'A trapdoor - well that explains why the tracks disappear.  Nothing haunted about that.  And the tracks look like someone wearing boots - not like a ghoul or a specter. ' Gracy thinks to himself

 

Zmeya aids with the investigation, sensing the air much like snakes would. Instinctively treading lightly over the ground, she informs the rest of the party about the trapdoor - given the recent appearance of the tracks, she notes that they need to be quiet. They most likely aren’t alone. ”Whatever lies in this house is probably aware of our presence. They took no precaution in hiding that trapdoor, nor did they cover their tracks, so I am concerned with directly heading through it,” she quietly rasps, recounting the times she took part in ambushing wild game and lost sailors. 

Given the presence of a passage below, can she press her ear against the floor and attempt to discern movement, walking, talking, or any noise below? 

Wilmot chuckles at Archibald's comments, stepping to take a defensive position for when the door opens. "It seems that more than spirits haunt this abode. I suggest something more sinister may be afoot in Saltmarsh," he says, sliding his shield into place while clutching his staff. He looks to Zmeya and says, "Or perhaps they believe their ruse has worked and the townsfolk have dissuaded any of the more curious folk from seeking treasure here."

As soon as his friends are at least ten foot away, he opens the trapdoor with his mage hand.  He will be 25 feet away from the door in the corner btw.

As the mage hand opens the trap door, it opens as you'd expect it to - from the floor up. But, the moment you do, a terribly loud booming voice erupts from it, like a magic mouth, screaming:  “Welcome, fools — welcome to your deaths!” 

It startles the crap out of you.

Each player that hears the message must make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, you have disadvantage on all ability checks for 1 hour unless you are immune to the frightened condition. You can repeat the saving throw every 15 minutes.

Zmeya recognizes the magical presence of the sound, recalling the psychic training she was required to endure in her training to kill enemy spellcasters.

Save - 21

Wilmot starts at the booming voice, breaking the otherwise eerie silence of the manor. "Nope, no, uh uh, no," he mutters, stepping back from the trapdoor. "I think we've seen enough." He begins fumbling for his pouch of herbs, but is too frazzled to roll a smoke...which only increases his anxiety. 

Save: 22

Gracy had backed up into the far corner of the room and unslung his bow, arrow knocked and readied.  

Wisdom Save: 13

As the voice booms out, Gracy chuckles a bit at the grand pronouncement.  This place may or may not be haunted, but he appreciated the theatricality of whoever set that trap.  

'Well, whatever is waiting for us certainly knows we're coming now.'

 In the adjacent corner to Gracy, Archibald also chuckles slightly at the sound.   "My oh my, looks like there's still a little life left in this old haint.  At least it seems welcoming.   I mean it did welcome us twice.  So ummm...age before beauty?"  As he gestures toward the open trap door.  

Wisdom save: 15

Hiramat hears the dread words boom up from the trapdoor, he braces himself as they hit is mind, "I will not fear, Tempus will keep me as sharp as a blade"

Wisdom Save 4

Doh!

You can see what appears to be some sort of cellar through the trap door. There's no steps, you'd have to jump down.

"Well, well, well....doesn't this seem ominous."  Archibald takes out a torch from his pack and lights it up.   He then hands it over to his mage hand which will float the torch down into the hole for his more perceptive friends to take a better peak before they jump in.  

Klaus attempts to muster his courage...

Wisdom 10

Klaus replies in a measured and calm voice, “Nay, not this day, nor by your hand.  I have tasks ahead before my watch is ended.  Rather, today is the day of your reckoning, fiend!”

Klaus makes ready a grappling hook and rope to rappel down after the torch reaches the bottom.

Klaus takes a look as the torch reaches the floor courtesy of Archibald:

Perception 19

Wilmot shudders, but steadies himself...a bit. Still jittery, he moves to drop down behind the paladin. “I have a bad feeling about this,” he says, his voice shaking. 

He looks about, unfocused by his fear. 

Perception, at disadvantage: 11

Zmeya seems disconcerted about entering the trapped door. When there was one unexpected trap, there were more. Still, she holds her tongue, and will follow after the party, keeping an eye on the surrounding area.

You can see better with the torch. The chamber was once a large cellar, but it has since been converted into living quarters. Ten crude beds stand along the south wall, each with a wooden locker at its foot.

People, for whatever reason, are living here.

You'll have to go down to get more info. It's not lit very well.

Watching Klaus make his preparations to descend into the sublevel, Gracy turns back to the door they all came through.  Pulling a string and a bell from his pack, he quickly and efficiently works up a tripwire alarm that would trigger if someone entered the room and ring a bell that Gracy has strung up near the trapdoor.

"We're caught betwixt and between now - not sure what's upstairs here and unsure what this cellar holds.  I can honestly say i don't like it much.  This should at least give us a chance of hearing if anyone is sneaking up behind us."

Keeping his short bow at the ready, he nods his head towards the armored Paladin 'Down you go big fella, I'll drop down after ya.  Hiramat, you hold position here until everyone else has come through and then follow last?'

Sparing a glance towards the cleric, the thief would shoot a half-smile 'I don't think this place is haunted so much as it is infested.  Seems a simple enough task to clean out the infestation right?'

Wilmot looks around to the others, gathering himself to grab a new herb from his pouch and quickly bringing it to tinder. He inhales, relishes and then blows smoke in the face of Klaus and Gracy. "May the Dweller on the Horizon aid you in your travels in this dark world," he says, his own eyes flashing briefly as the eyes of his two allies do as well. "See what needs to be seen, my friends. And I'd feel better if we did so without alerting the others with our torch."