Turns 4-9
Our Heroes say farewell to Ursa and grope their way westward through the puffball grove, in search of the not-so-secret door, trailing their rope behind them.
Dame Simonetta has the clever idea to call out and listen for the mechanical clicking sounds of the door. It's like a game of Marco Polo:
You do not talk about ADVENTURE CLUB. tick tick tick You DO NOT talk about ADVENTURE CLUB!! tick tick TICK TICK CLICK.
There is some debate whether to cut the rope into sections, allowing the secret door to shut tight, or keep the rope continuous, propping the door open a crack.
What's the decision?
Once the party enters the secret passageway, the air is still and the glow of the phosphorescent creatures fades away. But it is replaced by a new light: Some of the chalk is glow-in-the-dark, and centuries worth of Hobbet graffiti shines out cheerfully! The Heroes pass through the second door, hug the left wall so they don't fall into the crevasse, pass through the third door, and emerge into the western side of the Grand Chasm (area 6) which once again is dancing with the glow-motes of the deep cavern ecosystem. Thoughts of Spider-Goats, Ghouls, and worse keep our heroes on their toes, and the vast yawning chasm a few feet to their north causes a sense of vertigo.
OOC: This is one of those occasions where, if we were tabletop gaming, your DM would have a lot of fun rolling mystery dice behind the DM screen, to keep the players guessing.
Our heroes are easily able to locate the passage leading south, because it appears dark and drab compared to the bioluminescent living cavern. Imagine being in a planetarium full of stars, and then just a 10' round, dark circle on the south wall. This is the north end of the so-called Corkscrew Tunnel.
Noh in particular as a Druid feels a sense of passing from edge of a wild ecosystem into an "ordinary" 1st level dungeon tunnel. It's 10' wide and tall, easy to stand upright and walk two abreast. The stone feels not quite rough yet not quite smooth under the Hobbets' feet. Our Heroes follow the curve of the tunnel for about 50' until they feel it is safe to light their torches and lanterns without violating Ursa's "no light in the research area" request.
OOC: Please state for the record who has light sources.
The tunnel begins to slope upward, always curving clockwise, until it has made a complete 360 over itself like a corkscrew and gained perhaps 100' in elevation. The air is still and dry and this area supports the bare minimum of life forms, just the occasional beetles and salamanders, or sparse patches of lichen and jelly fungus.
Finally, as it seems just about time for a short rest, the Hobbets find themselves at a Y intersection (area 7). The left fork continues southwest, while the right fork enters a rough 60x40' cave with a 20' ceiling (area 9). At the veteran explorers' suggestion, our Heroes have a quick peek. This area used to be a small vein of copper ore, which is now completely tapped out. The floor is littered with old supplies and mining equipment, most of it irreparably damaged by time. But perhaps, if an enterprising explorer spent a turn or two looking, they might find a semi-salvagable object like a few iron spikes, a half-empty flask of oil, or an overlooked copper nugget.
This seems as good a place as any to pause and consider the next play.
Full size image:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/A39ThmVqMyZ22Aow5