(continuing)

Everyone seems to collect in this room behind the curtain. The smell in the room is a bit rancid. All of you do notice the northeast corner appeared to be where the old man was living. The rest of the room seems to be where the goblins and the rats lived. 

In the Southeast corner there is a vase that stands approximately 3 feet high, a foot in diameter and has a clay cover over it.

Val turns as his friend approaches. 
“There was a portal... he didn’t get far though. Maybe half a mile? Those prairies are familiar. But I think we should finish up here. We can go tracking after we get the rest of this taken care of.”

"I have no doubt that we'll see this joker again.  We should focus on our job for now and clean up the rest later.  I have no doubt we'll be able to find him again."

You are standing in this room behind the curtain. The old man and goblin appeared to have gone through some portal to escape. Val believes the old man didn't get too far, within a half mile.
The rest of the party, apart from Celeste, seem very quiet.

What do you do next?

Can Val check for secret doors? I’m worried I’ve been tricked

investigation 19 

Rictor throws up his hands in frustration. "How could I have missed that this old man with an army of goblins and rats had magic on his side? Let's beat cheeks."

He goes back through the curtain and looks at the other tunnels. "Where to?"

(Can you remind us where the tunnels are again?)

(OCC: just got advised Clay's player has computer issues so will be moving him a bit)

Clay and Rictor come back out into the corridor, pas the curtain.

You find yourself standing a intersection. You just came from the north hall. To the south is a hall that ends in 2 doors and to the west is a hall that continues past your line of sight.

Clay seems a bit green in the gills as it were and says "I ain't got much of a stomach for this, the smell and the rats before. I'm gonna go back out side and watch the horses, make sure them and our things is ok."  With that Clay heads back the way you came initially, from the eastern part of the corridor. 

OCC: I have Rictor and Keth in the corridor and Val & Celeste still in the room. that correct?

Val: You do not find any secret doors.

Val & Celeste: There is still what appears to be the old man's bedding site in the northeast corner and the big vase in the southeast corner.

(Assuming Invisibility is still up)

Keth taps Rictor on the shoulder lightly, "I will head down the west passage slowly. Perhaps check out the double doors but let's not stray too far in case we are needed."

Keth heads slowly down the west hall.

Stealth: 6

Perception: 23

Val will help  Celeste to examine the bedding and the vase

Celeste will examine the two things, trying to find anything that the magician left behind.

19  (With Advantage, per Val's help)

Celeste & Val:

Both of you inspect the area that appear to be the place where the old man was sleeping. Picking through old dirty clothing that have questionable smells coming from them and scraps of old food, moldy pierces of bread and bits of bone and gristle that you figure are from a piece of beef are scattered around, you find what you figure is the old man's mess kit, a couple old shirts and a pair of pants. You also find a set  of old smelly moccasins, 1 dirty sock, a dagger that seems to be in great shape and a old tattered book.

You inspect the vase, It stands about 3 ft. high and hour glass shaped. It seems to be made of clay with 3 darker waving lines, spaced about an inch apart, that travel the entire circumference of the vase. The lid to the vase is round with a small rise of clay in the middle of it that seems to serve as a handle. The edges of the vase appears to be covered in some sort of sealing wax. 

Keth & Rictor:
Keth starts to move forward towards the set of door after startling Rictor by touching him and talking, Keth's voice coming from no where. Keth makes it to the double doors, making no sound. The doors do not to seem to have any locks, just a handle on each door.

(I think Keth wanted to go down the west hall actually and have me investigate the double doors.)

Rictor catches his breath after being scared out of his wits by the invisible Keth before heading toward the double doors. Seeing that there are no obvious locks he simply tries to open them.

Val looks at the vase, before shaking his head. “Only way to find out. Celeste kindly step back  just a moment in case this is dangerous. And find out what that old coot has on his mind enough to write down.”

Val takes his shovel and starts prying out the lid of the vase.

Celeste steps back and starts flipping through the book to see what was written within.

(Yes, Keth was headed down the west passage)

Celeste: Celeste starts thumbing through the pages and opens to a page and reads this journal entry
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1Ka42XFxhiP8bgJsioEFyT32wwuOHcYQjBeNKrJr-pmk/edit

Val: It takes a bit of effort but with some work you are able to cut some of the sealing wax off. You pry on the lid and with a Pop that echos through the room and down the hall the lid comes off. The smell is the first thing to hit you. It smells like old fried sausage and old blood. You look into the vase and even though the light in this room is dim you see a black soupy liquid inside. You're about to put the lid back on when.....Wait?! Did something just move in there???

Val and Celeste-Initiative Rolls:

Rictor & Keth: Keth makes it to the set of double doors first sees a handle but no locks. Keth tugs on the door, Rictor just sees the doors swing open. A breeze of comes wafting through the open door bringing in a few smells. From the left you smell blood and hanged meat. From your right you smell fresh air, you also see sunlight and the sound of the cattle from outside. Rictor and Keth find themselves standing just outside of a room, 40 ft. long with a varied width of 70 ft. at its longest point and 40 ft. at it's shortest. The far wall across from you seems to have crumbled a bit and then been dug out by unskilled hands, leaving a bit of a natural looking alcove. 
To your right you see a corridor with a set of stairs at its base. Sunlight, fresh air and cattle noises come from this direction so you both assume it leads to the outside.
To the left side of this room you see a 20 ft. wide corridor leading from the room and traveling east. It leads into darkness.
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1VSYC45ntjhTIrLBwVV4wjpafLFPhrnlf3KFfUIUdKOk/edit

You notice a slight sound of a "pop" come from the room Celeste and Val are still in. 

"Ah what the hell did you do?"

Initiative 11

Val initiative 15 

Initiative: 2

From the vase a brown doughy liquid seems to erupt slowly. It reaches the top of the vase then starts spilling over the edge till it is entirely out of the vase. The liquid seems to form up and create a gold/mud colored mass. The thing starts moving towards Val.

Initiative Order:
Celeste: 16
Val: 15
Ochre Jelly: 6