Hildigrim looks at Drusk in surprise. The halfling opens his mouth and then closes it. Blinks his eyes. Scratches the side of his head. Finally, he begins to smile. "Um, thanks, Drusk." He walks around the room pointing out various parts that caught his attention, speaking more and more excitedly. "It was clearly a slaughterhouse," Hildi says. "These iron rings must have been used to immobilize whatever creature was the subject of their activity." He points at the various bone remains. "Most likely, humanoids. It goes along with what we've seen earlier as well." He stops and places one hand on his hip while the other scratches the side of his head again. He speaks to Drusk, "What I'm finding the most evidence of is exsanguination ... the act of bleeding out." He looks about the room one more time. "Maybe for a religious or demonic ritual? Perhaps to prepare for consumption," he says matter-of-factly. "But the stains are old." He bends down and shows how the blood flakes when he scrapes it with one of his daggers. "The drain is short and leads to an earthen hole where the blood would be soaked up," he says, walking to the center of the room. He looks at Drusk, the pleasant smile still on his lips. "Anything else I can tell you?"

Drusk: "Nothing on my end. I thought it might give us clues about the original inhabitants. I mean, besides them having a serious attitude problem."

"Left then?" Hildigrim asks, playing back through the conversation that had been going on while he was looking around. When the others agree with their facial expressions, the halfling sets off down the left passage, eyes scanning for more traps. His right hand is absently spinning a dagger as he walks.

Investigation: 10

Assuming guidance: 1

"Strange that the blood was just dumped into the ground, no?"  Jorin says and then takes up his position behind Hildigrim providing light from his torch and axe.

"Perhaps that was the goal," Hildigrim says casually.

Sekrit DM rollz:

The three (four) of you make your way cautiously down the hallway to the turn. When you peer around the corner, you find a small room, clearly once a sort of storage room. While the air is still dank, the room seems drier than the rest. And unlike everywhere else you have been, this room is not stripped bare. There are broken and fallen shelves, decayed crates, some broken glassware, shards of pottery and the like. There is enough piled detritus that you cannot discern immediately if there is anything of value left. You'll have to take a look.

As Hildigrim scans the room, being the cautious type, he notices and points to an unusual, bright green patch of mold on the ceiling at the back of the room, over two of the more intact crates. It's about five feet in diameter, and bleeds onto the walls a little. To look at those crates, you'll have to be under it.

In the torch/magical light, it glistens faintly.

Please tell me how you proceed.

Drusk to the others: "Not a fan of mold. The ordinary kind ruins perfectly good food. Mobile mold can be dangerous.

"When everyone is ready, I'd like to cast a few Sacred Flames at that green spot. The radiant damage should hurt it, maybe kill it, but we don't have to worry about the crates setting on fire... May not kill the mold (depending on how deeply it has seeped into the wall), but we can see how it reacts."

Jorin nods at Drusk, casting the lit torch into the middle of small room, careful not to send it too near anything flammable, and drawing his other battle axe.

"Let's clear the mold and then check these boxes and shelves."

(I’m fine waiting a bit, to give Hildi and Vanja a chance to think about the situation.

When/if Drusk gets the green light, he will stand 35’ west of the mold, close to the center of the room. One S. Flame, pause to see if there is a reaction, then spam a bunch more to sterilize that spot on the wall.)

OOC > Not sure where Neo has gotten to, so am proceeding with Vanja as an NPC for now. Did state once a day posting, so I'm also happy to hold off on describing what happens with Drusk's Sacred Flame. See y'all in the morning.

Hildigrim had already taken a couple of steps toward the mold, his eyes aimed at the ceiling, when Drusk suggests trying to burn it away. The halfling stops mid-step. His shoulders slump a little, and then he turns and returns to the group. "Caution is probably advisable," he says with a sigh.

As Hildigrim returns to the group, Jorin carefully tosses the flickering torch into an empty (and not flammable) spot in the room, then pulls out his second axe.

Drusk calls on Lliira and points, and a gout of brilliant fire-like light engulfs the corner of the ceiling. There’s a hiss of superheated water, the sound of something bubbling, and when the light fades the slimy green patch is shredded and blackened, curling away to nothingness.

After that brilliance, even the magical axe seems dim. The torch gutters woefully where it sits on the floor.

Vanja gives a low whistle of appreciation.

"There may be more of it, behind the crates or deeper in the wall. Or maybe something else in the room that we haven't noticed while that caught our attention. Be vigilant."

Drusk slowly approaches the crates in the back, looking around the room (walls, floor, and ceiling) and wary of where that green patch used to be.

Perception: 18

Jorin shields his eyes from the bright flash of the holy fire and smiles as the mold chars away.  He stows one axe and moves towards the piles of debris that are away from where Drusk is burning the mold.  "I will begin going through this, while you finish cleansing that corner."

Jorin begins searching the area, using the glowing axe to illuminate where he is looking.

OOC > Drusk is looking for trouble in the room with his Perception roll, prepared to Sacred Flame it out of existence. If you're digging through the trash, please make an Investigation roll.

Vanja keeps an eye out behind you. Perception: 16

Investigation (Jorin's Strong Suit): 10

Vanja conjures a sphere of flame in her hand and holds onto it as a light source while she keeps watch.  (Produce Flame)

(OOC: I'm back now.  Should be back to posting the once-a-day minimum at least.)

Hildigrim steps forward again to help look through the crates.

Investigation: 9

As Vanja stands guard, and Drusk checks the ceiling and walls for more weird green mold, Jorin and Hildigrim dig through the debris. Just as it seems nothing of interest will be found, Hildigrim comes up with a tightly sealed scroll case. Opening it reveals a scroll inside, in good (magical, it is) condition despite its age. But none of you can read it.