TO:  The Jarl of Hirot and His Council of Thegns

BUILDING INSPECTOR REPORT:  False Tomb, Serpentine Mound of the Ulfheonar, outlands of Hirot.

NATURE OF INCIDENT:  Collapsed ceiling. EXTENT OF DAMAGE:  Giant stone slab sealed entryway, room filled with approximately 60 tons of rubble.  The masterwork shield and spear housed in the chamber are believed to be lost or destroyed.  Total cost of damage is 300 gp for the missing shield and spear plus approximately four thousand man-hours to clear the chamber of debris and cart it outside of the serpentine mound, potentially more hours if anyone dies within the tomb and becomes a hideously animated tomb ghoul.

CASUALTIES:  Human casualties include a woodcutter of Hirot named Stumpy Nubbins.  Demihuman casualties include a dwarf, of neighboring village Woyjek, named Pill Clinton; a halfling sailor of Hirot named JP, a dwarven ratcatcher named Fat Anthony, believed to be of Woyjek.

CAUSE OF INCIDENT:  Without eyewitness accounts, report must rely on probabilities, listed in increasing order of likelihood:

Seismic activity: 1% likelihood.

Angry deity: 3% likelihood.

Shoddy masonry 5% likelihood.

Grave robber triggered column trap in middle of chamber that collapsed the ceiling:  91% likelihood.

This brings the year to date number of ceiling collapse incidences in Hirot and its surrounding environs to 16.  The causes are listed below, in decreasing order.

8 collapses:  Grave robbers triggering collapsing ceiling traps.

5 collapses:  Huge demon hound crashing through roof like a meteor of terror and bloodshed.

2 collapses:  Shoddy workmanship/maintenance.

1 collapse:   Mass public intoxication.

RECOMMENDATIONS:  Either raise the penalty for grave robbing or forbid the construction of collapsing-ceiling traps.  Secondarily, appease or destroy the giant demon terrorhound that thirsts for our bone marrow.  Tertiary recommendation:  Triennial inspections of hovels at least 8' in height, annual inspections of all huts, cottages, buildings or longhalls greater than 10' in height or of more than one story.

Signed:

Graf Blodeswick,