"Guess we wouldn't be able to draw them out and hit them from this perch, since they spook so easily. From the looks of it, they haven't been up here at all. Can we get down there easily, near those tables and the fireplace? Anyone see where they're hiding, or where they've been?" Lem calls Moon to start gently swooping around the larger hall below, looking and listening for anything interesting. Are there any holes in the ground?

Zashier's Climbing like a Boss: 13.

Given the choice between the challenge of running up the wall and getting to his companions side ready to protect, Zashier swallowed the impulse and took the rope after Raddanuth.

Thistle will turn back to her companions as the big men climb up. “The kobolds left in a hurry, and unless I miss my guess, they fled through some sort of secret entrance in or near the fireplace, judging by the mess and the footprints. It looks like we may have to root them out of the cellar.”

”Now, I don’t mean to sound crass, but if these were moles, we’d smoke them out, leave a group here, and have one or two others to look for where else the smoke came out. Smart money says they have at least one bolt hole.”

”I’m not very excited about bearding them in their own lair, especially after that pit outside.”

She will wait for the others to give their thoughts, while keeping one eye on the chimney structure in case anything pops out.

Zashier almost has to squeeze in to get inside. And when he finally did, the man's a gray blur for a moment from rolling in abruptly at least a foot or two. "Heh, that was fun, if'n I do say so myself. One second.." He clamors to his feet, assuming the floor didn't give way from the sudden maneuver, and dusts himself off. "Right then. So, answer is still 'nu-uh' from this one. On account of those possible captured victims and or supplies, as previously discussed, though I do appreciate your love for burning things."

He smiled brightly. "If you're not up for the particular challenges that may await us going forward, know I understand, and it has been a pleasure working with you so far, Miss Thistle." He instinctively reaches out to pat her on the shoulder, but stops just short at any looks of indignation in his direction. "That said, you had a point there I think. A bit of fox hounding, as it were. With me and whoever else as the hound, in this scenario."

Raddunth offers to eat a lot of garlic and fermented cabbage, then give a mighty belch into the kobold escape hole, to stink them out.

Thistle grumbles, "It was just smoke..." but accedes. She keeps forgetting about possible captives (as does her Player).

She begins pulling the rope up through the window, then bristles at the suggestion by Zashier that she's not up to the challenge. "It's not that I'm not up for it, it's that I'm not ready to blunder into one trap after another because I can't see my own feet." And with a sweet smile she lets the rope, still tied where Lem had it, down to the first floor.

"But be my guest," she indicates the rope.

Yokini stays where she is, ready to provide cover from above if needed. (Readied action crossbow of doom attack!)

Raddunth, with Zashier helping and the rope, you are able to climb up into the second story window. 

Zashier, you make it up into the window as well, and roll into the room, but with all the weight of your party members already up there, you feel the floor begin to give. You feel the floor creak - it sounds the groaning of dead tree in the wind, being blown about, waiting for its last fibers to release their hold on one another...7...and as you are standing there, the boards beneath your feet give way. Dex saving throw:14. You manage to reach your arms out and hold yourself up. Your bottom half is sticking down through the floor. The would guess that it is maybe a 7 foot drop to the ground below.

Lem, you dont see any holes in the ground. You see old cobblestone, a lot of dirt, and some grass trying to poke its head up, but no holes. 

You now have a rope hanging down to the main floor, and an elephantine man half sticking out of the floor. He weighs over 300 pounds, so keep that in mind with what you decide to do next.

The floor may not hold out much longer with him hanging there and the rest of you still in the room (Zashier, even with a -1 dex has proven to be quite dextrous.)

OOC > That makes Thistle's saucy "Be my guest" pointing at the rope even better, with Zashier sticking through the floor!

Thistle will shimmy down the rope to the floor below.

Lem follows Thistle down the rope, looking ominously at the floor as he does so. "This is good army rope," Lem grumbles, as he sees how likely it is he'll have to leave it behind.

Once down on the ground, Lem drops prone and looks under tables, in corners, and elsewhere for good kobold hidey-holes. He casts mage hand, the spectral dark blue hand emerging from his mechanical arm and beginning to root around the table, looking for interesting things left behind. And Moon is still slowly circling around the first floor, orbiting the chimney.

 Zashier just chuckles over Raddunuth's suggestion while still ignoring his own precarious position. "Ah yea, see, uh, I've seemed to have already found a fairly good shortcut down, if I do say so myself. Though the offer is most appreciated, of that you can rest assured. Just need folk to clear out of this particular room, and I'll be down lickity split, as they say." He carries on casually almost as if used to such  scenarios. Thinking back, those that slept in the loft can recall having seen what looked to be patch over the hay.

One that now seemed suspiciously familiar...

Once enough people clear out the room as to avoid any further incidents, he slips down further before dropping down altogether if possible. Though if it felt like the hole needed opening up more, he bats his trunk against the remaining floor nearby a few times until enough gives way for the drop. And assuming he doesn't fall through the first floor next, Zashier just casually takes a moment to dusts himself off until everyone else is down with him.

“Hey, Lem.” Thistle calls out from near the chimney. “They went down this way,” she points at the chimney. “I’m not sure how, but I’m pretty sure they did.”

Lem cautiously walks over and, drawing upon his dwarven ancestry and experience among stoneworkers, inspects the chimney, looking for places where stone might be easily moved, how it was constructed, and whether anything looks odd.

Quote from rkmobius >>

Lem follows Thistle down the rope, looking ominously at the floor as he does so. "This is good army rope," Lem grumbles, as he sees how likely it is he'll have to leave it behind.

After everyone else has gone down the rope (except for Zashier and Raddunth, of course), Raddunth will untie the rope and drop it down the hole to Lem. He will then grab the edge of the hole, lower himself down until he is hanging by his arms, and drop down the remaining few feet.

Raddunth would normally like to get his horse below, and use the horse's back to break the fall, but he will go with the boring safe method this time. (For some reason, his horse likes the fall-on-horse method much less.)

Lem catches the rope, and looks back up at the barbarian, squinting. "Thank you, Radish."

(He then proceeds to look at the chimney.)

Down on the main floor, Lem has conjured a spectral hand from his mechanical arm, and he and the hand poke around the tables and stools. Upon closer examination, it is quite disgusting. There is raw meat and blood everywhere. But more than the the blood is their disgusting eating habits. They seem to act like children at the table, with a few bowls and plates overturned and food on the floor. There is raw meat, some other gamey substance that seems semi-cooked, some fruit, various size pieces of tree bark that have been chewed on, and a few bones that have been gnawed to a barely recognizable state. There are even some leather bags, like stolen from the caravans, that have bites taken out of them. Its as if these kobolds will eat anything!

However, as history and lore would have you remember, and your search verifies, there is nothing of value left laying about in plain view.

As you all look at Zashier, dangling from the upstairs hole in the floor, you are reminded of a similar hole in his barn, though now may not be the best time to ask about it…

Thistle and Lem, as you are examining the Chimney, from all different sides, you note that it is a fairly well built fireplace and chimney, good stonework, but something seems odd to Lem.

Lem, you notice that the fireplace does not go as deep as it should into the chimney. It seems too shallow for the amount of space it could take up. As you continue your examination, you notice the iron grate, fixed to the chimney, seems a bit loose on the right. As you move to it, and push on the right side iron work, you notice the back of the fireplace slide forward, and on the opposite side of the chimney, Thistle you now see an opening where the back of the chimney/fireplace should be….it leads to darkness, and stairs that go down…and down…you aren’t sure how many stairs there are.

Is the newly discovered opening big enough for Zashier or Raddunth to fit?

Yokini sees the fireplace move and says appreciatively, "Wow, that's clever. You want me to go in first?"

"Um, no," Thistle says. "I can go, but I'll need a light. It looks pretty dark down there." She unhooks her shield and straps it on her arm.

At this opening, there is enough space for Raddunth, and Zashier will have to stoop just a bit. This hole is about 6ft x 6ft. 

You will likely have to go single file, or two of the smaller ones side by side. Let me know marching order (figure it out in character.)