Ana took a second to create some goodberry and leaving them with the prisoners with a promise to free them on the way back, then followed the others down.

Reverie winces before covers her lips and nose with her hand. "We need to be quick for sure. By the look of it, I am for sure this case won't be easy to solve as well." She then looks back at Trimyrai quietly. "... Perhaps, we will also find a reason why and how we could find his villager."

Quote from EmperorKarino >>

Trimyrai: (to the villager) "Are you alright? Have you seen anyone from our village? Do you know what they are after?"

The villager is not fully awake, or aware of who he is talking to.

"Everyone... betrayed, by Darvin... slaves..."

(Darvin was the champion of Trimyrai's village, before Trim won the competitions. He is the one working with demons, proclaiming Bane's name, and with the gnarled monstrous arm that sent Anaskyrath to the Feywild.)

"Sneaked into city... Neighbors, strangers, other villages...
Chained, toiling in darkness... Digging, mining, sewing...
Every day... someone handed... to the Slaad, as hosts...
Every day...  bodies given to Corpse Flower..."

He then fades back into unconsciousness (from the drugs).

(OOC: There was a suggestion to take a short rest, but will there be enough time, now that you know there are other prisoners?
Do you want to do any more healing or other preparations before you head below?)

"I didn't think there would be so much more to this... For all we know there are already alarms going off due to the monsters we killed, and even if not, I would think it would be common sense to check on your sentries from time to time. So, we may not have a chance to rest, unless we really need to. What do you guys think?" 

"I think the evil of this place is mostly dealt with." Brin says with a nod to the goo pile that was the puppet master. "Take time to rest if you need it, I'll keep watch."

Isk listens to the village and then asks him, "Could the corpse flower be down these steps?"

Villager is zonked out and no longer responding.

You don't notice any bells or whistles or tug cords around (that might be used to alert others).

It makes Reverie worrying about a villager's words: there might be another prisoners those who possibly be held in hostage for so long. "... Maybe it must be down there or there must be a hint." She looks at Brin and then nods once. "I think taking a rest is a great idea. Preparation is needed for the best even if we would face the worst scenario. I will keep on watch with Brin as well."

Isk nods, "Agreed.  A quick sit down to bandage some wounds is all we need."

(A short rest would do us good before descending into the creepy passage)

Brin sits down on the top of the stairs going down and settles in for a bit of a rest with the others.

(OOC: Short rest it is. Take care of your hit dice or resetting the appropriate abilities. If you are doing anything unusual during the hour break, I can change the timeline to include what you have in mind.)

After taking care of your injuries and bundling the prisoners in more clothing (it is winter, but being in this warehouse helps), your group heads down the rough-hewn steps into the earth. A Light spell cast on a hand-held rock illuminates your way.

The passageway levels off. It is large enough for an ogre to travel (although it would be a bit snug).
The dirt/clay walls are reinforced, so you don't worry about the tunnel collapsing on you.
On closer inspection, it is unsettling. Every few feet are different biological substances holding the dirt together: diseased-looking vines and roots, some unknown secretion acting as a resin, or even humanoid bones and tendons.
The smell is still bad, but you are more used to it by now, and there are no problems breathing the air.

After a few minutes of careful travel, it becomes a four-way intersection.

• The south is where you came from. (The air is fresher.)
• To the west the air is damper and has a nasty chemical smell. You remember that the city has a brook running through the industrial section (blacksmiths and tanners), and that water continues through the slums and eventually leaves the city underneath the western city wall. This passage is probably getting close to that run-off. The air is also noticeably colder.
• To the north, the air has almost a barn-like smell, of unwashed cattle.
• To the northeast, the foul rotting meat smell is stronger.

Hit die rolls...

9

8

As Isk descends into the gloom and takes note of the construction, he says to no one in particular, "Busy creatures..."

"The rotten meat smell coming from ahead seems like something that might indicate a corpse flower, whatever that actually is...If its a flower we're after, i'd say we head that way." He says, gesturing with his weapon towards the northeast passage.

"Guess we should go to the Northeast." Brin says, wrinkling his nose in that direction. he glances to the others, "Ready?"

Trimyrai: (to the party) "Seems a good of choice as any. I am ready."

Reverie nods once and murmurs, "I am ready as well." She looks at Ana and gives her a firm nod before turning her head towards the Northeast. "Let us go then. I will stand behind for everyone, if that is the best."

Ana follows the others, keeping an eye out for an ambush. Perception 9 

The passage northeast slopes gently downwards. The awful rotting smell gets worse as you proceed. After 40', the path is blocked by two rectangular slabs of rock, positioned like closed double doors (but not attached to anything). They are held in place by piles of smaller (shield sized) stones stacked against the bigger rocks. (The pile of stones are on your side.)

The stones are heavy, but with a little time and effort, you will be able to dismantle this barricade and slide the larger rocks out of the way.

Before you get started, Ana points to the gaps in the rocks. She notices at least 2 zombies on the other side, that seem to be attracted by the party's Light spell.
(The zombies are unable to get to you, with the barricade in the way.)

Brin frowns at the barrior. "So, we have a slime-puppet-master thing capturing, then mimicking city guards." He says, glancing to the others. "Now we find a blocked tunnel, where undead are on the far side of it." He shakes his head in confusion. "I don't understand what is going on here, do any of you have an idea?" He glances back to the barrior. "Are these undead here for a purpose? Did that slime thing bring them here and lock them away down here until they wanted to use them, or were the undead here all along, and the slime thing blocked this passage to keep them from interupting what it was doing?" He shakes his head, knowing his questions are not likely to have any answers, but wishing to speak them out loud regardless.

Are any of the gaps in the rocks large enough for Isk to chuck a stone through? Also is there is a light source on the zombie-side of the rocks?