"Oh, libraries have lots of books and are very nice, cozy places to spend some time," Bryony explains to Boona, smiling up at the giant woman. "I'm sorry the sound hurt your head, Boona. It helped me fall asleep actually."

Next, Bryony scrambles down the rope, quick and nimble as only one of the small races can be. Despite her earlier complaints, she is actually starting to become curious about what they will find inside Wave Echo Cave.

The party begins to climb down the rope into the pit without incident. Stepping over the goblin corpse, you can see that tunnels continue both to the east and northwest.

(Everyone: This cave system is dark. What is your darkvision / light source situation? Even though dwarves see quite well in the dark, they came supplied with plenty of torches, so help yourselves, but everyone should state how they are seeing here!)

(Ruven has 60ft of darkvision, and prefers staying in the dark as [Tooltip Not Found] is his weapon of choice. The lizard also has 30ft of darkvision.)

Ruven looks back and forth between the tunnels, then gets out his spellbook again. He lays it down, then begins performing another complicated series of somatic movements and chants while the others finish climbing down. When he's done, he'll try to determine if he feels any strong magic in either direction.

Boona took a torch and lit it, she also absently shook the goblin corpse as she passed in case anything interesting fell out.

Boona shakes the body of the goblin – an odd-looking goblin with an elongated skull and green streaks on its skin – but finds it is carrying absolutely nothing. It's been dead awhile – maybe a few weeks or longer.

Ruven senses no magic nearby other than a few items they already carry.

Bryony takes out her own torch and lights it. Then she watches, utterly fascinated, as Ruven performs his magic ritual. Never having been talented in that area herself, she still finds herself mesmerized when others are able to perform interesting spells and feats.

Boona starts shaking the dead goblin, and Bryony can't help but laugh. She heads back over to Ruven. "What were you doing just now? It looked pretty complicated."

Rather simple, actually. It is a spell that allows me to detect any traces of weave manipulation, though the range is short-he looks down at the halfling. Ah...no offense. What is that great brute doing over there? He looks at the goblin Boona is shaking for the first time, and sees the strange markings and skull shape. Ohh! This must be one of those strange goblins that was mentioned by the fool town master.

Ruven goes to examine the body, keeping up his detection spell, and thoroughly examining the green streaks, sketching the elongated skulls, and instructing Boona to turn the body over at different points.

arcana 11 investigation 23

In the warm, flickering light of a pair of dwarven torches held by Boona and Bryony, Ruven carefully examines the goblin body. It is a strange-looking goblin, unlike those he has seen before. It has an elongated skull and green streaks on its skin. This one is dressed in filthy rags. It looks like it was beaten to death, and not impaled in the manner of Gundren's brother. Something has been gnawing on one of its legs since its demise– something that left disturbingly human-looking teeth marks.

There are two exits from the pit. A drafty breeze seems to blow toward both. And the sound of pounding waves echoes throughout, every two minutes or so.

Where to? What next?

Once again in his clinical manner, Ruven jots down notes as he mumbles them aloud as well. Anomalous skeletal structure in the cranial region...bludgeoned, unlikely to have been dispatched by the same....verdant striations on the epidermal layer, those are interesting....and gnawed by some sort of ani-or is that human?!

Ruven will examine the teeth marks more closely to determine the nature of them:

nature 9 medicine 20

Boona shrugs and begins walking south towards the tunnel with her torch raised.

Quinn insisted on staying with Gundren, but he relented when it became clear that there was no use arguing with him. 

He pleaded with Gundren to be safe and to be on the lookout. “You know these mountains better than anyone. If you run into trouble, get outta here. Save yourself. We’ll find Nundro.”

Quinn is at a loss for words when Gundren offers him Tharden’s cloak. He takes the fine cloak and wraps it around his shoulders. He then kneels down and drapes his own ranger cloak over the fallen dwarf. Quinn dabs his finger in lamp oil then in some red ochre like mineral near the gravesite to make a thin paste. He paints a rune on Tharden’s forehead and he whispers his goodbyes. “Until we meet again, old friend.” Quinn snatches up small rusty colored stone and pockets it before turning to join the others. 

Quinn was the last to join the crew down into the tunnels. He snatches up a torch and lights it with his flint. 

He watches as Ruven investigates the body and takes notes of his findings. 

“…what the? Did you say human teeth marks?”

Quinn gets a closer look. 

“Bloody hell, you’re right.”

He turns his attention to the two exits. He’ll look at the ground near both tunnels for tracks, perhaps goblin, human or stout dwarven tracks.

Survival check: 25

Ruven examines the teeth marks carefully. They aren't human, exactly. Dwarven? Definitely humanoid. And clearly razor-sharp.

Quinn puts on the cloak (see inventory), lights a torch, and scans the ground. It is completely covered with loose rubble from the collapse of part of the cavern, and difficult to pick out tracks. But there are some, in the dust at the periphery – a jumbled mixture of dwarven boots, larger boots, humanoid barefeet (some clawed), and tiny bird talons.

Meanwhile, Boona lumbers southeast into one exit. The rubble and dust quickly clear here, and the stone walls no longer look natural, but intentional and utilitarian – cut. The tunnel forks ahead, both directions opening up into larger chambers, perhaps.

Bryony giggles at Ruven's remark about short range. "None taken," she says, some of her cheer returning after the horrible past few days.

While everyone is examining the dead goblin, Bryony follows Boona down the tunnel. "Boona, don't go too far ahead!" she says, jogging to catch up with the giant.

Jurgen seeing the others moving to the south passage, says "We should move out and explore this passage"

Quote from owlbear89 >>

 

While everyone is examining the dead goblin, Bryony follows Boona down the tunnel. "Boona, don't go too far ahead!" she says, jogging to catch up with the giant.

" Oh, sorry. Left or Right?", Boona mused.

" If anything dangerous climb up on me where it can't reach you, I will smash it."

“Yes, we best get moving. We’re definitely not alone in here. I picked up some tracks in the dust from the cave in. Some dwarven boots like the ones the Rockseekers wear. Some bigger boots too and some talons of some sort.

My eyes aren’t worth a damn in the dark so I shouldn’t lead. I’ll take up the rest and make sure nuthin sneaks up on us.

how about we make a left? That tunnel looks like it was excavated with tools.”

The party begins to move forward. 

Following Quinn's suggestion, and led by Boona, the party follows the northern branch of what turns out to be a hallway. The walls are hewn stone; the floors are smooth, natural stone; the ceiling ten feet high. The floors are clean of dust and debris, with the exception of a collapse on your left – a passage completely crushed and filled with rock and rubble. What you thought might be a room or opening ahead turns out to be another junction – you may proceed east or north from here.

(Check your marching order in the map below and let me know any changes!)

(Jurgen would prefer to be closer to the front to protect his party.)