Gamard was doing his best to make something of the information on the paper when all of a sudden a flash of light erupted in the room. Gamard instinctively closed his eyes for a moment averted his head. But when he opened his eyes again the initial brightness had gone and he could now see a lot better.

"Ooh, that's a lot better. Thanks Dudley." he said with a nod of approval. "I should've thought of that myself."

He tapped his headband, indicating the holy symbol of Solanis and gave the Cidal a little wink. Then he turned his attention to the papers once more.

‘By the look of things the small one who lived here left some time ago. Perhaps who ever it was, was a wonder like us. Look to the papers see if there is a map.’ Mal strolled over to the bed and gingerly fluffed the pillow and then pulled the covers back. He was looking for anything that might be of interest and something that might give a clue as to whom lived here. Such as hair clothing or perhaps even a body part. When Mal is done with his looking over of the bed this also included looking under the bed he carefully made it. He then turned and looked at the other, ‘What? At the end of the day it is nice to come to a well made bad and slip into it. It helps was away all of…’ he motioned around with his hand, ‘this.’

Examination of the room tells you little. The booby trap was poorly set and the crossbows are the exact same as the ones from the weapon room you explored. Both the Cidals feel the occupant was either a kobold or goblin based on the smell in the room.

The papers reveal no map but do appear to have been a spell book torn apart. The only spell that Alondas finds that is still intact is an “identify”.

There is nothing under the bed or of note inside of it. The set of drawers contains small outfits that one would associate with a butler or serving staff.

On the desk is a note:

Boz, many bad bests in hom. I hid acroz hall.

Mal sees a not on the desk, Boz, many bad bests in hom. I hid acroz hall.

He studies for a moment and then reads aloud, ‘Boss, many bad bests in home. I hide across the hall.’ Mal offers the note up to anyone else who wants to take a look at it. ‘It seems who ever or what ever the little beast was that lived here sought refuge in the port across the hall. I say if none have any better idea we look across the hall, it is not like we have any better place to look.’

"What good fortune...we now know where to find someone that should be able to help us out of here. If the lock picker can't get that door across the hall open..maybe you big guys can put a shoulder to it and get us in."

Dudley then made his way back to hall and to the other door. "Ok in there..we aren't here to hurt you..we only want to find our way!...Hello..anyone in there?"

Alondas was once more surprised by how outgoing and friendly the "little folk" were. No sooner was it mentioned that someone or something left a note saying it was hiding across the hall than one of them was at the door calling out greetings. He could only hope that whatever was behind the door was either friendly or small enough to cause the party no harm. Unwilling to take a risk that this was the case, he took a position once more near the rear and readied his spells.

Wembley appraised the room with a critcal eye. When Mal read the note, Wembley piped in, "Well, that would explain the barred door across the hall." Looking around the room once more, he added, "My guess... well, looking at these crossbow traps and the poorly written note, I'd say goblins usually... but with those lizard folk we bound up back there, maybe there's a reptile thread weaving here and we're actually dealing with a kobold shaman of some kind." The cidal grinned, "That would be exciting, Alon?! Maybe he's got a couple of spells we've never seen before! I've always been curious about kobold magic..."

Just then, he noticed Dudley making his way to the door across the hallway. Quickly, he joined his kin, and added his voice in trying to coax out whoever was behind door number two. "Yeah, we come in peace.... we just want to talk. If you are hurt, we have a healer with us."

As the party moved back into the hallway the two Cidal’s once more took initiative in the wrong direction.

Dudley: "Ok in there.. we aren't here to hurt you..we only want to find our way!...Hello.. anyone in there?"

Wembley: “Yeah, we come in peace.... we just want to talk. If you are hurt, we have a healer with us."

And with that the loss of any form of surprise was over leaving only a more direct way. Seeing this Crow made his way to the door giving it a quick look he knew it would take two people to open.

“This door will take 2 of us to open, Wembley check for traps. Mal help me with this door if he says its clear. Alondas, Gamard, Dudley ready yourselves as you see best.”

Moving to stand on one side he awaited the Cidal Thief to declare it free of any traps.

Crow made his way to the door and gave it a quick look. “This door will take two of us to open," he stated. "Wembley check for traps. Mal help me with this door if he says its clear. Alondas, Gamard, Dudley ready yourselves as you see best.”
"Well, Crow," Wembley started. "The door itself is not trapped, but it's possible that who ever is behind this door has set up on of those crossbow traps like the ones in the last room. The door isn't locked so much as barred on the inside, maybe with a crossbeam of wood?"

He paused for a moment, as if a light just went on. "Or maybe... maybe it's... hey, Alon! Did you ever hear of that spell that could make a door stay stuck shut. Silly spell, if you ask me... I mean, why would you want a door to not be able to do what it's suppose to do -- open. Anyway, my great, great uncle -- Uncle Juncket -- he told me all about this spell. Said it caused him no end of trouble in his career. If our friend on the otherside happened to use the spell, the only way in is for you to bust it down, or him to let us in."

As Crow prepared to crash through the door, Wembley echoed his warning, "Remember, there might be a loaded crossbow on the other side... maybe you should bust a hole towards the bottom of the door and let us small folk handle the negotiations?"

OOC: Tann and friends, I'm totally cool with Crow and Mal battering down the door as Tann has outlined. Wembley's just making conversation.

There are no traps to find and the lock is already broken, so the strongest of the party force the door open with brute strength. The door is barricaded with chests, 20 or more that have been stacked around the entrance way. The lids of many are open, revealing expensive and colorful clothes. The bed is a mess. There is a badly decomposed body in the far corner of the room, the species of which is unclear. Whatever it was, it was humanoid, short in stature, and shows no sign of a violent death. There are a number of papers and pages lying around the room but one paper on the floor with the following note written in common is prominent - as if left to be found.

Master We kepe hows nice sins you bin gone. Kleko got sik and dide. Me sik now. Not much time. Golum in dining hall broke.

Monne

Wembley scurried into the room once the door had been beaten down. Looking over at the corpse, he remarked, "Poor guy. I wonder how long he was hiding out in here."

Upon finding the note, the cidal continued, "Hmmm, well, I guess his master hasn't been down here yet."

Wembley pondered the note some more as he searched the corpse, the other papers on the floors, and the chests, adding, "I wonder what made him sick?"

"Perhaps it would be best not to stick around to find out what made him sick"

Gamard was quite eager to finally meet a living resident of this place. When the lead turned out to be a dead end he felt not only sorry for the creature that had died in the cramped space, but also a strange sorrow. It was as if he felt the abandonment of this place. It seemed equipped for luxuriously housing a fair amount of people, but was only occupied by beings who seemed unhappy to be there. Themselves included.

Wembley voiced his questions and Gamard put in his two cents: "It seems like his master hasn't been around for a very long while. I wonder if he's even still alive."

The conversation went into a different direction and Gamard could only agree that staying with the diseased corpses was not a good idea.

"Lets pick another portal to go through. We need to find our way out."

"I believe both Alondas and Gamard are correct. Let us leave here as to not catch what mayhap have killed all here."

Moving to the front of the group Crow led them to the next decided portal.

Mal saw the seen and quickly pulled up a bit of the cloth that hung around his neck and covered his mouth and nose. In a muffled voice, 'As we can not set this adrift, yes can we leave from here.'