Pru lets her nose lead her to the room with the burning fire, keeping an eye out for surprises along the way.

Perception: 16  

Pru heads back to the sitting room on the other side where you were previously. 

Aranor decides to examine the main hall and the dining room for any other clues that could tell them more about who used to live here or any sort of lock the key might match.

Investigation - 9

(Have we seen any stairs - up or down - or did this look like a single story from the outside?)

As Aranor examines the rooms on his way back, he does see a small closet type door in the dinning hall, just outside the sitting room. As he checks it, it seems wedged shut or locked. There is a keyhole. Aranor examines the hole. Takes out the brass key, however it doesn't fit.

@OOC you have yet to find any stairs. This is a two story manor from the outside.

Pru taps her foot a few times, her finger twisting her fiery red hair at the same time as she thinks.

She's trying to picture the manor in her mind.

"Did we look in the northwest corner yet?" Pru calls to the others, already heading in that direction before she hears an answer.

Pru goes down the central hallway, and past the statues again, turning to go to the room in the northwest corner of the manor, actively scanning around her as she goes, remembering to look up too in case there are more spiders.

Perception, if needed, as she looks for trouble: 18 

Beryl frowns. She thinks they did look in there, but maybe they missed something. Well, it's obvious they've missed something since there has to be some way to the second floor. 

"I would love to get into the locked room. Maybe that's where the stairs are." 

She walks over to look at the statues again. "Statues in spooky, decrepit manors should hide levers or secrets or something, right?" She carefully inspects each one. How old are they? How long have they been right here? Have they been moved or altered in some way recently? She pushes and pulls things. Maybe if I poke an eye or twist a finger, a secret door will open!

Perception: 14

As you make your way down the hall past the statues, the warmth of the fire in the small sitting room emanates from the right corner. As Pru stops short, she leans around the corner to the right, nothing there. Leans around the left corner, there's a small landing and what looks like a recess on the left wall. Beryl takes onto intensely searching the statues. Pulling and pushing everything she can find that thinks will open a secret passage. So far, it's been for not.

Aranor and Kaladin are bringing up the rear as Aranor keeps looking over the key. As he approaches the firelight from the sitting room, there's a glint on the key. Upon further inspection, twisting and turning the key, he notices a faint imprint on the barrel of the key that matches the same symbol that was on the box. 

"wait a sec, why he hell is the fire burning?" kaladin hurries over to the fire place and sticks his hand inside

Aranor studies the key carefully. If he can find a door or a trunk or something with that same symbol, he likely will have found what the key unlocks. He follows Pru and Beryl past the statues. Their stillness unsettles him, though he knows they are just inanimate objects. This house just feels wrong. 

"Does anyone know how to pick locks?" the high elf asks. "Or maybe we could find a way to break into the room. Pru, did you find something?"

Pru clambers up onto the landing and takes a look into the recess.

Perception: 22  

She calls back over her shoulder at Aranor’s questions.

”If I had the right tools I could give it a try. Maybe I’ve practiced a little with locks.” Pru says with a smile as she checks out the recess.

The recess gives way to an spiral staircase going up. The tattered floor rug looks like it's been washed in dirt and blood over time. There's an old wall sconce, but it's missing the torch. Kaladin sticks his hand into the hearth only to pull it out with a scream. 1 fire damage. 

"Stairs," Pru calls to the others. "Found them."

Without waiting, Pru tiptoes up the stairs.

Stealth: 12  

ooc, what happens with resistance when i take one damage?

"shit, well its  a real fire even if it soudnt be there!"

"aranor I didn't think id hear you wanting someone to commit crime!"

Aranor watches the tiefling stick his hand into the fire with bemusement, wondering why he would test the fire that way. 

"Technically, we're not really committing a crime. We didn't have to break in to enter," he reasoned. "It's more like we're doing a wellness check, and I'd say things are definitely not well here."

The high elf decides to wait for Pru to reach the top of the stairs. He's gotten lucky so far, but his armor makes it difficult for him to be stealthy. 

Beryl grins and goes halfway up the stairs and stops there to listen for sounds coming from above Pru, sniffs the air for the scent of fire or smoke or food. There has to be someone - or something - up there. She hopes they find the children still alive and well.

Stealth: 4

Perception: 16

hut up, i thought it might be an illusion, besides, its just fire.¨ kaladins complains shaking his hand uncomfortably

OOC You take one fire dmg. More or less you're gonna end up with some red marks, maybe a few small blisters. It will be slightly uncomfortable for a little bit but shouldn't hinder movement.

The stairs leading to a good sized landing. There's tattered curtains hanging on the wall. A shattered and moldy sitting couch. There's a door to the right of the stairs, leading into a hallway. Peaking around, you see a closed door opposite the landing room.  There seems to be what looks like spots of dried blood on the floor. They seem to be leading to the closed door across the way.

Pru looks at the dried blood for a moment, then, her head bobbing to only music she can hear, she quickly dances quietly across the hallway and presses her head to the door, listening.

Stealth (to cross quietly): 18  

Perception (to listen for anything): 19  

Beryl goes up the rest of the way and looks around. She quietly approaches the door that Pru is listening at.