The Wilds - Hot. Damn Hot!

A short turn, as commonly happens when exploring a dungeon.



As soon as Durego finishes his bless spell, the party spreads out. Maro, Mordikarr and Suren move north to secure the door, Grendor and Strom move south to keep watch on the corner, and the others cover the two nearest openings leading into the larger room. Rawon hands Ingvild the Mirror of Eyes and the thief moves forward, using the mirror to scan the nearest part of the room. With no invisible threats in sight, he creeps foward, intent on using the mirror to peer into the pit below. As he advances he notes the rusted cages along the north wall contain human skeletons, intact but unmoving. The smell of char and smoke intensifies as he gets close to the edge. The railing around the lower area is stone, and many sections are broken. The vertical supports are carved depictions of strange amphibian and winged humanoids, and trees. Tucked behind one of the thicker posts, Ingvild tilts the mirror so it offers a view into the pit.

There's a 15-foot drop to the lower area, an entire room that extends beneath the floor where Ingvild now lies. [effectively, the floor the group is on is a balcony.] The walls, pillars and floor are blackened and featureless. There's a pit to the north that emits a reddish glow and waves of intense heat, but that's the least of the thief's worries.

A dozen human-sized figures, each with four to six arms and a slender spiny tail, shuffle their way around the lower chamber. They have slick black skin marred by cracks that emit a dull red glow. The creatures' heads are featureless except for the fang-filled, lipless mouth that splits the top of their skulls. Their movements seem to be random, and they don't seem to see the thief, though occasionally one will scrabble at a pillar with a multi-jointed limb.

Sweaty from the heat in the room, the thief starts to back away from the edge, but something catches his eye. There's a passage leading out of the lower room, in the east wall.

While the thief checks out the lower area, Mordikarr and Maro check the north door. There is no discernable noise, and Suren can't identify any unique smells, and it's locked. The door is made from stone, as is the other door, and there is a pull ring to one side.

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