Groztkoshter sits down and very carefully takes his time tying two extra lengths of rope to the existing length of rope already tied to the leaning pillar. The original rope seems to be in good condition and has not yet begun to unravel, depsite the unburned ends. Being knotted, the first rope combined with the other two ropes makes for a total of about 130 to 140 feet of rope.
After checking to make certain that his equipment is secure, Grotz starts down. The hand- and footholds carved into the rock face peter out after a bare 40 feet down. The dripping of water from somewhere far below catches Grotz's attention, but after carefully listening and straining to see into the inky darkness, Grotz neither hears nor sees anything else. 80 feet into the descent, Grotz looks down and sees that a sandy ledge looms twenty feet away. The ledge overlooks a subterranean gulf of darkness to the west. The ledge is wide but rough. Sand, rocky debris, and the bones of small animals cover the ledge. A roughly hewn stairwell starts at the side of the ledge and zigzags down, descending into darkness and the unknown.
Kiaphas starts his own descent after Grotzkoshter and soon enough has to halt ten feet above the half-orc, who has stopped on the rope to have a look at something below. The ravine has grown dim to the extreme, and whatever is below is unseen by Kiaphas.
Korgrave squats to examine the campfires and finds them to be small and recent, probably used within the last month. There is evidence, too, that whomever built the campfires went to some trouble to secure them from casual view. A few tracks beside several of the cold rings of stone lining the campfires have long been muddied by wind and animals, leaving behind no particular characteristics of who or what originally made them.
Up top the ravine in the light of day, Elyan, Rogue, Korgrave, and Karl remain and have yet to begin their descent.
