Move 364:  In Which the Pillar Doesn't Attack

Smooth Caverns--Midday, Day 37 (Marpenoth 20)

The group studied the pillar for a few minutes. Nothing about it made anyone feel at ease, but it kept on being very rocklike and seemingly non-hostile.  They were now faced with the decision to stay where they were, go back and explore the areas behind them, continue forward, or leave the cavern complex all together.

"So what now?" Jana asked, looking around nervously.

"I can't tell anything else about the pillar," Echo said, sounding as nervous as Jana looked. "I think we should keep going. Down the other tunnel or back to the places we left behind us."

Azrun looked around the room again seeing if he missed anything, "I vote for going back and exploring those side rooms we skipped on the way to here. I'd rather not push on without knowing what all is behind us."

"Works for me," Jana agreed.

Smooth Caverns--Later than Midday, Day 37 (Marpenoth 20)

The decision was made to go back and investigate the areas that had been left behind unexplored behind the group. They returned to the first cavern in the complex, where the first ropers had been fought the day before, and started from there.

The ledge that the eight foot pillars were on went all the way around the cavern, which they eventually discovered was C-shaped. On this revisit to this room, the elegant pillars seemed incomplete somehow. The two ropers that had been in there the day before seemed to have been the only occupants of the area.
 
After they walked through the tunnels for a few minutes, Echo spoke up quietly. "It wasn't only the walls in the room with that weird pillar that are magical. It looks like this whole place is." She still sounded nervous.

"That doesn't sound very good," Jana mumbled.

The other previously unseen area proved to be unoccupied as well. It was a nearly circular chamber. Seven pillars, each sprouting a seven tipped star at its tip, surrounded a larger pillar. The entire floor of this cavern was covered in the slippery glassrock that lined the tunnels leading into this cavern complex.
 
Azrun walked around the room slowly examining the pillars as he went, "There's got to be something here to let us know what all this is for. Some sort of markings or something." He continued searching for a few minutes.

The explorations took some time due to their cautiousness, but soon enough, they found themselves back at the fork.

"We haven't been down the left tunnel," Echo said.   "So that's the way to go?"

"Guess so," Jana agreed, sounding rather less than enthusiastic. In a low voice she muttered, "Gods, I hate those roper things. Nasty-ass tentacles, jumpin' out atcha..."

"Don't forget the best part, that you're likely as strong as a newborn babe after you get hit." Blacky added "Guess I got lucky last time and didn't succumb to the toxin."

Azrun shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe there's something down here that will let us know what's going on."

Renn nodded in agreement. "That does seem to be the only way left to explore," he said. "How far would we want to go though, as Arachne and Aloysius should be contacting Azrun what...soonish?" Renn added a quick curse about keeping time in the complete darkness.  "Or, if we think all the ropers are gone, which seems to be the case to me, do we simply wait here for them to get back.

"Before we're completely through with this section of tunnels," Renn said as he examined one of the pillars, "I'd like to see if any of our spent arrows are recoverable, and to have another look at whatever it is inside the rock. Don't know what I really want to do around it, maybe speak Elvish, hum and Elvish tune, or something along those lines."

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