"Is everything ok down there!?!" Tahldar shouts loudly down the shaft as he readies the rope around his waist to lower him down.

Tahldar begins to climb down while Borimer holds the rope.  It is a tight squeeze, and you can hear something going on down there, but you can't tell what exactly.

A scream could be heard form the bottom: "Take cover!!"

Donovan tries to grab the rope and lay down to the side of the opening, if he can, in order to help hold the rope in case of attack.

Not liking the sound Shapfren's statement, especially when combined with his earlier intent on casting a fireball, Tahldar says to Borimer "Pull me back up!  Get me outta here!"

Borimer hastily pulls the rope back up, hopefully with Tahldar still attached to it.  Unable to do anything else, the warrior waits for word from his comrades below...

Borimer and Donovan begin reeling Tahldar back in as quickly as possible.  The mage scrambles up because he has not gone too far.

A moment later, you see a brief flash of light within the crack that could only be from a fireball.  A heat wave runs up through the crack and out into the cavern.  Everyone is safe.

Just after that, you notice that something is approaching from the shadowy caverns to the north.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:44, Fri 04 Oct 2013.

Malissin comes out of his daze. "I better get down there," he says as he begins to put his rock climbing skills to use.  He'll climb down to help Shae and Shapfren.

Borimer steps forward with Hatchman and Donovan to confront this new threat from the northern darkness.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:47, Fri 04 Oct 2013.

Donovan moves to put himself between the group and whatever is coming from the north.

Hatchman draws his sword as a new threat approaches from the north.  "Be ready," the paladin says to Borimer and the others, "there may be more danger in store for us this day."

Hatchman begins to move north, staying close to the eastern wall, so he can get a closer look at the new threat.  His sword has been blackened to avoid any glints, and he is fully ready to take on a battle after so many days of being stuck in these caves.

Tahldar slips out the rope, ready to face the new threat.  Taking a moment to see where his skills might be best put to use he shouts down the shaft "Malissin is coming down.  Do you still need me down there?  Something new threat is coming this way up here too though!"

The new "threat" steps out of the shadows.  You see that it is nothing more than a very thin man with tattered clothes.  His beard and long hair mask his age.  He carries a very crude stone knife in one hand that appears to have been made by chipping its edges out of rock.

When he speaks, his voice is hoarse, as if he has not used it in a long time.  "Who be you?" he says.  "Where you come from?"  He does not appear menacing as much as defensive.  "Why you make so much noise?  You bring them here."

"Who are you...and how have you survived in this place alone, with only a stone knife?" Borimer asks the scrawny man.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:06, Fri 04 Oct 2013.

His hand seems to be shaking, either from weakness or disease.  "They keep me alive," he says. "I escape not long ago.  My name -- Junar.  Who be you?"  He waves the stone knife to point at you but not in a menacing way.

As he gets closer and more visible, you see that he is short, and that he is not human.  He appears to be of Gnomish descent.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:17, Fri 04 Oct 2013.

"You can call me One-Fist, why did they keep you alive?"

"Food," is all he says.  "They eat my whole family. I last one left of tribe."

While the others question the old man, Tahldar puts the rope back on to be lowered down the hole.  "Borimer please lower me down." he says in a huff once he's ready.

"Oh food, right..."  Borimer drops the subject and then drops Tahldar down into the crevice.

"They all leave here," he says, "because of Visperillion.  It kill many. Eat their young.  It come now too.  Because of noise and call of its baby.  You prepare to fight mother here or run."  He spreads his arms out to indicate the large cavern in which you stand.  "It come soon.  I not stay to die."

He looks around and is listening, trying to hear sounds of an approach.

"I can only assume there is more than one? We already killed one, and it wasn't too tough." the priest states, moving towards the man to see if he needs any medical attention.

"That may have been a young one."  Borimer looks at the man. "You said you wouldn't stay to die, do you know the way out of here?"

"we were on the move, searching for a way out of these caves. Do you by chance no the path out of them?" Leo responded to the agitated newcomer.

Tahldar is being lowered back into the hole by Borimer.

Junar is looking around nervously, as if expecting something to attack him at any time.

"Giants go up," he says, pointing vaguely upward.  "There is no exit.  Must go through them first.  That where I escape from.  No escape now.  No escape."  He is still backing away nervously.  He looks to the right (west) and says, "It coming!  Run!"  He then runs north at a sprint.

Borimer is still lowering Tahldar, but you all look to the northwest.  You don't see anything, but then you remember how the Visperillion creature had a natural invisibility through some sort of camouflage.

OOC:  Tahldar will look for a spot that he can either tie himself to or position himself so he can sit or stand.  This way Borimer won't have to hold me.  Worst case scenario I will cast a fly.  I would cast the spell right off but I'm trying to conserve my spells as best I can.