Úlf thanks the king for his aid, pledging that they will do their utmost to find the source of the blight and stop it.
"We will do our best, lord. This is a threat to balance of the entire region. " Amelleanne bows her head and curtsies as the king's attention is drawn to her.
Leon keeps quiet and off to the side as usual paying attention and looking out for anything unusual.
Let's hurry and go guy's, no time to waste Leon states, the young druid growing ever impatient
"We have a good idea where we need to go to enter the city. Let's get moving and hope that not too much has changed over the years."
Brynderie bows low before the king. "I have heard of the Lost Kingdom and the dwarven mines and know their cautionary tale well. Since your arrival, good king, has anyone ventured within or has anything tried to come forth? Any knowledge of what we may find below would be most helpful."
Tyler stays quiet and lets the others do the talking.
The elf king responds to Brynderie, "We have seen nothing enter or leave the place, but there are always goblins and orcs trying to find ways to infiltrate the Hollow. Who knows if they found a way under the ground?"
The massive metal doors set into the side of the hill open into a hallway strewn with debris and a thick layer of dust. It is a massive entryway that stretches beyond the light from the sun shining in.
Tyler has bought 8 Sunrods with him in his Handy haversack. Each one gives 6 hours of light, normal light for 30 feet around then dim for 30 beyond that.
As Tyler can spot and disarm traps he should probably be one of the front people.
Kyrus looks around, squinting in to the darkness. "I believe I should take point again, considering my vision. If anyone has torches or if Bryn has a spell for this, I would suggest you bring them out. Otherwise, I have a few sunrods that can keep us going for a bit."
Brynnderie reaches into her backpack and pulls out a small glowing stone. She releases into the air and it begins to orbit her head, shedding light as a torch.
Úlf brings out his own ioun torch along with Bryn, giving a grin. "Is true that great minds think alike, eh?"
"Very true, my friend! " Brynn says as she pats the big Ulfen on the back.
"Very useful indeed. Good thinking."
Tyler will keep his crossbow in hand. "I suggest we move in a little, see what the layout is like, and then choose a direction."
"Agreed. Let's take a look around the entrance hall, then pick a path. We should probably try to head down the path that leads the same direction the poison seems to be originating from."
You move to the center of this large room. There are exits to the west, northeast, and southeast. The ceiling and walls of this room are laced with cracks, all running north and south, just like the earthquake line.
"Hmmm, it seems that there's been something moving around between the northeast and west passages. Perhaps that's who's responsible. I suggest we head north and see what has them so interested up there."
Tyler nods and agrees with Kyrus.
I don't see anything but i trust your sight as much as my own, everyone be on guard Leon says quietly
Brynderie looks long and hard at the floor where Kyrus indicated that tracks existed. "I, too, see nothing there. But you have always had such insights, Kyrus. Lead on."
No need to point out I see them too, and I'd rather have something to see in the dark than announce our presence to all here, but... having hands free is good, I suppose.
"I agree, but lets keep a good watch behind us in case whomever we're dealing with comes back from the other way." Fortunately Ami can see over Lorelei a lot better than she can see past Ulf.
"Indeed. The last thing we need it to be ambushed in tight quarters from behind." He draws his bow and peers off in to the darkness. "Everyone stick close and move slowly, just in case there are traps or hazards down here." He heads off down the northeast path once the party is ready to move, keeping a close eye on their surroundings.
Tyler
Brynn keeps her crossbow handy, while constantly refreshing detect magic on the corridor and the doors before the group. Glad I have these friends about me. This is unnerving.
Keeping your eyes peeled for more tracks or any sign of danger, the group heads to the northeastern passage. Coming around the corner, you see a passage stretching off to the east, with a 5' opening on the north wall and a 10' passage on the southern wall.
Which way do the tracks lead?
Kyrus looks down the passage and frowns. "Someone with a light, with me. I want to check the corners to see what's ahead before we make a decision."
"I will go with you." Úlf volunteers.
With Ulf at his back, Kyrus slips forward so he can look around the corners to the north and south passages.
Kyrus and Ulf move forward cautiously to check out the passages. The passage leading to the north is 10 feet long and has been reduced to a width of 5 feet by a stone block. He sees the far wall, but can not tell how wide this chamber is from the hallway.
Looking around the corner into the southern passage reveals a 20 foot long corridor leading to a larger room. You can see the eastern wall heading south until it turns west, but can not tell how mush further to the west the room leads...
Kyrus looks down both paths dow a moment, then gestures for Ulf to follow him back to the group. "The north path seems to leave to another chamber. There was a trap, but it seems to have been triggered and broken, so we don't need to worry about it right now. The way south seems to head in the same direction of the southern package in the previous room, but I can't tell if they meet up or not. Going north might lead to something. If there was a trap there, it must have been protecting something, right? But I leave that decision to the group."
"Seems reasonable to me, lets move with caution though."
That's usually what traps are for
"Or could be preventing pursuit...but either way it seems like way to go."
Brynderie nods and grips her crossbow tight.
Moving into the northern room, you see there is a ramp to the west and leading down to another level! The room has less dust and debris than the main hall, although there are no visible cracks in the floor or ceiling here, either...
Tyler indicates the tracks to the others. "Orcs." He reports in low voice.
Kyrus stays in the lead, moving low and slow to be ready for any traps or whoever left the footprints. "It seems they did come this way," he murmurs. "And these look familiar..." Suddenly, it clicks in his head. "They're orcish. Well, it's seeming more and more likely that they are the cause of this poison. Lovely. Well, shall we head down and try to clear them out, or do we explore up here some more and see if we've missed anything important?"
"I'm reluctant to descend deeper without knowing what's up here already."
"I agree with Amelleanne," Brynderie whispers. "I can't think of many things being worse than running into trouble at the end of these stairs... only to find our exit route cut off by something or someone we left alone up here."
"I am also in agreement. Let us finish looking about here before we stir up any troubles."
"Then back the way we came. We can head down the hallway or head south and see what there is to find."
"My mentor, Valheiman, always said that 'if you always go right, you can't go wrong' or in our case... you can't get lost," Brynderie quips with a quick flash of her bright smile. "I'd suggest the Rule of Right... when exploring these mines, we always go right. We're bound to search the entire area if we do so."
Leon quietly follows along with the rest of the group, not making any sounds or noises. His spear and shield drawn, the look on his face is more serious than usual.
"I think going right coming back out will take us back the way we came," Kyrus says with a small smile. "Perhaps we should try going straight. It would have been right from the way we first came."
Bryn looks back the way they came, then turns to Kyrus. "Quite right... um, correct."
Ulf snickers quietly at the exchange.