Ragnar slips into the harness before Ted gets a chance and heads down.

"See you at the bottom, Tedbane," Ragnar calls up as he descends.

OOC: Had already rolled a 14 above (post 988), but will add another since advantage:  23   

Once Ragnar makes his less than graceful descent Erika takes the rope next.

"Wait for me," Erika calls heading down after putting on her harness.

Athletics 29 w/ ad 21

Like a proper explorer Erika descends with grace down to the floor of the crater beside Ragnar. "That's how it's done," Erika announces with a smile looking at her countrymen.

OOC: Ragnar roll perception check. Ted needs an athletics to descend.

"These should go," Zira points at a pack from the lone surviving mule with provisions and other objects to ease the discovery of tl magic items.

OOC: Areon roll an athletics check with advantage due to Zira's help.

Ted races to attach his harness, flailing around at the straps. 

After he’s attached, he leans back on the rope, with his back towards the crater, holding the rope taut. Walking backwards slowly, he puts his feet on the inner wall as he leans back. Once he is perpendicular to the wall he begins to descend, leapfrogging down as he lets go of the rope bit by bit in an abseil. Athletics 4 11

Ragnar Perception: 11  

"There's no extra share for you just because you did it gracefully," Ragnar laughs as Erika steps lightly onto the ground. "Getting down in one piece is what matters."

As he looks around he sees Ted begin his descent.

"Case in point," Ragnar says pointing at Ted. "I hope flight is another hidden skill of his."

OOC: Uff Ted. Why two rolls FYI? Areon your rolls with advantage was to lower equipment down with Zira's help not to descend yourself.

Ragnar doesn't see much outside his limited vision and the light coming from above. There are no other light sources present and the opening narrows only illuminating about a 30ft radius around Ragnar, Erika, and Gen-ga. What he can see the party is in an abandoned camp in some sort of courtyard of a building. It's a towering jumble of broken parts!

"We'll need more light," Gen-ga says remaining in the radius around the group the edges of the crater pushing in.

As he descends Ted slips near the top but catches himself only to slip again half way down falling the last 30ft of a 75ft drop and impacts taking 10 of fall damage.

Areon and Zira work together to lower the crates and satchels of gear. It's a slow tedious job but it gets done.

OOC: Areon just straight athletics check to get down to base camp.

Landing on his back, a gigantic grunt is forced from Teds lungs. Sitting up, he looks around clutching his chest as he wheezes, ”Did.....did I win?”, 

Picking himself up off of the floor, Ted looks into the darkness, “What is this place? Who builds a house in a crater?”  Perception 11

Ragnar extends a hand to help Ted stand up.

"If that was a win, you may want to change what game you're playing," Ragnar says to Ted, then in a lower voice, almost a whisper. "That was a bad fall, do you need any help? And don't play brave. We don't know what's ahead of us."

Ragnar focuses for a moment on the hammer amulet around his neck, then reaches out and taps his shield square in the middle while saying "Belysa." 

Bright light shines out from the shield.

Casts: Light  

"Anybody want something lit up like this? Not sure, but it should last an hour."

Ragnar then moves towards the abandoned camp, holding his shield forward to shine the light. He looks for any sign of anyone still there, bodies, or signs of what happened.

Perception: 24   

"Well, Ragnar of Burøya, no point in only one blade shining a light, both to drive away skittering fiends and our sneaky friends." With that, Erika whistles a tune, low to high, and the spiked tip atop her axe-blade begins to glow brightly with light. She looks over Ted. "Stay still a moment, Tedbane. Seems like nothing is truly broken, except your pride. I will keep an eye on you should we attempt any more climbing though... and will save some magical strength if you need it."

With the light and the effects of her shield, she turns to assist Ragnar in the immediate search.

Perception 12 11 

Wild Magic (low) 88

Areon has a less than smooth ride down the rope but ge reaches the ground below without issue. Zira is last to descend meeting the party after a few moments.

Ted see noting beyond the campsite with hus glance around. It's a long abandoned campsite but an entirely practical one.

Ragnar lights his shield (need a high/low wild magic roll) and it pierces the dark around them. This seems to be a walkway of some kind into a stone courtyard everything is a a slight 45 degree angle and shattered on impact. The building that the courtyard leads to seems to have collapsed completely leaving various entry points ahead about 45ft at tge edge of the light spells cast.

After releasing the spells:

Ragnar's consequence TBA

Erika casts a whirl of arctic wind blows through the courtyard in a ghust as howling from somewhere within the ruins remind you of the dead as it rushs through you like an icy wave!

I need everyone make a CON save DC 13 against being frightened of Erika for 24 hours.

"That...was...," Zira begins at shudders looking at Erika who now has an eerie glow about her but Gen-ga interrupts Zira to offer advice.

"Just the beginning," Gen-ga reminds the party. "Magic as a last resort ok? There's uncertainty everywhere and we can't rely upon it. There's an anti-magic field too," they remind the party.

Ted stubbornly refuses Ragnars hand as he kicks his legs up, propelling him to a standing position before doubling over in a coughing fit. “If you can’t take your own breath away, how you gonna take anybody else’s?” he simply winks at Erika’s prods at his ego, “Sure, keep your eye on me, not like anybody can tear them away....oh...gods!” Suddenly she seems particularly terrifying to him and he heads over to stand next to Areon. Ted’s trips with Areon, riding shotgun, had given him a feeling of safety he had not felt since he left home. He gently nudges the Ranger, with a boisterous wink concealing his feelings. Con save 16

Ragnar Wild Magic Roll (High): 91  

Con Save: 15  

Ragnar laughs at Ted. "Suit yourself, Tedbane."

He's about to say more when the howling, gusting wind starts up around them, and that familiar feeling of the dead begins to creep into him. He glances quickly over at Erika to see what she's doing.

As the gust of wind reaches the burgeoning magic of Erika's light spell, the cheery bright light takes on a sickly green-blue pallor, and swirls around her.

"Strange... very strange. Not the color I was expecting." she says. Looking back at the others, an eyebrow goes up. "What are you looking at?"

She almost looks like a dead woman, appearing to have milky eyes, white hair, and sunken, gaunt skin. She doesn't seem to notice. The effect seems to fade after a moment, her flush cheeks and red hair returning.

The party stands in the courtyard as Gen-ga and Zira look to the party. 

"We can keep an eye out for the Harker's son but tje main focus should be on objects," Zira reminds the party. 

Gen-ga lights a torch to carry ahead and looks around for any signs of the blacksmith's boy.

Ragnar moves forward towards the collapsed building and the entry points that were just visible at the edge of the light, trying to get a sense of what lays ahead so they can decide which way to enter.

He looks around as he moves forward trying to see if there are any other pathways leading into the city or if this building is the only way.

"Gen-ga," Ragnar calls out as they move forward. "Have their been reports of expedition members turning on each other like this before?"

He shines his lit shield into as many dark spaces as he can while staying relatively close to the group.

"There's always something foul afoot but I think as you know possession however can happen anywhere. One would think the restless spirits of the dead trapped here often try to find a host and are resentful of the living," Gen-ga replies holding their torch a loft.

Moving forward Zira walks beside Gen-ga toward the ruin building.

"I think we should start on there," Zira gestures ahead of the party to the path leading to the 45 degree angle massive  double doorway towering 12ft above the threshold. One of the doors is completely broken off its hinges blocking the entrance making it difficult terrain meanwhile the other side remains closed. "This is the notes I received about the area...." She trails off.

Zira explains the massive crater and ruined building is some sort of museum/library. It was only recently discovered by Holbright Institute but obviously with the old abandoned camp someone somewhere shared the location.

OOC: checks?