subplotkudzu | Emirikol, Part I, scene 2

Our four stalwart (and now rather damp and cold) nobles work their way up the hill to the cave located by their coachman; when they arrive both Deitrich and Melas notice the rubble strewn around the entrance, as if a large boulder had just recently been sundered by a bolt of lightning. The coachman had raced ahead of them and thus the tarp was already in place, allowing them to step into the relative comfort of the 'cave' - in fact a rectangular room with a finished floor and doors on the walls in all direction. Deitrich eyed the coachman as that worthy added wood to the fire and inquired "City boy, are you?"

Intrigued, Cybele took a brand from the fire and circumnavigated the room. Hiram took a different route, drawing upon the secret arts of draumaturgy to make himself 'aware of the stage'. He was able to confirm the lady Florane's assessment that the doors were stout and locked but not warped by the elements, but he kept to himself the absence of any concealed passages, trap doors or other obscurements. (Brian: we are giving Detect Secret Doors a formidable power boost). Comfortable in their security they rejoined Melas, who was securing his comfort with the wine and the fire. Being a gentleman he had saved enough for the others, and the bottle was passed around as assessments of their situation were made. The storm grew more instistent outside, with flashes visible around the edge of the tarp followed by blasts of thunder that loosed dust from the ceiling. Finally the flash and the sound struck simultaneous, followed by the crash of wood on stone as all three doorways fell in! Worse still, from the north came a gush of water and a flood of small, wet vermin - Rats!

"Well, I certainly shan't be tipping our coachman if he lacks the sense to clear the cave of vermin beforehand," mutters Melas as the panicked creatures advanced. Not wanting contact with the plague bearing and generally foul beasts the nobles moved clear of the rodents rush; the creatures broke for the outside, and when faced with the storm ran back into the room and through the door to south. Once the excitement had died down - and once Deitrich, ever the pragmatist, had confirmed that the water flow would not endanger their fire - the quartet examined the passage to the east, which had at leat the advantage of not previously or currently containing vermin. Deitrich's sharp ears caught the sound of movement some distance down the long passage.

"Who's there? Announce Yourselves!" he yelled, knowing that with the passages width, length and their torch taking the individuals by surprise would be nigh impossible as well as ill mannered. In the echo of his cry, the aforementioned keen ears picked up another sound he was well familiar with... that of a sword being drawn from its scabbard.

He communicated this to his comrades, and Melas readied his heavy crossbow before he and Deitrich started down the passage, Hiram and Cybele directly behind.
"Why did you think to pack a crossbow?" Hiram asked as he prepared and concealed his own weapon.

"It's a family heirloom. My Aunt Matilda committed suicide with it." Melas responds with hushed tones as they neared the end of the passage and the torchlit room beyond...

To be continued.