"That'll do," he grinned to Ingrid and her 'shale' pun, his grin softening as he gave her a wink. "And you're welcome. Couldn't have our new recruit getting stuck between a rock and a hard place!"
To the rightAmalia went, seeking the pale glimmer of something that stood out from the darker stone and ice around them. Deimos 's lantern behind her threw the reflection into sharp focus: a pile of yellowed bones lay upon the icy ground of the dead end - a literal dead end for whatever poor creature had become lost and trapped within the caves.
No, not a creature.
A person, the skull unmistakably human. Every scrap of cloth and leather (much less meat) had long since been carried away by the opportunistic scavengers within the caves. It was impossible to say whether the skeleton had been there a few months or a few decades, or longer still. As they examined it there was no sign of injury to the dully gleaming bones, beyond the nibbled toothmarks of rodents and insects. "Perhaps their light went out and they starved to death trying to find the way back," Jigano mused somberly, all joking forgotten at this reminder of the dangers of the Fangs. "Would you say a few words, Amalia?" he asked, voice quiet. He held up his Soul Catcher lantern and sang softly if Amalia prayed over the lost one, calling any remaining scrap of wandering soul to the lantern's light.
When they were done he tilted his head to the side as he looked back at the way they had come, and the unknown path beyond... And gave a regretful shake of his head with a sigh. "We've been down here for hours. We don't have much time before the sun sets above, and then getting back to the portal will be dangerous in the cold. Perhaps we can check out that turn I hurried us past on the way back? It might get us closer to the entrance," he suggested. "And if it's blocked, well, we're old pros at shifting rocks by now," he said wryly to Deimos and Loren with a grin.
Back they went to the last intersection the bard had disdained before, following a long curve of flowing stone that might once have been a river bed. Stalactites and columns grew in profusion towards its end, eventually fusing, and for a moment it seemed as though they would have the grim task of getting everyone back over the rockfallen pit without setting off another cascade.
Then something caughtLoren 's eye, a deeper shadow within the rock behind them that seemed slightly out of place. Upon investigation it was a narrow passage, mostly hidden within a fold of flowing stone. Jigano investigated, finding a short squeeze through an awkward passage that was both low and narrow (and a proper nightmare to fit Zuriel through, though she could just barely made it) that popped him out in a middling cave with smaller 'chambers' formed within, almost like a stone stable. That, however, led him back to a place they would recognize: the tunnel just west of the crystal forest. He hurried back to meet with his friends and share what he had learned.
"We can all try and squeeze through here and then back through the crystals," he offered. "Or we can brave the floor collapse, where we know we'll all fit for sure, but the instability in the area might cause more rocks to fall. But once we're past the crystals we can hopefully regain the entrance without much trouble - or at least, only a little. Or we can split up," he added with a grimace. "Though I wouldn't suggest it. What do you want to do?"
Last full round of the PQ! Heading back to the entrance do you want to A: brave the narrow shortcut or B: challenge the collapsed floor rock fall a final time?
No Posting Order!
To the right
No, not a creature.
A person, the skull unmistakably human. Every scrap of cloth and leather (much less meat) had long since been carried away by the opportunistic scavengers within the caves. It was impossible to say whether the skeleton had been there a few months or a few decades, or longer still. As they examined it there was no sign of injury to the dully gleaming bones, beyond the nibbled toothmarks of rodents and insects. "Perhaps their light went out and they starved to death trying to find the way back," Jigano mused somberly, all joking forgotten at this reminder of the dangers of the Fangs. "Would you say a few words, Amalia?" he asked, voice quiet. He held up his Soul Catcher lantern and sang softly if Amalia prayed over the lost one, calling any remaining scrap of wandering soul to the lantern's light.
When they were done he tilted his head to the side as he looked back at the way they had come, and the unknown path beyond... And gave a regretful shake of his head with a sigh. "We've been down here for hours. We don't have much time before the sun sets above, and then getting back to the portal will be dangerous in the cold. Perhaps we can check out that turn I hurried us past on the way back? It might get us closer to the entrance," he suggested. "And if it's blocked, well, we're old pros at shifting rocks by now," he said wryly to Deimos and Loren with a grin.
Back they went to the last intersection the bard had disdained before, following a long curve of flowing stone that might once have been a river bed. Stalactites and columns grew in profusion towards its end, eventually fusing, and for a moment it seemed as though they would have the grim task of getting everyone back over the rockfallen pit without setting off another cascade.
Then something caught
"We can all try and squeeze through here and then back through the crystals," he offered. "Or we can brave the floor collapse, where we know we'll all fit for sure, but the instability in the area might cause more rocks to fall. But once we're past the crystals we can hopefully regain the entrance without much trouble - or at least, only a little. Or we can split up," he added with a grimace. "Though I wouldn't suggest it. What do you want to do?"
Last full round of the PQ! Heading back to the entrance do you want to A: brave the narrow shortcut or B: challenge the collapsed floor rock fall a final time?
