If we find nothing, I would imagine we continue on down the trail.
The group comes to sudden drop down into a crater. It must be 20 feet to the bottom and at least 100 feet across, if not more.
The sides of the crater show intense heat. The soil and rock have a glassy look and the sides of the trees facing the hole are blackened.
Ghadmyr
Ghadmyr looks at the crater with interest. "There is something down in the bottom that is catching the light. I think this site is certainly of interest if anything supernatural is going on here."
He examines the sides of the crater. Does it seem too hot to traverse, or would we be able to safely climb down?
"Seen summat, Ghadmyr?"
Healaugh uncoils his rope in anticipation and looks cautiously at Ddraig and Macmorr.
"'m strong for size like, but doubt can haul either of tha up if tha falls."
"Thank you for your concern, friend Healaugh. Friend Macmorr and I will have to take care in our endeavours, lest we cause great difficulties for all."
"Ghadmyr and I can take a wee look, like. Happen we'll spot summat and both soft on feet."
Ghadmyr ties a rope to a nearby tree trunk (or outcrop, or other sturdy anchor) and begins to climb down slowly into the crater.
Like Ghadmyr before him, Healaugh makes a bit of a hash of going down the rope.
"Reckon a bit of a sing-song'd cheer us up?"
"Reckon a bit of a sing-song'd cheer us up?"
"Anything can happen in the woods ...
Any moment we could be crushed."
"Hey, thanks, I feel a whole lot better now."
"Just thinking of bigger picture Macmorr. Crater like this could be hazardous like."
The slick surface of the glassy cliffs proves too much for some of the party...
The famed luck of the halfling's deserts Healaugh on his way down. With his eyes tight shut, he can only hope it isn't Ddraig behind him.
Ghadmyr goes tumbling into the crater.
"Get foot out of face, Ghadmyr, if tha dostna mind."
Ghadmyr and Healaugh lie in a heap, embarrassed.
Ghadmyr manages to extract himself from the halfling, gets to his feet, and dusts himself off.
"That was certainly the fastest way down," he says dryly.
He looks around at the interior of the crater.
Ghadmyr immediately spies the source of the glinting, some shards of glass that would be very valuable to a jeweller or suchlike.
Ghadmyr picks up the glass and shows it to the group.
"I'm not sure this was worth almost breaking my neck over."
Healaugh scrambles out of the way as Ddraig advances at speed.
"Reet, Ghadmyr. Owt else down here?"
He looks speculatively at the crater and hopes to goodness there is.
"Reckon I were reet about us being crushed."
"Well, a real bunch of woodsmen, aren't we?" Macmorr looks at Ghadmyr. "And you really have no excuse."
"Well, a real bunch of woodsmen, aren't we?" Macmorr looks at Ghadmyr. "And you really have no excuse."
Ghadmyr looks at Macmorr blankly. "I can identify 78 varieties of fern and I can explain to you the mating cycle of a red fox. But why, pray tell, would you expect me to know how to climb a rope?" Then Ghadmyr cracks a faint grin.
"What, you've never climbed a tree?" Macmorr sticks out a hand and helps the others up. "Anything special about this glass? And what are lumps of glass doing in the middle of a forest anyway?"
"Looks at them, likely. Not same as climbing."
Healaugh sighs. "More of a sailor mesen. Craters is different."
-
Healaugh believes the crater may have been caused by a tremendous magical experiment, one producing so much heat that it caused the very earth to fuse into glass.
He finds some glittering dust in various heaps. He recognises it as what the sages call residuum.
Helaugh cannot ascertain how long ago the experiment took place.
Healaugh looks meditatively upwards.
"If'n we've seen all there is to see, best be getting up and out. Not seeing boar tracks, so don't reckon piggy-wig landed here."
Resignedly, he contemplates climbing back up out of the crater.
Healaugh feels his feet slip from under him and he collapses at Macmorr's feet.
"Tain't natural." He scowls up at the deceptive walls of the crater.
Is there a portion of the crater that looks rougher or lower that may be an easier climb?
After his sarcastic comments, Macmorr makes quite a hash of getting out of the crater.