(036) The Remains of the Day

[waysoftheearth]

doctorx wrote:
Josiane shifts uneasily in her vigil.

"I trust all is well with the others," she whispers, glancing uneasily down the passage that has swallowed up the rest of the company.

She is alert for any sound of disturbance or alarm emanating from hence.

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:

Very well.

Olaf moves cautiously into the cold chamber, ever cautious of where he puts his feet, thus allowing Dieter and Highbough space to enter the vault behind him. All three can almost see their breath condensing in the air before them, and Highbough's lantern flame seems subdued.

Before he goes as far as the door on his left, Olaf note a great, straight edged "crack" in the floor. He pauses just as Ulric mutters something about not stepping on anything strange.

This "crack" is strange indeed. It seems to run a perimeter about a yard around the first of the lower terraces...

"Whoa!" Olaf hisses quietly, but loudly enough for Highbough and Dieter to hear him, "There is a crack in the floor here. It runs around this terrace.

Olaf looks closely at the crack "It might be a trap of some kind."

Turning to the others he asks, "Do any of us know a lot about such things?"

"Maybe the Dwarf should examine the stone work here and tell us if he thinks it's a normal crack or something more sinister than the floor settling over time." Olaf says.

[waysoftheearth]

sulldawga wrote:

Meanwhile, back in the anti-chamber, Guntram's concern about the fading light (as Ulric and Highbough both take their lanterns down the left passage) is alleviated as Wibert strikes a spark to tallow, and after striking the flint and steel several times, ignites a torch.

Wibert's voice, and the guttering of his torch, seem strangely loud in the cold, dark place...

Dorgan finally starts breathing again, as the torch flickers into light. The dwarf has some bad memories of dirt-encrusted claws emerging from darkness to slash his throat...

[waysoftheearth]

ehiker133 wrote:
Desmond hears the mutters of the word "trap", but obviously nobody is dead, so maybe it hasn't gone off...

He steps into the room to get a look at what Olaf is talking about.

After spotting the crack in question, he suggests, "maybe something happens with those terraces where they become ramps, forcing you to slide into the... pit. Is that moaning coming from the hole?"

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:

Desmond hears the mutters of the word "trap", but obviously nobody is dead, so maybe it hasn't gone off...

He steps into the room to get a look at what Olaf is talking about.

After spotting the crack in question, he suggests, "maybe something happens with those terraces where they become ramps, forcing you to slide into the... pit. Is that moaning coming from the hole?"

"Or the terrace falls away dropping you into the pit when you get too close." Olaf says, "And yes, it sounds like the moaning is coming from the pit. Probably, the wind, but what a wind is doing blowing down *here* I don't know."

Olaf shakes his head and says, "I think we should just stay away from the hole in the ground and the crack running around it."

"There is also a door, right here for us to try." Olaf moves over to the iron door but doesn't touch it, "Could I have some light over here?"

[waysoftheearth]

mushgnome wrote:

"There is also a door, right here for us to try." Olaf moves over to the iron door but doesn't touch it, "Could I have some light over here?"

Highbough passes his lantern to whoever is standing next to him to pass to Olaf.

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:
While Olaf is checking out the door, Dieter has his sword drawn and is eyeing the crack suspiciously. He doesn't completely trust floors anymore.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:

Olaf looks closely at the crack "It might be a trap of some kind."

The crack is about half a finger wide, and runs entirely the length and width of the room -- as if outlining where a third terrace might one day be excavated.

The two doors are immediately adjacent to the crack, but can be reached without overstepping it.

As others enter the room and the light improves, it becomes apparent that another chamber opens out beyond the pit. Those already present note that the moaning sound from below has now ceased...

Dieter finds that there is another open door arch at the far end of the diagonal wall.

[waysoftheearth]

mushgnome wrote:

Those already present note that the moaning sound from below has now ceased...

That's never good, when the scary noise stops.

Highbough makes this suggestion: "Let's not open any doors or set off any traps until we have mapped each branch from the original entry chamber."

[waysoftheearth]

tonneau wrote:
"My dear dwarf", says Gustave to Dorgan, a stern expression on his face, "You seem to have had some experience with this sort of thing before. Perhaps you can provide some advice on where to...you know, stab...", he emphasizes the point with a mock thrust of his blade, "...to kill these 'dead' things?"

"Normally of course, I do enjoy a poignant thrust to the centre of the chest", , "thus...or a deft whisking off of the head", , "but I can see strategic issues with this approach if ones opponent is heartless, so to speak, or, for example, has no head...", he finishes, lips pursed and pondering (blade still making light feints in the cold air).