Best climbs down the latter and tries to understand what he is seeing.  He looks for a way to open the bared door.

Best pulls at the barred door but the door doesn't even budge. Though that is when he realises that there are other barred doors down here with more children reaching through the bars crying for help.

Is Best able to sense which direction his amazing staff is located?

(DM Question - would Nephris' Detect Magic still be up as well?)

(Neither Best's Locate Object or Nephris' Detect Magic continue. Both have expired.)

The children continue to cry for help, reaching out a hand towards you all.

"Help us! Please!"

"I want my mommy!"

"Don't leave us down here!"

"Save us please!"

Nephris puts a finger to his lips, "Hush a moment children. We'll let you out soon enough, but perhaps you could help us out? We want to make sure the place is safe first. Anything you know would be very helpful," he smiles at the children. "Then we can get you to your parents."

The children become quiet at Nephris' request. One child, slightly taller than rest, speaks up,

"We don't know much, but if you ask us questions. We will try and answer."

His large eyes, filled with tears, searches Nephris' face.

Best listens and asks the taller child.  "So do you know where some equipment, like swords or staffs, might be hidden down here?"

The boy responds to Best, "I don't know."

A little girl walks up beside him, "I'm scared."

Katharine watches the children as they call out for help, "How did you get here? Why are you here?"

“The bad man captured us from our homes!" replies the girl

"He’s placed vents all throughout our cells so that if our doors or the doors at the end of the hallway are opened, we’ll all die in here!” adds the boy

Best looks at Cade and Nephris.  "Nephris, I will help you search around the outside of the cells for clues.  Cade maybe you can vapor into the cells and search for clues"

"Wait!" Katharine insists. "How do we know that just crossing the into the cells won't trigger the vents?"

Nephris holds up a hand, "Let me spend a moment to detect any magical protections, then if that's clear, we can look for physical traps." He casts Detect Magic and looks around before moving forward, and then sets about checking for any traps, both magical and physical with the aid of Best (Investigation: 19).

Nephris investigates the cell doors and does see there is some sort of arcane runes engraved into the bars. Though it is impossible to recognise just what the runes do, nor how they would be triggered.

"We need to search carefully"  Best begins to search as carefully as he can for any clues: 18

Cade swirls as an air elemental, not really able to aid in this work.

Quote from TheBritGeek >>

Nephris investigates the cell doors and does see there is some sort of arcane runes engraved into the bars. Though it is impossible to recognise just what the runes do, nor how they would be triggered.

 (OOC - so detect magic wouldn't indicate what sort of magic we're dealing with the runes?)

"Careful of the bars children," Nephris says as he tries to calm them, then turns to the group, "I'm not sure what these runes do on the cages, but be careful all. Perhaps there is a lever or something simple that will disengage whatever magics there are and release the children?"

Quote from SpieltJoos >>

(OOC - so detect magic wouldn't indicate what sort of magic we're dealing with the runes?)

(Yeah, it won't work.)

Best searches around the available space outside the cells. However, his search reveals nothing of use. There are no levers, buttons, or any clues. There is no apparent way of disarming the traps set around the different cells. Though he does notice the pink transparent wall at the far end of the passageway to the west.