[IC] To The Edge of the World...

[Garth]

Rockmar used his axe to point at the mural. "Does that dog look familiar. I think we found its cage. Somehow, it got out. Either the rain wore a hole or it dug it's way out. How long has this beast been alive?"

[Fubsy]

"However long it's been here, it's been getting agitated." Wimena crouched, her hands tracing deep, frantic claw marks in the ground. "Just what is this creature...?" she murmured to no one in particular.

[Wick]

As Eve gets closer to the opening the magic she sensed earlier is stronger. She steps through the doorway and sucked in her breath deeply and she is overtaken by serpentine spirals of healing and regeneration. To anyone looking at her it would look like spirals of white snake like energy all around her eminating from the spine and moving outwards. She almost glowed with it. She suddenly felt exhilarated and she smiled.

"I know what this place is, I think."

@Kelewen

[Marcus XVI]

Tarquin moved cautiously to examine the mural. "Hmmm... I have heard of this somewhere..." He tilted his head slightly and ran his fingers across the picture. "This could tie to an old story from these parts... If they do the fellow with the spear must be the Wolf-Slayer, Ulfheonar... That thing he's fighting is no wolf... Definitely no wolf... The old stories are hazy at best... If memory serves me correctly one of them says that the hound takes beautiful women as it's brides... Other stories on the other hand say that those slain by it rise as undead..." The tall elf seemed puzzled, like he was missing something from the story. "...I think the oldest stories called the hound a chaos spirit of some kind... So not quite a hellhound, but... I think we could still battle it with holy water."

[Kelewen]

"Well, ladies first then," Cedric said to June and pointed to the entrance with a teasing smirk. "Though you'll have to duck!" It struck him again just how tall she really was, easily a hand and a half taller than himself.

He squeeze himself into the tunnel along with the others and listened to Tarquin's musings about the old stories. "A tad cramped in here, huh?" As each person entered, the ones in front would have to go deeper into the dark tunnel to fit everyone. "Constable? Have any of the beast's victims shown any... any tendencies to come back to life?"

Leofwine, who was still at the entrance looking in and blocking some of the already insufficient light, shook his head. "No, thankfully."

[Garth]

Rockmar pushed deeper into the cave. His orcish blood allowing him to see fairly well, even in the darkness. At the end of the tunnel, he thought he could see light coming from the hole that June and Wimena flew down. He looked around at the walls and the floor.

Rockmar stared at awe at Eve and he pointed at her. "What's happening to her! Eve, you are beautiful!"

[Wick]

"It's the magic in this place. It's regenerating and full of strength or at least it used to be. This is where the hound was sealed. The magic isn't as strong as it once was. It would have to have been incredibly powerful to have held a hound like that one. I feel completely rejuvenated." She smiled brilliantly. The energy coming off of her was light and harmonious and infectious.

[Kelewen]

The corridor opens to a wider, low-ceilinged chamber, roughly 30' square with an exit directly opposite where Rockmar is standing. In the extremely dim light, he may or may not immediately notice before stepping in that the stone slab floor slopes down steeply from all four walls, falling away into a dark pit in the center of the chamber. Each of the slabs is slick with slime. The slightest misstep would send one sliding toward the pit...

The light from the hole near the top of the hill is yet ahead and off to the right in a separate chamber. It is not nearly sufficient to illuminate the current chamber.

[Marcus XVI]

Tarquin glanced in to the other 'room', even without the light of his ring the tall elf seemed to be able to discern everything like he was walking in broad daylight. "Well I say... This must be one of the sacrificial places for the spirit..."

[Garth]

Rockmar saw the sloping slabs. But he noticed the glow coming from Eve as well. He couldn't help it, he turned to look at Eve again. While distracted, he slipped on the slime and fell towards the pit! The slab was slippery and he couldn't stop himself. Luck for Rockmar, he was able to reach out and pushed his feet on one side of the pit entrance and his arms on the other side. He was stuck. He stopped himself from sliding into the pit, but he was helpless. All of his strength was devoted to keeping himself out of the pit. His lucky hand axe fell into the pit. "Crap! Help! I fell down and can't get up!" Damnit! Pretty women always get you into trouble.

[Wick]

"Rockmar!" Eve ran to the edge and saw him. She turned her palms upwards and made a lifting motion and Rockmar came up out of the pit. She laid safely him on the ground as soon as he was above it. She knelt down to check on him. "Are you alright?" She asked blushing.

[Garth]

Rockmar knelt on the ground too. He panted as he tried to regain his breath. He leaned on Eve slightly, their heads close to each other. "Thank you, Eve, I am in your debt." He whispered something to her too low for the others to hear. He was so afraid of falling into the pit. Eve had saved him from a terrify death.

[Marcus XVI]

Tarquin rolled his eyes. "Now that we have averted our orcish friend's death perhaps we should... Oh I don't know... Maybe move to a room that is not a deathtrap and hope the beast does NOT show up right as we are nearly out of the damned place?"

[Wick]

Irritated at Tarquin's rather rude announcement Eve gritted her teeth but said nothing. Her upbringing was better than that and she wasn't going to let him rile her up. She held onto Rockmar's hand to keep him out of trouble and went back the way they came to exit the cave.

[Marcus XVI]

Tarquin turned on his heels and calmly walked out of the cave. While he walked he took the pendant from under his surcoat and mumbled a barely audiable word "Dalninuk." When he stopped just outside the entrance the tall elf again moved his right hand to rest on the pommel of his rapier. "Well, that was unfortunately a bit of a waste of time. A very interesting waste, but a waste still."

[Fubsy]

Wimena walked towards the cave exit, relieved to be out of the dark. The tight walls and crowd of companions were starting to get a bit too claustrophobic for the young halfling. "It wasn't an entire waste," Wimena commented. "Now we know that this creature, whether hellhound or something else entirely, can be trapped."

[Lunar]

"I'm no cave expert but I don't think caves should have extra strong gravity pits in them, like that pit is given off some strong vibes for me" she said looking through the cave entrance after the others had exited.

[Marcus XVI]

Tarquin shrugged his shoulders. "Now we just have the problem of not knowing where the beast is. To trap something you have to know where it is." The tall elf sort of stared to the distance, like he was either deep in thought or lost in memories.

[Fubsy]

Wimena crouched and gestured at the claw tracks. "I think I've got a clue." She looked up towards the forest, an uneasy feeling settling inside. "Whatever was trapped in this hill had no desire of going back. It leads completely westward."

[Wick]

Eve stepped forward, "I believe to trap it we need to know where it will be and how to lead it to the trap. Since we know it will be at the building where it knows the people are and we could lead it here. The problem comes in who has enough magic to contain it in the trap. Eve looks at the constable, "Who is Justica?"