Mario sticks close to Jareth, ready to help with the rope.

OOC: Clarence, I'm pretty sure this shaft goes down.

In reply to Mario Crowfoot (msg # 405):

The shaft indeed goes down.... quite a bit too!

In reply to Narrator (msg # 406):

Oh. But there is something that sounds like bats down there? If so, he will send him down to investigate...suggesting he comes back fast if there is something dangerous there.

In reply to Clarence Montague (msg # 407):

The flapping sound is steady and regular, not at all like bats flying.

In reply to Narrator (msg # 408):

In that case he will not send him down! Holding the light, can we see what is down there?

"Ain't bats Clarence, is bellows.  Like inna forge, movin air.  Could be right below or hundreds feet down y'e way stone can carry sound."

Jareth stops lowering the rope, "Right, down ye scamper," he says to Akimbo, "no heroics, quick peek, an back up."

In reply to Jareth Mooncalled (msg # 410):

"So this is some kind of chimney?"

"I'd think if it were a proper chimney, for the heat and fumes from a forge or similar, it would go all the way up to the street.  More likely it's just to let a breeze pass where solid stone and earth would block it.

"And a forge would fit with a bellows, though if it were working I'd expect this breeze to be blistering hot."

"More like air circulation tunnels in mines.  Instead of fire, t'ey usin mechanical force to move air.  Avoid blackdamp an ot'er breathin hazard."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:33, Sat 05 Dec 2020.

"Or that, yes."  Mario nods.

"What's blackdamp?"

In reply to Mario Crowfoot (msg # 414):

"Some kind of mildew, isn't it? I only know because I am such a funguy..."

"Dead air that sap t'e life out men an flame alike.  Good reason Clarence always have torch or lantern goin ever we go deeper.  Course Akimbo feel it 'fore we do, but with as much he naps, might not notice till it too late.  Spoder... eh... Lefty might feel it 'fore Clarence does, being down low an smaller, but t'en again not familiar with how giant spiders exactly work.  Maybe scoot through any dampfs we cross without nary affect.  That's why ye olde 'canary inna coal mine' thing got started.  Birds effected same as us, just way faster."

He scratches his chin and starts rambling, "Dampf means 'vapor' an t'ey usually below ground, but can find 'em in valleys or wind sheltered pits.  We shifted t'e word dampf to damp in Arailiase, an t'eres six dampfs to worry about, blackdamp, whitedamp, flamedamp, afterdamp, chokedamp, an nodamp.  Blackdamp an afterdamp be t'e worst, hardest detect.  Blackdamp saps life sneaky like.  Ya get dizzy maybe, lightheaded,  T'en ya start makin t'e real bad decisions, like 'I'll just have lay down here' or ya get lost crossin t'e room, an t'en ya slowly get dumber till ya die.  Afterdamp happens after bad fire or large underground explosion.  T'e air stays bad for a long time, usually it's t'e sneaky death, but sometimes it's chokin death.  Flamedamp can have t'e smell or be odorless, but it catches fire, an if enough of it, explodes.  Chokedamp makes it feel like ya windpipe is closed, ya choke an fight to breathe.  Nodamp be absence of air, it's pretty rare an usually t'e result of magic or eldritch energies.  Whitedamp an stinkdamp t'e least bad, ya see whitedamp cause t'e smoke an vapors be white, an stinkdamp smells something fierce.  Both can choke or sap life, but chokin is most common."

In reply to Jareth Mooncalled (msg # 416):

"Uh, but uh only got four torches, and I just used all ma lamp oil. We using magic stones now...can I rest for a bit while you work this thing out?"

Mario listens as he works.

"Wait, what did you call it, flamedamp?  A dampf, a vapor, so like the steam over a teakettle, only it catches fire?  How can air catch fire?  Wood and coal and cloth and wax and oil burn.  You're saying air can burn?

And poisonous smells -- that's how you killed those cultists, right?"

"Steam?  Yes, steam is dampf, not one miners or delvers typically worry over.  An air be quite flammable Mario, without the proper mix of air, nothin burn, an with the proper mix, yes, t'e air itself can convert into fire.  Tis something alchemists worry over, some go long lengths to ensure proper airflow through laboratory, an many dampfs be collected for various uses."

Jareth reaches up, grabs Akimbo, sets him on the lip of the ventilation shaft, points at the rope now lowered and waiting, and gives him a look.

"As for t'e cultists, yes, but used magic not natural or alchemic process to convert t'e air into form of whitedamp.  Choking type, to inhibit spellcastin, but in that case was bit late, t'e demon was already summoned."

From where he is resting, Nodwin listens closely, and then decides he has had enough rest.  Standing up, he approaches Jareth and the shaft.  "I could put one of the light stones in a crossbow bolt and fire it down there too."

"Should have put one on the end of the rope, then we could get it back easily.  Tie one on Akimbo?"

Jocelyn also rises and rejoins the group.

"Best if Akimbo not lit up like yule tree.  Send a light down once he's back up."

In reply to Jareth Mooncalled (msg # 423):

Akimbo scuttles down the rope...how long is it again?


And Jareth remembers one lasp type of Dampf mentioned by Razakeel; Dampyr
Mayhap called red damp.

"You have a point."  Mario nods to Jareth while staring futilely down the very, very dark shaft.

OOC: Mario's rope is 20 yards, but not sure whose we're using.

OOC:  Jareth's rope is 30 yards.  And he's loathe to tie them together... if the shaft goes deeper we can do that once Akimbo is back up.

Dampyr?  That would a mist that condenses into a blood sucking beast of the sparkling and wearing frilly shorts variety?  Or is it a vapor that drains blood from those breathing it in?

In reply to Jareth Mooncalled (msg # 426):
The Damphyr are known to be hideously ugly and have influence over plague rats.


Which rope was lowered, the 30 yards or the 20?


Once lowered about 15 yards, the rope tightens slightly

OOC: since Jareth was lowering, I presume he used his rope.

When the rope goes taut, Jareth stops lowering it, anchors it to himself, and then waits for Akimbo to scamper down and report.