Gerric
Gerric tried to reach his companions, lead them to a wall, to get at least one side protected. He reached Kate in few moments, and they stood back-to-back. Suddenly he heard snarling and growling - but soon he discovered it was Urukubarr. While it calmed him down a bit, his body shook - the puddle of water went down the hole with him and it was quite cold down there. He was a mountain man, used to winter, but he still disliked being wet - and in cold cellar. He exchanged few short, silent words with his companions and the three of them slowly moved to a wall.
While feeling around, Gerric was able to catch one of the moving things - it seemed like a piece of meat hanging on a hook - chained to the ceiling. It wasn't really fresh.
Both Gerric's challenge and Kate's calm addendum received no response in the time it took them to get to the wall. For a moment they were silent - waiting for anyone to announce themselves. It seemed that they are alone. Gerric heard some sounds of movement from the above - most probably Nazir or Kafar. Maybe even Ruark.
He was readying himself for a fight - but it seemed that there were no opponents. At that moment he noticed a light coming from above - only small, flickering light, but a source of light nevertheless. More sounds of movement above. And then he heard a sound that made all the hair on his neck raise - slowly opened wooden door. And a voice - a low, silent whisper, with certain slimy quality. Who are you...?
Kate
Kate heard Gerric moving around - trying to find her and Urukubarr. When she announced herself, she expected an answer, but when there was none, she joined Gerric and moved back until she felt cold stone against her back. Urukubarr was already with them - he announced his presence with a long, deep growling - for a moment she thought there was an animal...
She felt around her a bit, while she moved towards the wall, and she was sure the moving things around her were not alive - quite the opposite. Dead meat. Some broken wood. According to the sounds, this room wasn't really large. She heard some sounds of movement from the above - most probably Nazir, she heard him announce that he had some rope. She didn't answer directly, as she didn't want to give away their position. While Kate was expecting someone in need of a help, her careful nature made her grip the sword handle a bit stonger. For a moment, she was more unnerved by the fact that there were no enemies - while she would prefer bloodless solution, she would prefer a foe before waiting. At that moment he noticed a light coming from above - only small, flickering light, but a source of light nevertheless. There were some more sounds of movement above. And then she heard a sound that made all the hair on his neck raise - slowly opened wooden door. And a voice - a low, silent whisper, with certain slimy quality. Who are you...?
Urukubarr
When Urukubarr came back to himself, it was all dark around. His head spun a bit, and he felt uneasy - and he heard someone moving around. He decided to attempt contact - and it was unsuccessful. There were no animals down there - he was quite sure of that.
But what about the blood...? He grabbed one of the moving shapes and when it didn't fight back, he smelled it. Meat. He was quite sure about it - it was few days old, at least, and some blood was dried on it. He threw it back and listened - his companions were moving around. He joined them, and they reached a wall in few moments.
There were sounds of movement coming from above - and while his eyes already adjusted to the darkness, it seemed that it's getting brighter around - a faint source of light from the hole above - and while he welcomed the return of his sight, he asked himself if he really wanted to see what is hidden in the darkness.
Spoiler: OOCThe meat... it doesn't smell as any animal you have hunted down.
Kafar
There was movement in the hole below, but no signs nor sounds of struggle. Kafar turned away, to seek a source of light to offer them a chance to fight away the darkness which descended. On the way to the storage room he turned to look outside - but it was already getting dark here. He was really far from his home, where the sunsets linger for long time...
He entered the storage room - and saw Nazir rummaging through the first shelf. He also begun his search for a source of light. Luckily, he remembered he had his flint & steel in his satchel, so he did need only something to light up with it.
And in few moments he was rewarded. His keen eyes spotted a torso of lamp on the boxes and near these was a small container - he opened it to find a dozen of candles, bound together. He was also lucky - he found a small, wax-enclosed jar. When he smelled it, a strong odour of oil assaulted his senses. He only had to choose whether to use the lamp or the candles. He collected some makeshift tinder from his surroundings - lint from his satchel, small piece of cloth from the ground, few chips from the boxes - that all served him to produce a small flame - he then only provided a knot and a light was born.
He slowly moved to the main room of the inn - with a light in his hands, he approached the hole. Nazir was already there, rope bound to the column at the base of the stairs, but he was staring to the hole.
Spoiler: OOCLet me know which one he lit - the lamp or the candle. Or both?
Nazir
While Gerric's answer calmed him, he didn't hesitate and hurried to get the rope. He entered the storage room, and begun his methodical search at the first shelf. Few seconds after him Kafar entered the room - they exchanged glances, and Kafar moved further down the room, to the darker corner.
Nazir's first thought was that he was lucky - he found several pieces of rope. He only needed to bind them together. He looked a bit further just to be sure, but he found only few rags, handful of nails, a copper piece and -inside a bucked - a wax-sealed jar with red, thick substance. He decided not to risk further delay and started binding the pieces of rope together. Soon, he had about 5 meters of rope in his hands, bound well - he decided it should be enough.
As he was leaving the room, he noticed Kafar found a lamp and was already trying to light up some tinder with the flint & steel. Nazir walked back to the hole, saw the three of his companions at one side, and sowent to bind the rope to the column at the base of the staircase. He approached the hole again, to inform his companions - and then he saw it. Fourth aura - a man, in the cellar, opposite the trio. He just entered the room, and was moving slowly, carefully.
His thoughts raced, so he barely noticed both Kafar and Ruark entering the room...
Spoiler: OOCFor positioning, please check the map link from OOC - the hole is near the base of stairs in the main room, the door to storage room is few meters away from it. I assumed that Nazir would go straight for the storage room to search for some rope.
Ruark
The inn was silent, and the first thing he saw was Nazir's silhouette, bent over a hole in the floor near the stairs - where the puddle of water originally was. Second thing was a source of light - in Kafar's hands, on the opposite side of the room. He entered through the door Urukubarr kicked in...
There was no sign of Urukubarr, Kate or Gerric. While he wasn't really worried for Urukubarr - he saw him in battle and the half-orc was as dangerous with his fists as most of his clanmen with swords - he didn't like the situation at all. It all smelled of...blood.
The water that dripped off him did not in any way cool his anger and aggression, but the sight of missing three persons made his heart drop and stopped him for a moment. He regained his composure nearly immediately and marched in, ready to deal with this new threat.