PlanetADnD.com

"Headless.. Hmmm" Locky glances at the bodies, could she guess that they were some kind of Dwarf?

"Do you think those winches operate the doors?" She asks Thuskar, pointing to the winches. "I think we may have found who lived here, how sad."

It seems to Locky that the skeletons are most likely dwarven. It's a pity she can't just ask him herself, but she didn't ask for that specific spell today.

Thuskar nods in agreement and attempts to turn the winch. Despite its age, he doesn't have much trouble. The inner doors open up entirely, allowing the others to join them.

Once the doors are open, Imani steps through. Her hands rest upon her scimitars as she looks around. She glances to Ulster for a moment with a small smile behind her veil. "You and this group have been together for awhile?" she asks curiously.

Ulster blushes, hoping that Imani can't tell in the torchlight. "Uhh, not really. Thuskar and I only joined a few months ago. The others rescued us, so we pledged our services to them in return. This is really our first adventure, so to speak. Before that, we were just hired guards who protected caravans."

"Hmm, seems I might have picked the right group of people after since they have rescued people before," Imani says thoughtfully. "What did they rescue you from?"

"Ummm, it's kind of a long story," Ulster admits as they approach the room Thuskar and Locky are in. "We were kidnapped by a giant mushroom man. Who was also a wizard. He had grown a small army of plant men to do his evil bidding." Ulster keeps a straight face throughout, so it's impossible for Imani to determine if he's being serious or not.

"...A giant wizard mushroom man?" Imani repeats in disbelief. Though, from the look on his face, she decides to take his story to be true. "I am sure that is an interesting story," she finally says. "One I wouldn't mind listening to after we save my sister wife."

"Sure," Ulster says. "It's probably more fun to hear the story than to live it, though." Once they rejoin the others, Thuskar puts out his torch and puts it away, as they only need one right now, and Jerrard is holding it.

"Ugh," Ulster says, seeing the headless, upside down dwarf skeletons. "Can't say I care for the decor."

"You seemed to have come out of the whole ordeal relatively unharmed in the end," Imani points out. Though, she is pretty sure that since he was one of the ones rescued, he had some scars. "We are probably going to see things like this throughout," she admits.

After her failed attempt to squeeze through the doors, Babushka mumbles to herself about really needing more exercise and less food. She leads Dekker through the doors once they're open and stays outside the room, looking around with her infravision.

(OOC 1: Too bad I couldn't come online earlier. I would have suggested we tie the lantern to Dekker's pack saddle, so nobody has to hold a torch.

OOC 2: Dekker is not a mule, but a donkey stallion! I put a pic of the real one that inspired me in the "character descriptions" thread)

Standing outside the door to the room, Babushka can see only about sixty feet with her infravision. Looking north is a long and wide hallway. She cannot see the end of it from where she is. But she can see several hallways branching off from it, three on the left and two on the right.

(OCC: He hasn't made Artemis Invisible yet!!)

Jerrard tarries behind a moment, stroking Artemis softly he speaks the words of Magic, slowly the Horse vanishes from view. "That's it Girl, relax, we'll be back really soon." with that he joins the others.

"Artemis is invisible. So? Which way?"

After casting his spell, the horse vanishes from sight. She can no longer be seen, and as Ulster predicted, she does not seem to be bothered by this. However, she is still fairly noisy. Her hooves clomp loudly on the stone floor. She nickers and snorts now and again. It occurs to Jerrard that if a predator were to come across her, she would probably give her position away immediately by neighing and whinnying, as she herself does not realize she is invisible and has no understanding of the concept of stealth.

==========

Jerrard casts Invisibility on Artemis.

"Ohh well we have to go to the room over here." She points to the room with the barrels in. "After all, Babuskha wants to go in there!" The invisible Kender giggles, and walks towards the room. "I wonder where that creature went...?"

The storeroom, across the way, is empty of life as Locky pointed out. There is no sign of any creature. The chamber does contain numerous barrels, most of which have had their lids smashed open, as well as stores of mining supplies such as coils of rope, picks and shovels, wood planks, and buckets of nails. Most of these are in poor condition, after years of neglect.