Story II: City of Shadow

While the others are focused on the bones and runes, Pyrrah cautiously approaches the door on the right-hand side; if they were indeed the same runes as on the bridge, she couldn't read them before and she doubted she'd be able to read them now anyway. A limited space with two one-way doors? It definitely felt like some sort of trap...

She carefully traces the edges of the door looking for hinges, some kind of locking mechanism, trap components, and grind patterns on the floor that would indicate how it opens.

Evendur glances at the bones in wall in interest, but then notices the doors as Flare moves to inspect one. Not being in a cramped tunnel, Evendur removes his maul from his pack so it can be carried. After all his time down here, even if he spent most of his time hiding, a weapon in hand was a comfort if nothing else.

Evendur moves towards the door Flare is inspecting, as if a threat was going to come from anywhere, it would be one of the doors, not the broken wall with bone behind it. As Flare is still inspecting the right door, he glances back at the bones in the wall, trying to think if he had ever heard of a creature that might have bones this size, possibly be below ground like this.

Ameera turns away from the bone in the wall, confused and worried by the scale of the situation. Seeing that one door is being checked, she walks to the opposite door and inspects for a lock and way of opening. "Neph, have you been beyond these doors? Where do they lead? Who put them here?"

Neph nods her head, "I have. That one leads toward the Hall of Gems." She points to the door that Pyrrah and Evendur stand near. She points toward the door that Ameera stands near, "That one leads to more tunnels. I haven't been far down there." She then shrugs, "As far as who put them here, I'm not sure. I think the Shadowkin, in order to keep us out. Or maybe to just keep dumb beasts out. I come down here a lot and one or both is usually open, though."

"If they are meant to keep anyone from passing, the must be barred from the other side. There isn't a lock, let's see." Ameera pushes against the door with her slight frame, a door that is obviously many times her weight. "If the shadowkin made these, they are pretty clever." She adds as she puts her legs and back into the effort.

Neph cocks her head to the side, uncertain about some part of the statement.

The door that Ameera pushes against, however, budges at first, and then opens wide. It squeals loudly, hanging on rusty, simple hinges. What lies beyond is a split, one tunnel to the left, and a cramped tunnel heading to the right. The squealing noise of the doors echoes through the tunnels ahead. Neither of these paths is the way to the Hall of Gems, according to Neph.

Neph looks impressed, placing her hands on her hips and exclaiming, "Well, that's handy! It usually takes a few of us to get one of those open." She nods her head to the comment about Shadowkin, and says, "They're real clever. They always use tricks. They have all kinds of things that we don't, too; shiny, metal things. But they don't have magic like ours. Theirs is... foul." A visible shiver runs up Neph's shoulders before she recomposes and states, "But most dumb things wouldn't even think to push on these doors. They're tricky."

"Guys, I know we have to go the other way through the gems and all, but hold tight for 5 or 10 and let me make sure nothing is coming from this way" Ameera steps through the door "Zubie, fly up that narrow passage for two minutes, stay outta sight and quiet. Come back and tell the old man what you saw. I'll go left." She looks at Neph and says "I always use tricks too, have you heard of Yna?" Ameera traces a circle around her head, clutching her lightening burnt branch, and in a gravelly voice says Kai throntar. She touches the branch to her breast and vanishes then heads quietly up the left corridor.

Neph shakes her head curiously, but at Ameera's casting she smiles. She seems to recognize the magic, if not the Goddess.

Zubie vanishes at the same time that Ameera does, and the flapping of his wings turns to the small pitter-patter of his feet as he climbs into the narrow tunnel.

Devanis was about to help Ameera with the door when to his surprise the scrap of a girl pushes it right open all by herself. The aging ranger chuckles when she gives her imp companion, referring to Devanis as the old man. He checks his crossbow and winks at Neph.

Neph crosses her arms and smiles at Devanis' gesture. "Are you really that old?" She asks the ranger.

"In human terms I am no longer young, but certainly not that old!" Devanis chuckles.

Pyrrah shakes her head and begins to shoulder the door, not really expecting anything to happen but figuring that she might as well try. "Devanis, if I live to be as old as you it will be by a miracle of the highest order: be proud of it. You may look old in the face, but by the way you've been going about these caves I'd say you still have the body of a man half your age."

The door only barely budges after Pyrrah's absolute best efforts.

Neph crosses her shoulder and speaks confidently, "I didn't think you were that old."

Despite looking a little uncomfortable, Evendur can't help but give a bark of laughter as he hears Neph talking with Devanis. If nothing else, the laughter relieves a little bit of his own tension at having gone further down in these tunnels.

Seeing Flare struggle to move the door at all, Evendur will set his maul next to the doorway, the hammers head on the ground and handle in the air, should it need to be picked up in a hurry. "Flare, let me have a crack at opening this door."

Once Flare has given him some space, he braces himself, then uses both arms to try to push the door. He is even a bit surprised when only one of his arms trembles slightly at the effort, considering the state he had been in a day or so ago.

"I've been alive 60 years -- little over half a century. To humans that's a bit old." Devanis says to Neph with a smile while watching for word from Ameera and Zubie. He glances over at Pyrrah and Evendur. "You two alright over there?"