The Wilds - What's that Smell

The party is back in the Cold Caves and exploring once again. Here's the current turn's action.

Start Date: June 17, Year of the Badger, early afternoon

Start Status: My kingdom for a spike!

Start Location: In the Cold Caves

The Turn

"So far, so good," calls Urúvion from the entry area. "Looks like they didn't reset this log trap. It's just hanging here. He and the rest of the elves [note that I'm adjusting Maro's position based on his non-metal armor status] move forward slowly, scanning the rooms ahead for any sign of danger.

All seems quiet, and the outer door is closed. Rawon listens for noise, but hears nothing, so he calls for the others to move in. Everyone follows the Elves's lead, moving as quietly as they can and fanning out in the outer room. Ingvild stops to study the log trap, and then pulls out a knife and starts cutting ropes. "Keep going. I just want to be sure they can't reset this."

Grit says "Spike this door someone," as he heads for the so-called trash room. There's a moment's silence as every looks at each other. "No one has an iron spike? What kind of adventurers are you?"

"Do you have a spike?" asks Nissa.

"Welll, no. But let's not get bogged down in details. See if there's some junk you can use to jam it shut." Grit keeps walking and Urúvion files down the passage behind him, while those in the room start jamming the door with a rusty pick-head and the others filter in.

Raúguey starts to follow down the trash path, but stops at the edge of lantern-light. "Guys, I can't see," he whispers down the tunnel.

Grit and Urúvion notice a terrible smell, but press on a bit. They squeeze through a narrow down-sloping passage and find themselves in a rough cave. Where the other rooms they've seen show signs of workmanship, crude to be sure, this space is completely natural. A ledge curves along the west side of the room, while the east side falls off into a chasm. That's where the smell comes from. The pit is half-full of trash, old rags and bones, bits of armor and moldy food, and just recently, a dozen and a half headless corpses. Cold water trickles down the east wall into the chasm, swirls around the accumulated debris piles, and then trickles away to the south-east, where a tunnel leads away from the bottom of the chasm [leaving the side passage shown, because I am lazy]. Urúvion can hear faint noises, not water, coming from the lower tunnel, but can't make out what they are.

Meanwhile Maro and Rawon have the outer door well jammed, and continue to listen there. It's still silent. Nissa, Locky and Gorvil survey they outer room, noting that aside from the rough pallets, it's been stripped bare. "Looks like no one is home." whispers Gorvil.

Ingvild finishes his work disabling the log trap, and looks ahead to Durego. "What now?"

End Date: June 17, Year of the Badger, early afternoon
End Status: What's that smell?
End Location: In the Cold Caves

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