You can see what looks to be a storeroom of types. A ladder descends into the room. The room is littered with broken crates and, to your dismay, broken barrels and casks. 

Maudath sighs as he sees the broken barrels and casks.

"Such a waste," he says. Then to Eve "I can go first."

Maudath then climbs down the ladder and starts poking around the room, lingering over the broker casks.

Perception: 22  

"Not exactly a secret meeting room."

"Does it look used? Might be another hidden passage somewhere? If someone's been using this place, we should douse the lights and fire in case they take offense to use being here."

If others agree, he'll snuff the candles with his detachable translucent left hand, but pull out and shake a few vials that give off a soft glow once the chemicals inside mix together. 

((Fantasy glowsticks: "The object sheds bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light for an additional 5 feet."))

"Ipkiss, could you make the fire really small for now? We'll build it back up later, perhaps?"

Descending down the ladder into a small room, roughly 25 by 25. With your dark vision you are able to make out quite a bit in this room. It is full of broken things, crates, barrels, tables, chairs, as well as several broken bottles of ale towards one corner. There are also 2 doors in the room. You also do notice the lack of dust on the floor.

Maudath will have grabbed a candle or one of the glowsticks before descending if there is no other light (no darkvision for Goliaths, especially ones raised by halflings).

"Whole lot of broken stuff," Maudath calls up the ladder. "A real monster trashed this place. They've busted all the ale casks and a few bottles. No need for such behaviour."

He takes a few steps into the middle of the room, not entirely sure what to make of the room.

"But no dust," Maudath continues. "Couple of doors leading who knows where."

He walks to the door on the west wall and listens for any sounds from the other side.

Perception: 23  

"Anyone coming down before I start exploring?"

"I say we close up shop up here and head down, figure out what's going on. I'd not feel comfortable camping above an area that we don't know who or what might come out of. Sorry Ipkiss, the fire's going away for now."

He'll make sure that the upstairs is as close as they can get it to looking like they hadn't been here, and will head down with Maudath and the others.

Ipkiss smothers the fire with his body, and wings, and stamps the last flames and embers out. Then he goes and perches on Eve’s shoulder in his visible devil form. His tail coiling affectionately around her neck, looking a lot like one of those little tiny monkeys.

Eve climbs down, following Maudath and takes a look at the broken barrels and bottles. ((Were they broken recently? Or has all the liquid long since dried up?))

While the others chatted and explored, Iris would have begun a ritual casting of detect magic, sitting quietly in one corner and meditating, silver amulet pressed between her palms.

Assuming she finishes her spell at roughly the time when people are heading into the basement, she'll follow the others down the ladder, extinguishing her glowing shield on the way. She looks around the room for any magical auras, then presses her ear to the opposite door that Maudath has.

Perception: 4

Nothing seems to be magical in the local vicinity Iris.

As you both listen at the door, you hear a few faint scraping noises. 

Maudath raises his eyebrows at the scraping noises.

"Rats?" Maudath suggest. "I don't like rats."

He draws his greatsword and looks at the door. He quickly scans for any obvious traps and if he doesn't see any he opens the door.

(Perception: 13  )

The Professor's Lightning Launcher begins to whine softly as it powers up.

"Cook the rats, they might be ugly but they are food, also we should be caurefull, i don't trust the guy outside, and even less the liar bastards from the town close, If you want i can see if anything comes from the entrace" she said while looking at the basement
"Or i can go down there since i know you all might start crying of how much you miss me if i stay away from you all for far too long, eh eh eh"

The door opens into a bit of a larger storeroom. Stacks of open and broken crates fill the room, almost all of them at least 5 ft high. 

Maudath looks into the room taking note of the stacks of crates.

"Lots of places for something to hide in here," Maudath says. "Want to shine that bright light of yours in there, Iris?"

He takes a step in, tossing his glow stick into the middle of the room.

"Anyone in here?," Maudath calls into the room.

As he steps further in, he taps on the crates just to the north of the door and looks behind them.

The Professor will keep an eye on the other door and let the others enter first.

Iris follows Maudath in, reactivating her glowing shield and using it to illuminate the space. She starts making a slow lap of the room, looking for any people, creatures, or anything out of the ordinary.

Perception: 18

Eve calls back up to Ryhunis, from the first room below the trapdoor, “If it’s all quiet up there, maybe follow us down?… it’s pretty cramped but if Maudath can fit in I think you can!”.

While the others check out the first room, Eve takes a look at the second door and checks it over for traps while she’s there…

Investigation check: 17 

"No way I just got called fat by Red, why red? Why I.. We... ahh ahh I.. you... I thought we were best friends!" Ryhunis says while going in the room, and pushing Maudath..... by complete accident
"Toxicity, this group is so toxic, shame on all of you, lil'red you were the last one i thought it was gonna dissapoint me, such shame" she says while also by incredible accident and coincidence while opening her arms pushing Iris

“I’m just teasing!”, Eve says to Ryhunis with a wink. “Hey, what do you think of Ipkiss here? He’s pretty neat eh? He’s one of my bestest friends!”.

Ipkiss chips in with a polite bow, from Eve’s shoulder, “Charmed to meet you miss!..”.

Eve: The door to the south doesn't appear to be trapped or locked. 

Iris: AS you light up the room you see that its full of stacked and broken crates and boxes before being "accidentally" bumped by Ryhunis pushing further into the room. 

Maudath you check behind the crates to the north and don't see any signs of anyone, but as you turn and go to move away you hear the sound of movement behind you as something attacks you from behind. (surprise attack)

Attack: 10 Damage: Unable to parse dice roll.

Caught by surprise you feel the impact of a sharp weapon hit you in your shoulder. 

The rest of you in the room see, where previously there was no one here a moment ago, a group of short grey skinned dwarves appear out of nowhere and begin to move in towards you all.

I need everyone to roll Initiative please.