Also, I just wanted to let you guys know that if the party is split I scale down the small exploration--but not the story related--type fights. Given how slow play by post progresses, I do not want to further dis-incentivize splitting the party, otherwise we could be in this mansion for months.

Gulin Runehammer:

Gulin and Angus cross the hall and enter the northern room of the west wing. This room was once a writing room or study. Against the wall under the windows sits a large wooden writing desk, partially broken and riddled with damp rot. There are three drawers in each side of the desk and a large central drawer; the latter is closed, but the others are all open and two of them have been broken open forcibly.

Gulin gives the sole remaining drawer a glance over, looking for anything odd or out-of-place.

Investigation 18

With no traps detected, will attempt to open.

Caspia backs away from the centipedes and attacks with her scimitar and short sword (two-handed fighting).

Scimitar Attack: 22 Damage: 9

Short Sword Attack: 12 Damage: 1

Caspia's scimitar cleaves the first giant centipede in half, it's numerous legs continue to creepily writhe on the floor. She lunges with her short sword towards the second centipede, but it easily doges out of the way.

Zi steps forward, draws her longsword and plunges it towards the remaining centipede.

Zi Attack: 20 Damage: 5

The centipede alerted to the precariousness of the situation sees the longsword coming and deftly moves out of the way. It's head pulls back and then quickly strikes towards the new attacker. Zi raises her shield trying to deflect the blow.

Giant Centipede Attack: 11 Damage: 5

And she easily parries the blow. "Finish this Caspia, I have no intention of dying to this disgusting bug!"

Meanwhile, Gulin searches the study. Other than the desk, there are no other objects of interest. The side drawers are empty, and the investigation is cut short as Gulin quickly discovers that the closed central drawer is locked.

"I see you've got yourself a locked drawer. Just give me a second or two and I'll have that thing open in a flash" Angus boasts

Use the thieves tools to lock pick. Dexterity roll 7

Angus attempts to pick the lock with the thieves tools, however, he feels the small metal tools begin to bend within the lock. Before the tools breaks, Angus removes them, sweat visible on his forehead.

You can always try to repick a lock, the difficulty class will go up. Also if you can think of another way to get to the contents of the drawer, you can try that.

"Ach, here. Give me a hand, then. We'll force it open."

Strength 19

Original rolls w/ advantage were 8 & 15. It did not like me changing the modifier from +6 to +4 from athletics to strength.

Angus and Gulin brace themselves as they attempt to force the drawer open. Gulin pushes up on the top of the desk, while Angus uses all of his might to pull the drawer handle. Seconds later, the two of you hear wood cracking, and Angus tumbles backwards onto the ground with the drawer. Documents are scattered everywhere.

With the drawer removed from the desk it is immediately obvious that there was a concealed section at the back of the drawer. Inside the secret compartment, wrapped in cloth, are two glass vials. If it weren't for the cloth, the impact likely would have shattered the glass. The red liquid within the containers shimmers when agitated.

The documents scattered across Angus and the floor are all written in Common. They appear to be receipts for purchases of various chemicals and laboratory equipment and do not appear to contain any information of interest.

Gulin Arcana Roll w/ Angus assisting: 8

Neither one of you are completely sure what is contained within the vials, however, something about color of the liquid and the way it catches the light seems eerily familiar.

So many nat 1s, so little time.

Gulin compares the vials from the secret compartment to the healing potion he purchased from the Miner's Guild, before wrapping the set in cloth and placing it in his pack.

"Come, let's find Caspia and Zi."

We are the best at the low rolls. My 2 previously (plus 5) was joyous as well

"These bugs are annoying me. Once they are dead, Zi, we will follow the tracks to see where they end."

Caspia strikes the centiped again with her scimitar and short sword.

Attack: 15 Damage: 10

Attack: 24 Damage: 3

 Caspia's first strike sails wide, however, she barely manages to connect with her short-sword. Fortunately the blow is enough to fell the bug. The corpse of the centipede curls into a ball. "Well that was a little more excitement than I wanted..." Zi remarks.

Zi and Caspia gather their strength and head into the room underneath the stairwell, following the tracks. The room appears to be a scullery. This room displays the effects of damp and decay more than most. Mold grows in patches on the floor, walls, and ceiling. A large copper cask, split, discolored, and empty, stands under the window, with a small heap of crockery shards on the floor beside it. Stairs lead down into what is presumably a cellar. The tracks appear to descend down the stairs.

Gulin compares the two vials to the healing potion which he purchased. The red shimmering liquid in the vials looks similar enough to the healing potion. They may be safe to consume in a pinch, but without further study there is no certainty.

Meanwhile, Angus and Gulin return to the entrance hall. The door to the outside is still ajar. Despite fresh salt air coming into the house, must and decay are still on the air. Angus and Gulin look around for sign of the two women.

Angus Perception  w/ Gulin Assisting: 23

Angus McTavin and Gulin Runehammer:

Gulin moves near the north doorway, shouting down the hall.

"Oy! You girls alright down there? Need help, or should Angus 'n I keep searching the other rooms here?" 

Caspia hears the shouts of their companions. She walks out of the scullery to the entrance of the hallway and responds.

"We are in here! Come. I think there is something you should see in here."

Gulin and Angus join their two other party members in the scullery.

"The tracks continue on down the stairs!" Zi exclaims, pointing to the tracks which Caspia followed. "With this being the kitchen I bet this will lead into some sort of cellar. But should we clear everything on this floor before moving on? Also, you may have saw the stairs in the kitchen, looks like there are multiple ways upstairs!"

Gulin walks by the corpse of the centipede, tapping it with his boot. "See you found some creepy crawlies in here."

"Aye, I agree - might as well see what remains on this floor. I also found what looks like a trap door going down, with tracks leading to it, in the room furthest to the west. I suggest we finish looking around this floor quickly, then perhaps pop open the trapdoor and see what secrets lie below? Perhaps these stairs will lead us back up."

Gulin looks at the two closed doors of the closest rooms. "If you want to check on the room to the east of the main hall, Angus and I can sort out these two side rooms."

With that, Gulin opens the northwestern small room door, motioning for Angus to do the same to the northeastern room.

"Sounds good to me Gulin, the faster we cover this ground, the sooner we can be out of here. Caspia took a pretty bad bite, I want to stay with her in case it gets any worse. Let's cover these rooms then meet back in the entrance hall!" The group slowly spreads out to explore what they perceive to be the three remaining rooms, leaving the stink of the curled centipedes behind.

Gulin Runehammer:

Entering the northwest room you discover what is most likely the mansion's dining room. At one time a long table stood in the center of this room; now it lies broken on the floor. A broken chair sits against the wall between the windows, and there is a heap of broken dishes in the corner.

Angus McTavin:

As you separate from Gulin and Zi, the room begins to darken. Eventually, the light from Gulin's torch is obsured by the wall between the two of you, casting long shadows across the hallway. You are currently not holding your own light source. Your poor human eyes--lacking the supernatural darkvision of dwarves--strain to make out shapes in the room. It appears that two stuffed armchairs stand near the outline of what may be fireplace of this room. Or maybe it is just a hole in the drywall? You would likely need to light the room or step closer to tell for sure. The covers of both armchairs have been torn and the stuffing has been pulled out, but the wooden frames of the chairs appear intact. A broken table lies on the floor near the northern wall.

Andrew unless you create your own source of light or wait for someone with light to rejoin you skill checks will be at disadvantage.

Caspia Aspergina:

As you and Zi walk back through the entrance hall to the east wing, you quickly realize that there are two doors along this hallway. As you open the first door and step in, you see a wall to your east. Obviously there is still one remaining room yet to be explored in this wing. You are in a large room. The only thing of note in the room is a clump of tiny red mushrooms growing around a fireplace in a semicircular formation. Otherwise, this room is bare.

Gulin holds the light high over his head, giving the dining room a look over, oblivious to the fact that he accidentally left Angus in the dark.

Investigation 9

Gulin Runehammer:

 Also, serves Andrew right for being the unarmed melee character forcing you to carry a torch!

Caspia approaches the mushrooms and carefully attempts to understand what the mushrooms are.

investigation roll?

14