Dungeon Raiders: The Wolf's Den

[Li Shenron]

[OOC: So, Bartleby and Aeiyan and Tock have successfully moved the rock out of the opening? Fine.
Moving right along here, as though days hadn't passed: ]

As you push the boulder aside, an unmistakeable stench of rotting carcasses fills the air. You have torches/cantrips/darkvision, so you immediately get a glimpse at the area beyond.

The next cave is about as large as the previous (except where the boulder was placed), but somewhat shorter. It has a vaulted ceiling about 20ft high, but in contrast to the previous cave, this one is full of stalactites hanging from above, and the floor is more rough and uneven. On the ground, you notice some scattered scraps of clothes and equipment. It seems there is a large hole in the wall at the end of the cave, about 15ft high from the ground and 6-7ft wide, perhaps a continuation into even more caves.

 

[Kobold Stew]

(onward?)

Bartleby takes in the sight of the new cave. He knows stonework, and he's uncertain about both the stalactites (is there an obvious source of water that has produced them? is it damper here than on the other side) and the mess on the ground (why here but not on the other side?) But he proceeds cautiously towards the opening, leading the way and so providing a safe path for the others to follow if they wish.

After his first few tentative steps, he turns to his colleagues and suggests, "If we're going ahead, then we should decide about whether we are keeping our escape route open. It'll be more obvious that we have gone this way, but I doubt there will be uncertainty in any case. Still, if someone wants it shut, just say so."

He then proceeds, one hand tracing itself along the cave wall. He is cautious, and glances up at the stalactites.

 

[tuxgeo]

"A moment, if you would," Aeiyan offers* to Bartleby and Tock; "I don't have darkvision. Our spellcasters are still in the other room, and I think a Light cantrip would come in handy ahead."

He steps back toward the first room of the cave where Sulannus and Rejik are waiting and asks, "Is the captive awake enough to talk yet?" (Once again he asks the wrong question; he wanted to ask about a Light cantrip, but once again another thought had crossed his mind at the last moment. )

*[OOC: I had to suppress the urge to have Aeiyan phrase that as, "'Arf a mo', guv'nor.," on the grounds that that would have been dreadfully out of character.]

 

[Kobold Stew]

Bartleby pauses.

 

[Jimmy Disco T]

Tock advances cautiously into the cave, staying close to Bartleby. Cautiously, he keeps one hand down by his side, within easy reach the of the halberd slung over his back.

Turning his head to one side, he speaks quietly, "More light... what do you think, Bartleby? Do you see anything in the gloom that we would not want to know of our presence?"

[OOC: I have a bullseye lantern, can I light this and hang it from my belt or somewhere so that it will give out light while leaving my hands free?]

 

[Shayuri]

"Solarum."

A quartet of orange-yellow spheres of light whooshed into the room and began to orbit one another in complex, dizzying patterns, like an orrery with no visible mechanism save the stars.

Sulannus stalked in after the warriors, her falcon perched uneasily on her left wrist. She looked around the room, taking it in, then sniffed and wrinkled her nose.

"A battle? It can't have been long ago by the smell... Are those hobgoblin bodies?"

 

[Li Shenron]

[OOC: I have a bullseye lantern, can I light this and hang it from my belt or somewhere so that it will give out light while leaving my hands free?]

[OoC: I'm not really sure how a bullseye lantern works, but I think at least you'd need one hand to hold it, especially if you want to fight. IIRC it's also a directional light source, illuminating forward but not much around, so it's best used for exploration.]

"A battle? It can't have been long ago by the smell... Are those hobgoblin bodies?"

With Sulannus' cantrip now everybody can see the same. You don't yet noticed much more yet (see previous description). But note that there are no bodies, just scattered equipment: clothes, scraps of armor, perhaps some weapons.

While you're entering the cave and looking around, you hear some flapping noise coming from between the stalactites at the end of the cave...

 

[Jimmy Disco T]

Tock is briefly dazzled by the sudden appearance of the orbs of light, and raises a hand to cover his eyes.

"Bodies? No... not bodies." he says cautiously. "Or at least, not any longer..."

He looks up with a start as his ears catch a faint noise in the distance. He peers into the darkness in the direction of the sound, slowly reaching behind his back for his weapon.

[OOC: thanks for the clarification around the lantern, I'll keep this in mind. Other than the scattered equipment, is there any sign of a fight? Any blood, broken arrows, bloodstained weapons etc? Or does it just look like the items were dropped/abandoned?

Also, does proficiency: Nature encompass knowing what kind of vicious flappy monsters might live in caves? ]

 

[Li Shenron]

[OOC: thanks for the clarification around the lantern, I'll keep this in mind. Other than the scattered equipment, is there any sign of a fight? Any blood, broken arrows, bloodstained weapons etc? Or does it just look like the items were dropped/abandoned?

Hard to tell for sure, some of the scattered parts look broken, but no blood is visible.

Also, does proficiency: Nature encompass knowing what kind of vicious flappy monsters might live in caves? ]

Bats? You can of course make an Intelligence(Nature) check, and let's see.

 

[Jimmy Disco T]

[OOC: Intelligence (Nature) check 1d20 -1 +1 = 3]

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4407911/

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Tock hasn't got a clue what could be lurking in this cave.