And that lead to a possibility that Kayla was hoping wasn't the case.

"I just hope it's not a demon or something similar," Kayla admits.

Bukowyr Geogazer | Svirfneblin | Ranger | Level 1 | AC 15 | HP 12/12 |

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Impressed by the picture of the animals in the wilderness and all the details on the decoration, Bukowyr looks deeply admired for the combination of two worlds, an intricate and beautifully made artwork and furniture, and the thrill of the hunt. - "That I can relate to. Even having his meals, this lord enjoyed reminding himself of the challenges he faced and beat. He would not fare well in the Underdark at all, of course. Yet, this makes me wonder of the joy of the hunt. Every prey has its traits. Every predator must be studied to become a prey."

Bukowyr pauses and look around the dinning room before doing his search - "Which are we? The prey or the predator? Are we being studied? Are we learning anything of useful about our imminent challenge?"

Determined to gather information on this future trophy, Bukowyr enthusiasm builds up in the face of a new challenge.

"This may be a humanoid creature, capable of setting illusionary traps to lure the intended preys to its lair. It may change forms or just goes around in its humanoid self. Does it eat? Does it drink? Does it sleep? Maybe we are not yet in its lair."

Investigation (in the dinning room) 15

Quote from xrfm >>

"This certainly doesn't seem to be the abode of a monster. Where are the claw marks, or dragon's fire, or ravenous ghouls? Everything seems quite in order, if a bit dusty. You'd think a monster would have torn the place to shreds, no?" He ambles out of the room and peeks up the winding staircase.

 Staircase seems safe, no claw marks. 

 Quote from Vixen_Vixey >>

Kai looks around the room and updates her sketch, speaking almost casually. "There is the kitchen next door to this. That may be of some interest. We should inspect each room for anything that may be important to this beast." As she is sketching, she will look around for anything with magical properties quietly.

The kitchen is tidy, with dishware, cookware, and utensils neatly placed on shelves. A worktable has a cutting board and rolling pin atop it. A stone, dome-shaped oven stands near the east wall, its bent iron stovepipe connecting to a hole in the ceiling. Behind the stove and to the left is a thin door leading to a well-stocked pantry. 

Behind a small door in the southwest corner of the kitchen is a dumbwaiter (a 2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple rope-and-pulley mechanism that must be operated manually). (Nothing magical)

Kai (even though she didnt go into the kitchen, but we'll go with it now.) moves to investigate the small elevator shaft, determining which directions it travels (just up, down, or both?). She continues to sketch out the floor plan, noting the elevator on the map along with the doors, windows, and anything else that seems important.  She calls to the rest of the group (assuming some are nearby). "There's a dumbwaiter in here. Someone of the small nature could probably fit into here if we think it's worth exploring."

(Out of curiousity, was there anything in those coat pockets or closet that Kai investigated?)

Benito, follows Kai into the kitchen. Standing too the side right of the doorway.

As Kai calls out while he's looking up the stairs, he sighs and trudges into the kitchen. "Very well, I can take a hint. How do these things work?" Torvus clambers into the dumbwaiter, looking around expectantly for a lever or rope of some kind.

Kai laughs slightly and looks at Torvus. "You know you're not the only short one Torvus. And it was merely a suggestion. We don't know where this even goes... But thank you for your eagerness?" Kai inspects the dumbwaiter and (assuming there is a pull rope) will let Torvus step out for a minute before experimenting which ways the dumbwaiter moves (up or down) and how each movement on the rope affects it.

"Are we certain it can take his weight?  Perhaps his owl friend might be a safer choice?  If I remember my lore correctly, a wizard may see from the eyes of his familiar," Kayla said, hoping to avoid any gnome pancakes.

The kitchen seemed so painfully normal, it was hard to believe it belonged to a wicked house with a monster lurking about.  Then again, if the children were a lure, the rest of the house might too.  A sudden thought struck her.  It wasn't the house that was the monster was it?  No, they couldn't possibly be in the gullet of a beast.  Someone would have noticed... right?  The thought wouldn't leave her alone, no matter how ridiculous Kayla told herself it was.  Unobtrusively, she took out her dagger and then nicked the closest wall and watched for any kind blood, ichor or whatever such a thing might have.

Dagger 5

Perception 8

Torvus nods at Kayla. "Thank you for your concern. However, I have grown rather fond of Cahoots over the years, and don't quite feel comfortable putting him in a situation I wouldn't feel comfortable in myself. I know that may seem like a strange thing to say about an owl, much less a familiar." He blushes a little. "But I suppose I'm a bit sentimental about such things."

He thinks for a moment. "If it would put your mind at ease, perhaps we could explore elsewhere, and if we have reason to believe the dumbwaiter might lead somewhere else in the house that is otherwise inaccessible, we can take it then?"

Kai nods with a smile. "Again... It was merely an observation and suggestion. I agree that it should be saved as a last resort. So unless there is anything else we'd like to inspect here, we should head up to the next floor."

(There was nothing else in the coat closet btw)

The dumbwaiter only goes up - and if interested in knowing how much weight it would be able to hold you can roll investigation -

Worth a shot before we leave the kitchen (even though Kai has. 0 to invest): 

Investigation: 15

Kai will give the dumbwaiter one last look over before leaving the kitchen and waiting in the hall.

Quote from Vixen_Vixey >>

Worth a shot before we leave the kitchen (even though Kai has. 0 to invest): 

Investigation: 15

Kai will give the dumbwaiter one last look over before leaving the kitchen and waiting in the hall.

 "It should be able to support at least 200 pounds"

"I agree it should be left as a last resort.  It seems sturdy but you'd still be on your own and splitting the party seems like a bad idea when we don't know what we face," Kayla replies to Torvus.

Kayla looks again to where she carved a line into the wall.  As far as she could tell, nothing unclean had oozed from the mark.  So... safe?  She hoped so.

Bukowyr Geogazer | Svirfneblin | Ranger | Level 1 | AC 15 | HP 12/12 |

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Being the last one entering the kitchen, with his thoughts still on the decoration, Bukowyr is taken aback by the fuzz the companions are doing in the kitchen.

"How careless. Unbelievable. "

Benito will begin to make his way back to the bottom of the stairs case. Waiting for the rest of the party to join him before heading up the staircase. 

Assuming no one else has anything they want to do on the first floor, Kai will lead the way up the stairs, drawing a new rectangle for the new floor and begins the layout sketch.

Unlit oil lamps are mounted on the walls of this elegant hall. Hanging above the mantelpiece is a wood-framed portrait of a family: A man and woman with their two smiling children, Rose and Thorn. Cradled in the father’s arms is a swaddled baby, which the mother regards with a hint of scorn.

Standing suits of armor flank wooden doors in the east and west walls. Each suit of armor clutches a spear and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf’s head. The doors are carved with dancing youths.

The red marble staircase that started on the first floor continues its upward spiral. A cold draft can be felt coming down the steps.

On Kai's right there's an undecorated bedroom contains a pair of beds with straw-stuffed mattresses. At the foot of each bed is an empty footlocker.

Kai will look around the area they emerged quietly, sketching all visible doors and windows while also checking for anything of magical essence around them (if her detect is still active (aka. It's been less than an hour). 

Torvus inspects (18) the painting carefully. "Ah, the devoted family. I see here there is a third child who is neither Rose nor Thorn, though." He points this out to the rest of the party. "Unless I missed something, we didn't hear anything about another sibling, did we?"

(OOC: Does the portrait of Rose and Thorn look similar to the children we met? How recent does it seem?)