The Second Warehouse of the Three Nooses

[DM Bob]

The stubborn door opens outward revealing a disturbing chamber. Much like the first warehouse, this is but one singular soiled room. It has an almost carbon inventory of machinery that the first had... but there are some key differences. For one, there is a massive hole in the ceiling. Debris is everywhere. A mass of sticks, old rope and decaying linen sit perched upon a stone slab and surrounding machinery that mirrors the same hole-y slab from the first building. Where the ceiling is still in place?

Nooses hang. Of the ten, three of them have long dead and blackened bodies still hanging from their loops.

Your arrival causes a cacophony of caws and squawks as a half dozen kes’trekel - the vulture-like predators of the desert take chaotic flight about the room. It smells of piss, death and bird shit. Which is everywhere. The hanging bodies sway in the chaos.

There is a matching well opening here, but it lies uncovered. No pumping mechanism is seen from your current vantage.

The hackles of the kirre raise in unison.

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Nov 4, 2021 4:26:27 GMT -12 DM Bob said:

A mass of sticks, old rope and decaying linen sit perched upon a stone slab and surrounding machinery that mirrors the same hole-y slab from the first building.

(OOC: Bob, I take it this debris is located underneath the caved in roof / massive hole in the ceiling? And the hole-y slab is what in the other warehouse you described as 'a faceplate of stone with holes bored into it', right?)

Nov 4, 2021 4:26:27 GMT -12 DM Bob said:

Nooses hang. Of the ten, three of them have long dead and blackened bodies still hanging from their loops.

(OOC: Can we see if there are bodies on the ground, suggesting all ten were occupied/used one time in the past?)

Nov 4, 2021 4:26:27 GMT -12 DM Bob said:

Your arrival causes a cacophony of caws and squawks as a half dozen kes’trekel - the vulture-like predators of the desert take chaotic flight about the room. It smells of piss, death and bird shit. Which is everywhere. The hanging bodies sway in the chaos.

(OOC: Do the birds prepare to attack? Or are they going to use the hole in the ceiling to actually get out?)

Quila catches a whiff of the scents coming from the door, and manages not to retch and keep her breakfast inside for now. She looks apologetically towards those of the group that stand nearer the open door.

[DM Bob]

Yes, the hole-y stone and machine frame... now "desecrated" further with nest and droppings. There are no other bodies seen other than those hanging, but the ground is covered in debris. There may be bones in the mix or out of casual observation. Since the kes'trekel have not fled for the hole in the roof, you assume they're standing ground for now.

[ascieszl]

(Ibubesi takes a DEEP, eye-watering wiff.)

"This will make excellent fertilizer, if we can stomach the work."

(As his eyes rise up to the bodies, his hand goes to the holy symbol around his neck - a carved wooden tree)

"Hush, pretties. Mother Forest, welcome these souls into your embrace."

(Held action to Turn the $hit out of any undead...)

[Attilius]

Hawkings steps back behind the group and protects the left flank with his two tortoise blades
[Parry AC -1]

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

"Either someone left a message, or they cleared out in a hurry," says Calidane nervously of the hanging bodies.

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- Valmera looks to Ibubesi and the kirres, and then to Calidane - Who knows what they do to reach that state... But at least we could salvage some more extra slabs for the other device, even the extra containers to pull it up if nothing can be done to repair these systems -

[OOC: Bob, in that first place where we found the big clay containers for water, how big is each one of them? How much liquid these can hold? Roughly..]

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Quila looks around attentively making sure she can fire off an arrow to the birds or any undead approaching the door.

[OOC: Alertness 12 vs 18 - success]

[Niachi]

Moktli stands firm at the entrance, wrinkling his face a bit at the stench. Weapons out, tracking all of the filthy carrion birds and the hanged bodies, and ready for anything. Smiling at this happy day, with targets aplenty, but overconfident, or with not enough broy in his belly he is slow to react:

Initiative roll with axes: 15

[DM Bob]

Since you do not advance? The carrion birds see how many are in the door and eventually leave through the hole in the ceiling (heading towards where you saw the other kes'trekel go, deeper into the ruins. They caw menacingly as they retreat. Cowardly things, kes'trekel. The blackened bodies simply sway from the disruption.

Any of the pitchers from the rear of the other building carry between a gallon and a gallon and a half of whatever you decide to put in them.

[Attilius]

Hawkings let's out a quiet whistle of relief. He don's his silt mask then heads inside to inspect the bodies and water hole.

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

Calidane, boomerang and shield still in hand, follows behind Hawkings.

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Quila sees the other half-elf step inside. Feeling a need to prove herself she stashes her bow, puts a scarf up over the lower part of her face (up to and including her nose) and dons a tortoise blade on her right arm and steps in after Calidane, still alert for any disturbance.

Inside when it seems no birds remain and no undead springs up, Quila moves to the hanging bodies and the nooses suspended from the ceiling. Distractedly she mumbles a bit to herself whilst touching the rope and/or a leg/foot.
[OOC: Bob, I intend to use Somatic Concealment nwp (for which you need to roll in secret against my 15 score) whenever the situation is stable inside, so no combat, and no one is really paying attention to me. I want to cast a Know Age spell on the nooses (if I can reach them, otherwise I will touch the skin on the leg or foot of one of the hanging) then, speed 1 + initiative 3 = 4 - if that matters at all, the initiative in this setup]

[ascieszl]

(Ibubesi will inch into the room, holding his action - sure that all bodies eventually reanimate in this place of pain and death. If after a few moments they don't move, he'll relax, help search the building, and then cut the bodies down - speaking a prayer to the Forest while he does so.)

[Niachi]

Moktli asks Baxby to use "all yer skills" to keep a lookout (Observation, Danger Sense proficiencies) as he enters the chamber and starts poking the debris on the floor with his axe. a bone dagger is now in his other hand, held for throwing.