The Phandalin Chronicles

Rekuberk readies his sword and moves to stand near Kazri, keeping himself in a ready stance incase the boars attempt to rush them.

Kazri reaches out with her divine sense and attempts to detect any good or evil but nothing is revealed to her.  As she casts her spell to speak with animals a couple of the boars look up at her but they make no reply to her.

Meanwhile Chill has disappeared into the woods and is silently making his way north.  He see that there is a boar in each of the pumpkin patches.

Chip makes his way bravely forward.  Stone steps climb to a portico with a stone balcony overhanging it at a height of ten feet. Vines wrap around the balcony’s support pillars and its crumbling stone railing. The ground-floor entrance features a double door with a giant boar’s head crudely carved into it. An unmarred double door stands closed on the balcony. 

Chip would move to the door and knock on the door with the pummel of his sword. "Hello?!" The dragonborn would shout. "Anybody home?!..." Chip would then take a few steps backwards.. backing down a few of the stairs as he waits to see if anyone answers. 

Without getting a response from the boars, Kazri will stand next to Chip as he knocks on the door.

As Rhogar had paid no mind to Chip's question, believing it to be a dangerous jest, the Dragonborn had taken to monitoring Chill through Ghorar's eyes with the intent to play back-up at a moment's notice. (See previous post for Ghorar's Stealth: 16). Only if he hears from her senses Chip's call will he snap out of her head space, and nearly race over to the duo, sputtering his ongoing surprise.

Chip climbs up the stairs and Kazri joins him.  He reaches out and knocks in the door but even after waiting a minute and knocking again he receives no answer.

"I guess maybe no one is home.." Chip would say as he steps towards the door once more. This time he would place his hand on the handle and attempt to open the door just enough to look inside.. His dragonborn snout brushing up against the door.

Chip pushes the front door open and sees an undecorated hall featuring a wooden staircase.  An open doorway, with the remains of a smashed door, can be seen on both sides of the room.  An open doorway leads to another room further into the house.

"Nobody is at home it seems." Krom joins Chip and Kazri inside the house "Let's take a look." as he checks the room he murmurs a prayer to Moradin to enhance his senses. (Perception 16 plus Guidance 4 )

The dwarf readies his shield and hammer as expecting troubles.

Chill sees that the party is starting to make entry into the house.   He quickly moves to leave the woods and follow them into the building. 

You begin to file into the house.  You are struck by how quiet it is and you are extra wary of sudden attack.

A set of stairs leading up is before you and past that an open doorway into another room (W5) that looks empty, though you can't much of the sides of the room.  to the left the door to this parlor (W4) has been smashed to pieces. The room is strewn with broken furniture — the remains of chairs, side tables, and a wine cabinet. A moldy circular rug covers most of the stone floor.

To the right is another smashed door with stone steps that leads into what looks like a courtyard (W8)

The rooms are dark so it is difficult to see and only those with darkvision can make out any details.

Chip would follow behind the dwarf, practically stepping on his companions heels as he enters the building. 

Chip would put away his horn and pull out a torch and light it to help him see in the dark house. "it's quiet.... Tooooo quiet..." He would say quietly as the flames from his torch dance across his scales and the blade of his longsword. The dragonborn would stick the end of his torch into the seemingly empty room before slowly moving in and looking around for anything of value or interest.

Perception! 9

Krom chants an hymn of evocation to channel the Light of Moradin's forge on his shield in order to illuminate the rooms for the group. "Still nobody, but it looks like that someone or something smashed almost everything in this manse. Better to check carefully each room on this floor before moving to the upper floor." the dwarf will check both rooms (W4 and W5) for clues and anything worth of notice. He will also check under the circular rug.

Perception 11 plus Guidance3 for W4

Perception 19 plus Guidance 2 for W5

The dwarf will add "Are we sure that this is the right place?" as he examines the rooms.

In checking the room to the left (W4) you see nothing else.  Moving past the stairway and into the next room (W5) you see that the walls are covered with crude drawings in blood that depict boars chasing stick-figure humanoids. A fireplace dominates the south side of the room, and a smashed wooden dining table lies in a heap in the eastern half of the room, surrounded by six broken chairs.

Up on the mantle of the fireplace you see small figures made of twigs, 6  in total.  A closer look and they appear to be depictions of the party.  One figure is short, another slim while another holds a shield.  There are also 3 tall larger figures, one with a small creature on the shoulder.   

Noticing the boars chasing humans... and then thinking back to the boars ourside the house and the one we met on the road... Chip would pipe up. "Umm hey.. so I am noticing a boar theme... I am really beginning to worry about the possibility of wereboars now... " The dragonborn would say to the companions. Upon being showing the figures of the party, Chip would collect them all if no one else is interested in them.

Kazri will remain alert. Will let Chill and others do the exploring.

Rhogar, who had eventually joined the others, stares at the the figures on the mantle at length. "Wereboars... may be the least of our problems.... I BELIEVE we may have been made. Both literally and figuratively." He gestures to the twigs. "It seems we may have err'd not questioning Mr. Falcon about this place. For this reeks of some form of devilry." The last words sound almost like growls as he stared more intently at the one bearing the small creature on the shoulder. Afterwards he began intoning words of power. The first series seemingly does nothing, but after the second, frost began to visibly gather along his clothing and scales, forming a thin but protective layer about the Dragonborn.

After the two spells completion, he reaches out to study the twig figures in detail to try and suss out their meaning; if there is any to be gathered from an occult or religious perspective. Ghorar looks worriedly to Chill and sends the image of Orcs followed by footprints and a feeling of curiosity.

(@DM: Casting Guidance, then (2nd level)Vixix' Vitality. If none of these triggers anything in the house, he then studies the figures and their placement to see if they have any Arcane or religious significance. Not sure which you would want here though)

Arcana: 21(+2 instead if Religion)
(Not a crit. Just added the Guidance roll to the roller and maxed out on the dice)

Rekuberk will redouble his efforts to be ready for combat, dropping his somewhat passive stance to get into his normal fighting one. "If you see anything that even looks remotely hostile point them out and then stand back. I will crush anything that attempts to be in our way." He says as he looks around warily, ready for anything that could possibly come up as they explore.

Perception: 23