We got to keep the Devil... Way down in the hole...

*Tourist lighting not included*

Our fearless young lads have finally reached their first “job site”… and have foolishly decided to continue on their current career path. Torches have been lit, horses have been staked, arrows are nocked (whatever that means), and the group begins to make its way down the mysterious, bramble-covered stairway, straight into the bowels of the earth…

One by one, the heroes-in-waiting descend; Furok in front, followed by Napoleon the burglar, then Napoleon’s sea-voyage companion Jake carrying a torch (almost forgot about him entirely –Ed.), then Archibald of Pluto, Nyatar of Horus, and Hoko the Lawyer bringing up the rear.

The light from the entrance illuminates a huge stone block, almost entirely filling the 10’ wide tunnel. Napoleon can scoot through, but it’s going to be hard for the outrider and both priests. Nyatar steps forward, his lips moving as a faint chant can be heard. The chant gradually grows louder, then louder still, and Nyatar’s eyes grow wider and wider. He lunges forward, filled with the holy strength of Horus, as his words echo down the corridor. Slowly, the huge block begins to shift. Inch by inch, Nyatar presses the giant block against one side of the passage, until a two-foot space has been opened for the party. Nyatar steps back, sweating and breathing hard, nodding grimly at the party’s congratulations

Looking down, the party is startled to see the (extremely) flattened shape of a humanoid. The fingertips that were at one time exposed have been gnawed down to the bone; the rest of the body is crushed, but untouched. A quick examination finds some destroyed personal items, and a pouch with mangled sheets of parchment inside. Napoleon has a look; there is encrypted writing on them, but he thinks that, given enough time, he might be able to break the code. The wrinkled sheets are quickly pocketed.

On the far side of the huge block is a door, which has apparently been opened. It’s a tight squeeze, but the party manages to make it through the gap, into the next section of corridor. There is a straight stretch, with a bend to the right after forty feet. Someone once told Napoleon that he should always check for traps before entering a cavern, so he does… even though he has no idea what he’s looking for. His appearance of intent is enough to fool the rest of the group, however, who follow him slowly down the hall.

As the group approaches the bend, Napoleon brings them up short. A faint scrabbling noise can be heard in the background, amongst the sound of dripping water. Turning the corner, the passage slopes down for another thirty feet before opening into a larger space. Neither the faint light source nor the augmented senses of the party can see the full extent of the new space, but all of them can now plainly hear the scraping, flapping sounds coming from in front of them. Full of vim and vigor (and urged by their bankrolling priest of Pluto) the group approaches the opening.

It is now plain that the new space is actually a huge open pit. The roof looms forty feet above them, while the bottom and far side are lost in darkness; the passageway becomes an 8-foot wide ledge that descends to the right, gently spiraling down into the hole.

Furok’s eyes grow huge, and he has just enough time to partially duck the shadowy form flying at him from the far side of the pit. A frog the size of a large German shepherd clangs off the top edge of his shield, and smacks into the stone wall close by Jake’s head. The party dissolves into chaos as more shapes come bounding and climbing out of the abyssal darkness…