest. So it’s 9.00 by the time you’re ready to move out.

Remember, you can move three times more quickly through areas you’ve already explored and mapped, so it’s only going to take around 20 minutes to return to the Kopper Kettle from here. You’ve still plenty of time before your appointment with the Ghost Beggars.

---
Day 3, 8:40 am
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 4/7
Jessica, Cleric 1: 5/5
Luther, Cleric 1: 5/5 (Lantern)
Pickles, Halfling 1: 4/4
Ricard, Fighter 2: 12/14

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

@Ricard - sorry, forgot to mention - no goodies in the shrew's stomach.

Soon boring of the Skinning of the Shrew, Pickles decides to have a look around the corner back towards where the Kobolds were originally fighting. He hopes the the wild running through the area by both Shrew and Kobold would have set off any traps, and to get a glimpse of the audience which was so disappointed by the death of the Shrew.

"Well, what do you think?" Gabbro asks the group, but particularly Ricard, as he's the one who has done most of the work with the shrew carcass. "Do we try to sell it to the kobold guards here - it's possible they might want it - or do we lug it back to the Korners for sale now?"

"We could see if they want it, save us a haul for certain. Can't imagine how much coin a kobold would have on him but never hurts to try."

Ricard wipes the blood from his hands on the pelt of the shrew and then pops into the guard room.

"You lot want to buy this meat?"

Fenwick steps to the doorway as Ricard makes a sales pitch to the kobolds.

"What's over that way, anyhow?" she asks the group, pointing toward the doorway that the shrew emerged from, curious why these guards are positioned here. As her eyes follow her own gesture, she notices Pickles wandering off to explore on his own.

South Entrance
Pickles will need a light source to explore that area.
The kobolds look at the bloody mess that Ricard proffers to them. With an air of bemusement, they shake their heads.
"Orcs. Goblins. Crazy humans. Big senty-peeds. All VERY dangerous. You lucky we keep Korners safe."

---
Day 3, 9:00 am
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 4/7
Jessica, Cleric 1: 5/5
Luther, Cleric 1: 5/5 (Lantern)
Pickles, Halfling 1: 4/4
Ricard, Fighter 2: 12/14

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...

Fenwick turns to look over her shoulder at the shrew's corpse. "And we thank you for it, you're clearly doing a great job. "

Ricard shruggs and takes the kill back out into the hallway.

"Well, we could leave this one and pick it up on our way back in a couple hours. Don't need to drag it with us and it's only a couple of silver if we lose it to wildlife."

As he moves away from the light of the lantern Pickles figures it will be hard to see anything, so he turns back to join the group.

"Hmm." Gabbro considers Ricard's suggestion, pointedly trying not to laugh at Fenwick's snarky comment. "Do you think it would be worthwhile to take some of the bits with us, to toss out as bait or a distraction to monsters like the 'big senty-peeds' they mentioned?"

"Winner winner! A great idea Gabbro."

Ricard carves off the two hind legs and ties the end of his rope around them to drag along.

"Shall we go west, then, and see how big that room is?" Gabbro looks at his map. "Unless people want to go back to heal or prepare magic...?" He glances at Fenwick, then adds: "Although...on the map, it looks like the north exit from that room might connect to places we've been, and be just as fast a way to get back for our meeting."

"I think we have enough time to explore a bit more, especially if it wraps back onto known territory," Fenwick agrees. "Hopefully the orcs I thought I heard jeering the kobolds were part of the Open Sores or the going may not be so easy. "

Gabbro begins tapping his way into the large chamber where the shrew had been fighting the kobolds.

Ricard agrees and moves alongside Gabbro, spear in hand.

Fenwick follows along, sword at the ready.

Jessica falls into her place in line.

Luther move on with the others providing light from the lantern.