Dantes holds out his torch to look down into the pit.

"Major! Are you down there?"

- silence -

"Would someone good at climbing be willing to go down on a rope to scout it out?"

"Well i am average when it comes to climbing so if there is somebody more skilled i gladly let them pass, otherwise i can volunteer too. Does anybody have any candles? i am skilled at candlecraft and we can amplify the security by tying rope around somebody's waist and pouring melted candle over it...unless we have a master at tying knots among us?" proposed Silas.

In reply to Silas (msg # 30):

"I can help lower folks down, or just spike the rope to the ground"

If it’s light you need I have torches, but nothing with wax

"OK. If Gremo can lower me down with Maple's torch, I'll go since I have some armor. Silas, can you keep a lookout for any more creatures?"

Dantes attempts to get lowered into the pit.

“I can help Gremo pull you up quickly if there’s a problem.”

In reply to Boots Hovel (msg # 34):

Gremo tosses one end of the rope to Boots and starts to lower Dante into the pit.

The rope is not long enough, the abyss still yawns below Dantes beyond the range of his torch.

"No end in sight! Pull me up!"

Barghujin will cautiously investigate the area around the edge of the machine to see if there is anything that might suggest that it has an accessible interior.

"No end? That's curious. The troll threw the Major down there saying he would deal with him later. Why would he say that. Maybe he didn't know it was a bottomless pit? Daft Troll. So where does that leave us. Is the curse still active?"

In reply to Barghujin Khuchar (msg # 38):

You don't find any openings.

In reply to Your GM (msg # 40):

"Can we drop a torch to see how deep? Also there are some skellys down here somewhere, so watch your six."

"no end? Are we supposed to just jump down and see?!" Silas joked. For a second he actually though about it but then shook his head. What a stupid idea, how could he entertain it even for a second?!

He joined Gremo and Boots in pulling Dantes back up.

With no obvious means of accessing the machine from its location in the centre of the chamber, Barghujin changes tack and starts to search the outer wall of the chamber in case there is another hidden door or stair case.

Maple inspected the floor, kicking at the stones (?) to see if any are loose

Once Dante's is pulled up he repeats:
"It's truly an abyss. Nothing but darkness."

At hearing Gremo's suggestion at dropping a torch, Dantes agrees. '"It may provide a clue on what's down thete."

Dantes waves everyone over and then throws the flaming torch into the vast pit catefully tracking its descent.

Seeing the torch fall, and fall, and fall it becomes clear that pit is a dead end, at least for now.

ooc - Can you please refresh my memory on what passageways/exits are here?

With nothing immediately coming to light in terms of additional passage ways obvious or secret, and the pit appearing to be bottomless, Barghujin will say
"Surface again to. Lab door to Mage Tower open maybe, as Troll dead"
She will then retrace her steps back to the entry chamber. Hopefully the archway/doors that were glowing with the green light will no longer be doing so.

Dantes follows Barghujin back to the entry chamber.

In reply to Dantes (msg # 48):

Gremo guards the rear.

Silas nods and silently follows Dantes, making sure he is neither first, nor last in the line. After what they just went through, one can never be too careful.

"Okay lets go back and see if anything has changed." Boots follows.