(036) The Remains of the Day

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The Ante-Chamber

Highbough brings his light to the left passage while Gustave makes his way cautiously into it.

Twenty tentative steps brings him to Josiane's sputtering torch, where he shoulders his shield in order to retrieve it. The passage is tight, and cold, and he doesn't much like the smell either, but Gustave then sees ahead that the passage is not completely blocked... indeed, the right-hand wall appears to have been excavated somewhat to by-pass the collapse. If he were to hunker down he could navigate the by-pass without getting down on all fours.

None of this appears to have happened recently... if anything, it all looks rather old. Deep shadow is all that

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The Second Vault
(Dieter, Olaf, Desmond/Mondes, Ulric, Wibert and Pelenwin)

"Pass me up a torch, will you?" Dieter asks. "That thing doesn't look like it's ready to attack or anything, but I'd like to be sure." He points, so Olaf can see the lurking form.

Nobody behind has a torch handy, but Ulric is near enough now that his lantern light casts its orange light about the vault ahead.

Dieter and Olaf can both see now that there is a semi-circular vault ahead, perhaps 30 or 40ft in diameter. Directly opposite the passageway is a strange, raised dais with what appears to be an 8ft high, roughly humanoid figure graven of stone. It is completely silent and motionless, and in fact, it appears to have a shadowy cavity in it...

Other dark, but open passages lead out of the vault, one to either side of the figure.

The exact detail of it cannot be made out from the passage way, however.

[waysoftheearth]

ehiker133 wrote:
Desmond starts quietly whispering to himself, "Never split up the party, never split up the party, never split up the party, never split up the party..."

He uses it almost as a calming mantra.

[waysoftheearth]

doctorx wrote:
"If I read this aright the left-hand tunnel takes us in the direction of that foul charnel pit where we fought the walking dead," Josiane says quietly to Dorgan; "And something has been travelling this path." She smiles grimly; "I think we have their scent, my friend."

"Lord Gustave? No further, I pray you!" she calls softly, watching the dashing warrior nosing about the rockfall and hoping she doesn't sound more concerned about him than is proper; "Mayhap this is the time to regather our forces? It may go ill with us if we spread our swords too finely in this place..."

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:

Desmond starts quietly whispering to himself, "Never split up the party, never split up the party, never split up the party, never split up the party..."

He uses it almost as a calming mantra.

Yeah, Olaf agrees, but he suggested going this way and now he's following Dieter down this tunnel. So to his mind, it's the other folks that have split off. Where *have* they gotten off to? [img]images/smiley/smiley.png[/img]

[waysoftheearth]

rleduc wrote:
OoC: someone would have to be sent back to tell the ante-room group to come along. No one has done so, as near as I can tell, although some individuals have gone back and forth.

[waysoftheearth]

tonneau wrote:
Gustave peruses the narrow gap in the rubble with pursed lips and wrinkles his nose in disgust at the cloying stench in the tunnel. He places the torch in a nook in the rubble where its light best fills the passage, then makes his way back to the ante-chamber, refitting his shield as he does so.

"Fear not, my dear", he replies to Josiane's concern, a slight hint of a smile on his lips, "I sought only to humbly capitalise on your epiphany of light", he adds with a slight bow.

"It seems there is a small crawl space betwixt the rubble down yonder passage. We should be vigilant - as you have already suggested, and perhaps one of our more diminutive comrades can explore the way later."

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:

"It seems there is a small crawl space betwixt the rubble down yonder passage. We should be vigilant - as you have already suggested, and perhaps one of our more diminutive comrades can explore the way later."

The "crawl space" is easily navigable by a Man -- even one clad in armour. It is some 3ft wide, and 4ft tall, ish, but more of a tunnel burrowed through the earth than a proper passage way. The ground is very hard packed, suggesting it is an old work.

[waysoftheearth]

sulldawga wrote:

"If I read this aright the left-hand tunnel takes us in the direction of that foul charnel pit where we fought the walking dead," Josiane says quietly to Dorgan; "And something has been travelling this path." She smiles grimly; "I think we have their scent, my friend."

"Lord Gustave? No further, I pray you!" she calls softly, watching the dashing warrior nosing about the rockfall and hoping she doesn't sound more concerned about him than is proper; "Mayhap this is the time to regather our forces? It may go ill with us if we spread our swords too finely in this place..."

"I agree, Miss. If we're lookin' for the vampeer, we should be going deeper inta' the tomb, not leavin' it just yet."

Dorgan looks back at the side passage where the rest of the party went exploring.

"Mebbe we oughta catch up with 'em?"

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:
"Right," Dieter says. "Ulric, you're with me. The rest of you, hold position.

"Stay behind me with that light," he mutters as he advances. "If anything pops out, I'll hold 'em off while you run for help."