Up there in the heavens, Tymora must have let out a hard laugh at the idea that her young acolyte would follow any kind of code. But stranger things have happened...! Lyra is too preoccupied with fidgeting with the moonstone hanging from her neck to take part in the conversation, and will happily trot after the rest to whatever destination they decide to go to.

(Perception: 14)

(Sorry for the delay in my post!)

Gareth turns to Meira and considers for a moment. "I suppose it would be possible to train one up, if it was young enough," he says. "If we kept it supplied with enough meat of course. Though if the other parent is still alive, that would definitely complicate things. The mothers and fathers work together to raise the young, mating for life, like birds."

"Humanoids definitely deserve more consideration," the ranger agrees, nodding at Zephyros. "I'm a monster hunter, not a bounty hunter. I would only kill a person in self-defense or to protect others."

The ranger adjusts the longbow slung across his back. "Now it's off to see the dwarves. I can scout ahead, check for any dangers along our path. I'm usually pretty good at that sort of thing."

Perception - 7, oof, he's "usually" good at it lol

Survival for scouting? - Nat 1 >_< Gareth is having a bad day apparently

Zephyros shakes his head in disbelief at Meira's retort. 'How could anyone be so ignorant, so spiteful at the chance to become better?' The veteran, though wanting to give greater insight to the free-spirited, respectfully keeps his mouth shut. 

Zephyros looks to each of his party members and smiles. "Well friends," Ironheart states. "Let's press on, and try not to die."

Perception: 23

Adventurers,

You leave the windmill at Umbrage Hill, heading for the dwarven excavation site to the Southwest. The sun is warm on your skin high overhead. The wind to the East has lightened some, but still provides a cool breeze during your travel. Gareth takes the lead, watching for dangers as you progress. The rest of the party not far behind. A little less than four hours pass before the rolling hillsides turn to rugged mountainous terrain.

 Eldrin & Zephyros,

As you travel, you both spot some silhouettes on a high ridge way off in the distance to the East. It's hard to tell how many from this distance and as soon as you spot them, they disappear behind the ridgeline from view. 

Gareth,

As you lead the group to the excavation site, you are sure you followed the map correctly. Unfortunately, you don't find the entrance to the canyon for about another hour. The sun is just starting to get low in the West as you eventually find the right path leading into a canyon which turns to your East.

 Everyone,

The canyon’s rocky walls rise to a height of eighty feet. At the end of the canyon, a twenty-foot-high wall of black stone has a broken gate carved into it, with one stone door hanging precariously by a hinge and the other door missing. Beyond this open gate, in the shadow of a great mountain to the east, lies a ruined settlement. All is quiet.

"Steep walls and a narrow canyon. This doesn't seem like a trap at all," Meira comments as they approach the broken gate. "I thought dwarves lived here. But where are they?" She slows a bit and starts to look about. (Perception: 13) 

Lyra, standing next to Gareth, says in a low voice, "This place is so quiet... it's a biiit scary. Does anyone know why it was abandoned?" She looks around, trying to recall anything she might have learned, suddenly wishing she hadn't fallen asleep so often during history and religion lessons at the temple. (History: 7)

The young cleric also taps the ranger lightly on the forearm. "See anything interesting, master ranger?"

Yarina narrows her eyes, peering into the shadowed ruins beyond. She nods at Meira's casual assessment. “Right. Stay close. Watch the ridges. A narrow canyon like this…if someone was planning an ambush, this is exactly how they’d do it.” She glances to Lyra, adding gently, “We’ll find out what happened—but assume it’s not over yet.” She scans the surroundings for any hazards or tracks that might shed some light on what awaits them.

Survival: 5 -.-

As the party made their way along the winding path through the rugged terrain, Eldrin lingered a few steps behind, his pace unhurried, eyes ever scanning the surrounding ridge. 

It was then, on a high ridge that he caught the movement.

He stops mid-step.

Silhouettes.

Figures, against the sky for the briefest of moments.  And then, as if knowing they’d been seen, they vanished behind the ridge without sound.

Eldrin stared a moment longer, then resumed walking. He did not quicken his pace. But when he caught up with the others, his tone carried quiet urgency.

“We’re not alone,” he said. “I saw figures on the ridge to the east. Watching. They slipped out of view the moment I noticed them. Too deliberate to be coincidence.”

 By the time they reach the canyon, the memory of that sighting lingers. Eldrin eyes the narrow entrance with measured suspicion. The black stone gates, one dangling uselessly from a single hinge, the other gone entirely, frame a ruin swallowed by silence.

At Meira’s wry observation, Eldrin exhales thoughtfully before he speaks. “They would have had the high ground. That’s where I saw them. If this is an ambush, it is already underway.”

He steps to the side, casting his gaze upward along the cliffs. His mind races through possibilities—attack vectors, fallback routes, illusions.

This terrain favors them. Whatever ‘them’ may be. But if they meant to strike, why hesitate? Waiting for something… or someone?

He turns to Lyra as she nervously questions the ruins, and responds in a low voice.

“No dwarves would abandon their hall willingly. Not unless the stones themselves turned against them.”

He lifts a hand and traces a sigil in the air. A faint shimmer appears, his Mage Hand which glides forward toward the ruined gate. It presses softly against the hanging door, nudging it gently to test it is not rigged to spring a trap or sound an alarm

Only then does Eldrin glance back to the others.

“Whatever lies beyond, we proceed as guests—uninvited and unwelcome.”

Meira's eyes drift up to the tops of the cliffs as Eldrin mentions catching motion there. "Think they were dwarves or others?" She figures though that he'd have said if he knew. And she's not certain that in either case there might still be suspicion against them. She finds it harder to throw off the feeling that this is an ambush.

While waiting to see the effect of Eldrin's Mage Hand, misses out loud. "Through the gate, maybe those ruins could give us cover. Back the way we came seems the most likely retreat, if we're not already boxed in." She chuckles nervously. "Or maybe there is no danger."

"Perfect place for an ambush," Gareth agrees quietly, un-slinging his bow. "I don't like this. The dwarves should've approached if they could hear us coming."

His keen eyes scan the surrounding cliff tops, looking for the figures Eldrin mentioned from before.

Perception - 11 14 (with guidance)
(why do you do this to me, DDB?)

Zephyros interjects after Eldrin speaks, saying, "The mage is right! Swift movement to the east!" The experienced veteran stays his gaze on both cliff sides, never blinking. The warrior tenses his vast muscles, and readies his trident.

Mr. Ironheart ponders if a single file line would protect them well, or if staying in a crowd would be better. On one hand, he thinks, 'Well if we spread out, one trap likely isn't going to kill all of us. On the other,'  Zephyros continues his factory-like mind process. 'If we do spread out, each one of us makes an easy target for archers.'  The bull of a man scans the horizon once again, considering the dilemma.

The fighter quietly adds, "I'd also like to point out that there were multiple figures. We could be outnumbered. While I'd prefer to stand our ground, we are at the disadvantage." The armored man tallies up the unfortunate facts working against the party. "One, they have the high ground. Two, we are sinking deeper into uncharted territory. Three, we don't yet understand what exactly we're up against. And finally, we've been scoped out already." Zephyros ends his analysis.

The grizzly man then states, "I think we should hurry to cover before they come back with aggression. Any other suggestions?"

Meira,

The canyon around you is made up of rough stone. The floor is strewn with rubble and bereft of vegetation except for a few tough, scraggly weeds. You slowly approach the black wall with the broken gate.

Lyra,

You try to remember what this place used to be and why it was abandoned, but nothing comes to mind. You tap Gareth on the arm, and divine guidance flows into him during your whispered prayer.

Yarina,

You scan the ridgeline and the canyon floor for signs of activity. You don't see any signs above you, but you do see several tracks coming and going from this canyon. However, you're unable to tell how old they are or who/what created them.

Eldrin,

You move to within 30 feet of the broken gate and summon your ethereal hand, sending it to probe the precariously hanging gate door. At your command, the hand pushes the door gently. It moves slightly at the touch, producing an audible squeak as it swings back and forth twice and rests in its original position.

Gareth,

You unsling your bow and begin looking for the figures Eldrin and Zephyros spoke of, but there's no sign of them from this vantage point.

Zephyros,

You begin moving closer to the broken gate, clearly eager to use the ruined settlement as cover and concealment. However, you are indecisive, awaiting input from the rest of the group.

Gareth sighs with frustration. "I don't see anything," he says. "Cover sounds good to me. Let's press ahead."

He moves to follow Zephyros deeper into the ruins.

Meira quietly follows after Gareth and Zephyros to move through the gate and towards the ruins.  She keeps vigilant now, looking around for any signs of movement and secondarily assessing where they might find the best cover. (Perception: 22)

Eldrin’s steps slowed as the others pressed ahead, blades at the ready and eyes sweeping the cliffs. His gaze lingered on the fractured stone gate, then drifted upward along the towering canyon walls. Something gnawed at the back of his mind.

Dwarven work, certainly. But how old? This gate—fortified, deliberate. Meant to repel armies, not weather. So why is one door gone entirely, and the other barely clinging to its hinge?

He drifts a hand over the dark stone, fingertips tracing a faded groove—maybe once part of a rune, now too worn to decipher. His brow furrowed.

If this was a stronghold, what could’ve breached it so thoroughly? And if it was abandoned… why does the stone feel wrong beneath the moss?

Eldrin glances after the others as they crept further toward the ruins.

I should know this place… if I’d paid closer attention in my studies, perhaps. Think Eldrin.

He gives the stone one final glance, then turns to follow, his mind still turning over half-remembered texts and forgotten footnotes, searching for a thread that might pull everything into place.

 [History Check on the Ruins: 11]
[Investigation Check on the Gate: 13]

Lyra doesn't have to be told twice to look for cover, squeezing herself into whatever narrow gap or shadowed corner she can find. Or even behind the tallest members of the party. If she can attempt to hide she will do so.

Yarina listens intently as Zephyros lays out the situation, her expression grim and focused. Her eyes flick up to the cliffs, sweeping for movement, then down the canyon path ahead. She nods once, sharply.

“He’s right. We’re exposed here, and whoever was watching us already has the advantage.” She shifts her greatsword into a defensive grip and moves to the rear of the group, scanning their trail as they move. “I’ll guard the back. If we’re followed or flanked, I’ll hold them long enough for the rest of you to get to cover.”

Perception: 15

Everyone,

You move quietly and cautiously through the broken gate into the ruined settlement. Very little remains of this settlement. Only faint outlines of stonework depict long-since destroyed buildings. Some of the walls to the ruined buildings rise to a height of 3 feet and offer little cover or concealment to all but the smallest of you. In the center of the ruin is a stone well filled with rubble. Further to the East, past the ruins, is a partially collapsed wall set before a 30-foot-high temple hewn from the canyon's back wall.

Meira,

As soon as you pass into the ruins, you spot a partially collapsed, ten-foot-high wall to your East. Just past the wall are three heaps of rubble piled high. You surmise the wall and rubble would offer the best possible cover in the area. Though you don't spot any movement in the area, you hear someone talking from the direction of the temple. From this distance, you can't make out the words.

Eldrin,

You don't recall reading about this particular ancient dwarven ruin during your studies, but you do know it's not uncommon for a site such as this to be lost to history, depending on its nature and what it was used for in the past. Inspecting the gate further you recognize the construction as clearly dwarvish. The gate, still hanging from a hinge, looks weathered and has several scratches and dents covering the side facing the ruins. Your investigation suggests an avalanche of rubble covered this area at one point but was painstakingly excavated and cleared out. Lastly, you spot some crushed bone shards amongst the rubble around the gate.

Lyra,

You follow the group into the ruins, easily find a hiding place, and disappear from sight.

Gareth & Zephyros,

Moving deeper into the ruins, you also hear the same voice Meira heard talking coming from the temple, but can't make out the words spoken.

Yarina,

Taking up rear guard, you are the last to pass through the broken gate. Aside from your group moving through the ruins, you don't hear or see anything that gives you cause for concern. A few distant birds flying South, but nothing else.

The burly man barely hears the voices above his panting. He inhales deeply, then breathes out slowly. 'Dwarves?' He thinks. 'I can't hear... I need to get closer...'

Zephyros crouches to get closer to eavesdrop and clanks nearer to the temple, rolling between piles of rubble. 'They'll never see me coming!'

Stealth: 5

Perception: 6

Eldrin kneels by the gate, brushing his hand across the ancient stonework. “Dwarven craftsmanship,” he murmurs to the group, just loud enough to carry. “This gate’s been through more than time. These dents aren’t weather, looks like an avalanche or cave-in buried this entrance long ago. But someone went through the trouble of digging it out. And here—” He motions to a crushed fragment near the hinge, “—bone. Old. Crushed during a collapse, I’d wager.”

He straightens, brushing dust from his coat. “Looks like an avalanche or cave-in buried this entrance long ago. But someone went through the trouble of digging it out. Recently. Deliberately.”

Just then, a loud clank echos nearby, followed by a grunt and the unmistakable rasp of metal scraping against stone. Eldrin turns just in time to see Zephyros attempting to roll between two piles of rubble, his bulk anything but subtle.

A pause.

Eldrin blinks once. Slowly. “Yes,” he says dryly, “precisely like that.”

He gives the fighter a pointed glance, then turns his attention back to the group. “In short, this place was buried—and then dug up. Recently enough that the bones haven’t scattered. Whatever lies ahead, we are not the first to trespass.” He nods once. “Eyes sharp. And perhaps… feet lighter.”