Thema: Whol l'olath ilhar

[Anonymous]

 Geirildin and Jhalashar examine the elf's torn body looking for any items that glow through their magic detecting eyes.

Geirildin closely examines the elf's wounds, trying to determine how many claws on one hand raked the elf.

[Zanan]

 The elf was most likely killed by a claw attack to his throath, though his sword arm was on the receiving end of a hefty blow with the backside of an axe or the like. As the two drow look closer, they note two tiny wholes right in the middle of the nasty cut. Apart from the blood caused by the initial attacks, there is very little around either, despite the large gash ...

[Phaerven]

 Zhadristan observes Geirildin and Jhalashar examining the wounds.
What is it? he signs as Geirildin checks the claw wound on the neck.

[warlockco]

 Keth stifles a yawn, then signs "All these traces, yet nothing significant to be found is starting to annoy me" while watching the boys play with the dead elf.

[Narzen]

 While the others are looking around, Narzen unloads the bolt on his crossbow, then tucks the empty weapon in his cloak to absorb the sound, and triggers it.

After checking that the prolonged tension from keeping the weapon loaded hasn't done any harm to it, he puts the crossbow away.

[Sheiriya]

 Sheiriya walks towards the dead elf and takes examines the longsword he "lost".

[Anonymous]

  Nothing of importance. Geirildin signs back. "Let's move on."

[Zanan]

 The elf's sword is a fine piece of work, but not magical. There is a purple sheen on the blade and it is not that hard to discern that it is made of darksteel. Whomever killed the former wielder apparently didn't notice or cared for the sword.

As you move on, a blueish shimmer can be seen behind the portcullies. As you drawn nearer, you see seven glowing, pearly-white squares, apparently only made of light which create a bridge over a chasm of a natural underground rift. The squares hang in the air and they as well as some glowing patches of yellow funghi illuminate the opposite wall and a few stalagmites and stalagtites. You cannot see the bottom of the chasm, not its ceiling.
On the far side of the "bridge" you can see a small ledge and another door, again locked by portcullies. The area behind those is covered in darkness and shadow.

[Phaerven]

 I can think of a dozen entertaining ways to trap this, Zhadristan says as he tests the bridge with a single foot.

[Zanan]

 The portcullies do indeed pose no problem and can be lifted and blocked quite easily.

[Narzen]

 Any traps there may be would be more or less necessarily magical in nature, and I would have them placed further over the chasm for better efficiency, Narzen replies to Zhadristan.

Unless they simply fail to support a sufficient weight. With a mischievous grin he continues, Who do you think weighs the most of this group?

[Sheiriya]

 Sheiriya takes the elf's scabbard and sheathes the longsword before following the others.

[Phaerven]

 Zhadristan grins wide at the notion. I didn't imagine such an enjoyable  possibility, he answers Narzen.

[warlockco]

 Keth gives Narzen a bit of a scowl, "That's not quite funny, considering that I'm taller than most of you, and most likely will weight more," then with an impish grin "however I doubt many of you can levitate either."

[Zanan]

 (See map link in the Description thread.)

The natural chasm (13)
You see (DV) a rocky floor strewn with sand at the bottom of this 20 feet wide chasm. The bridge spans it at a height of some 25 feet. The ceiling is, as one would expect in a natural cave, rough and studded with stalactites, some patches of glowing fungi grow here and there. The floor, as far as you can see, also features a small army of stalagmites and stone pillars, some of the former almost reaching the ceiling. Below the bridge you spot a number of bones and half-rotten corpses. The one only exception is the dead body of a female (face down), who was impaled by one of the stalagmites when falling off the glowing squares. She looks not that rotten at all, but very much dead given her wound.

Off to the East (14) you hear a rush of water and you spot another, higher-levelled bridge crossing the chasm there. It is some 170 feet away, but the mold and fungi there grow in larger patches and give the whole region a ghostly appearance.

On the opposite side, another portcullie blocks the way towards a dark tunnel leading to the south.

Nothing apart from the water can be seen or heard so far.

Nata'al looks around, then signals to Keth: "I think it would be a good idea to check the cavern for any ambushes or creatures. Don't want to go on and risk anyone sneaking up behind me."