You can see the silhouettes of the tops of buildings against the pre-dawn sky. The world neyond the grate is only slightly less dark than the sewers.

Whispersl will go but y'all have to back out of my way, Roscoe hide that light.

Go where? Hide the light from what?

go up to grate, hide light from anything above observing the grate

The grate is about seven feet above the bottom of the pipe. Looking it over a bit closer you don't think it's the type of grate that was made to be removed.

WhispersI am going to keep going straight unless somebody says different.

Brer shrugs,“Your guess is as good as mine.”

Unless you say otherwise I will assume that any intersection is functionally identical in any direction.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:20, Mon 17 May 2021.

Whispersmoving
Continues down the straight thru tunnel as quietly as possible in the wet tunnel

Not long after leaving the intersection, the water flowing towards reduces to a trickle and then to nothing. While not dry, water has stopped flowing through the pipe.

A bit further on you find a battleaxeblaying on the floor of the pipe, the hand and arm of the previous owner still grasping its haft.

In reply to GM (msg # 26):

Bricet bends down to inspect the arm and the battle axe.  He is looking to see if he can determine the race or age of the arm.

The arm appears to have been cleanly severed and cauterized, the axe looks as if several small lightning bolts had struck the haft and blade, melting various sized holes through it.

Make an Intelligence Ability Check. If you are Proficient in Medicine, you can add your Proficiency Bonus.

In reply to GM (msg # 28):

Today: Bricet rolled 15 using 1d20 (+2 medicine)  = 17.   I am having an issue with my computer and Bricets character sheet.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:23, Tue 18 May 2021.

Bricet kneels down and examines the arm.

Gingerly step past arm and a few feet further to give the rest chance to inspect arm in the light.
Whispers
all yours I don't like battle-axes

Bricet takes the ax.  This arm is maybe a month old and human.  I am taking the ax.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:44, Thu 20 May 2021.

Brer looks at the Paladin expectingly,  “That’s it?  No idea why there is a burned severed hand in the tunnel?  I think we need to be extra aware.  What did this could still be here somewhere. Remember the vortex in that shop on our journey here?.”

The arm does not resist the taking of its melted battle battleaxe, though it's charred palm skin stays with the handle as Bricet peels it away.

Whispersready to keep moving?

Looks at Bricets with left eyebrow raised

In reply to Jamrion (msg # 35):

Let’s keep going.  We want to look at this axe more in better light.  Further examination in a sewer is not optimal.

Keep moving as quietly as I can.  Looking for any newish tracks and exits.

Whispers
moving

The party continues on, the tunnel becomes almost dry before they spot a pulsing blue glow coming from up ahead. Distance is difficult to make out without any sort of markers, but perhaps a city block or so away.

“Most likely something that wishes to destroy us...  maybe the thing that  severed that arm and burned it, but we’ve nothing else to go on, so we should probably check it out.”

In reply to Brer Vodraz (msg # 39):

Yes, but let's be very cautious about this.

You continue to move forward and the air gets drier as you near the glow. A sound like a straw broom being dragged lightly across stone fills the pipe. Eventually details can be made out as you a blue energy field blocking the pipe. On either side are a pair of brass and steel poles with a golden orb hovering over each one. Beyond the field can be seen vaguely humanoid shaped shadows milling about. Every so often a lightning bolt arcs from the orbs into the field.

There are footprints everywhere here. The mud at the bottom of the pipes must have dried rapidly to have kept the shape of the footprints. They go in all sorts of directions, likely from whoever erected the poles, but they don't seem to exit in the direction you have arrived from, it seems they went through the energy field or at least that direction, maybe before the field was erected.

Mouse raises his eyebrows and looks at the spellcasters at the party. "Huh," he whispers.