"Until we decipher those runes, I cannot be certain," says Madragar, warily. "But they form a coherent whole, such that they can exist only in one place at a time. In a sense, I believe that these runes are alive."

[What's your marching order?]

The group creeps carefully down the tube while occasionally stopping to listen. As they move, the trio of dwarves often exchange glances and vague hand signals, comparing what their innate sense of direction and depth is telling them. The ceiling of the passage remains about fifteen feet below street level.

The tunnel plunges eastward and after several minutes Pogar whispers that they have journeyed beneath the kuralitai barracks and are approaching the house of the Lioness. Close to where the dwarves believe her abode to be located, the tunnel splits. The intersection contains three passages, each spoking outward in perfect symmetry. The companions approach the intersection from the west and can either proceed to the northeast or southeast.

To the northeast, Draxim's darkvision reveals that the passage makes a serpentine turn to the left. The southeast passage ends at a door some forty feet away.

Edited by: Jubilex at: 11/9/04 2:23 pm