2. The First Delve

Gabbro joins Ricard as they lead the way back south toward the 4-way intersection. If they reach the rubble room without incident, Gabbro will advance slowly, probing well ahead of him with Fenwick's spear: first the floor leading into the room, then the floor leading to the rubble, and then the rubble (making sure to stop if there's anything untoward like the noise of a trap triggering).

"Hehe … not a chance," he says shaking his head with a smile. He then pauses, a look of concern crossing his face as the implications dawn for his own eventual departure from Stonehell. "Oh well," he says with a shrug. "I suppose we’ll build that bridge when we come to it."
"We came across them when we first arrived, up in the canyon. Said they wanted a share of any treasure we recovered. As we’re here to study rather than pillage, I didn’t pay them any notice. I’ve seen them in the tavern occasionally, but they’re not staying at the inn. I'll keep an eye out though if you think they might be able to help me with my studies."


Flaking Room
You depart the dwarves for a third time and head towards the room you spotted previously with the dusty, rubble-strewn floor. You find a chamber in a particularly poor state of repair. The ceiling is sagging. The painted frescoes on the wall are flaking. Dust and debris from the decrepit masonry litter the floor. There are no apparent occupants, nor any other visible exits. There are also no obvious signs as to why this room should be so neglected - from what you’ve seen so far, most of this level of the dungeon seems to be maintained to a certain level by the kobold work crews. But this room is an exception.

Gabbro's tentative prodding with his spear doesn't highlight anything of concern.

Mapping information: rectangular room, 20’ x 30’. You enter through the middle of the eastern wall. There are no other visible exits.

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Day 2, 4:30 pm
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 motions at the ceiling. "Maybe there's no cleanup because they're just waiting for that to collapse?"

"Or maybe they think it's haunted. Those little critters are easily spooked..."

"Maybe we should be prodding the ceiling instead of the floor."

Flaking Room
As you survey the chamber, you start to notice something odd. The shadows cast by Luther’s lantern appear slightly askew. The silhouettes cast upon the walls seem to inaccurately reflect the objects creating them, and they dance a little livelier than you would normally expect.

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Day 2, 4:30 pm
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 ...

"Bloody hell, toldja it was haunted!"

Ricard draws his blade instinctively,

"Steel won't do much good against ghosts, be ready to run..."

"Hmm, more illusions, I bet. Not really something we've had good luck with. Maybe we've seen enough and check the other room?"

"Illusions, ghosts, or perhaps living shadows?" Jessica wonders aloud. She had heard tales of disembodied shadows that attacked of their own accord.

"Illusion makes sense..." Gabbro pokes at a shadow with his spear, and watches the shadow of his spear as he does so, curious as to what could be causing the shadows to behave so oddly. But then he hears Jessica's question. "Living shadows, huh?" Gabbro shivers at the thought and takes a step back. "Since shadows have no heat of their own, I imagine they'd be completely invisible in the dark..." He shivers again, for the first time ever on this expedition actually glad to have light.

Hmm that's weird Luther thinks to himself.

I will move 10' further into the room with my holy symbol out.

Pickles sharp ears listen intently to the conversation, with the talk of living shadows and illusions spiking his interest. "What’s a living shadow? I that similar to the tales of Petite Pan? He lost his shadow once and had to sew it back on. Well a girl he met did the sewing." Stops suddenly as Luther steps forward with this symbol aloft, he draws his bow notching an arrow in one fluid motion. The Haflings ears twitching as he listens for any clue or noise . . .

Flaking Room
There are no particular changes within the room as Luther advances, brandishing his holy symbol. Your shadows still look distorted (the silhouette of Gabbro’s spear shaft gains some rose-like thorns), but there are no signs of any third party - illusory, incorporeal, or otherwise.

Pickles’ sharp ears don’t detect any sounds from within the chamber, but he can hear a faint squeaking noise coming from the "dung" room on the other side of the crossroads to the east.

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Day 2, 4:30 pm
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 ...

So the dung room then?

"Seems likely."

Ricard does not relish the idea of searching the dung room but it wouldn't be the worst thing he'd done all day.

Easily distracted Pickles turns his attention to the squeaking, "There are some noises coming from there, not sure what is making the noise though." The Halfling tucks in behind those willing to take the lead.

I will move to the door of the dung room and hold out the lantern to light it up. I will be holding my shield in front of me looking over the top of it.

Trash Heap
The chamber opposite the Flaking Room on the other side of the crossroads is, quite literally, a trash heap - a heady mix of bones, rotting food, dung and other assorted rubbish.

As the light from Luther’s lantern spills into the room, your initial impression is that the surface of the pile is shifting. But then you see the eyes. Lots of eyes, reflecting in your lanternlight. And tails.

Giant rats, at least a dozen of them, swarm amongst the detritus, their chittering intensifying at the arrival of the intruders.

You notice that one of the rats is wearing a collar with a brass tag attached to it.

Mapping information: square chamber, 20’ x 20’. You enter through the northern section of the western wall. There is one other visible exit - an opening in the eastern section of the northern wall.

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Day 2, 4:40 pm
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 ...

To the rat with the collar, Ricard whistles and ticks while making various 'come here' gestures like one might use to try to call over a cat...

Jessica assumes a readiness posture upon seeing the many eyes in the darkness.