GM Ladile & the Pathfinder Society Present: The Night March of Kalkamedes (Table B) (Inactive)

Game Master Lady Ladile

The talk of fire spreading reminds Kronas of something that happened when he was younger, "There was a fire near my mums shop once, and all these people kept throwing water onto the wrong buildings, the building that weren't on fire. Well, I was scared that all my favourite books would go up in flames, so I went to help them out... You know, point them at the flaming buildings and stuff. Well it turns out that they weren't missing after all, but by splashing water on the adjacent buildings, they stopped the fire from spreading!" He says, looking around at the patch and back to Kalkamedes, worried that it might prove far too difficult to manoeuvre the determined somnambulist around a wide patch of the razor bramble, "Could we do that here with your water spell, Kat?"

"If you're worried about the time, Jyrrar, I guess we could try directing him around..." Kronas watches Jyrrar, Winterhawk, and Fenrir struggle with Kalkamedes for a second, "Do you guys think you could really do it? Guide Kalke-" He gasps as the unfamiliar voice rings out, he fumbles at the sword at his belt and holds it out in front of him, deliriously excited, "Was that you!? Did you speak?" He asks the sword, positively beaming at it.

Luna has plenty of torches if we need them. ;)

Ash looks back at Corbett struggling with the sleepwalker. "Right.", he says, pulling out a dagger. "Let's get to some chopping shall we?"

He goes to town on the undegrowth in what he believes is Kalkamedes' future path.

Need any dice flying around to do this, Ladile?

Corbett assists in restraining Kalkamedes for the time being, but is more than willing to help in clearing the brambles if needed. (Whichever roll you need, GM)

Winterhawk Calls out to Ash "If you need a longer blade for you cutting you can use my longsword. You will just have to come get it." Winterhawk lets out a hrumph as he assist Jarryr with holding the man who walks in dreams back from certain pain.

"Of course I speak laddie! Who else did ye think it be?" comes the voice again, clearly emanating from the sword just as Kronas had suspected. "But now ain't tha time fer talkin'! Ye folks best git me man Kalkamedes clear of them brambles while ye're choppin' or burnin'!"

Blissfully unaware of this new revelation, Katswiri begins working her way around the edges of the brambles in an attempt to see how far the patch extends. Kridash begins hacking his way through the brambles while everyone else works to try and keep their sleepwalking companion away from the sharp thorns.
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No rolls needed to hack through the brambles but I need everyone who's trying to restrain Kalk to give me about 5 rolls or so to Grapple, Trip, Drag, whatever you want to try and do. You can hide them in spoilers to avoid clutter if you like! Kats, you'll quickly determine that the bramble patch is about 40 feet wide and 60 feet deep.

Katswiri will return to where the group is struggling to hold back Kalkamedes from danger. She will stride up and grab the rope and begin to assist in pulling him to the side. "The patch isn't *ooof*, the patch isn't that wide, but its deep." Katswiri pants slightly as she throws her back into pulling him off his course. "We need to deflect him to the side, and he should walk past it. Pull him back and to the right until we're clear!"

Katswiri's opinion is that we're best off moving around this entirely instead of trying to hack a path through 60 feet of razor shap leaves and then make sure Kalkamedes follows the path we cut, but she'll assist with whichever plan we end up going with.

Winterhawk looks into Kat's so she can see what he says "That's as good a plan as ever I think." grunting along he helps push Kalkamedes onto a different course.

"You didn't tell me the mission was going to be like this." Fenrir communicates with Winterhawk.

"Oh, right! Okay, yes! Umm..." Kronas looks back at everyone struggling with Kalkamedes, then at Ash who is chopping away at the brambles, I can't help with the pushing, but I can chop! He looks at the sword and says, "Right! Stay here and shout if Kalkamedes is getting too close..." After whispering a few arcane words, Kronas lets go of the sword and runs towards the brambles, drawing his own sword, "Ash, they're trying to push him around! If we concentrate on chopping the corner, maybe we can buy them some extra time..." He then joins the half-orc in hacking away at the brambles.

Casting mage hand to hopefully float the sword, (maximum of 5lbs) which should be fine if it isn't any heavier than an ordinary longsword. If Kalkemedes seems to be getting too close for comfort, he will switch to fire to remove the undergrowth quicker.

It takes quite a bit of effort to pull Kalkamedes along parallel to the brambles but the party slowly makes headway in doing so. There are a couple of close calls where he manages to dig in his heels and resist being pulled along but luckily he isn't strong enough to break the rope binding him to Jyrrar. You've also got a most strange cheering section in the form of what seems to be a talking sword, floating along with the group courtesy of Kronas' Mage Hand spell.

"Come on lads, put yer backs into it! Whatever's gotten into ol' Kalk makes him as strong as a goshdanged bull sometimes but I ken ye folks ken wrangle him along!"

With a bit of persistence and a little help from Kronas and Kridash as they cut away some of the edge of the brambles, the group eventually manages maneuver around the sharp obstacles.

"Woo, that was a close one aye? That was some darned good teamwork ye folks showed!" the sword exclaims, sounding both relieved and rather impressed.

With disaster averted, Kronas cheers and heads back the sword, "Yeah, that was real close, but teamwork always wins in the end!" He says with a big smile as he takes the sword in his hands again and scampers to keep up with everyone. He looks at Katswiri and practically squeaks out, "The sword is talking!" Clearly very excited to meet his first sentient item. Looking back at the sword again, Kronas asks "What's your name? Oh, wait, do you know where Kalkamedes is going?"

He relays anything it says to Katswiri by mouthing the words so that she can see.

"Well now lad, that's a lot of questions ta answer nae be it? Ha! Just kiddin' ye, lad," the sword responds, sounding amused. "Name's Gamin, nice ta meet ye folks an' all that polite-type rubbish. Sorry I dinna speak up earlier when ye were tryin' ta talk ta me but I had ta watch ye lot an' make sure ye were on tha up-and-up and weren't aimin' ta cause me man Kalkamedes here any more trouble than he's already got."

Initially rather amused and cheerful-sounding, Gamin's tone changes as talk turns to Kalkamedes and his sleepwalking. "An' from tha looks an' sounds of it, he's got himself into a whole boatload of trouble. Darndest thin' too be that I dinna got any more idea of why he's takin' these nightly constitutionals than ye. He was all fine until mebbe three weeks ago or so, then one noche outta tha blue he just climbs outta bed and strolls right on out tha door without any of his gear and nary a word ta me about what he's up ta!"

Jyrrar sighs in relief as disaster is averted...for the moment. Making sure the rope is secured around his waist he grasps the end and once again allows the sleepwalker to resume his trek. "Pardon me, Mister Gamin but we are trying to determine what triggered your man Kalkamedes to begin sleepwalking. Can you tell us where he traveled to prior to that? Did he mention to you any places of interest he had visited recently?"

Katswiri follows along, extremely curious now that the sword's sentience is confirmed and supremely glad that her glasses help relieve her of the concentration needed to read Kronas' lips as she also has to focus on where she's walking and on making sure Kalkamedes is not in danger.

"Thank you for translating for me, Kronas. I wish I could understand him myself. What an amazing sword! Can you see, Gamin? How far? Do darkness or obstacles block your senses? Are you able to see pictures painted on a page, or do you have a more generalized, three dimensional sense of objects? If you can see it, do you recognize the location in the sketch we found in Kalkamedes' quarters?"

Kronas practically skips alongside everybody as the sword introduces itself, "It's alright Gamin, we did take you out of a locked chest without permission. I mean, if someone technically stole me, I might be a bit quiet a first too." He stumbles a little and has to concentrate very hard to not fall over while holding the sword and translating for Katswiri. He can't help smiling, however, as he thinks about how strange it is that he isn't the one asking the most questions for a change.

"Yer guess be as good as mine, lad," Gamin responds to Jyrrar. "Ye probably found tha maps ol' Kalk's been workin' on; we've been out traipsin' all over these danged mountains mappin' them an' all. But we ain't never run across anythin' strange that I ken recall, nothin' that'd be any kind of a startin' point or clue for ye."

To Katswiri's barrage of questions, Gamin offers a bemused chuckle. "Ye sound like one of them scholarly-types, lass. But since ye've been good ta ol' Kalk, I reckon it's only fair I humor ye a bit. I ken see an' hear just fine, but only for about 30 feet or so. Dunno why, just tha way I was made I reckon. Oh and I kinna see any better in tha dark than most of ye, so askin' me ta lead tha way won't do much good, hah!"

When Katswiri holds up the odd sketch they'd found in Kalkamedes stove, Gamin is silent for a moment and then sighs. "I'm afraid I ain't never see tha likes of tha place, lass. Like I said, we ain't found anythin' of interest on our little mappin' trips - nae ruins or landmarks or anythin'. Guess it might be somewhere ol' Kalk traveled before we became acquainted, seein' as how I ain't always been his partner."
_______

Time passes and the group travels onward; though you have no idea of where you're heading you feel assured that you're at least making good time. Eventually the group notices that Kalkamedes' path has led them into slightly more swampy territory, their shoes and boots sinking into the ground with soft squelching sounds. All seems well until the sleepwalker suddenly spins on his heel, making a hard left as he turns westward - heading directly towards a watery bog, swollen with recent rains!

Fenrir and Kronas, if he's gone back to helping scout, are about 60 feet ahead of the group when this happens but everyone else is right there.

Kronas definitely would have went scouting again once the conversation died down. :)

Kronas keeps giggling to himself as the ground starts to make rude noises whenever his foot sinks slightly too far into the boggy floor, "I'm glad we put Kalkemedes' boots on, imagine walking through here with bare feet." He whispers to Gamin, giggling again, "All that mud between his toes would feel soo icky!" He glances around to make sure their sleepwalking friend is still making fine progress through the swampy terrain, "Huh! No, not that way! It's really wet over there!"

Rushing towards the others as fast as his little legs will carry him, Kronas asks Gamin a single important question, "Does he know how to swim?"

That's 40' closer, unless it's difficult terrain. ;)

Fenrir will grab the little Gnome with her mouth tossing him to her back serving as a mount for Kronas saying "Hold on Little One!".

The pair runs back to the group helping him get back just a little faster. Dropping the Gnome gently to the ground she says to the group "Anyone know how deep this may be?"

As Kalkamedes and the rest of the group veer towards the pond, Kronas and Fenrir come racing back to try and help figure out a plan of action. Jyrrar immediately digs in his heels and attempts to pull Kalkamedes back, away from the water, but the softness of the ground isn't doing him any favors and the pair engage in a bizarre game of tug-of-rope. Though Jyrrar does manage to pull the sleepwalker back a few paces, Kalkamedes' strength seems to be winning out and Jyrrar finds himself being dragged closer to the water.

Everyone can see that the pond appears to span 40 feet across and maybe 100 feet to either side of where Kalkamedes is attempting to cross. You think that even with the muddy bottom he could probably make it across without too much issue, but considering the amount of snoring coming out of his mouth it doesn't look like he's going to be inclined to hold his breath while doing it.

Sounding rather alarmed Gamin cries out, "Blast! He's gonna sink like a rock out in all that water! Anyone gots one of them fancy magics what lets ye breath underwater or tha like!?"
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Nah, no real difficult terrain until you get to within maybe a couple of feet of the water! Also, need some actions or he's eventually going into the drink - and taking Jyrrar with him! Speaking of, Jyrrar has been a bit busy IRL the last day or two so I'll bot him if need be.

Thanks for the bot GM Ladile!

As Jyrrar digs his heels into the softly-packed earth he tightens his grip on the rope determined not to let Kalkamedes get away from him. "I have air crystals in my pouch, but someone will need to put it into his mouth...and make him chew it as well!"

In the ensuing scuffle, Corbett grabs the rope tied to Kalkamedes. "Wo-woah there, y'consarned fool! You'll be snoring up a lungful of bog-water if you don't quit it!"

Grapple: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

"Hold him, I'll get the crystals. Where are they?" Katswiri will rummage around in Jyrrar's pack, trying to look for them while keeping an eye on his lips for direction. When she finds them, she will try to force them into Kalkamedes' mouth, then manually push his jaw closed on them.

Not sure, does Katswiri need to make some sort of CMB check or similar to force-feed him?

Some catching up to do here. Apologies for the slow post rate.

Ash keeps going at the thorns with a dagger. His hands show it, and slowly turn red from all the small cuts. He looks at Kronas when he joins, and offers a brief smile - "We should have brought longer blades.", he gives the floating sword a look, but disregards that thought after the sword specifically states it does not wish to be used in such a manner.

"Damn thing decides to NOT do its work and just nag instead...", he adds.

Once the pond is revealed, Ash looks back to Kalkamedes and his entourage. "Well, this will be interesting. Won't water wake him..." The half-orc looks at the group of pathfinders tugging at the sleeping man, then disregards the thought: "Nevermind."

Now you've done it, Winterhawk, I may have to aim for the Animal Ally feat for a mount of my own. :)

Kronas arrives just as Katswiri places the crystals in Kalkemedes' mouth, trying his best in this serious situation not to smile too broadly after his exhilarating ride on Fenrir. He watches with some concern as Katswiri tries to get the somnambulist to chew on the life saving crystals, wondering if he should mention the potion of he 'borrowed' from Kalkemedes' home, "Do you have to do that the whole time? If you do, I have some potions that can help someone do it while under the water..." He asks as he pulls out a couple of potions from his pack and holds them up, one up in each hand, "Who's the best swimmer?"

The elixir of swimming from Kalkemedes's home gives +10 to swim checks, and the potion of touch of the sea only gives +8 but gives a swim speed and the ability to take 10 on the rolls while distracted.

While Jyrrar and now the 'Crab' continue wrestling with Kalkamedes, the rest of you quickly settle on feeding him one of Jyrrar's air crystals and perhaps designating at least one or two of you to escort him through the water with the aid of the two potions Kronas holds. Swimming is likely to be the easy part. The hard part will come in trying to get Kalkamedes to 'eat' the air crystal...
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The above post is what I assume the general plan is? Correct me if I'm wrong! Otherwise, you can certainly do this but you'll need to first Grapple Kalk, then Pin him, then someone will need to make a CMB roll to force-feed the air crystal to him. So go ahead and give me several rolls, everyone who is going to help restrain him!

Jyrrar pulls the struggling sleepwalker closer to him...

Grapple: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

Kronas looks on, feeling helpless as the others struggle to feed the air crystal to Kalkamedes, "Oh, be careful!" He covers his eyes with a hand, but can't help peeking through, "Oh, wait! I know what we can do..." He unstraps the pole from his pack, and unfurls a brilliant blue flag with gold fringing and a large glyph of the open road embroidered in the middle, "If you work in time with each other, you could we could make this much safer for everybody! When I swoop this flag, move together to drag him slowly and gently to the floor, then someone can feed him the crystal without anyone getting hurt..." He looks at Kalkamedes with an apologetic expression, "Okay, Kalk, I'm sorry but this is for your own good! Grab an arm each in three... Two... One..." And he starts waving his flag all over the place, trying his best to coordinate the efforts of his comrades.

A couple of rounds of performance for to give +2 on everybody's combat manoeuvre checks... Well grapples and pins, I'm not sure about the feeding.

Glad I could give you a rush Kronas with Fenrir. Once she is able to be large or this feat becomes legal I plan to ride into battle.

Winterhawk assist with impeding Kalkamedes march. Enh, Enh ;)
Assist with holding: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Fenrir grasps the rope within her mouth pulling the sleepwalker with as much gusto as you would see a Labrador playing tug of war with a child.Assist with holding: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

"Elias I Am not a Dog!!" Fenrir mentally shouts at the wily elf.

I'll give the rest of the group a little longer to chime in before I start botting some rolls. Normally rolling a bunch of checks like this would only take a minute or two at a live table but on PbP would take waaaay too long if we went strictly by rounds, which is why I'm asking for several rolls in one go - trying to keep things from slowing down too much :)

Although you expect that getting Kalkamedes sufficiently under control to force the air crystal in his mouth is going to be quite a difficult affair, it actually goes much easier than expected. Inspired by Kronas' banner-waving the 'Crab', already successfully holding Kalkamedes in place, swiftly manages to pin him to the ground in a submission hold while Katswiri quickly pries his jaws open just enough to pop the air crystal into his mouth - far enough back that it won't fall out but not so far down that he'll choke on it. The sleepwalker coughs and splutters for a moment before reflex takes hold and he begins automatically chewing on the crystal.

Gamin, who had been silently watching the plan unfold while Kronas waved his banner about, utters a whistle of surprise and admiration. "Well I'll be! Kinna believe that worked but I'm sure as heck glad that it did! Now come on folks, better git him goin' before that fancy piece of taffy runs outta juice!"

"Atta boy, just like mama givin' some medicine." Corb then sets to lifting the sleepwalker upright to navigate the bog.

Resigning himself to the fact he will become drenched in some rather nasty swamp water, Jyrrar allows the sleepwalker to continue on his way while taking a deep breath in preparation.

Jyrrar can hold his breath for 26 rounds, as long as he does not take any actions other than move actions.

Corbett's in the same boat, albeit 30 rounds. Bigger lungs thanks to higher amounts of hot air getting pumped through them when regaling strangers of his past glories, or something of that sort.

It seems the forum goblins ate my post from yesterday.

Ash runs back to help with restraining the sleepwalker, but the group manages to put the crystal in his mouth before he arrives at the destination.

"Well - good job, I suppose. I'll head forward and see what other dangers are ahead."

He moves back to the front to scout ahead.

The Kronas siblings cheer once Kalkamedes starts chewing, and Luna laughs at what Corbett says, "You're so right, Mister Crab! We have to do the exact same thing whenever Kronas gets sick!" She says as Kronas, blushing slightly, puts away his flag, "Oh, I'm not that bad!" Luna puts her hands on her hips, "You are too that bad!" She looks at the others and continues in a matter of fact tone, "He's very squiggly, but we're very good at it now. I hold him still, while mum gives him the medicine." Still blushing, Kronas retrieves the swimming potions again and, in an attempt to change the subject, asks, "The potions are still here if you want them, but umm..." He glances at the dark swamp water with no way of knowing how deep it is, "I'm not a great swimmer, so I think I might go around if you don't mind?"

Not sure if I'd be able to take 10 in this situation, so if it's possible to run around to the other side, I think I'll do that. :)

"Ug, alright! Get moving fast, that won't last forever." Katswiri dusts her hands off after forcing the crystals into Kalkamedes' mouth. Glancing at Kronas and his sister, she nods in agreement. "I grew up in a desert. One of my least favorite parts of being a pathfinder is how often it seems to involve water. I have a potion so I can swim in to help if you founder, but would really, really prefer to stay on land." She eyes the small lake sideways, then shakes her head and begins jogging around the side, calling back over her shoulder. "I'll see you on the other side!"

Before the siblings start to dash about the pond Fenrir stands beside them. "Would the two of you care for a ride?" the strangely feminine, gravelly voice asks the Gnomish pair.

Fenrir kneels down so they are able to easily get seated across her broad back. It appears some of the crystals upon her back are shaped as handholds, her flesh melts slightly forming what appears to be stirrups.

"Hold on tight." she says with a small chuckle.

While Fenrir offers a ride to the Kronglic siblings, Katswiri begins to circle around one side of the pond while Kridash circles around the opposite side and continues a bit further onward to scout the path ahead.

Meanwhile, Jyrrar and Mister Crab both take in deep breaths as they accompany Kalkamedes into the pond. The trio quickly descend underwater and out of sight, a small series of tiny bubbles trailing along the top of the water the only sign of their passage. It's a truly eerie sensation for Jyrrar and the Crab as they travel along in the murky depths, as they find themselves unable to see much more than a few feet in either direction thanks to the mud and silt being stirred up as they walk. And with the water muffling sound, the entire experience is akin to being set adrift on an alien world.

Both Kalkamedes and the Crab seem to move through the water as well as can be expected but Jyrrar struggles a bit - his kin are meant for land, not the water. Thankfully, even with this minor difficulty the trio manage to cross the pond in the space of about 30-45 seconds, much more quickly than expected. The three emerge on the other side, dripping wet and covered in mud, but otherwise unharmed by the strange experience.

Ash comes back from the assumed path, shuffling in his backpack for something. he approaches the group and gets to reporting.

"There's a steep climb up ahead. A few hundred feet, at least. Just imagining a sleepwalker climbing up that thing and us having to follow makes my skin crawl. If you have more ropes, we should probably tie them up to support one another in case of an accident. I saw no wildlife around, but you never know what's hiding in the night. And who knows what lives up there.", he looks into the night in the direction of Kalkamedes' assumed path. "I'm guessing some birds of prey, but we'll see."

When Fenrir offers the Kronglic siblings a ride, they look at each other for a second, big smiles on their faces, and answer in excited unison, "Yes please!" They carefully climb onto Fenrir's back and hold on tight to the handy crystals, "We're ready." Says Kronas, and Luna agrees, "Yes, and you're very kind!" She gives Fenrir a hug before holding on tightly in anticipation of a fun ride.

After what is sure to be an exhilarating ride filled with gnomish laughter...

"A steep climb? Oh, my only rope is tied around Kalkamedes, but I do have this..." Kronas pulls out his crossbow and Luna, still giggling and windswept, hands him a strange bolt with a hook at the tip instead of the normal point, "If someone else has some silk rope, I might be able to shoot up a line to make the climb easier."

Jyrrar continues along behind the sleepwalker, still dripping wet, holding onto the rope tightly. When he hears of the climb ahead he shakes his head slowly, "That is troubling to say the least. While I believe I can handle the climb easily enough, I would have no way to hold onto the rope unless we are tied together around the waist." He does not look enthused at the prospect as he adds, "Doing such is risky to both climbers."

"Hmm..." Kronas looks down at the sword threaded through his belt, "How good a climber is Kalkamedes?" He asks Gamin, "Although, I guess it's different while he's sleeping..." He looks up again at Jyrrar, "What if a few of us make it up first, maybe then they can just pull Kalkamedes up safely?"

Corbett wipes away as much of the mud as he can, tilting his head to the side and giving the side of his head that faces the stars a tap or two to dislodge some mucky water from his ear.

"Despite the nickname, I'm not exactly fond of water..." he grumbles to no-one in particular.

After forming back up with the group, he surveys the climb ahead and exhales a sharp breath. "Can't say I'm that fond of climbing, either."

"Neither am I, although I prefer heights to water if it comes down to it. Thank you both for leading him through safely." Katswiri begins rummaging around in her pack, pulling out a coiled length of silk rope and turning to Kronas. "Will this work? If several of us climb up there, we could tie the bottom end of the rope around him and either haul him up, or at least prevent him from falling if he slips while climbing in his sleep."

After a quick bit of discussion on how to best secure their sleepwalking companion for some possible mountain climbing, the group readies themselves and allows Kalkamedes to continue on his way. Gamin, having been silent on the trip around the pond, can't help but offer his own two coppers on the group's problem-solving skills.

"Well, if that dinna beat all! Pretty odd way ta git through an obstacle like that, but I like it! Ye've got some style, lads!"
_______

Not long after crossing the pond, Kalkamedes’s path winds westward into a steep mountain pass that climbs several hundred feet, just as Kridash had said it would. Although the going is a bit slow, there's enough of an old game trail leading through the pass that the party doesn't find themselves needing to do much in the way of climbing. Unfortunately, that soon changes. The surface that the party travels along eventually levels out only to end abruptly with a precipitous drop into a thirty-foot wide canyon. Fenrir and Kronas reach the drop-off first, with everyone else 60 feet behind them. Peering down, gnome and eidolon can see that it's quite a long way down, probably about 70 feet or so. Meanwhile, behind them, Kalkamedes continues walking...

A look of concern crosses Jyrrar's face as he sees the precipitous drop-off fast approaching. He calls out to the others, "I do not believe Kalkamedes is aware of the danger ahead. Please help me restrain him..." as he digs in his heels to slow the sleepwalkers progress...

Grapple: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

Satisfied he bought his fellow Pathinders some time here, he glances around for any side paths to hopefully guide the sleepwalker onto...

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

If he walked this path before, then how did he manage to survive his previous treks?

While Jyrrar struggles to slow his sleepwalking charge down, he quickly glances around for an alternate route, some way to bypass the cliff ahead. Unfortunately, nothing presents itself; the pass seems to dead-end at the cliff. Perhaps, a long time ago, there might have been a bridge or some other means of crossing the ravine but if there were, the passage of time and the elements have worn away any traces of it.