Act 1. I've got your back

Still smiling after his little victory against Dungsweeper’s bararism Legolas silently follows Zyra.

Master Ironsunder, Zyra and Legolas at your service. Branric told us of the trouble at the forge and we thought we might be able to assist.

Zyra motions to two of empty seats, requesting that we may join him at the table. Once seated, she unrolls the parchment. Not a lot of details, what else can you tell us of the job?

Master Ironsunder, will you outfit the expedition? We need some supplies: lanterns, spikes to disable the traps, might even need to hire an alchemical apprentice to dispose or identify the gear. Assuming we can figure out your clicker... Is it possible it's the old smiths mechanical construct, you know like a wizards gollum doing the menial tasks? Do you know about constructs, how they work, how they activate, are they switched or voice activated?

Legolas will is not going to interrupt the conversation and will wait until Zyra asked all of hersLegolas seems calm, but his brain is actually super occupied processing the situation:
what does he mean by "I’ll offer work too"? I hope it's not a work in the smith.
When a blacksmith mentions "Favor from a blacksmith" it does sound like boasting at best. Maybe he is trying to negotiate less direct rewards ? Is he broke?

Legolas rise hand before speaking:
I'm not like The last man Branric sent. Zyra - i would feel better if you don't take advance yet, not even a python. We go in. We scout. Return to the table to make commitments and plans.

Legolas lower his hand demonstrating his interruption is over and communication is back to Zyra.

Fair enough Legolas. Master Ironsunder, is the smithy locked?

No blood left, you said. How do you mean that? Did someone drink all his blood?

Legolas only want to know if there were any clue on death reason.

The walk to the Trade Ward was quick. The forge sat near a corner, wedged between a fletcher’s shop and a boarded-up tanner’s. Its façade was old, dwarven-cut stone weathered by time, with a heavy iron sign bearing the faded emblem of Barundal Hornrock — an anvil flanked by crossed hammers.

Zyra approached the thick wooden door and slipped the brass key from her belt pouch turning it with a slow, metallic click.

The door groaned open, revealing a cool, still interior lit only by the dust-softened light seeping in through narrow windows. The shop was intact — counters along the sides, racks for weapons and tools (now mostly empty), and a large central workspace where a secondary anvil sat half-covered by a leather tarp. There was a faint scent of soot, copper, and something older — something sharp and metallic.

At the back of the shop, partially obscured by a workbench and the faded shadow of a dwarven tapestry, they spotted it: a square outline in the stone floor, just visible in the slanted light. A trapdoor, iron-bound and old, with a thick, inset ring for a handle and a lock.

Legolas puts his arm on Zyra's shoulder and asks to Wait. He tries to look for any footprints in the dust

Legolas lights his torch and knees to look at the floor of this room. Seeking a track the previous explorer left or any other tracks left by other creatures. If the dead body where "just outside the main entrance" he guess either someone of something dragged the body there or the poor victim were trying to escape jut before death.
In either case, wood elf considers the dust on the floor will tell me the story unless someone smart enough put an effort to hide it, which is again an information.

Legolas knelt silently, torchlight casting long, flickering shadows across the room. The fine layer of dust on the stone floor told its tale with quiet honesty. He brushed a hand gently over the surface, eyes narrowing.

There — a set of footprints, booted and heavy, moved from the entrance to the corner where a faint outline of a trapdoor could be seen beneath a smudged rug. They went in… and came back out. In a hurry, judging by the depth of the heel marks on the return path. Grusk’s, most likely.

Aside from those solitary steps, the dust lay undisturbed. No drag marks. No claw prints. No hurried scuffs or other tracks of struggle or pursuit.

The forge had been abandoned… and undisturbed. Whatever happened, it happened below.

In the quiet, only one sound broke the stillness: from below the stone floor, deep in the forge’s belly, came the softest, most distant click.

Click. Click.

Then silence.

Clear. Legolas stands up and suggest Zyra to enter and investigate. He keeps close to doors and considers
Unlock trapdoors, tie a rope and open them from distance for safety. Or do you dare to open them by hand?

Well, we have the key for the trap door... you want to position yourself so you can target the opening and I'll use the door as a shield

Zyra, leas down, waits for Legolas to get in position, inserts the key and unlocks the trap door lifting it with caution and giving Legolas a clear line of sight to the opening.

Zyra slipped the iron key into the concealed lock and turned it with a soft click. She paused — listening — then slowly lifted the trapdoor, using its weight as a makeshift shield. The hinges creaked, old but oiled, revealing a flight of stone stairs descending into utter blackness.

The torchlight licked down the passage, illuminating the first few steps. Beyond them, only shadow remained.

OOC:

can we retrospectively say Legolas gave his torch to Zyra to free his both hands to hold a bow