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Frowning, Caramon nods. "I just hope they're okay."

The party steps out the door and into the western hall, joining the kender and gully dwarf. They can head south or west.

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(OOC: You can use the last map I posted as a reference.)

Sturm glances left and straight on, that was west, he nudges Tas and Magpie. "Shall we go that way?" He asks, looking down the corridor.

Riverwind comments "One way is as good as another at this point, west it is."

The party heads west for a minute. They see a door on the western wall just before them. To the south, the hall expands and there is a large staircase leading up to the next floor.

"Tas, could you move ahead and check the stairs? Caramon, Riverwind, go with him? We will come up slowly." She glances at the injured Sturm, "Is that alright Sturm?"

"Me go too? Check stairs?" Magpie glances up the stairs

"No Magpie, stay with me, please?" She holds the Gully dwarf by the shoulder.

Sturm makes a little sound, and nods, moving alongside Eben and Tika. "Take the stairs, watch out Tas."

Goldmoon does her best to stay roughly in the middle of the group so that everybody gets some light. If Tika needs support, she will provide that, too.

Tas steps up and checks the stairs as he takes lead. (( GM can roll checks for secret results, of course. )) He moves as quickly as possible with the time it takes to search the lower section.

"Search all the way up or just the bottom?"

"All the stairs, we will follow as you check." Laurana smiles.

The walls of Pax Tharkas are lined burning torches, so Goldmoon's magical light is now largely redundant.

Tas carefully searches the stairs, but finds no indications of traps on any of them, all the way up to the top.

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Tasslehoff spends (1d10): 2 minutes looking for traps. None are found.

Riverwind follows Tas at a respectful distance, blades at the ready.

The stairs lead up to a hallway. This hallway is furnished with great care, creating an atmosphere of comfort and luxury. A plush purple carpet blankets the floor, and many tapestries of rich red and golden colors decorate the walls. Each of the several doors is made of dark-grained vallenwood and has golden rivets, hinges and latches.

At closer examination, however, the luxury begins to wear thin. Great, dark stains blot the carpet in many places, and a wide muddy trail mars the center of the floor. Some of the tapestries, depicting pastoral woodland scenes, have been defaced: charcoal has been used to add a beard and mustache to an elven princess and long slashes ruin a scene of elves and dwarves in council.

The hallway to the east ends in a dead-end. Another hall to the north, however, continues onward. There's also a door on the northern wall and double-doors to the south and west.

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Patrol check (1d10): 7, no patrols

As the progress is slow, Goldmoon has the time to untie the light stone from her staff. She puts it back into her belt pouch and hangs her sling there, ready for use.

"Which way?" Tas whispers in a low voice as he turns to the others on the stairs.