Immersive Ink

Willie looks proudly at his own chalk mark. Then he spends a moment looking for Chegs' mark, but can't remember if he ever made one.

He swipes at something on his cheek, and rubs his eye, and then raises his torch & continues onward once all have made their mark.

Kiplyn looks at the wall for more then a moment, scratches his head and eventually finds the chalk and writes out. K. Sorefoot made it this far, and further hopefully.

Our Heroes feel a sense of pride knowing they have made their small mark on history. Writing with the chalk is non-strenuous so this counts as a Rest Turn. The Hobbets adjust their packs and have a quick snack before moving on. The only other exit from this small tunnel is a door-shaped section of smooth rock at the western end of the tunnel.

Willie is still thinking of Chegs, and seems distracted -- so distracted, in fact, that he quite forgets about rule 4 and when they get to the door-shaped section of wall, he utters: "Especially not to the humans!" without waiting to give the newbies a chance to try!

Willie speaks the pass-phrase, unlocking the secret door.

The next area (#5 on the map) is a long tunnel that leads south and terminates in another smooth, door-shaped section of rock. As in the previous area, the walls are covered in chalk graffiti left by generations of Hobbet Adventurers. A distinguishing feature of this area is a yawning crevasse that appears to be bottomless for all intents and purposes. A few brave Hobbets of the past have climbed across the crevasse to 'tag' the opposite wall.



Full size image: https://photos.app.goo.gl/x9n63EUiD5okaB5G8

Kiplyn looks over at the far wall and then down into the abyss. "Well that's a terrifying fall. No thank yee."

"We could have Carc take a peek, but it looks little ominous," Noh says peering down, "I'd say we're better off moving down this passageway... carefully."

Our heroes safely navigate the passage and find themselves at its southern end. On the southwestern wall is the faintly-recognizable outline of another Not-So-Secret Door. The stonework is really impressive, far beyond the skill of any living craftshobbit. All of these doors fit seamlessly in their frames, operate without any visible hinges or lock, and seem completely unblemished by time. An interesting detail is that these doors swing both ways, so that you can open by pushing, from either side.

As they move down this passage Willie walks along with a stone ready in his sling. His eyes never stray long from the darkness above, and the walls nearby. He thinks this is where the Goat-Spider first attacked, and he has no wish to repeat that experience.

At the door he steps aside for someone else to open it, while he keeps a look-out.

Dame Simonetta attempts to open the door.