James: The fireplace appears to be empty and void of any ashes.
Dmitri: You find no traps in this room. You take the sword down easily. Dust falls from the blade as you do. The longsword is a bit worn but in good working condition. 

Dmitri will utilize the longsword as the group continues their exploration of the house. He whispers to the group, "The child's apparation said there was a babe on the 3rd floor and a monster in the cellar. Where to first?"

Gillain recites half a line of something under her breath (as if reminding herself) “ ‘and protect the innocent’,... my vote is that we find this baby...”.

 "Find the baby and then what? With the monster out of the way we could get the child out safely," Bob opines, though it clearly pains him to suggest going after a monster in the basement of a spooky abandoned house.

Ermren listens to the group talking about whether or not to go get the baby and lets his head sag into his chest and gives a great sigh before looking up at the others, "Those children disappeared as soon as we entered, remember? Who's to say they weren't just bait to get us in here? I mean, look at those stairs. Does it look like anyone's used them recently? Do you still think there's a baby up there that needs rescued? I say clear the place room by room, floor by floor and figure out what's going on here. If we come across anything that needs rescued we do it. If we come across a monster, much more likely, we take care of it." 

(Did Detect Magic pick up anything on the sword?)

“The babe is a trick. A lure, with a hint of truth. I am not saying we should ignore it, but I suggest caution. We can head up. But don’t rush. The trap is set.” James will raise his hand high. ”Are we ready to move on?”

Gillain sighs and sags a little “I think you are right. The stairs have not been used. There can’t be a living baby up there. If so, the monster may have been a lie too. Hmmm. Maybe we should take our time, room by room. But the decision remains. Which way first?”

“I agree, perhaps securing this floor then work our way up.” Tio will head up to the double doors checking for traps or anything to note. If it’s not trapped she will open them.

perception: 24

Gillain nods to Tio and moves to her side as she approaches the doors. She’s ready with her spear and shield raised in case anything should leap out at them!...

Dmitri moves once more to secure the rear of their party. He rests the balance of the newly acquired longsword as he does, to familiarize himself with it's weight.

Tio approaches the two separate doors the party is facing along the East Wall. She leans in and starts inspection Door #1. Gillain moves to a position close to Tio, her shield and spear at the ready. Dmitri takes up a position at the rear as rear guard.

Tio: you find not traps.

James keeps an eye on their rear.

Ermren stands just behind Tio holding his torch to provide plenty of light.

Tio will open the door and enter it.

Occ: I hope everyone had a good weekend and didn't think this game went south. I just had a lot of sleep to catch up on :P)

Seeing no traps Tio opens the door.

  The light spills through the doorway, letting the party see into the room. The door opens to a 5 ft. x 5 ft. space that serves as an entrance to a 15 ft. wide x 20 ft. long room, to what appears to be the dining area of this home. The centerpiece of this wood-paneled dining room is the carved mahogany table surrounded by 8 high backed chairs with sculpted armrests and cushioned seats. A crystal chandelier hangs above the table, which is covered with resplendent silverware and crystal-ware. though there seems to be a layer of dust on the chandelier the lights form the party does dance across the silverware and crystal, leaving a kaleidoscope of light and color around the room. On the north wall, to your left, you see another black marble fireplace. Mounted above the marble fireplace is a mahogany-framed painting of an alpine vale. 
  The wall paneling in this room is carved with elegant images of deer among trees. 
  Red silk drapes, now covered in a layer of dust, cover the windows of this room, and a tapestry depicting hunting dogs and horse-mounted aristocrats chasing after a wolf hangs from an iron rod bolted to the south wall. 

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1AVQeajU1OPtve4_eizzSlBMGEOy43B1PCqeLCEtB43g/edit

Bob sighs in relief at what the group sees. He does peek his head inside and take a more thorough look around. He frowns at the condition of the room. "Dust everywhere! Didn't these people ever eat?"

Investigation check (to figure out the last time the room was used): 14

Dmitri will allow the others to enter the dining room. He will hold the doorway they entered through to prevent them being taken from behind unawares.

James is intrigued by the portrait of men chasing the wolf, and gives that whole picture and space a thorough check.

investigation 18 

Gillain does one slow circuit of the room, around the table, taking everything in. She will draw all the curtains open as she goes, before joining James as he examines the tapestry. “I’ve seen similar”, she offers, “but normally I think they would be hunting a fox or something smaller... Though I guess the area does seem to have some kind of a wolf problem...”.

And just for good measure, she will lift the tapestry away from the wall a little with her spear and check behind it.

Ermren chuckles briefly, “I doubt the dust was here when the residents were in any condition to eat anything. I suspect they’ve been dead or something for some time now.”