Glowing Globs...

Amaril and Morgan, having landed roughly, from their slide down through the smooth surface, onto a loose rocky surface. Looking around they can see there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of colourful orbs of various sizes, from fist-size up to as big as an average size Dwarf, glowing and giving off a light.

They can see they are in an enormous cavern, with a ceiling soaring overhead.

Morgan, cusses as he ponders there situation.

"What the hell is that?" Morgan kicks at one of the globes, finding that it is a solid rock mass. He may want to examine it closer later, but right now he is busy cursing and blaming Amaril for their misfortune. "This is all your fault! I can't hold on to the rope if you catch me in the trap with you!"

Amaril looks at him, "You're blaming me?!?" And shakes his head.

Morgan, done with his tirade, begins to look around. They can hear noises, like normal noises one would expect in a cave; scratching etc... "Amaril, be quiet!" Amaril looks at Morgan, an eyebrow raised.

Amaril, listening faintly hears Wik muttering, or, it sounds like Wik.

Morgan, peers up the slide and decides to try and climb back up the fifty, or so, feet by pressing his feet to one side of the five-foot wide tunnel and his hands on the other. Perseverance pays off as, with a lot of sweat and scrapes to his fingers, he reaches the trap's lid.

With no trigger in sight, he pounds on the lid, shouting, "Open up, I think I found a trap!"

Wik faintly hears Morgan banging, and shouting. He steps on the trigger again, to open the trap, which creates a downdraft that pushes Morgan back down the tunnel, his shout of surprise alerting all that he is falling.

Wik, sheepishly glances about, hoping no one saw his little mistake. Curious, he moves toward the trap, looking to see if he can disable the mechanism, and with some fiddling and manoeuvring he manages to block the structure's wooden, stone-covered lid, open. Rushing air presses down the tunnel, the opening at the top twelve to fifteen foot wide funnel-shaped opening.

Jahlo hears the wind's rushing, and mentions the sound to Tessalia, the serving ladies and Ichabod, and they make their way down to where Wik is after creating a litter for Ooma, who appears to have picked up an underground bug, hitching the litter to Benji for him to pull. Benji is sure-footed and gentle as he tugs the harness, giving Ooma a smooth ride.

They see Wik on the opposite side of this trap, to the one side is a small ledge that they can use to pass by the trap. Wik waves and tells the group that Morgan and Amaril have gone down the hole. "Can you see if they need help climbing out?"

Tessalia, Jahlo and Ichabod discuss their options. Jahlo shouts down the hole asking if they have a rope or something. Morgan moves back up the tunnel where he is able to see the shape of Morgan way down below as he is able to light a torch. After a few attempts, they manage to toss up Amaril's grappling hook.

Jhalo orders Tessalia and Ichabod to use their magical ability to ease the grappling hook up to the edge and affix it in the ground. Tessalia looks at Jahlo, frowning. Ichabod leans forward, her staff glowing faintly, a smile creasing her face.

Jahlo, observes Ichabod and, from his reverse supine position he looks up at her, "You're not going to do somethin' like go down there are you? 'Cause I'd really like to know that now."

Ichabod nods as she waves her staff, watching it glow brighter as she pushes it toward the hole. "I won't get in your way. I'll help you, but that is the way I have to go."

Jahlo shouts down, "The magic stick says we need to go down the hole, yah."

Morgan shouts back, "I don't care, get me out of this gol' durned hole!" As he tosses Amaril's grappling hook.

Tessalia uses her magical abilities to grab the hook in mid-air, pulling it up to the top. Wik, using his knowledge, secures it to the ground, wedging in the tines, but because the ground is hard he is only able to push in a small bit.

Jahlo orders Benji to pull as he shouts down for Morgan to, "Hang on to the rope! Benji's pulling."

Holding on, barring his teeth, Benji's strength pulls Morgan free of the trap. Tessalia helps Morgan get free of the tunnel.

Because the rope tied between Amaril and Morgan is still knotted, as Morgan lifts Amaril out of the tunnel, quickly realising that Amaril is riding, not climbing, and with much effort, hauls his ass out, muttering, "Man, were you even helping?"

Amaril grins, "Sorry, I slipped."

"Bullshit!" Morgan flops back on the ground. "Ogre crap!" He pulls out his wine skin and mutters expletives at the hole, as he catches his breath.

Wik, astutely recognising that the group probably should follow Ichabod's staff, as it appears to be what is leading them back to the Tavern, and their own time period, announces, "I think we need to go down the hole, it seems to be the way we are being driven."

Morgan definitely disagrees and thinks they should just, "get the hell away from it, get these ladies to wherever the hell it is we need to and get out of this cave!"

"As you wish, but my way is clear. I have to follow this path." Ichabod asks what she's likely to encounter. As Morgan looks at her, drinking, and Amaril motions for him to pass that wine skin over. The two of them recline against the cave wall.

"Wait!" Wik says. "I can't in all good conscious let you go down there alone. Men are supposed to protect the females, so I will go with you."

Ichabod, knowing that she could well protect all of them if need be, smiles, nods and says, "Thank you." She smiles, steps over the swirling winds and is whisked down the tunnel, Wik following a few seconds later.

Amaril is debating following them down. Jahlo hollers after her, "We'll find a safer way down, don't get eaten."

"Don't worry,” Ichabod smiles. Ichabod and Wik are viewing the colourful orbs and dimly lit tunnel. They move forward, following, a path between the canyonish-walls, following the brilliance of her staff.

Jahlo describes the area they've found to the Dwarf ladies, and asks if there's another way down. Fequr follows him back to the trap. "I think we keep going around the curve, but I don't know what this is. I've never seen this trap before."

Jahlo and Tessalia start to pass the trap, but, because they are both trying to pass at the same time, their feet slip, and, hugging each other, they fall to the end of the slide. Benji, yelping, starts to head after them, but both Amaril and Morgan leap to prevent him from taking Ooma with him.

Jahlo shouts, "Unstrap my wolf!"

Amaril hears Jahlo and untie the rope, protecting Ooma, and Benji leaps into the hole, and Jahlo, standing at the bottom, catches the falling animal, tumbling back out the remaining few feet.

Amaril climbs down the grappling hook. The hook releases, and, forgetting he is wearing a rope tied to Morgan, who suddenly feels a strong jerk on his waist as Amaril finds himself hanging in mid air as the rope reaches its end.

Morgan, beginning to be inconvenienced frowns at the rope pulling his waist, drinks another mouthful.

After the initial shock, Amaril quickly unties the knot, and drops down, rolling out to land at Jahlo and Tessalia's feet, Benji moving to eagerly lick his face.

Morgan pulls the rope back up and, in his inebriated state he thoughtfully ties the end of the rope to Ooma, his thinking that she won't be killed this way, as he gulps more of the tasty mead.

Down in the lower cave, Ichabod and Wik are moving slowly through the maze, Wik's eyes widening as he figures out what the blobs of colour are! [DM’s NOTES: WIK, ASK ME!]

Jahlo, Amaril, Tessalia and Benji look around to see which way they should head, calling out to see if they can locate Ichabod or Wik.

Morgan happily indulges in the mead, rifling through Ooma's pack when his skin drips its last, waiting for the group to return.

Ooma is still resting on the litter prepared for her out of the tent parts. The three serving ladies are sitting around Ooma, as they carefully pass the trap's opening, wondering what to do as they eat some of the rations allotted them and wait.

"What is that noise?" Adrie asks, looking to the back of the curved stone wall in front of them...

o0o

FOR THIS ADVENTURE: 200XP, (only because you were so entertaining riding up and down that tunnel!)

o0o

listening carefully...

Fledgling Dungeon Mistress,

khrys...

o0o