CHAPTER 7a: Under the Gam'A Zone

[Norjax]

...

The Gam’A Zone, Day 76, Afternoon

Cautiously move to the edge of the dark, shadowed entrance. A torch/torches is/are struck (Silvestri, Frekken, May-Jor) before moving into the cliff fracture.

10 feet inside the edge, the bright light of the sun is blocked, allowing one’s vision to adjust to the dim torchlight. The irregular cavern gives way to artificial construction extending deep into the canyon wall and curving out of sight around a hundred feet ahead. The 30ft. high by 20ft. wide oval tunnel is made from ancient artificial rock using segments evenly spaced in a linear pattern. The walls of the old tunnel are relatively smooth, but are pitted, chipped and cracked with some cracked chunks that have fallen out.

Two identical 2ft. diameter metal tubes, that appear anchored to the curved floor and ceiling, run the length of the oval tunnel. They are both cleanly broken, where a possible connection was once made.

You cannot hear any sounds or see any movement from your current position.

Actions?

OOC: What is the marching order and who is carrying a light source(s).

...

[GreyWolfVT]

Jack apparently having no light sources on him will offer to carry a torch if anyone has one to spare "Uh apparently i forgot about getting torches back in town. Anyone got one I can carry?"

[Urson]

Belial

Awesome! Belial knuckles forward, scraping at the floor of the tunnel and the interior of the lower pipe, then sniffing his nails. He's hoping to get some clue as to what they might have been used for.

[Mister-Kent]

Feeling more like his froggy self now, Frekken will also be a forward scout, with his bow at the ready...

[Mimdalf]

Blixx

Blixx pulls out his pair of handaxes and will fall in line behind Belial.

[shaidar]

Silvestri lights up torch and passes it to Jack "We can take turns carrying it"

[greyarea]

Denslow waves his branches. Please pass by me. I dislike torches for obvious reasons. I have my own fire-free light sources we can use if necessary, but I will reserve them if you don’t mind.

[neurotox]

May-Jor dips a torch into one of her companions' flames and holds it in her off-hand, with axe at the ready in the other. "Extra torches here for anyone who might need one." She's a bit slower than most, and does her best to stay in the middle of the pack without falling behind.

[GreyWolfVT]

Jack takes a torch from May-jor vand makes sure to stay away from Denslow with the torch. "Thank you for the torch and I'll be sure to keep the flame from you Denslow." he says to both.

[Norjax]

...

The Gam’A Zone, Day 76, Afternoon

Belial, knuckling on all fours, takes the lead into the decrepit, ancient tunnel. He scrapes the floor and inspects the interior of the 2 ft. diameter pipe, sniffing his nails in an attempt to use his heightened senses. The inside of the pipe is clear and open as far in as light allows sight. The smell of what little residue has settled in the tube does not bear the odor of stagnant water or organic matter.

He does pick up the scent of insects from the dirt on the floor, possibly connected to the light path markings all over the floor. The trails are not deep enough to leave an impression and identify the source. The upper surface of the metal pipe, 4 ft. above the floor, is less corroded then the sides and bottom, indicating there was uneven wear at one time. It is somewhat difficult to walk down the 30 ft. high oval tunnel, because the curved bottom forces one to center into the bottom center and against the pipe. The pipes are anchored to the floor and ceiling with mounting posts spaced evenly every 40 feet.

Denslow is able to adapt to the difficult travel situation by adjusting the curves of his “legs” to push against one side of the pipe and the other against the curved wall. Travel is slow due to the difficult walking conditions. The sound of your movement echoes lightly through the passage and makes stealth progress impossible. The main artery begins to curve slightly to the left and continues on into the dark.

After an hour’s sojourn, you discover a circular side passage in the right wall around 500 feet from your starting point. The primary tunnel curves to the left, beyond the limit of your light sources. The side tunnel is 10 ft. in diameter and situated in the middle of the main, oval passage. The bottom edge of the side corridor is around 10 ft. above the bottom of your main travel passage. There are some cloudy domes about 6 inches in diameter running down the center of the new route’s ceiling as far in as the torchlight illuminates.

OOC: 3 torches have been used from inventory. You have 21 remaining.

Actions?

...

[greyarea]

Denslow says, in his cramped position, We need to decide how far we will explore. I don't want to get stuck in here without light. What is our goal here? Should we explore offshoots?

I say we travel perhaps another 1000 feet or so before we turn around, just in case.

[shaidar]

Silvestri

we get an hour from a torch, how about 4 hours before we tun back?

[GreyWolfVT]

Jack "Well we don't have to turn back merely just light another torch before the first one burns out."

[shaidar]

Silvestri

"We don't have to turn back, of course. I meant we can use the burning period of a torch to mark time, 1 hour per torch. So four torches burnt means we've been down here 4 hours and we should consider turning around"

[greyarea]

I have no experience with torches. Denslow says. Do they all burn at a constant rate? If so, then I agree.

And please, don't wave that thing near me. My leaves whither at the thought...

[Zhym]

"I think I...maybe? I'm not sure," stammers Kurot. Sometimes his eyes light up.

Norjax—can Kurot use his eyes as a light source, or is it a flash kind of thing?

[greyarea]

Then let us continue on. I say we stay on this main trunk, and explore branches later, says Denslow.

[Urson]

Belial

Hold one, my dudes. Between climbing, scrambling, and an abortive flap of his wings, Belial attempts to get high enough to look down the side tunnel. He's NOT entering it, just taking a look.

[Norjax]

...

The mutant baboon waves his companions clear and then leaps on top of the lower tube, facing the side passage. With his wings flapping in the longitudinal plane of the main tunnel, Belial takes flight and oscillates up and down inside the confines of the 30 ft. high chamber. Using a borrowed torch, he peers into the new passage and sees it extend 30 feet into darkness. This tunnel is also constructed from artificial stone, but he cannot see any joints or segment seams. From his aerial vantage point, Belial can see that the bottom of the 10 ft. diameter tunnel is flat and 5 feet wide. Subtle dirt and debris is scattered along the floor, and it does not appear to have been disturbed by foot traffic for some time.

...

[Mimdalf]

Blixx

Blixx keeps a look out for any ancient runes he might be able to read, though he probably will not know what the words mean exactly. "All this vast knowledge, perhaps they lacked the wisdom to hold on to it." Bixx whispers...