Kalgren put down his backpack and wiped his sweaty brow. He gave a furtive glance towards the cave entrance and resigned himself to what was to come. He took out his tinderbox and a torch. He had brought a bundle of ten and already he feared that it would not be enough. With a sigh he struck the flint and lit up the first torch. It was not quite like the sun but if he had to go underground, he'd take whatever light and warmth he could have.

He lifted his backpack up and after a last salute to the sun, Kalgren followed the others into the bowels of the earth. He tried not to think of the cave entrance as a mouth swallowing them up...

Seeing Kalgren light his torch, Zack chuckles. He draws his dagger and casts light to make the blade glow to light his way. He walks up to Kalgren and places a hand on his shoulder, "Save the rest of your torches, Kalgren. I'm sure we can make our way through the darkness with a little magical aid. Once the flame dies down, just hand the torch to me and I'll alight it again, just not in flame." He steps forwards, into the dark cave, "Let's go hunting."

Oriander chuckles gently and steps into the cave... On the one hand, the darkness does not appear to be magical, so the half-elf can see just fine into the darkness beyond the reach of the Light and the torch. The cave floor seems to be solid stone, getting slightly slick as snow from the outside is melted by the torch's heat. Stone made smooth by the years of snow and wind that had blown through this cave.

"Once we go abou', I 'unno past the poin' o' seein' the entrance... I will admit I don' know what to expec' aside from stories and legends." Oriander says solemnly. "An' if these monsters think they can defile my 'omeland... they 'ave another thing comin'."

"Well, stories and legends can still hold an element of truth," Zack replies to Oriander. "You might surprise us all with the knowledge you hold, so please don't hold off if anything springs to mind."

Quote from SpieltJoos >>

Seeing Kalgren light his torch, Zack chuckles. He draws his dagger and casts light to make the blade glow to light his way. He walks up to Kalgren and places a hand on his shoulder, "Save the rest of your torches, Kalgren. I'm sure we can make our way through the darkness with a little magical aid. Once the flame dies down, just hand the torch to me and I'll alight it again, just not in flame." He steps forwards, into the dark cave, "Let's go hunting."

'We fear not the fire for its brightness but because it burns us.' Kalgren sagely replied to Zack. 'And those who willingly turn from the sun's warm embrace are burnt by it. Cold light may imitate it but it has none of its ferocity.'

He paused for a moment. 'Though your suggestion to conserve provisions is a wise one. Just,' Kalgren eyes the walls as they ventured deeper, 'let me adjust to the idea of being underground and going towards the monsters.' He would get through. He would not like it but he would get through this ordeal. 

Vigil would try to look for any sign that the creatures have come through this entrance (slime trail, claw marks, ...).

Investigation check: 12

Vince doesn't find any sign of the monsters. A few signs of other life, presumably a cave bear and a couple other mundane creatures, but they are old signs... Worn and weathered, or dried out in the case of fur.

Oriander chuckles gently at Kalgren. "Claustrah-phobic, hm? Don' worry, we'll come out of this and see the sun again." The goliath says quite cheerfully as he looks on ahead into the dark. He steps forward, keeping himself within the reach of the torch light.

As the party travels further into the cave, the weathered stone becomes more natural and rough, where the wind doesn't get to reach. Up ahead the tunnel splits off into three.

Zack looks down the three tunnels, "So what do your stories of old tell you about this first split in the tunnels, Oriander?"

Oriander narrows his eyes a bit as he considers... "...Follow yer 'eart, and know it cannot be right." He says, reciting some ancient poem perhaps. He gazes at the three tunnels ahead.

"Well then. Left or straight it must be," Zack scratches his chin, "Hmm... Perhaps we just follow on forwards and take the centre pathway?"

'I'm fine with small spaces.' Kalgren replied to Oriander's notion of claustrophobia, 'And before you ask: I'm not afraid of the dark.' His voice dropped to a lower, almost hushed tone. 'It's what hides in the dark that good people are wary about.'

He gazed at the three potential paths they could take. 'Follow your heart...' Kalgren mused. He thought back to some old stories he once enjoyed as a little kid. About adventurers delving into old tombs full of dangerous traps and puzzling conundrums. More often than not, the solution would be something obvious in hindsight, lest the hero would be stumped and unable to go onward. That would be the end of the story after all. So he reasoned backwards.

'Your heart is on your left side so I say we take the left path.' Kalgren pointed at the corresponding tunnel and marched into it.

"Guess we’re in agreement then. Left tunnel it is.", Vigil said dryly. He began moving towards the left-most tunnel.

The tiefling felt uncomfortable. He trusted his companions’ instincts well enough, but didn’t know whether to trust old fairy tale and rhymes. He preferred factual information. But seeing as they lacked such knowledge, he supposed it would make do.

Oriander nods. "Lef' i' is." He follows after Kalgren, chuckling slightly. As the tunnel goes on, the group will find that they are on an incline... When did the tunnel start going down?

They soon find themselves in something that could be called a room. The ceiling is flat, as is the floor, though the walls appear to still be natural stone in all of its roughness. Oriander shakes his head gently. "Hm... I don' like i'." He declares, setting his hand on the floor before rising back up and setting his hand on the ceiling (which he can barely lay his hand flat against). "The floor an' ceilin' are smoothed. Ain' no water doin' that."

Zack shrugs as the others head left. He looks down the centre tunnel once more before he follows on. "Smooth stone, that is strange. Can any of you make anything in this room's darkness?" He says as he peers into the darkness.

The darkvision (cause I did totally forget that Vigil has darkvision too, darn tieflings :P) seers can see further down the room, and see... the room extending. There isn't anything that seems to be of major significance on either side of the room's walls. Niches that seem like they should hold something, maybe coffins or sarcophagi, but are empty. No signs of anything having been moved either, they just... were never filled, seemingly.

OOC: Is the room a dead end?

"Hmm...This looks like a burial chamber. Only, it doesn’t seem like it’s been used...ever. Odd.", notes the tiefling. He walks further down the chamber, keeping an eye open for anything out of the ordinary.

Perception: 7

Quote from Furujiru >>

OOC: Is the room a dead end?

 (You cannot see the end.)

Quote from SavageVince >>

"Hmm...This looks like a burial chamber. Only, it doesn’t seem like it’s been used...ever. Odd.", notes the tiefling. He walks further down the chamber, keeping an eye open for anything out of the ordinary.

Perception: 6

Vigil doesn't see anything out of the ordinary (other than seemingly not being used as a burial chamber). He disappears from view from the perspective of Zack, Kalgren, and Oriander once he is out of range of Kalgren's darkvision. Nothing out of the ordinary in how he disappears either.

Kalgren brushed his hand against the wall. The stonework was indeed smooth, like it was sandpapered down. The alcoves were also something that felt unnatural. Nothing in this world made anything without a purpose so the niches in the walls had to serve for something. The only question was what.

'Let's keep going.' Kalgren motioned the others. He followed after Vigil, his torch held high to drive away the darkness.

Zack looks at wonder as he follows the others through the room, "Curious."