(04) The Cathedral

[rredmond]

Garamon looks into the room, no apparent source of the odor that we can see?

I read that as “rickety wooden chair climbs” at first and was like “whaaaat???”

[mgtremaine]

Tass checks to see if there has been any recent signs of life or movement in the area. In and out of the room, etc...

[waysoftheearth]

Tass makes his way up from the rear rank of the party to join Garamon at the odorous door way.

The door opened fairly easily, and certainly looks like it could reasonably be used... but why anyone would want to come into this awful garbage hole is another question.

A quick glimpse at the moldering wooden stair gives Tass the impression that it hasn't been used in a long time. Whether it would even hold a man's weight isn't certain. A hobbet's weight? Well, that would be a different thing altogether!

Garamon looks into the room, no apparent source of the odor that we can see?

Nothing is more attention grabbing than the filthy piles of bones and rotting carrion covering the floor!

[Tonneau]

Wraislin moves away from the open door silently, holding a corner of his robe over his mouth.

[zygarti]

Flin covers his mouth with one hand and grips his Axe in the other.

[ehiker133]

Taking in the macabre scene of the charnel room, Goldwen quietly hangs her mace back onto her belt and pulls out her holy symbol, instead.

"It smells like the UNdead in here. Please proceed with caution, everyone..."

[mgtremaine]

"Huh, what dump. Let me check the stairs first. Please kill anything that tries to jump me." Tass laughs and moves forward cautiously to see if the stairs are serviceable.

[sully]

Thanis says, I am normally interested in treasure but this place seems more likely to yield disease.

[waysoftheearth]

Tass enters the fly swarm in the rotting meat room, barely able to breath without getting insects in his mouth and nose, and makes the dozen or so strides to the base of the rickety stair. Avoiding the most gruesome carcass parts (which he doesn't want to believe could be human remains), and passing the ominous dangling ropes without touching them, he reaches the base of the stair--shooing flies and almost gagging on the offensive odour.

Tentatively, he puts a hobbet foot on the bottom stair, and a hand on the ancient banister rail. It feels a worn, but solid enough for a hobbet. And at least the stair is not covered in filth!

Looking up, Tass sees the stair climbs steeply around all four walls before reaching the next level up. There is a wide, round hole in the middle of the next floor, through which the ropes do dangle, and... (presumably), through which most of the carrion on the floor must have arrived. Looking up through the hole, Tass can make out a brighter, sunlight area, high above.

[waysoftheearth]

The alternative portal behind Thanis now seems so clean, fresh, and inviting....

I've just noticed that on the final arty version of the map the second door behind Thanis has been drawn as an open archway. Do you want me to retcon it that way, or stick with the door?