Entering the hole was a deeply uncomfortable experience; only manageable by crawling through the dirt, backs occasionally scratching against the rocky protusions from overhead. This only lasted for about ten feet or so, after which the passage opened to a height of about five feet.

The four stood awkwardly hunched and closely pressed together, a vertical rock wall straight ahead. Beneath, however, a hole descended into the darkness, clearly intentionally dug into the dirt. Wooden pegs had been wedged into the side of the hole to serve as handholds. The lantern illuminated solid earth maybe 15 feet below. Splotches of something green glinted in the light, and a small, hand was just visible on the edge of the pool of light. It seemed to be completely motionless

OOC: So in the chamber in which we're standing we see a hole in the FLOOR of the chamber, at the base of the solid rock wall. Said hole leads DOWN with the wooden pegs providing the means to climb down the hole. At the BOTTOM of said hole, just barely visible at the edge of the light, lies a motionless green-skinned hand. Do I have this right?

Yep, that is all correct - sorry if the description was unclear.

OOC: NP, I just wanted to make sure I had the scene correct.

IC: Raven peered into the darkness of the hole leading down, noting the peg-like handholds and then the green-skinned hand. "I think that must be a goblin," she whispered to her companions, mainly Dorian, but including the miners too. The guess made as much sense as anything else, none of the others she knew were down here had green skin. "It doesn't look like it's much of a threat now. I'd bet the others came this way and are probably down there too. Come on," she added, beginning to climb down the hole. "We best catch up to them to find out what's going on."

The sea extended as far as the eye could see, the neverending blue and the knowledge that everything he could see he could reach. The freedom of the vastness. And now it was counterposed by the claustrophobic walls of the cave. Dorian simply didn't like it and wanted to end it as soon as possible. But it seemed that they would have to go even deeper. He looked at the hand and listened to Raven "If the others went down this hole, I'm sure that whatever this is, it is no more. Let's keep going, I just want to find them and get out.", and started climbing down right after Raven.

A grisly scene was revealed when the party reached the bottom. The motionless hand belonged to what was once a goblin, but which was now a gory mess; split down the middle. A spear lay uselessly on the floor, and one hand still held a half-empty bottle of brown liquid in a rigor mortis grip.

It was lying in a long tunnel, only about 5 foot high and requiring everyone to crouch. To the left, the tunnel stretched off into darkness beyond the reach of the lantern's light, while to the right it took an abrupt leftward turn about 20 feet ahead. The walls, floor and ceiling were all featureless, crudely carved from the surrounding earth.

"What do you think?" Raven whispered to Dorian, but just loud enough for the pair of miner to hear. "Long passage or the bendy one?"

Dorian stopped for a moment to ponder. He wanted to reach their companions as fast as he could, so he started to look for some clue that could indicate the path that the party took, but the darkness of the cave left him blinded to any sign. So he simply pointed to the less claustrophobic pathway "The long one?"

OOC
13:18, Today: Dorian Payne rolled 2 using 1d20.  Investigation.   

Stepping over the mangled remains of the dead goblin, the party of four headed down the tunnel to the left. They had travelled only 20 feet or so before the far came into view, where this tunnel also carved sharply to the right.

As the light illumined the junction in the tunnel, it briefly illuminated a pair of eyes; which quickly vanished down the tunnel bend with a high-pitched squeal.

Raven jumped in startled fright and stopped dead at the sight of the disappearing eyes. It took her a few moments to recover from the shock of seeing something she hadn't been expecting and then she leaned close to whisper to her companions. "This doesn't bode well. Either we're heading in the wrong direction or the goblins have overpowered our companions. Should we continue on or go back the other way?"

Dorian cursed as the eyes vanished as fast as they appeared. While recovering his breath he listened to Raven. Overpowered by goblins would be a shame, but who knows what else was in these tunnels. Or how many. But yes, maybe they were just going the wrong way. And now without the element of surprise. It seemed fair to go back the other way "Yes, lets go back, perhaps the curves of that path will provide some more coverage". Though their light would always reach the enemy first...how he wished to see in the dark.

Heading back the other way, the two miners noticeably more nervous than before, the party reached the point where the tunnel turned to the left. It continued on in that direction for about 30 feet before hitting another curve. Lying on the ground at the junction were two of the largest rats any of the group had ever seen. Or, more accurately, their remains, both creatures cut open and dead.

The way to the left had been blocked by a wooden grating, but this had been shattered, bits of broken wood scattered on the floor. Beyond lay only a small alcove, in which a wooden trapdoor lay open. A narrow opening beneath led downwards, with wooden pegs hammered in the walls much like those the group had used when they first arrived.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:20, Fri 15 Nov 2019.

"Now that looks more like our dwarven friends came this way," Raven said, indicating the broken and shattered grating. "Looks like they went down. Let's go." She continued, moving toward the opening that led downward. She then abruptly stopped and looked back, cocking her head as if she'd heard something...

(OOC: When/if Dorian or one of the miners asks Raven what if anything she hears, the following is her reply...)

"Nothing," She replied, almost a bit too hastily. "Just a thought about how many other children were brought here that didn't have anyone come to their rescue." Then shaking her head slightly, she started down the pegs to the next level...

Heiber had clearly noticed the change in Raven's expression, and looked worried. He held the light over the hole as she climbed down, whispering "Be careful, miss." Watching her climb down, something strange comes over his expression.


The tunnel underneath was much the same as the one above, with one obvious exception - it was littered with goblin corpses. It stretched in two different directions. One way, it split into two slightly further along. It was the other direction that attracted the eye, however, since no sooner had Raven started to descend than a blazing light appeared. The bend of the tunnel made it impossible to see where the light was coming from.

While Heiber held the lantern to illuminate the way down, the other youth climbed down to stand by Raven. Instinctively deferring to her decisive behaviour, he whispered "Where to now miss?"

OOC: Don't wait for Dorian - from login activity I think we may be another man down :(

OOC: Okay, and well, shoot! :(

Raven jumped the last little bit to the ground and immediately held her hand up, trying to shield her eyes from the bright light. The one goblin she'd seen down here had fled from their lantern light, so she assumed they wouldn't need or use any light down here. Therefore, she reasoned, the light must belong to...

"Mari? Harbek?" She called out to the mysterious holder of the light. "Is that you?" 

Heiber had clambered down the ladder to join the rest, and let out a sound of surprise at Raven's question.

"Did you say 'Mari'?"

Before there was any chance to respond, a noisy wooden clattering sounded from the tunnel leading in the opposite direction from the light, and Radek let out a scream of pain, stumbling forward with an arrow protruding from his side. He steadied himself against the wall of the tunnel, still breathing, but with blood spreading across his shirt.

Bringing up the rear of the group Dorian was the last down the ladder; just in time to see the arrow striking Radek. No sooner had he reached the bottom than he had his bow free. With a shout of "More goblins!" he unleashed an arrow at two goblins in the tunnel behind you; hiding behind a rickety looking wooden grate. The arrow flew true through the grate and straight into one goblin's eye.

A voice answered from the direction of the light - Mari's voice "I'm here, we need help to get Todd to safety. Is it you, Heiber? Are you alright?".

As soon as the arrow struck the miner named Radek, Raven flung herself to the ground, attempting to take what cover she could from the goblin corpses which littered the area. "GET DOWN!" She cried out as she herself went to the ground.

Then Dorian was beside her, firing a well-placed arrow at a pair of goblins hiding behind a rickety wooden grate. Spotting the goblins herself, Raven unleashed a string of insults at the one Dorian hadn't hit.

"Is that the best you can do, you putrid, vile sack of worthless, worm-eaten garbage! You're mother was a hamster and your father was a latrine-dwelling drunk who smelt of elderberries!"