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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1677654" data-attributes="member: 1210">Descent into the Neversun ChasmBrother He’s vision blurs as his lifeblood pours down his thigh.  He grips the ladder with trembling hands and glances down.“Are you okay?” he hears Airhead Ed call from just above him in the shaft.The ladder creaks as He looks down.  Below him the narrow shaft he is descending continues farther than his darkvision can see, but just below him is another small landing- and a skeleton with a spear.If I try to climb away, he realizes, it will attack me, and I’ll pass out even if he doesn’t hit me.  I’m too weak.  And if I stay here, he’s going to stab me and kill me.There is only one chance.Brother He measures the gap with his eyes and drops off of the ladder, trying to tumble past the skeleton and make it onto the ledge.  He loses consciousness as he twists away from the stabbing spear and smacks into the wall of the shaft, dropping away below. “BROTHER HE!!” screams Ed, and begins wailing.  ***Midnight, between 5/4 and 5/5/368 O.L.G., somewhere in the Stern Mountains, StrogassThe group assembles at the first landing, where Laodegan has laboriously hauled all the dogs and wolves.  He’s tired and sweating and in a foul mood.“Can you help us get past the skeletons?” Federico asks in a wavering voice.“Get past-?  What?”  Laodegan looks askance at Federico.  “You’re mad!  You’re all mad!  Your friend just died down there, and for what?  This is foolish!  Let’s find a way around this, there has to be a better way!”“Chasm,” Jawbreaker grunts. Laodegan stares at him for a moment.  “We can go around it,” he finally says.  “Around this whole mountain if we have to!  We-““We don’t even know how far the chasm extends,” Trinia sighs.  “We know it cuts through the whole valley.  This might be the best place to cross.”“I tell you, it’s a fool’s errand!”“Kill skeletons,” Jawbreaker snorts disdainfully.  He laughs from his belly. Laodegan shakes his head in exasperation.  “I’m going to regret this,” he growls.***Down the shaft again.  At least the dogs are still on the landing, so he won’t have to take them all the way again.  Hell, he isn’t sure he’d be willing to, but he’s no quitter, so he’ll finish what he’s started.  Which makes him think of the messages in his pouch.  Which makes him think of Daddy, which makes him think of the Dark Emperor of Strogass.Where is he?Laodegan and Jawbreaker break through the skeleton fairly easily, though the human takes a wound to the leg and the barbarian suffers a prick as well.  Then it’s more shaft.  Jawbreaker takes the lead.“Could Brother He have survived the fall?” Federico asks in a quavering voice.  “He was a monk...”“He was unconscious,” Ed sniffles.  Her tears start anew.Finally, after another long descent, Jawbreaker emerges into a long chamber hewn from the surrounding stone.  Weird fungi of various forms and colors grow everywhere.  Carefully he advances into the room as the others follow him down.Federico sees Brother He’s body, and his heart grows so heavy with sorrow that he nearly bursts into tears.  Ed does so, of course.  Brother He is clearly dead, his neck twisted at an extraordinary angle and his eyes wide open as if surprised.  Jawbreaker suddenly interrupts the group’s reverie with a shout.  Those that have descended have gathered around their friend’s corpse, except for the barbarian, who has moved on the check for danger.  It sounds like he’s found some.But not much; in less time than it takes to tell the story, Jawbreaker, Trinia, Ed and Federico have finished their enemies: a pair of zombies covered in fungus.  “This place is creepy,” Federico mutters.  He feels a little better when Laodegan arrives with Ethel, his loyal dog, but he’s still sad and scared and... and creeped out.  This place is weird, it smells weird, it makes his head feel funny.The halflings arrange Brother He’s body, leaving most of his meager possessions with his corpse.  The only thing they take is his rainshield- that strange opening device sold him by the gnomish inventor.  Federico sighs.  Now he’s got both the last reminders of both Mama and Brother He.  Well, except for Mama’s cooking stuff- of course they took that.  That’s important.When at last Laodegan has brought the last of the animals down and caught his breath- no mean feat- he took a look around of his own.  The halflings, rightfully, were focused on their dead friend; so it fell to the human, grudgingly, to look after his new companions.  Well, Laodegan was nothing if not loyal; that was one value instilled in him at a young age.  He gave them a little time to grieve, then strode over to the group and declared, “There’s a doorway over there.  I think we need to get out of here.  I’m not hauling those damn dogs up that ladder again, and I know it’s a hard time for you all here, but you need to pull it together.  Wait until you’re safe to grieve.”Humans.  Always able to do what needed doing.  No halfling clan could have pulled itself unaided out of its grief so quickly as a big folk giving them some stern shape-up and get with it sort of tough talking to.  And that’s just what they got, and just what’s happened: they put their crying on hold (except for Ed), they hid their grief (except for the quaver in Federico’s voice) and they trooped over to the fungus-covered door.Next Time: Federico communes with nature!  Or something.</blockquote>

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