No problem. We just stole your stuff and carried on. (But Alora does feel guilty about this and will probably try to make up for it at some point in the future).
Okay, you go up and get the rest of the party. when you are finally all down, you are still presented with the same choice. Right to the door, left to the stairs.. You can feel the weight of stone pressing down on you, along with the weight of the earth, similar to the Nashkel mines.
Alora is going to go along the corridor to the stairs - checking for traps, pits, illusory floors and ceilings as she goes. She will listen at the spiral staircase and make sure she can't hear anything coming up or down. If she doesn't hear (or see) anything nasty she will come back and listen at the door and check it for traps. If there is a lock she will pick it (and look through the keyhole).
Then she will call the big brave fighter types to come and protect her then she will use her Robe of Blending to hide next to the wall. And once all that is done she will open the door.
Alora detects no traps in the corridor. She hears nothing on the stairs and finds no traps on the parts of them she can see and reach. She also detects no traps on the door. When opened, you see a 20' wide… room? Corridor? You can't tell. To your left, you see double doors on the left wall, 10' from you. Across the way, there are two doors leading straight ahead of you, 30' apart. (One 10' to the left, the other 20' to the right. The rightward end of the space runs beyond the reach of your lights, ending in gloom.
The hall stands in deadly silence. The low ceiling sags from heavy beams. a fog clings to the floor in thick patches, obscuring everything less than 3' from the floor. A giant shadow is cast across the ceiling as a dark figure shuffles purposefully down the corridor towards you.
The double doors are banded in steel and made of heavy planks. You also see a hint of stairs to the north in the light behind the shadow as well as bars...
Alora shines her lantern into the room, hoping to shine a light on whatever it is that is approaching.
If it looks like something nasty she plans to slam the door shut and spike it while everyone decides what to do. (Of course this will only work if the door opens outwards).
If it is nasty and she can't spike the door she will snap down the cover on her bullseye lantern and get to work with her Sling of Seeking ...
*Speaking as quietly as possible* It may be best to confront this shadowy figure now. If it turns out it is a foe in this place, it would be wiser to handle the situation sooner rather than later. I feel much better having a potential evil in front of me rather than behind, especially when I don't know what lies ahead of or behind me.
Keldorn also begins detecting for evil in the area of the shadowy figure - if Evil Detection is aura based rather than directed at an individual as I have had both happen from various DM's in the past.
The figure is not evil, though the aura it projects is very… odd. "Hello!" The old man calls to you in a cheery voice. "Come to see, old Cyrus, have ye? I may not be the cook I was, but I can still prepare tasty meals!" He halts his shuffling steps when he sees you and peers at you more closely. "The master's guests, are you? You need to return to your rooms. How did you get down here? This ain't no place for the like of guests. I want to keep my cooking secrets all… secret-like."
"Sometimes." the old man says. "I'm making soup right now." He pauses. "But you should really return to your rooms. You're not supposed to be down here. The Master won't be happy."
"Who is this master you speakin' about?" Imoen pauses and looks at the man, "And where could we find the fastest way out of here, this is just too darn creepy I really wanna get out of here".
Alora gives Imoen a hard stare. "I was trying to be clever and now you've gone and given it away. He's never going to believe we're guests of the count now. "
Alora shifts behind Keldorn and stares hard at the mist, trying to work out why the old man has trouble walking.
"I am Cyrus Belview, thank you very much, milady." He bows, creakingly. "My legs have been a bit stiff lately… If you look at them, I'd be grateful. Let me stir the soup, first." He turns and makes his way back across the hall, and opens the door to the right of where you are standing. Inside, you see a reddish-gold light, as of a crackling fire, and a giant black cauldron pot hung over a fire.
Alora, checking for traps as she goes, will follow Cyrus across the room. She is a bit scared and has a very bad feeling about what might be in the soup.
Alora finds no traps. The room is 20' by 40', and reeks of decay. The pot over the fire in the center of the room is at a full roiling boil, and the liquid is greenish, with bubbles. Cyrus plunges a huge wooden pole into the center of the pot, and six pallid limbs rise above the level of the liquid, with clawed fingers. Then, zombie heads pop up, snarling at Alora. Cyrus pulls out the staff and starts beating the zombies about the head. "Sorry!" he says to Alora. "I'm not the cook I used to be… My meals get so out of hand these days!" He doesn't seem to notice or care about the Zombies.
It is all Alora can do not to run screaming from the kitchen. She backs away from the cauldron. "It's really more of a stew than a soup," she says, trying not to sound scared.
If it doesn't look like the zombies can escape from the pot, she will wait until Faldorn is tending to Cyrus's leg, then she will blend in with the mist and sneak over to try to see what is behind the bars to the north.
*whispering to group only* A man who eats zombies can not be what he seems. I fear he is too far corrupted to be let back into nature. At least we have a fire set already to burn his remains. Anyone else ready?
Uh, no. Alora isn't at all ready for this (assuming she is still around to hear what Faldorn says). "Just because someone is cooking zombies doesn't mean they shouldn't be given a second chance. There's good in everyone."
Indecisive, slow to act... Fools. His name is Cyrus, how any of you could trust a man like that is beyond me. I shall follow, but mark my words, he needs to be put down.
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Then she will call the big brave fighter types to come and protect her then she will use her Robe of Blending to hide next to the wall. And once all that is done she will open the door.
The hall stands in deadly silence. The low ceiling sags from heavy beams. a fog clings to the floor in thick patches, obscuring everything less than 3' from the floor. A giant shadow is cast across the ceiling as a dark figure shuffles purposefully down the corridor towards you.
The double doors are banded in steel and made of heavy planks. You also see a hint of stairs to the north in the light behind the shadow as well as bars...
If it looks like something nasty she plans to slam the door shut and spike it while everyone decides what to do. (Of course this will only work if the door opens outwards).
If it is nasty and she can't spike the door she will snap down the cover on her bullseye lantern and get to work with her Sling of Seeking ...
Keldorn also begins detecting for evil in the area of the shadowy figure - if Evil Detection is aura based rather than directed at an individual as I have had both happen from various DM's in the past.
Alora sniffs trying to work out what kind of soup is on the stove.
Alora shifts behind Keldorn and stares hard at the mist, trying to work out why the old man has trouble walking.
More importantly, I feel I must see your soup. Keldorn, would you join me with him?
She is ready to skedaddle if things turn nasty.
If it doesn't look like the zombies can escape from the pot, she will wait until Faldorn is tending to Cyrus's leg, then she will blend in with the mist and sneak over to try to see what is behind the bars to the north.
A man who eats zombies can not be what he seems. I fear he is too far corrupted to be let back into nature. At least we have a fire set already to burn his remains. Anyone else ready?
"Please tell me chef Cyrus, where do you get your...ingridients?"
*Casts Charm Person on Cyrus*
OOC: I might not me commenting sometimes but I read everything here, all the time.