Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
"Celephai," Alec says, tasting the name. "Sounds.....strange. Even for a foreign name. Anyway, you can call me Alec. Though I'll answer to crazy. Deranged. Insane." Shrugging, he turns to leave the hut. "Pretty much anything that implies I'm not well in the head."
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
Cel nodded. Well, at least he professed he wasn't right in the head. The best kind of crazy is the honest kind.
"I suppose we should get started then. They'll probably have lanterns down in the caves anyhow... unless they were subjected to cave adaptation. Let's hope they didn't."
She walked out of the hut with him, walking over to another, slightly larger building. Inside there was a massive hatch in the floor, made of stone. She hefted one door of the hatch open, revealing a hole that seemed to go straight down into total blackness.
"...So, you first?"
Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
Staring into the Stygian black for a moment, Alec looks up and meets Cel's eye. Eyes. You know what I mean. "Allons-y, as they say.....well, they say that somewhere." Taking a spike from Cel, he warps an end link of the chain around it, then jams it into stone. Taking the chain in both hands, he edges back the ledge carefully, and starts walking down into the dark.
A few moments later, Alec calls from a few feet down, "Come on in, the Abyss is wonderful!"
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
Celephai rolled her eyes again. Then again, what was she expecting? Someone to take this seriously? She grabbed the length of chain and began lowering herself into the depths.
"I'm not sure how far this thing goes down, so just tell me when you hit bottom."
Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
Continuing down, Alec watches as the light recedes further and further. "Say. You really think we aren't gonna make it outta this alive?"
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
Cel continued after him, looking behind her to check for Alec's silhouette against the deeper darkness.
"Well, it's about as likely as starting a bonfire under the ocean."
Something about the way her voice echoed through the cavern told Alec they were nearing a floor about sixty more feet below them.
Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
"I like those odds," is all Alec says as he continues the climb. A minute or so later, he meets solid (maybe?) ground. One hand against the wall, he starts feeling around the chain, trying to feel out the dimensions of the platform. "I've reached a platform," he calls up absently, occupied with not falling off into the mine.
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
Cel paused a moment. A platform? What could that mean?
"Well... about how big is i- oh, that's your head."
She had managed to lower herself directly onto Alec's head, but swiftly swung herself down onto the platform.
"Let's see... should be a lantern or other source of light around here... ah!"
A loud 'clunk' was heard as she located a heavy metal object on a ring. She grabbed Alec's thigh by accident, quickly working her way up his body to his shoulder, and then down to his hand, thrusting the heavy lantern into his hand.
"Don't take that the wrong way, I just didn't want to hit you in the head with this. Think you can fill and light it, magician?"
Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
Taking the lantern, Alec shrugs. "Should be able to. Just one moment." Running his hands over the lantern, he rips opens what he figures to be place to put fuel, and pours some of the booze into it. Melding the cap back on, he turns to where he guesses Cel is. "Got a light?"
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
As Alec turns, he elbows Cel in the ribs, to which she exclaims appropriately.
"Ey! Careful, I don't want to fall several miles down, if, in fact, we are on a platform."
The surface beneath her feet did feel wooden, and hollow underneath, which would infer a platform of some kind, but it was hard to gauge from the acoustics exactly how big the cavern was. She took the lantern and began to feel around for something.
"Let me see... oh, wait, here we go, yes, this feels like just the right texture. Smells about right, too. Ok, shield your eyes, this might be briIIGHDAMNATION!
The lantern exploded into life, it's flame billowing upward over Cel's hand before settling back into it's contained lantern. She didn't seem hurt by it, mostly because it was burning at a pretty low temperature farther up.
"Alright, let's see where we- oh dear."
There's a sixth sense for most humanoid creatures that encompasses one's capacity in the ear to detect the timing at which sound waves bounce back, thus giving a sense of space akin to a primitive radar. Sound waves were, unfortunately, not bouncing back whatsoever to our two adventurers, and now they could see (or rather could NOT see) why: There were no visible walls.
Instead, they were standing on a small wooden platform about ten by ten feet, a little over an inch off of a huge rock pillar, which seemed to ascend from the endless blackness beneath them. A narrow rock path extended into the blackness behind them, and a small, carved rock staircase wound around the pillar they stood on.
"...Suggestions, Alec? I have little preference to either way..."
Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
"Welp," Alec says, edging to the where the platform ends and looking over tentatively, "I'd rather not go further down." Turning he points across the stone bridge. "That way, shall we?"
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
Celephai turned, gazing across the endless path into darkness. The two of them could cross it side-by-side, with about a foot between them and still not be in danger of falling off, but the lack of railings made it seem much smaller.
"...Let's. Maybe we'll find a wall of some kind."
Her remark was tinged with what may have been a hint of worry. She started across the bridge with Alec in tow. A minute or so passed, and they had long since lost sight of the pillar behind them. The bridge seemed to go on forever, the ample light from the lantern lit the path ahead of them for a good thirty feet, but was hardly enough to get a sense of distance for how far they'd traveled.
Finally, Cel sighed in the silence.
"So, Alec, tell me about yourself, your talents... maybe your insanity?"
It was an unusually awkward statement, especially for her.
Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
"I'd hardly say it's a true insanity," Alec begins, hardly missing a beat. "I just answer to it because there are varying levels of crazy that most people don't acknowledge." Shrugging, he catches up to walk side by side. "I've got a few pegs loose, certainly, but I'm far from coming completely unhinged and going serial killer. It's a more subtle mental affliction, inherent in any true scholar. An over-enlargement of whatever it is that drives a man to learn and experience more." He starts to worry the ouroboros pendant, looking around into the black. "I'll more readily ignore danger than your average person if there is knowledge to be gained." Barking laughter, he holds a hand out, gesturing all around them. "And, that's why I'm here."
Uncoiling the snake pendant, Alec undulates it around Cel's head several times, weaves it in a figure-eight, then settles it back onto the fine silver chain around his neck. "You've already seen my metal magic," he says, gasping shortly. "Add to that a damned near encyclopedic knowledge of anything that's ever been written down, an unparalleled training in the martial arts, massive physical strength, and a not-half-bad stamina level, and I can be a force to be reckoned with." Hopping on his feet, he shadowboxes for a moment, keeping pace, and smiles. "Getting lighter on my feet, too."
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
Celephai chuckles as he explains himself. He seemed talented, and he had curiosity on his side. He wanted to know more about everything, he knew a lot about languages... definitely useful. She remained fairly silent for a few moments after he finished, smiling quietly to herself.
Then a doorway came into view. It was oddly tall for a dwarven doorway, but certainly wide enough for the both of them to walk through without issue.
"...We found a wall, and it has a door in it. Wonderful... I can't see any windows from here. I suppose we should investigate."
With that she stepped forward toward the doorway, carefully examining it for any sign of movement. She peeked inside, looking both ways down a long, dark hallway. The walls were ashy gray, maybe schist or deeper mudstone. Intricate carvings were splayed out on the walls, depicting great battles, heroic explorations, epic meetings of nations, and... cheese. And triangles. And renditions of pictures of cheese. And more gory battles.
"...Alec, why are dwarves so strange about their arts?"
Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
Glancing at the wall carvings, Alec chuckles. "Well, for the most part, theirs is a warrior society - as much as mining factors into it - they're usually looking for a better metal to smite their opponents with." Looking more carefully at the cheese, he raises an eyebrow. "The cheese, I have no clue about. Maybe it was just a fantastic delicacy down here?" Wiping some dust off of one of the carvings, he raises the other eyebrow. "Is that.....is that a picture of a picture of cheese?"
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.