The Wilds - One Stone Unturned

Prudence overcomes aggression, and the party elects to leave the scraping noises beneath the rock alone, for now. As Durego said, "It's not like whatever it is is going anywhere." The party retreats out of the cave into the jail, taking a careful look around as they fall back, and closing doors behind them as best they can. The two forced doors no longer close completely, but Durego and Raúguey use some of the manacles hanging on the walls to fasten the doors shut, sort of.


Back in the water-filled hallway, nothing has changed, and the party moves to the southeastern door. Ingvild checks for traps, then gives the door a shove. Surprisingly, it gives and swings slowly open, revealing a short length of corridor ending in stairs up, with another iron door to the west. "I'll bet that west door connects up with the other door in the south wall, probably a guardroom," whispers Rawon, acutely aware of how much noise the party is making sloshing through knee-deep water. "Let's check it first. Raúguey, watch the stairs."

The group shifts forward and Raúguey says, "About ten feet of stairs, looks like corridor beyond. I'm no expert, but it looks like something's used these, too."

"Wait then, and let Mordikarr and I take a look."

Working quietly, Ingvild checks the door, then gives it a shove. It also swings open with only minor squealing complaint, revealing a soggy, twenty by fifteen foot chamber, complete with door leading back to the big hallway. Benches, a table, and an empty weapon rack suggest that Rawon's guardroom theory might be right. A hasty search shows nothing of interest, so the party moves on, pulling the two iron doors nearly closed behind them to reduce noise.

"Something come this way. Many somethings," mutters Mordikarr, stooped over the stairs.

"Yes but what?" asks Maro. To his eye the prints and drag marks are too small to be humanoid.

Mordikar shrugs. "We go find it and see."

At the top of the stair another narrow corridor stretches out ahead of of the group, at least thirty feet. There are doors, quite a few doors, in shallow alcoves on both east and west walls. All appear to be wooden, and in bad shape, split, rotten, and gnawed, with entire panels missing here and there. The dust/muck in this hall is also disturbed, with trails and drag marks leading back and forth between the doors. Alert for whatever might have left the tracks, Mordikarr checks the first two ruined doors, allowing Raúguey and Ingvild to watch his back. The first two prove to be storerooms, Old shelves lean against the walls, split and broken casks are heaped in clusters on the floor, along with... bones. Scattered here and there are skeletons, rats, bats, as well as larger remains, kobold, goblin, and other, bigger, creatures. All picked clean by something. "I no like this place," mutters the wild man, before moving forward to the third door. A sudden sound brings him to a halt. "CHHHHHIIIRRUUP CHHIRRRUUPP"

"What's that!" cries Locky from his position back at the foot of the stairs.

The original sound came from the first room on the east, but now it is joined by others, "CHHHHHIIIRRUUP CHHIRRRUUPP CHHIRRUP"

"They're all over the place!" says Durego.

There's a quiet stirring in the east room, and a shelf quivers as something crawls past, hidden by the debris on the floor.

"Watch your spacing!" calls Raúguey, "There's movement on all sides!"

Mordikarr looks into the third room and catches sight of something crawling toward the door, an insect-looking thing with large articulated forelimbs, heavy jaws, and twitching antennae. It's at least four feet long. 'Bug thing!" he cries, readying his sword.

OOC: The party is in the corridor, in marching order, with Mordikarr at the very front at the third door. The rear ranks are still in water / on the lowest stairs.

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