Ghosts of Gauntcliff: Chapter Two

[Ail]

Roughed up and surprised from the fall, Eustace gets up and checks himself. He doesn't seem to have anything broken, and replies up.

"I'm fine, thank you. But I hear a sound... don't know if there's something down here too."

[ewancummins]

OVER THE PIT
Dorgio's glowing spear illuminates the upper portion of the pit, but only some of its light shines past the plug of fallen masonry and into the lower portion.

None of those above the pit can actually see Eustace, because of the block of stone that chokes the pit shaft. The would-be rescuers do get a good look at the semi-circular mass of stone and mortar trapped about ten feet down in the shaft. It is tilted, caught against the walls. Now and then, it wobbles a bit, as if about to turn and fall further.


BOTTOM OF THE PIT
Through the narrow gap overhead, Eustace gets some of the golden light from Dorgio's spear (though he cannot see the spear itself). He can now see his surroundings much more clearly than a moment ago. Looking above him, he sees what must be a hundred pounds or more of hanging stone over two body lengths above his head, the edges outlined by the light. If it slips, he has almost no room to dodge it in the narrow bottom of the pit.

The air down here is rather damp. The floor is slimey.

Eustace notices a grime encrusted door at the back of a shallow alcove set in the curved wall of the pit. The face of the door is covered with sheets of gray lead and the edges are spiked shut with massive, rusty iron nails. A stout bar of green bronze secures the door from this side. There is no visible lockplate or keyhole. Through the dust and slime on the door face, Eustace can make out inscriptions in some of the lead plates at the level of his head or chest.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Primeiro finishes connecting Dorgio's rope to Juergin's, and then he ties the other end to his makeshift iron-and-stone anchor in the abbey wall. After double-checking his handiwork and feeling rather good about it, he cautiously peers over the edge of the pit. "Damnation," he says softly. "We'll have to deal with that slab of rock first. Juergin, good lad, can you make a loop with your end of the rope and secure it -- gently -- around the rock? At the very least, even if it's too heavy to pull up, we can at least keep it from falling on top of Eustace!"

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"What fine vintages," Everline says, bowing over slightly to look at the barrels more closely. "Who is your supplier, Monsieur Sancerre? And you have such a nice wine cellar, too. I notice the temperature is very good for storing wine. Why, the last time I found such an excellent cellar, it turned out to have been built over a deeper cellar... or was it a natural cavern? Something about the underground's lower temperature serving to form a counterweight for heat spilling in from the rooms above. Do you have any deeper cellars than this? Is your Monsieur Orlando very skilled with the making of deep cellars?"

[ewancummins]

''Deeper? This is as deep as the cellars run, but there are some caverns nearby where I can store any overstock. Those are downright bottomless, mademoiselle."


Denys smiles, and adds-

''Now, I can't release all the details of my suppliers, logistics, etc. Business reasons, you understand."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Most assuredly, Monsieur," Everline says, nodding gently. "However, I hope you will not fault me for asking. I do, after all, write for the Mordentshire Travelers and Entrepeneurs Society. Business reasons, you understand." The young woman winks at this.

"Now, as for your caves: Do you intend to offer spelunking tours to your guests? It could be quite the little coup to offer a full arrangement for afficionados of geology and general cave enthusiasts. It would probably require you to hire an experienced rock hound*, though."

*'Rock hound' being a slang term for someone with geological interests, not some odd magical beast.

[ewancummins]

"Most assuredly, Monsieur," Everline says, nodding gently. "However, I hope you will not fault me for asking. I do, after all, write for the Mordentshire Travelers and Entrepeneurs Society. Business reasons, you understand." The young woman winks at this.

"Now, as for your caves: Do you intend to offer spelunking tours to your guests? It could be quite the little coup to offer a full arrangement for afficionados of geology and general cave enthusiasts. It would probably require you to hire an experienced rock hound*, though."

*'Rock hound' being a slang term for someone with geological interests, not some odd magical beast.

''Yes, I intend to offer such tours. In fact, I can take you through the shallower caverns near the baths, today, if you like. ''

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Ah... Perhaps not," Everline replies.

Just for a moment, she could swear she hears a familiar whisper -- 'Join the Circle...' -- but she quashes the memory. 'A memory is all it is. I am Everline Vaughn. I am in control of myself. All of myself.'

"At least, not just the two of us, Monsieur," she adds. "I have... some little experience of caves, and one should always make sure to have a larger group, for support reasons. Maybe some of those adventurous gentlemen I met on the ship would be interested in joining a little excursion?

Nevertheless, I would like to continue to the next stage of the tour, s'il vous plaît! I am growing very curious of these marvelous baths I have heard so much about."

[Ail]

Eustace quickly glances around as Dorgio lights him below. He notices the inscriptions on the door, but can't read them with closer inspection. However, instead of moving up, he holds his holy symbol and shouts:

"There's a barred door with inscriptions here. But please hurry, I am not alone!"

He did sound alarmed with his last phrase.

[ewancummins]

''Nevertheless, I would like to continue to the next stage of the tour, s'il vous plaît! I am growing very curious of these marvelous baths I have heard so much about."

''Do come this way..."

[Adam]

Bennedict steps forward with the group, seizing hold of one end of the rope to help pull when the time comes.

[steveflam]

Primeiro finishes connecting Dorgio's rope to Juergin's, and then he ties the other end to his makeshift iron-and-stone anchor in the abbey wall. After double-checking his handiwork and feeling rather good about it, he cautiously peers over the edge of the pit. "Damnation," he says softly. "We'll have to deal with that slab of rock first. Juergin, good lad, can you make a loop with your end of the rope and secure it -- gently -- around the rock? At the very least, even if it's too heavy to pull up, we can at least keep it from falling on top of Eustace!"

"Yes I can do that. Lower me down and I will. I do not know how vell it will hold, however."

[ewancummins]

Once he has been lowered into the pit, Juergin is able to loop the rope around the big hunk of masonry. With a little twisting and wriggling, he manages to more or less secure the large hunk of fallen stonework.

Of course, he just tied what's probably at least a hundred pounds of broken masonry to a rope line, and now the whole mess is beginning to shift...


Below-

Eustace hears a groan in the stones trapped in the shaft above him, and some dust and little bits of loose mortar fall on his head.

[steveflam]

Juergin calls up. "The line is secure but the masonry is beginning to shift, ja? Herr Eustace..... can you move out of the way of the masonry in case it breaks in pieces unt falls? I suggest dat for you."

[ewancummins]

Juergin calls up. "The line is secure but the masonry is beginning to shift, ja? Herr Eustace..... can you move out of the way of the masonry in case it breaks in pieces unt falls? I suggest dat for you."

The fallen masonry wobbles a bit. Juergin feels the line that hangs under him, which connects him to the loose stonework, grow taut.