Fane will join Tilliman in a quick looting search of the bodies. "Shall we check out the doors before we check out the foot lockers or do a more comprehensive search?" she asks, "or shall I have Leo watch the doors while we thoroughly search this room?"

[Thanks for botting Fane all!]

The blue-haired half-elf gives the unhelpful smugglers a glare before swiftly going through the room, looking for her stuff. "As before I would appreciate finding my gear but I can manage without it as long as there are still smugglers likely lurking about." She says, looking over at the others before continuing her search, then ready to follow along.

Perception: 9
Investigation: 5

Eron heads to the doors listening at each…

 Impatiently he opens the door to his left without the warning.  “Don’t worry Arlynn we’ll find your belongings, even if I have to wade through this place top to bottom.  Oh and Tillman, thanks, remind me to never get on your bad side your a real strategist and marksman!”

Several minutes pass as the party searches the room and the bodies.  All three of the smugglers were armed.  Most of the footlockers were empty, while others had simple clothes and boots, while still others had a few coins and valuables.  Altogether you find the following:

• 3 shortswords
• 2 crossbow, lights
• 1 longbow
• 7gp, 22sp, 21cp
• A small gold bracelet

There is no sound from beyond either door.  When Eron throws open the left door, he sees a well-appointed bedroom.   Unlike the barracks, this small room holds comfortable furnishings and appears to be well cared for.  A comfortable-looking bed in the northwest corner has a wooden locker at its foot.

A small wooden table stands against the east wall, with a padded leather chair beside it.  On the seat of the leather chair sits a pile of belongings... Arlynn's belongings.  

On the table, a brass three-branch candlestick with three burning candles provides the room with bright light. The candles, though not fresh, are far from spent.  Under the table is a small wooden box and an unlit bullseye lantern with a movable shutter over the lens.

On a shelf above the table sit three books.  In the northeast corner is a closed wooden wardrobe.

Finally, back in the main cellar room, Arlynn notices a draft in the SW corner.  Behind a heavy sheet of canvas hung on the wall, there is a narrow stone tunnel leading into darkness to the south.

Tilliman flips through the books, not expecting these troglodytes to be reading anything useful but, thoroughness is next to godliness. Isn't that how the saying goes?

As he's looking through the books he glances over at the secret door and asks, "So? Are you all as curious as I am, my friends? Shall we go for a little snoop?"

“Arlynn I think I found your stuff.”  As Tillman squeezes past to check out the books Eron can’t help but make a slight chuckle.  He heads over to the lantern and box carefully checking for hidden ‘traps’.

Investigation 20

Fane will return Tilliman's shortsword to him with her thanks, and if no objections, she'll take two of the shortswords we just found. She will also be interested in the books and will look over Tilliman's shoulder while he checks them out.

She will have Leo keep an eye on the curtain / secret door while we finish looting and checking out the books.

[OOC: How do you all feel if I just grab all the $ treasure on Fane and keep track and we split it when we get back to town instead of doing math every time?]

As she finds the hidden narrow stone tunnel, Arlynn calls out to the others and informs them of her find. The blue-haired half-elf then hurries over to the other room as Eron calls back about finding her gear. "Thanks." She says with a grateful and relieved smile as she starts checking that everything is there, holding up a dark azure tentacle-shaped wand, giving it a small twist to make a large tentacle briefly appear before her. "Don't worry, just checking everything is in order. Let's check that tunnel now. I bet it heads down to their secret smugglers cave." She says with an excited smile, ready to move on with her wand in her hand.

(Cast Silent Image)

Perception: 16
Stealth: 12

There is another door right here, should we check that first?

Fane will listen, examine the other door.

Perception: 12

Additionally, Fane will check out the closed wardrobe [don't think we have yet] as well as searching the rest of the bedroom 

Investigation: 24

While Arlynn lurks quietly about the opening to the stone tunnels, the others examine the well-appointed bedroom.

Tilliman, the three books on the shelf are all interesting, in their own particular way.  

• The first book is titled Hymns of Titillation.  It is a lengthy volume of erotic poetry, fully illustrated, though the illustrations all depict dragons in various suggestive poses.
• The second book has no discernable title.  Looking inside, you see it is a naval almanac listing tide times for the area of coast around Saltmarsh (a total of one hundred miles of coastline is covered).  The book covers different seasons and notes the location of numerous reefs and obstacles that become dangerous at low tide.
• The last book is titled Iuz the Evil.  It is a treatise concerning the demigod Iuz and its minions.  

Inside the third book is a sheet of parchment featuring a few simple words and phrases in the Common tongue and their phonetic equivalents in another tongue... it appears to be the harsh language of Goblins.  The words include “stop,” “fight,” “lift,” “come,” and so forth.  

Examining the bullseye lantern, Eron discovers it is in excellent condition and, though lit in the past, appears to have seen only seldom use.  The small wooden box next to the lantern holds twelve candles, flint and steel, and a piece of parchment with instructions.  The parchment reads:

Long–short–short–short: “Is it safe?” 

Short–long–short–long: “Everything safe.” 

Long–long–long: “Ready to unload; come to the ship.” 

When he lifts the box out from below the table, something clicks and a hidden compartment drops open from the bottom of the table, revealing a thick book bound in red leather.  A cursory examination reveals this to be a  spellbook.  Inside the cover are the words 'property of the great Sanbalet.'

Inside the wardrobe, Fane finds a single garment, a fancy floor-length oilskin coat.  Its sleeves contain numerous pockets (empty) suitable for a thief, smuggler or unscrupulous gambler, and it is trimmed in iridescent green silk.  Careful investigation of the rest of the wardrobe finds no hidden compartments or other valuables.

Listening at the last door, the one barred with the sign 'danger,' Fane hears nothing beyond.

“Here Tillman I’ll trade ya one spell book for that treatise on Iuz.  Did anyone check that chest at the end of the bed?”  Eron is game for either direction but suspects the smugglers are in the secret tunnel.

Eron takes the longbow and the book on Iuz if Tillman lets him.

As Eron hand the spell book to Tilliman, Fane takes it from Eron, almost like it's sacred, "a spell book, in the wild" she whispers. "Um do you mind Tilliman? This book is a gem for me."

Realizing her rescuers weren't quite ready to explore the secret passage quite yet after all, the blue-haired half-elf joins them again. Peeking at what the others have found she grins briefly as she notices the dragons in suggestive poses. "So we're dealing with a fashion-conscious dracophiliac polyglot wizard leading a petty smuggler's operation, how quaint." She says with a brief giggle. "Would you mind if I helped myself to this untitled book, as a matter of curiosity." She then asks her rescuers before taking a closer look at the chest.

Investigation: 16

(If the chest is locked or trapped, Arlynn would provide help action to Tilliman as he takes care of that :-)

Tilliman slips the Hymns of Titillation into his pack. "Er, seems to be an-em... Unique cultural discovery here that I'll have to em... peruse further..."

He holds onto the luz book for a moment, saying to Eron, "Eh... I'm certainly willing to share... The subject of luz is of great interest to me of late. So, perhaps we can have ourselves a little book club once this current business is all said and done." He holds up the sheet of parchment. "This little number, however, may be of interest to us all... Seems these fine fellows were in league with a group of goblins. Quite fascinating..."

Hearing Fane's request for the spellbook, Tilliman's hands tighten and release several times with envy and interest... "Er-um... Yes... That probably would be of use to you most..." He's quick to add. "However, if you'd be willing to, em... Provide a touch of insight and instruction into the use of spell craft, I must admit I would be ever so-em... Interested... Particularly in the schools of illusion and enchantment."

The subject of luz is of great interest to me of late.

… a question for another time, Eron heads towards the secret tunnel looking for and grabbing some arrows on the way if he sees any.  If there is no light he will sheathe one sword and light a torch to carry as he heads in…

"I'm down for a book club" says Fane, placing the spell book in her pack, "I'm glad so many of us are interested in knowledge."

"Should we check this door first?" she says to Eron as he begins to walk towards the secret door? "It does say danger on it, wonder why. Perhaps we leave it for now?"

Quote from Shasher >>

"I'm down for a book club" says Fane, placing the spell book in her pack, "I'm glad so many of us are interested in knowledge."

"Should we check this door first?" she says to Eron as he begins to walk towards the secret door? 

 “If the smugglers marked that door chances are they avoid that area or when we’re done perhaps we can interrogate one of them, but right now I believe they are down below perhaps this tunnel leads down to shore.  I don’t want them to slip away.”

"OK, secret door it is! Let's go!"

The chest in the bedroom is unlocked.  Inside, Arlynn finds mens socks and undergarments, along with several pairs of inexpensive but comfortable-looking slippers.

The party carefully proceeds down the stone tunnel.  After about 50' it turns.  These tunnels appear to be natural in origin, though they have clearly been modified and widened by stonework. 

A series of short staircases and ramps lead steeply downward, deeper into the cliffside.  At the bottom, the passage opens up into a larger space.  This uneven, naturally formed cavern is about twenty feet in diameter.  More tunnels lead off to the east and to the south.  The walls are slimy and the floors are moist, though the smugglers seem to have laid matting in places to make them more easily passable.  This larger space and the adjoining tunnels are unlit, but there is the faintest of glows from the eastern tunnel suggesting torches or other light from somewhere down that way.  The salty smell of sea air fills the tunnels.