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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Plane Sailing" data-source="post: 1388697" data-attributes="member: 114">Back to business...Somethings in the chimney and its not Santa ClausTania speaks up “I’ve studied a lot of ancient history, especially the time of the Jade Empire. It is said that there were numerous underground watch stations constructed in the underdark. We might have the opportunity to investigate one of them while we are down there”.Taran scouts ahead. He pulls his darkvision goggles down over his eyes and slips into the first of the orc-guarded caverns. Keeping close to the wall he has no difficulty sneaking close to the orcs on watch in the dark. The orcs are aware of the light from the rest of the party in the chamber beyond and have their arrows readied to attack. Taran’s sword of subtlety slashes once, twice and both orcs fall silently dead, slain by lethal sneak attacks before they could react.Taran sneaks into the next chamber and spies another four orcish archers. Once again he gets into position but he deems his odds not good against that many foes. As his friends prepare to enter he attacks by surprise and stabs one orc and in the ensuing confusion Trajan reacts like lightning and charges into the room; unsheathing his sword and slicing one of the orcs in two in a smooth single motion. Anne-Marie makes an impossible leap over the heads of the orcs and skewers one as she lands.The remaining orc drops his bow, draws his shortsword and swings ineffectually against Trajan before he too is cut down.After their recent battles the opportunity to easily dispatch foes such as these comes as something of a relief.They pass through another chamber with crude orcish warning signs daubed on the floor in dried blood, and approach a well made dwarven door, covered with dwarvish runes. Taran examines it for several minutes before divining how to open the door. Moving a hidden catch, the door glides open on hidden hinges revealing a well carved corridor of apparent dwarvish handiwork. The floor is dusty, with perhaps some old tracks barely visible on the floor of many orc boots travelling inward and one set coming out.“Not that way” says Garrick. “Down here” He gestures towards a hidden crack in the wall and one by one the company squeeze through. “It is a rock chimney, with three tricky sections” Garrick explains. “Only about a thousand feet straight down though”.“Don’t worry” says Anne-Marie, “We’re all experienced climbers, and strong. I don’t expect any trouble”“Maybe *you* don’t” Tania mutters under her breath, as she realises she has no spells prepared that could save her in the advent of a long drop.One by one they start their descent, following Garricks lead. The first hazard, a crumbly layer of rock is found a couple of hundred feet down and bypassed with no difficulty.Some ten minutes and two hundred feet further down there is another tricky bit. Tania loses her grip, scrabbles at the edge and starts to topple backwards when Anne-Maries powerful arm darts out and grabs hold of the front of her robes.“You’ve got to be more careful” the swordcoaster woman says with a twinkle in her eye.Down they continue, another hundred, two hundred, three hundred feet and they come to an overhang that has to be bypassed. Garrick and Trajan go first, then get ready to help the others down. Taran comes first and his roguish abilities don’t stretch to climbing – he nearly slips, and freezes twice before finally making it down. Tania slips once more but is saved by Trajans arms this time. Finally Anne-Marie prepares to traverse the overhang, having assisted everyone else across. Pretty tricky though.Then a handhold comes loose under her weight. She topples backwards into the shaft, hands flailing for something to break her fall! Trajan reaches out but he is still steadying Tania!Holding silence so as not to alert nearby foes, Anne-Marie plummets into the depths...</blockquote>

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