Kenji was glad when the sword came out be what it had appeared to be... any weapon that might help them was welcomed.

He looked down at the hole and frowned.. nothing was easy it seemed.. now the way forward leading to danger ahead was blocked by .. possibly... a nature event... he grunted and while the others talked of magical ways to find a way around the blockage.. Kenji went to the back of the group and once again took up his guard position watching out for anything that might be sneaking upon them.

Cynil raise her hand gently to brush away Conall's single tear and smile gently at him. "Love should not swaddle one's beloved. Love should not constain one but rather strengthen one. I would not ask you to not do what you meed and must do being who you are. Likewise you should not not ask me to do ot be less than me.. I believe my skills and abilities would serve best at this moment."

"Would you deny me that? Ulthok's lot is dangerous when he must search for traps and try to disable them. You do not ask him not to--nor should your love for me ask me to not do what must be done. I hear you words and they sing in my heart. I am not foolish in this. A bat can see in the dark and there are few predators especially if I chose one of the largest forms of bats. I do not see light to find my way. I do have and advantage over animals. I am intelligent and experienced."

While members of the party stood discussing ways on how to find the true depth of the hole before them from changing shape to clairvoyance, one member decided to take more of a direct route.
Moving to the hole’s edge Ulthok brought his Wand of Illumination into his hand, spoke its command word and sent a burst of light into the hole before him. Turning to the rest of the party the Halfling Thief gave his findings.

“Its about 90 feet down to what looks like a large open area on a new floor.”


(DM OOC: Ok short post tonight as there was really not much more to post about as you Gentlemen and Ladies are yet in discussion of what to do next ::
Ok next post Next Sunday.)

" Sounds like we need to investigate the hole and see if there is any way out down there. Would take more than a few of my kin a good bit to clear the path on the other side. Now would seem a good time to break out te ropes."

"I agree Cor. If you don't think we can find a way through the rocks ahead, down is our only course for the moment. I still think it would be advantageous for me to use my abilities to see if I can get a glimpse of any threats that might be down there before dropping in on it. I intend to do so while we are readying our ropes for the decent. Any objections?"

(OOC: If there are no objections I intend to use the ability to examine the walls of the shaft for any holes that may have creatures lurking in them, as well as the room at the bottom of the hole. I'm not sure how many points it'll cost me to do that though...)

Cynil will wait for Alastaie to do what he can to check out down Cynil will change shape at that time. "Conall don't fret so much. I wil wait for Alastair to try whta he can room up here, but he he cannot gain enough information then I am headed down there as a bat."

Rayne looks around. "Okay then it Alastair who attempts to gainf us the information first, Cynil second if needed then I and Kenji if he so desires, Rayne concludes outloud the the progression through there ranks is clearly understood bu the other. I know the magic Users may have some abilities there but I would rather hae that saave those criticle abilities for when we have not other options." She explains her decision to the others.

"Kenji would you go below with me if the need arises?"

As Alasdair proceeded with his Psionic Clairvoyance, Cynil shapechanged herself into a bat and proceeded down the hole. Her sense of sound and the Paladin’s skill of mind showed both the same thing a crude hawn tunnel running both North and South for at least 100 feet in both directions. No sign of life or any type of danger was there to see the hallway very empty.

With no visible threat and two 50 feet ropes tied together the party one by one made their way down the rope to the hallway below encountering nothing of a hostile nature and once below. Cynil, yet in the form of a large bat, took it upon herself to loosen with her claws, the tied end of the two ropes allowing the two ropes to drop to the party below. With this done the party members as both Psionicist and bat had seen found themselves in a 20 feet wide by 50 feet tall tunnel running North and South. The new question now which way to go.


(DM OOC: Ok short post once again and I moved you forward once again as there was really no other viable party choice.
Next post next Sunday and just a heads up we have three more Sundays of posts till we go on Holiday break from Dec 20th till January 9th a two Sunday break.)

Cor waited his turn and then rappelled down the rope. Once down he took a few moments to check things and saw a tunnel leading north and south. Using his dwarven abilities he attempted to figure out how far underground they were and if there was any sloping to the tunnel that might indicate which direction might lead to the surface.

Maggot took his turn down the rope. At the bottom he took a moment to adjust and make ready to move on.

After a few minutes of study Cor came to his conclusion. "Seems we are about 5 miles above the base of the mountain but still 3 miles or so beneath the summit. Give or take a foot or two." Cor chuckled. "Neither tunnel has a slope to it so one is as likely as the other to be the right one. My uncle used to say 'righty tighty, lefty loosey'; mayb left is the way out. Of course if I just turn around then left is right so in the end a coin flip would work as well as anything else. Unless we want to send scouts both directions before deceiding on a course."

Kenji watches as all the others climb down into the hole in the floor.. he doesnt say anything about the decision as there doesn't seem to be any other course.

He is the last one to go down taking one last look the way they had come.... he cant shake the feeling that they are being followed by something.

He arrives below and looks around.. and hearing that they need to decide which way to go... Kenji points in the same general direction they were going when they were on the level above.

"Maybe continue going that way," was all he said as he took up his usual spot in the formation.. ready to move out.

"Well Kenji, going the way we were seems a good choice."

Conall steadily makes his climb down the rope, as others before him and others after him did the same. It was the logical thing to do... After all, there was no other way to go.

The same could not be said truly once they reached the bottom of the tunnel though... There were now two directions in which the party could head, with no indication of where one might head. There was no sound indication something else waiting, there were no markings... It was desolate.

Finally, Kenji spoke up, offering his solution. Hearing this, Conall nods and says, "I shall follow you Kenji. It seems as though there is nothing to point our way save for our beacon of your shining insight."

Cynil remains in the form of a bat. It will be useful down here is the near stygian darkness for far underground. Cynil tried not to let that thought weigh her down. It was a constant inner struggle--being so far and so long from her natural world. In this form she could scout ahead and use her bat sense to locate any likely opening that might indicate a way to go. Once Conall got down the rope she sat on his shoulder rubbed her little head against him until all were down the rope where upon she took flight and scouted out the area they headed in.