" Rita what do you say to finding out what is down that tunnel over there? Be careful where you step though as I doubt the floor is very even and you can't tell with all this stuff all over it."
Rita nods and cautiously moves over to the tunnel. She makes sure to keep the others in sight.
Skin flakes ? Eww.. she thinks to herself.
As she reaches the tunnel., she first shines her torch up and around to make sure there's no crawlers on the walls, floor or ceiling near her, the thoughts of the peculiar insects making her skin crawl.
Rita as far as you can tell, the area is free of any nasties.
Rita as far as you can tell, the area is free of any nasties.
Rita cautiously began to make her way down the corridor, , until she was startled by a sudden noise.
After a brief moment of panic she realised it was just her stumoch rumbling.
Deep breaths....calm...I'm calm...I'm calm..." she repeated to herself over and over.
She took a moment to recover her composure, and then carried on.
Evelyn is with Rita following her the whole way, she whispers, "How deep do you think these caves go?" "Lets go a bit further, I am sure the boys will be fine on their own." She seems to be getting more accustom to being down here and getting into the exploration of the unknown....despite the occasional bug....
Rita looks relieved to have Evelyn with her.
"This is all very exciting" she whispers nervously "Is this what you and da Father get up to on all your investigations ? "
Robert shakes himself out of his torpor and hurries after the ladies.
"Best not get split up...no telling what there might be down here...or where it might be"
Not wanting to be left behind, Fergus hurries after the rest of the group. You start hiking down the next winding tunnel. It slopes noticeable downward. You have to use your chalk to mark your path, for there are numerous tiny side chambers and passages branching off the "tunnel" that you are folllowing. You are confident that the caves are extensive, and you are certain that you could follow keep exploring and following the tunnel for a great distance (possibly miles). How far do you want to go?
"We've been down there ages ...like, several hours at least." Rita breaks out some sandwiches "...so I guess the question is, do we intend to spend the whole day here ?"she adds around a mouthful of egg and cress.
"We've been down there ages ...like, several hours at least." Rita breaks out some sandwiches "...so I guess the question is, do we intend to spend the whole day here ?"she adds around a mouthful of egg and cress.
"Well we did ask the squire to return well before sundown so I should say we shouldn't keep him waiting. Perhaps if we return to the snow chamber and take the other tunnel it may return to the surface. It certainly did not go deeper like this one." Evelyn carefullybites into her sandwich so as to avoid a mess.
Robert smiles as Rita passes out the sandwiches.."Old soldiers maxim..eat when you can, sleep when you can...you never know when you'll get a chance to do either"
"I agree with Evelyn" checks his watch again..."we could wander here for hours..I'm beginning to think that it going to need a full scale team from Arkham to investigate this place..we'll need geologists and biologists at least and a few experienced cavers"
Fergus, lagging behind the group as usual, rejoins the conversation. "Yes, this is beyond our capabilities". "We should return to the surface with some samples". He is secretly thinking that he needs to restock his liquid courage before continuing onward.
You are just wrapping up your discussion and thinking of turning back when up ahead your lights shine on what appears to be a fissure in the floor of the tunnel. Once again you see some of the strange white "snow". This time it is wafting up out of the fissure in the floor. From where your standing it is hard to make out the exact size of the fissure but you estimate it is some 12 feet long and maybe 4-5 across. It is impossible to tell how deep it is from where you are standing.
You are just wrapping up your discussion and thinking of turning back when up ahead your lights shine on what appears to be a fissure in the floor of the tunnel. Once again you see some of the strange white "snow". This time it is wafting up out of the fissure in the floor. From where your standing it is hard to make out the exact size of the fissure but you estimate it is some 12 feet long and maybe 4-5 across. It is impossible to tell how deep it is from where you are standing.
"Hmmm, it appears that the source of the "snow" is deeper in the earth here. Very odd." She walks over to the stuff and takes out her magnifying glass to take a closer look. She will also collect some for later study.
Evelyn moves towards the edge of the fissure to examine the "snow". Peering down you can see that there is a shaft that drops some 50 feet straight down. At the bottom you can see a flat metal floor with a hole in it. The hole in the floor is about large enough for a human to squeeze through. Your light allows you to see into the hole and it drops an additional 20 feet or so to another floor. That floor appears to be entirely covered in strange gray fungus. The white snow is wafting up out of the hole in the metal floor at the bottom of the fissure, and you suspect that it might somehow be linked to the presence of the fungus.
Evelyn crouches down to examine some of the white stuff with her magnifying glass.
Evelyn
Roll a sanity check
Evelyn moves towards the edge of the fissure to examine the "snow". Peering down you can see that there is a shaft that drops some 50 feet straight down. At the bottom you can see a flat metal floor with a hole in it. The hole in the floor is about large enough for a human to squeeze through. Your light allows you to see into the hole and it drops an additional 20 feet or so to another floor. That floor appears to be entirely covered in strange gray fungus. The white snow is wafting up out of the hole in the metal floor at the bottom of the fissure, and you suspect that it might somehow be linked to the presence of the fungus.
For a moment she says nothing as she gets a strangely quizzical look on her face. Continuing to look down into the fissure, "That is so odd. Who would build anything down here?" Finally looking back towards the rest of the expedition, "I don't know quite what to say but it appears that someone has built some sort of metal room down there and it appears to be the source of all this "snow""
Keeper:
Evelyn
Suddenly getting a little wobbly Evelyn holds her head, "Uhhhh.....this snow....is some sort of spoor. Be careful not to breath it in. I feel a little.....light headed.....and woozie." Having collected her sample she backs away from the fissure, albeit slowly as if unsure of her balance.
Robert moves to assist Evelynn.."That's it" he announces "We are getting out of here before anything else untoward happens. I'm not willing to put any of you at risk"
Robert moves to assist Evelynn.."That's it" he announces "We are getting out of here before anything else untoward happens. I'm not willing to put any of you at risk"
Holding onto Robert arm for support she waits a few moments to gather her bearings, "Hold on just a moment. I just want to take a couple of pictures to take back with us. Good to always have a record and evidence of what we are dealing with. What kind of private investigators would we be without that?" She manages a weak smile as she says the last part.
"I think that if this is going to make us ill, we should get out right away.."
"I think that if this is going to make us ill, we should get out right away.."
Evelyn shakes her head as if clearing it, "No, no, Rita......I just made the mistake of breathing it in. I'll be more careful while I take a few pictures." Not seeming to be a woman to be put off once she makes up her mind she takes out her camera and readies it to take pictures.
Rita nods "Ok boss. Your funeral".
Rita tries to subtly keep her distance from the spores.
Evelyn rolls her eyes, "Don't be so over-dramatic Rita. Now that I know what effect it has I won't make that mistake again." Looking toward Robert, "Since you are all worried you can hold on to my waist while I snap the shot so I don't slip." SHe quickly begins fidgeting with the camera again. She gets her camera ready, holds her breath, and snaps a shot of the crevass and metal floor and a second one 10' feet from the crevass itself.
Evelyn, with help from your companions, you lean over the edge of the crevasse and take a few pictures. You try your best not inhale any of the spores as you do so.
Evelyn
Robert hesitates momentarily before slipping his arms around Evelyns slim waist. he waits as she takes her pictures all too aware of the closeness of her body to his...which gives rise to some distinctly ungentlemanly thoughts. Once she is done he pulls her back gently from the edge and disengages from her
"Now can we go?"
Robert checks his watch again...
Turning around to face Robert, "Yes, I think that will do it. Those are going to come out very nice. I want to take a picture where the snow is coming from the wall and get one of that centipede thing if we go that way." She carefully packs up the camera and gets ready to go.
You start making your way back through the tunnel towards the room with the strange piping sounds. You have been down in the tunnels for several hours now, and though you've had snacks and water, you are starting to get hungry and tired. Your clothes feel heavy and damp from the humidity, and the rather alien air of the tunnels is starting to make your lungs crave the fresh air of the outdoors.
Evelyn
Fergus
Robert
Rita
Evelyn looks a little pale, you have noticed that she has stopped saying anything at all, and seems to be concentrating on just hiking out of here.
Rita seems unusually quiet and pale, her eyes darting left and right nervously.
After a long silence she finally says 'So Robert, what unit did you serve with ?"
Her tone suggests an uneasy need to fill the oppressive silence with conversation rather than genuine interest.
"The Lafayette Escadrille Rita flying for the French...then the 103rd Pursuit squadron after we entered the war ourselves. I guess you could say I had a good war...apart from getting shot down and captured 4 days before it all ended"
Rita nods. "Thats very brave.I heard alot of folks got killed even before they got out of training. "
As they return to the pipe-organ chamber,she does another sweep with her torch.
"You know," she adds as they start heading back to the rope." the first thing I'm gonna do when I get back is have a bath. And then maybe anudda one".
Evelyn slowly and perhaps painstakingly sets up her camera to take another picture of the pipe-organ chamber. After getting the shot she packs it up quietly and continues without comment.
Robert is starting to find the underground tunnels oppresive the weight of eath and rock above him seems to be pressing down on him.He finds himself wanting very much to see the sun and smell fresh air again
Rita jumps a little at the sound of the shutter.
She shines the torch around again, impatient to be moving on but trying hard not to show it.
"Shall we..?" she says in a faked cheerful voice, gesturing toward the way out.
It takes you many more minutes to make your way back through the tunnels. You follow the markings you left behind to help you find your way, and eventually you make it back to the spot where you encountered the horrific centipede creature. The thing is far too alien to fit in with your schema of the natural world, and you are hesitant to even look on it again. The stench of its corpse is already overwhelming, The carapace is still there, but the deformed and almost childlike head has deteriorated far faster than one would expect, and is little more than a pile of wreaking ooze.
Rita
Robert
Evelyn takes her last two pictures (on this roll) of the centipede thing and then grimaces and moves toward the exit.
Though he tries not to show his apprehension in front of the womenfolk Robert finds himself moving faster towards the exit than he would normally. He fights down the temptation to run from the place.
By the time they get to that point, Fergus has become strangely quiet. He is breathing hard, and sweating, and close examination would show his hands to be shaking.
"I need to get back". he mumbles quietly under his breath. Using his strong willpower to fuel him when his physical inadequacy (or other dependencies) desert him.
It is a great effort to climb back up the narrow tunnelway to the ladder, but you manage it without incident. Though as you climb back up towards the remains of the Whateley home you can't help but feel as though there are many eyes watching you and you hear what sounds like skittering noises in the darkness down in the cave by the lake.
I assume you again avoid the Whateley home and exit from the old oven. When you step out into the world, you find that it is late in the afternoon. There is a cold wind blowing across Sentinel Hill and the stench of the Whateley home wafts past your noses.
Evelyn breathes deeply upon returning to the surface, "Ahhh fresh...<cough><cough>...not so fresh air. Ugh! What makes that stench?!" She seems to immediately regret her outburst and just holds her head.
What's the plan from here?
Evelyn starts to trudge down the hill back to where they planned to meet up with the Squire or his man.
"I think I'll have to inform Doctor Armitage of what we have discovered and ask his advice...one things for sure I'm not going back down there unprepared again"
Rita nods."That makes sense to me. What *was that thing?" she shivers
A while later, you find yourselves back at Squire Whateley's run down manor. It is evening. The squire has had a supper prepared for you. Red has taken care of the horses and the wagon.
The Squire looks you over as you step into his home. You can't hide your weary state.
"I'm pleased to see that you have returned safe and sound. You look exhausted. I can't tell which you need more- food, sleep or a bath. Dinner's ready here now if you want it, but I can make any of the options available to you instead if they're more important."