"That last room was just a test." Alton nods, "I was just warming up to find a secret door." 
He looks into the next room and a sad expression hits his face, "Aww, poor birds." He does his search a bit sullenly and shakes his head, "No hidden doors, that's lame. Whomever or whatever is here is terrible. Killing people and innocent birds, and no secret doors." 

Balassar just keeps following the others not dropping his shield or weapon. “Seems weird…all these dead bodies and birds.”

Rhane:

”Perhaps even if there is not a hidden door, the wall could be thin enough to allow us to break through,” suggests Rhane, searching the common basement wall between the houses for structural weaknesses or evidence of recent construction.

Perception:  18

There's not a structural weakness in the wall, nor is there any part that is particularly thin, but it does seem to be just a wall. You could probably break through, with sufficient force. You don't think the wall is structural to the point that it would imperil the buildings above if you were to blow a hole in it.

Alton looks to Balassar, "Yeah, like someone was doing experiments of some kind." He thinks for a moment, "Do you think Swin or someone knows a spell that can get us through a wall?" 

(Rhane would know that Swin does not have such a spell)

Balassar just looks at them "I can always try and just bust through if it's hollow enough."

Rhane:

”I will help,” says Rhane, whirling his staff around and striking the masonry wall.

Staff Attack:  Attack: 24 Damage: 6

Rhane, your attack appears to have no significant impact. You suspect you may need a more specialist tool for this job.

Balassar just follows suit running at the wall with shield in front of him.

OOC:
Athletics Check to break the wall: 10 

Despite Balassar's powerful physique, it's not enough to break through the wall, at least not quickly and without potentially hurting himself in the process.

(I think you have a few options here. One is to go up and through the next-door house and into their basement in the regular way. Another is to find a tool - or a person with a tool - who can assist you in breaking through the wall. There might be other things you can try, but I don't think you can easily get through it right now with what you have - unless I've missed something?)

"Do we want to see if we can get into the house next-door from the upper floors? Maybe there are windows that are close to each other." Alton suggests. 

Rhane:

"Sounds like a reasonable idea unless we can find a pickaxe or sledgehammer nearby," says Rhane, "And if all else fails, we can just go in the front door, but it is likely they have defenses set for that most obvious approach."

Balassar just nods “Sounds solid. Let’s move.” He says leading the way back out in case anything tried to come up behind them.

Nothing came up behind you, not into the house. You return to the ground floor and find it as you left it. There is an upper floor and a staircase leading to it, one that appears not to have been used for a long time, but apparently of sturdy wood. You can go up easily, and will discover that there are windows on the upper floor, but they are boarded up, much like the lower floor windows. You could remove the boards, with enough force or with the right tools.

"They really boarded up this place." Alton says as he looks around.

Rhane:

”Maybe we just go in the front door of the main house and take our chances,” says Rhane after no one else in the group speaks up.

Balassar just nods as he looks at the other “Front door might be best.”

Alton nods, "Lets try it and see."

Rhane:

Nodding, Rhane leads the way out and goes to the door of their target house.  He checks if for traps or locks, then prepares to open it.

Perception:  17