Ash will stick close by Ben for support if needed...

Korrik tags along.

((If it matters, head north the open right door, then left then top before returning to the corridor behind the stairs and opening the doors and checking in order. He'll call out and magic he sees. Or, you know, ghosts, skeletons, people, etc.))

With Ben peering intently around, Korrik will take point and open the indicated door, nudging doors open with his staff.

Ok, with just a quick scan of each room done by Ben with his spell active, I am not going to give you any specific details about each of the rooms other than what is showing on the map. It is very accurate to the module and also quite detailed, so if there is any particular check you want to do in any of the rooms to get more information about anything you might see, please make the roll.

Please note, there are stairs going up in the northernmost room, and the stairs in the room to the east of that one are going down. 

Oh... Ben would've seen the same rainbow aura at the stairs in the room to the right of the northernmost one that head down as the ones that were on the trapdoor.

Let me know which room(s) you might want to pay more attention to as well as any corresponding checks. 

"Dudes... there are no ghosts in here....." Ess proclaims. 

After this sequence, it will be time to repeat your WIS saves for that semi-frightened state. (not Korrik, of course. He's just tired. :) )

Map is updated.

"Yeah, doesn't seem like it... but if we were a bunch of local kids daring each other to steal something from inside, that rug would have been enough to send us scrambling. I think we leave that other thing on the stairs for until we're ready to go down there. I'd also like to pause for lunch and rest a bit before heading downstairs..."

Korrik will check out the room on the left side of the hallway to the kitchen area, the one that looks like it has a dining table of some sort. 

Investigation: 9

Wisdom save: 12

Now confident there are, in fact, no ghosts here, Ben searches through the first room to the north on the right with the two rotting chairs.

Investigation: 19

((What's all that red stuff around the big fireplace in the first room to the east? Hot ash? He would have probably noticed if the fire was burning, right?))

Ash’s WIS save: 3 

((guessing that didn’t save!))

“Okay good! No ghosts on this floor... And we know where the next magical area to be careful of is..... Hmmm... if they are laying magical traps on the passages downstairs, is it worth us just quickly heading upstairs first?? Path of least resistance? ...oh yes, and after lunch of course! Ahaha...”. She laughs nervously. Still keen not to head towards trouble yet, but trying not to let it show.

Ess responds to Korrik "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Hell, if I was alone, I'd... ah, nevermind, I'd be fine!"

Korrik, that room is indeed a dining room. Or, was. At one time that long table stood in the center of this room; now it lies broken on the floor. A broken chair sits against the wall between the windows, and there is a heap of broken dishes in the northwest corner.

Ash, you're still quite scared of that mouth and its sinister voice! Ess says to Ash "Come on, look at the claws on ya! You'll be fine, don't be scared... there's no ghosts here anyways. heh heh heh."

Ben, you're not scared of the mouth anymore!

Ash is the only one afraid currently. 

((I'll tell you what that red stuff is in that big room with the fireplace if someone actually goes directly in there. It is not ashes though as you're right, you'd all notice/smell that!))

Ben, you enter the room with the chairs. A broken table lies on the floor near the north wall. Two stuffed armchairs stand near the fireplace. The covers of both have been torn and the stuffing has been pulled out, but the wooden frames are intact. You take a good look around, and you do notice a collection of mouse bones spilling out from the fireplace hearth. There is also a stone out of place on the chimney above the fireplace. 

Map is updated. 

"What do we have here..."

Ben is about to go poke at the stone then pauses to consider the bones.

((I'm guessing there are a significant amount since you mentioned it...))

"Hmm."

He looks around for something to toss into the fireplace as he stands a little back. Once he finds something appropriate he tosses it in to see if something grabs at it. He readies a choice insult, just in case. Something colorful and applicable to almost anything. Probably mother based.

Korrik pokes about a bit, hoping for some silverware that can at least sell as scrap before crossing the hall and joining Ben.

"Some kind of dining room, just a bunch of broken dishes."

He'll have a look at the chairs, trying to determine if they are torn and unstuffed as a result of a previous person braving the house's reputation to search for hidden valuables, or more just due to the ravages of time, animals, etc.

Investigation: 9

He decides he can't tell, and doesn't care, as a yawn overtakes him once again.

((There's kind of something freeing about knowing all your rolls are at disadvantage...))

Noting Kay's lackluster inspection of the chairs he says,

"Did you check with your eyes open? Honestly, this is supposed to make us rich. I would have thought you'd be more excited. Or at least more interested."

Shaking his head he switches topics,

"There's something eating mice in that chimney, which matters because there is a suspicious stone a over the mantle there I want to check. I'm bigger than a mouse but whatever is in there might not care. Going to throw a stick in there, be pal and stand here."

He positions Kay between him and the chimney.

"I'm trying man! I really am. Just didn't really sleep last night. And so far all we're rich in is trash and mold. Could always light a fire and smoke whatever's in there out..."

Kay stands where Ben drags him, and tries to keep both his staff and eyelids up and ready.

As he is aiming his stick to toss in Ben offers,

"If this doesn't work you're welcome to try and get a fire going in there. Got plenty of wood around here that's only use would be in a fire."

He grumbles as he releases the stick,

"If we don't get what that paper promised I will burn this place to the ground. May do that even if we do get rich. This place is a dump."

"Pfff... I'd probably fall asleep and topple over into my own fire... alright, let's do this."

Ash stands back a little (in the fireplace room with the others), quietly enjoying the banter and comradery between the three men. She almost forgets the fright she got a few rooms back, but then shivers again at the thought. She quietly draws both daggers, just in case something comes out of the fireplace...

Korrik, unfortunately there was no silverware left over in the dining room. 

Exactly... Korrik has no idea about the chairs once he joins Ben.

Ess watches Ash go by and join the guys and probably stares at her tail for longer than he should. "Ok. Right. I will make sure nothing corners us and wait out here." he doesn't draw any weapons or anything just yet as it's a bit difficult for him to get his sword out in this hallway, but he is looking up and down the hallway to make sure nothing is coming while everyone is in that room. 

Ben, the moment the stick lands in the fireplace, hundreds, (maybe thousands), of little spiders come flowing out of the fireplace and you can actually hear the flow/drop of them as they come out due to the sheer number of them. They flop down onto the stick. They are extremely angry at whatever has disturbed their home. 

((looking back, I noticed I didn't mention anything about the cobwebs. My bad. There is no scripting in the module though about the webs specifically in this room, which is weird. However, there are webs on the map!))

Please roll for initiative. It's not like they were waiting for you, so there is no surprise here. However, you currently don't know how many spiders we are talking about here, because initiative starts the moment the first 'batch' of spiders drop onto the stick and are aggravated as fork. There might be more up that fireplace that haven't dropped yet. Or not. 

Ess: 2

Spiders: 15

Map is updated, and let me know if I have it correct for where you think your character would be. Added the spiders to the Bestiary tab as well.

Initiative:13

((All the rooms have spider webs. Should I be worried?

Ben's spot looks fine. It's some close quarters combat.))

Ash’s Initiative (disadvantage due to being scared): 12 

Ash has her daggers ready but she wasn’t expecting this! “Uuhgh!...” she says instinctively, but struggles to move into action...

Initiative: 8