Alaina looks towards the north passage with a slightly annoyed expression.

Annoyed at how long this is taking, Alaina shoves Broma and Jayson aside and proceeds to lecture them about the condition of the bodies with a real attitude.  (19 Nature on sheet.)

Alaina almost misses it, for the creatures are not native to the Sword Mountains but…

The body of the human seems to have been killed by a great creature with a singular horn. The horn is not barbed, so it is not a young Blue Dragon. The horn is not straight, so it is not a Unicorn, somehow lost underground. The wound appears to be that caused by a rhinoceros.

Though it is not as easy as in the stone and mud of the first cavern the party entered, from the bend and crush of some of the surrounding mycelium and caps, the ranger identifies more signs of hoof marks and pad marks and stranger things too, as if a menagerie had tracked through this part of the mine. 

Jayson moves away confused.  “Sorry Alaina.  There are important clues here we might find useful as we continue on.  I’m sorry it’s taking a bit to figure out” Jayson says soothingly.  “Broma let’s get going.  Perhaps we can discuss how much time we’ll spend looking stuff over as we move further along.”

Alaina relates her findings.

Quote from Charwoman_Gene >>

Alaina relates her findings.

 There comes a distinct muffled sound of leather striking leather, and Broma's cold blue "eyes" rest upon the impassioned ranger as he congratulates her efforts with genuine applause. "Marvelous. Simply marvelous work." His words carry no hint of sarcasm or malignance in his rich metallic tone. "With every step, there come more questions, more answers to be sought. It's quite reassuring to have others alongside me so intrigued by this mystery. Marvelous, simply marvelous." With that, he pockets the Harper's pins; proof of death for when the party ultimately returns to civilization. "...Now, before we proceed, has everything in this room been examined proper?"

Lorken looks bemused.

"It just looks like fungus to me. I don't think it's going to help us find the captives or their captors. I respect your passion, Broma, but I'm with Alaina here – I think we should move faster." 

Capone watches the party with curiosity and remains largely quiet. He is fascinated by the caves, the slain creatures, and the very adventure they're on. But is happy to either stay or continue, and more happy to just be allowed to tag along than anything. 

As he sits on a rock he swings his little legs absentmindedly. And, when the conversation turns towards moving on, he pipes up, "What do you guys think we'll find ahead? I do hope it is a rhinoceros. I've never seen one of those before. Maybe it'll be friendly!"

The tunnel connecting the Fungal Cavern to the next is only 20 feet. With the little Sorcerer taking his place on the rock nearest the tunnel, he and the others can see the starry cavern beyond.

Glittering minerals in the ceiling of large cavern catch the light of Lorken’s lantern and reflect it back to create the impression of a night sky.

Dozens of skeletons—many crushed under fallen debris—are scattered across the floor.

The cavern is divided by an escarpment, into which a flight of stairs has been cut, it looks like that, but further beyond into the rest of the cavern, you can’t see. 

Near to the exit of the tunnel, blackened and broken double doors bar a walled of section of the cavern, a free standing room of some kind.

There is a steady drip-drip, almost steady enough to sound as if a summer shower is in fitfully starting. For a moment it is eclipsed by the booming echo that you heard outside in the vale, but as that recedes the softer sounds re-emerge.

"Hmm."

Upon seeing the state of the strange antechamber, Broma begins softly whistling several simple tones. He holds his left gauntlet forward, its palm facing outward, and taps the wrist with his right hand. The gauntlet immediately begins to glow a soft orange light, not dissimilar to Lorken's lantern.

[Broma casts Light, colored orange]

Lorken will move forward, doing his best to move quietly and try to take a line along the wall on the right-hand side so as to get line of sight into as much of the cavern as possible. He'll stop before he reaches the broken double doors. He's still holding his lantern, so he knows he'll be easy to spot - he's just trying to at least not make a racket! He'll scan whatever he can see of the cavern - floor, walls, ceiling - to spot anything that might want to kill them.

(Stealth: 22, hope I don't need that nat 20 later!)

(Perception: 22)

Alaina stays close to liken, staying quiet (stealth 22) but is distracted from seeing much (perception 9)

Jayson follows along (stealth 28) staying quiet for the moment.

Jayson's perception is 16 in the game log.

Tufted ears twitching, Lorken swings his lantern as he listens. From far beyond the well lit circle of light in which he can see, he hears voices to the north, somewhere beyond the stairs that form the boundary of this lower portion of the cave. For a few moments at least.

As he enters the Starry Cavern properly the voices suddenly cease. 

Capone, Broma and Jayson enter also. In their own separate ways, using their arcane senses, they feel a burgeoning magic, that swells in time with the repeated booms of the wave-echo. If any of the three proficient Arcanists head towards the stairs, it grows stronger still the closer that they get.

On entering the cavern, the party can see that the double door of the room to your right is blackened and cracked. Soot lines the doorway, hinting at a blast that once struck it dead centre, the iron hinges partially melted.

Through the crack, you can see a figure with its back to you. You cannot see its head or its feet, but the figure is perfectly still. Is it a living creature at all? You cannot tell more, without bolder actions. 

Alaina nods to the doub le door inquisitively, then waits for a response.

Jayson sees the nod from Alaina staying quiet he signals to the others with his hands two fingers pointing at his eyes then to the door.  Jayson points to himself and then to the door.

Jayson advances closer to the door in stealth mode.  Listening and watching as moves closer.

If you choose to force the broken doors open, please roll Athletics for a check. Advantage if someone helps you. 

If you choose to do something else, outline your plan to clarify the skill and the roll DC needed. 

OOC - Jayson pulls out his scroll of silence planning on casting it 21 ft into the room while he moves back away from the door enough to not alert anyone inside.  Once cast he'll get his chim of opening to open the doors.  The sound will not pass through the doors with the silence spell in place and the doors will be open for us to examine.

IC - Jayson signals the others by showing the scroll everyone saw at the beginning and the chime of opening hollow tube indicating his possible actions.  Looking to the others for a nod yes or shake of their heads for a no.

Jayson moves back to chat with the others covertly if they wish to discuss tactics.

Capone gives two thumbs up, he nods, and his beard moves slightly indicating the likelihood of a smile hidden beneath it.

He establishes the telepathic link to everyone's minds again, so that they can communicate even in the silence. "Great plan!!" He beams to Jayson.