Legacy of the Silver Dragon: Chapter 1 (Chickens, Demons, and a Missing Girl)

[Voda Vosa]

"There seems to be a tunnel of sorts down the well, fellas." Muzdim declares, as he points out at something the others can't clearly see. "Do we have ropes or something to climb down and check? This might be where the lass's kidnappers went."

 

[Binder Fred]

[Downstairs]

Stellan doesn't find much of note in any of the debris on the floor, except a few pieces of glass and the bottom part of an oil lamp.

"No damsels here," he reports, poking the lamp with his sword blade. "Though that might be our fiendish culprit right there: they said this thing was started by a fallen lamp, right? What about you guys?"

"There seems to be a tunnel of sorts down the well, fellas." Muzdim declares, as he points out at something the others can't clearly see.

"Cool!"

OOC: Passing full control of Stellan back to Gambler. I guess I shouldn't have asked, should I.

[Upstairs]

Upstairs: The bed was made - not excessively neatly, but definitely made up after whoever slept in last got up.

(Did not the fire happen at night? Or is he misremembering vaguely heard and uncared for rumors of people he had never met and, sad to say, would apparently never meet? Easy enough to associate storm and fire and the depth of night when tales are re-told: it makes for a more dramatic story... In truth.)

One oil lamp sits on the desk. In the top drawer of the desk are a couple of writing quills, a jar of ink, and some rough paper scrolls. The information on the scolls are merely purchases made.

Antares pauses, hand on the handle of the bottom drawer... wait: the bed is made? They were awake? With half the house unburnt? How does one succumb to such a... mild catastrophe? Perhaps - Perhaps they both fell asleep by the kitchen fire as the flames grew in the background? Still, Antares casts a vaguely uncomfortable glance at his surroundings, as if suspecting the long-ago smoke permeating these walls could now suddenly thicken into the clawed outline of something sinister...

The bottom drawer is locked.

Antares studies the problem for three long heartbeats, then reaches for the top drawer and gently extracts it from its moorings. Looking down into the hole so created, he sees into the bottom drawer: no separating divider! As he thought: the lock was a late addition.

 

[Toric_Arthendain]

"No rope here," Myst says, looking around at his companions. "Anyone else have any? I would say that we definitely need to get into that well and see what's down there." He looks again into the dark well, fingering his holy symbol and saying a quiet prayer to Pelor asking for protection in the groups upcoming trials below ground.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

"Pretty sure I have some rope. Do we want to toss a torch at that dark spot in the well and see if it's a side-passage?"

 

[gambler1650]

Upstairs: The drawer is indeed open to view given the actions that Antares takes. What's inside is a small journal, and apparently nothing else.

Downstairs: Stellan looks at the broken pieces of the lamp, and then upwards. "Looks like it fell with the rest. There's wood underneath.. the floor? And wood on top... the roof?" He says this loud enough for anyone to hear, and then wanders over to peer over the shoulders of the dwarf. "Anything to kill?" he asks in a hopeful voice.

OOC: Let me know when the group has a plan of action regarding the well...

 

[Binder Fred]

[Upstairs]
Furling his wide sleeve with one hand, the young elf reaches into the drawer with the other, carefully extracting the little tome, his earlier unease almost forgotten in the thrill of anticipated knowledge. Quickly flipping through to the last written page, he reads out loud, reflexively rising to his feet about halfway through:

[sblock=Actions]Examine the book before opening, please: anything written on the cover or spine? No undue stains, rips or tears? Lastly, nothing inserted between the pages/the pages and the covers as he flips through?[/sblock]

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Bosco rifles through his bag, and the bags of others if need be, lights a torch, and flings it at what appears to be a side-tunnel in the wall of the well.

 

[Toric_Arthendain]

Myst hands his lit torch to Bosco to throw down into the well.

"Let's find something to attach that rope to," Myst says. The cleric takes the rope from Bosco and looks around the room for something sturdy to tie the rope off to, something within ten feet of the well so that there is enough rope to reach all the way, or close to all the way to the bottom of the well.

 

[gambler1650]

Upstairs: Nothing's inserted between the pages, the book itself appears to be worn on the edges but reasonably well kept. The writing is careful and neat. The last page reads, the date one day before the house burned down:

Paid 5 coppers for potatoes and vegetables.
Paid 2 SP for the well cover to replace the broken one (still no idea why it collapsed - odd!)

Will meet with LM tonight to discuss sponsorship.

Downstairs: The throw by Bosco is right on target. The angle is such that it hits at the base of the depression in the side of the well and bounces what appears to be a couple of feet down a tunnel. It flickers alarmingly for a moment as it probably rolls, but then light comes again from the hole, illuminating the bottom of the well and up the sides.

There are beams that extend from the floor above to the cellar floor that could be used to tie off a rope.

 

[Voda Vosa]

"Alright, into this thing at once." says Muzdim, as he grabs the rope to climb down.