Kelewen

To The Edge of the World...

@Wick "Ah! Thank you!" Cedric said to Eve as she handed him the glowing stone. "That is one problem solved! How long will it stay lit?"

Leofwine gave the elf a sideways glance, finding the comment about his brother a bit odd, then looked back at Eve. "I have witnessed her clerics perform great tasks. I can only take that as proof that she is real and grants power to her devotees."

To The Edge of the World...

When the others started pushing their way back out, Cedric exited the tunnel so that they didn't have to push past him. "Think we could cross that safely enough if we got some rope and maybe some light?" he contemplated out loud, half thinking of any clues they might find and half wondering if there were any valuable treasures to be found. "I mean, June and Eve might be able to get us across okay, but like Tarquin said earlier, if we gotta get out of there in a hurry..." he left the thought trail off.

Leofwine looked at Eve with some surprise and even some amusement. "Oh dear, do not let Father Beacom hear you ask that question lest you have a few spare days to listen to his lectures! Justicia is a goddess who values law and order, said to be locked forever in a battle against chaos."

To The Edge of the World...

Wait? No aren't we all in a line going through the cave? I thought the pit was to the side of the trail.

@Wick

There is another hallway on the other side of the room with the sloped floors. Not that you have to go that route, I just wanted to make sure the description was clear. If you guys decide to go back in, I'll make a map. :)

To The Edge of the World...

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 pushed forward with the others.

@Wick

So you're walking across the sloped, slimy stuff, right?

To The Edge of the World...

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.

To The Edge of the World...

"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."

The Escape

"Of course I'm sure," Rook said, brushing aside Jenna's concern as they discovered the intricately carved rock. She pulled off a few tendrils of ivy from the rock to get a better look at the carvings beneath. "Would you look at that?" she said, admiring the ancient craftsmanship.

But that didn't hold her attention long and she broke off a good solid stick and started poking around, looking for a way down into the underground chambers that were surely around here somewhere...

A young man clad in ragged clothes watched the two explorers from his favorite vantage point and froze as he saw one of the women scanning the woods, hoping she hadn't spotted him. "Well, well, won't Tarkin be interested in this news," he said to himself. He'd been up in the tree with his bow and arrow hoping a deer or other quarry might stroll through, but hadn't expected this kind of luck! Of course, he couldn't climb down right now without being heard or seen, so he stayed put and watched.

To The Edge of the World...

@Garth It takes a few moments for Rockmar's eyes to adjust enough to see much of anything. The only light is that which is trickling in from the opening. But a few feet from the entrance, the serpentine spirals on the right wall give way to a mural depicting a barbaric warrior clad in a bearskin cloak and welding a heavy spear and shield. He is engaged in battle with a huge, demonic hound.

The tunnel is 40 feet long, then appears to open up into a room, though it is currently too dark to see any details.

To The Edge of the World...

As Eve's magic moved and shook the soil in front of the entrance, it slowly fell away to reveal a large circular stone set over the entrance, decorated with serpentine spirals worn by time. The slab itself rolled to the left just enough to create an opening wide enough for 1 adventurer at a time to squeeze through.

If one were to peek inside, they could see a dark, narrow passage supported by walls of stone slabs. The floor is hard packed earth. The ceiling is low (~6 ft) and both the walls and the ceiling are inscribed with the same serpentine spirals. The air is still and cool.

(further description to follow if/when someone goes inside)

Cedric looked suitable impressed at the magic and was certainly pleased not to have to walk back to the village to collect excavating supplies. "Fellas, look like we best keep these ladies safe."

To The Edge of the World...

Cedric scratched his head, unhappy about the idea of wasting a day excavating an entrance. "Wimena, didn't you say that the beast's tracks went towards the forest and the swamp? So it's not here now, right? If only we had some rope, it should be safe enough to explore." He looked to the others in the group to see who they would side with.