(064) Rustics & Heretics

[waysoftheearth]

Helmut crosses the creaking boards to reach the great, reinforced double doors. They were once an impressive work, with sigils and Enigmas wrought into the iron work in meticulous detail. But now all that is ruined; bent, deformed, pulled apart, and defaced beyond recognition. The beaten doors stand ajar and it is a minimal effort for Helmet to lean on them and push them wide open.

Within the chapel is an Unholy wreck!

Behind the altar the back wall, with all its glorious stained glass windows, has collapsed outward leaving a great pile of rubble and a yawning gap to the open sky. The altar itself and all the pews and timber work are broken apart and much of it scorched and burned. But worse (if possible)! There is a blighted crater in the floor! As if it were pummeled by the fist of Baal Himself a dark opening some 20ft wide hangs, like a terrible maw, in the very center of the chapel floor.

What force could render such complete ruin is beyond Helmet's immediate reckoning.

[Condorcet]

"Baals breath!" gasps Helmut, eyes wide at the scale of the destruction. Against his better judgement, he is then drawn, irrevocably, toward the blackened maw of the pit, to peer into its cursed depths...

[heartless]

Ashtad crosses the dark tar moat over the boards, then with bow at the ready for any signs of trouble enters the chapel.
"What in the blackness of space it that", exclaims Ashtad.

Ashtad will examine the chapel floor for foot prints to see where they travel to and from and any signs of what has happened here.

If Helmut sees nothing dangerous Ashtad will next poke a long stick into the black hole and pull it out after a few seconds to check it is okay or not.

[waysoftheearth]

The trio enter the chapel.

Ashtad sees immediately that there is much dust and ash upon the broken floor; and further there are myriad foot prints going hither and tither. It is impossible to discern the exact numbers or direction, but it is clear there has been much traffic through this place, and some of it quite recently. Today or, if not, perhaps yesterday.

Meanwhile, Helmut is drawn to the gaping crater; it is a 20ft round whole punched through the floor; either into it or out of it. As he draws near he spies a narrow, circular stone stair that curls around the cylindrical hole, finding a precarious way down to an unlikely stone floor--scarcely visible--some 40ft below. He can barely make out the bottom.

Ashtad is tempted to poke an arrow into the gap, but there is nothing but air to poke. Valorn grunts something about inferior stonework.

[Condorcet]

"If we are to get to the bottom of this foul mystery, it would seem that we must descend", says Helmut after a moments pause.

He then kneels to remove torch and tinder from his pack before labouring to make flame.

[waysoftheearth]

Helmut labors to put fire to a torch, and then...

| Everyone over to thread 65 please. |