The Clearing Continues

----> "Any of these statues look familiar to you?" Cyrdan asks of Tilwic as he investigates the huge, reddish figures.
----> The Blackrobe shakes his head, stating that they resemble icons of a very old and very extinct vein of nature worshippers. He also adds, however, that the heads are too round and that he's never seen the eye sockets portrayed as empty.
----> Cyrdan jots these things down in his journal.
----> Yohon interrupts as his nostrils pick up the ammonia-like scent. "We have to snuff these torches now!" he yells.
----> Tharg quickly extinguishes his light source as does Tilwic, though the other torch bearers hesitate.
----> "That ammonia smell could be some sort of explosive gas," Yohon explains. "The jungle is full of this type of danger."
----> "If it were explosive, wouldn't we have blown up already?" Meggana asks, wary of losing her light source.
----> "Douse the lights!" Tilwic commands.
----> The other lights go out. As eyes become accustomed to the dimness of this chamber, Yohon takes a closer look at the great statues. Cyrdan does the same.
----> Tilwic explains that the gas could indeed be explosive and that it may not necessarily catch ignition from the torches so easily. Grant is quick to argue.
----> "I've mined a whole lot of rock in my day," he begins. "I've smelled gas and I've seen gas. Hell, I've had gas! And I say there's no way any gas, flammable or not, could light off with that there breeze blowing all around the place."
----> Playing it safe, the group remains lightless. In the dimness of the chamber, combined with the sunny areas beaming down from the area up the stairs, infravision does not immediately replace the lack of lighting. A few high pitched noises from Siggy echoes throughout the tier.
----> "Monkey no like dark," Tharg says nervously.
----> An odd anticipatory feeling fills the air. The tier appears vacant and Yohon, followed closely behind by Tilwic, makes his way up the long staircase upward. Cyrdan places hand out in front of his body, feeling for the breeze that softly flows through the room. It seems to be originating from the top of the stairs.
----> As he does so, Tharg decides to calm Siggy down by relighting his torch. The room once again fills with illumination. The barbarian busies himself with making torch racks out of the statues, laying scraps of wood in the empty clay eye sockets of the figures and lighting them. He seems to be taking in his surroundings as he goes. Taking a cue from the barbarian, Meggana also relights her torch and accompanies him on his rounds. He finishes his self-appointed task and follows Yohon and Tilwic.
----> Meggana stops at one of the statues at the northern side of the chamber to further investigate the big-headed thing. After finding nothing extraordinary, she rejoins the group who have already begun ascending another tier.
----> The macaque seems more at ease after the lights rekindle. Tharg does his best to comfort Siggy, issuing soft throaty sounds to the monkey.
----> Grant is crouched over in one corner, running his fingers across the stone floor. He looks closely at the residue on his finger and even touches it to his tongue. After spitting, he gives the stone a soft knock with the aft side of his hand axe. "This stone work is definitely not dwarven," he says. "And do you know why I know it's not dwarven? Because it's crap, that's why." With that, he moves to join Yohon on the stairs.


----> At the top of the stairs, Yohon pauses and whispers something to Tilwic.
----> The Blackrobe signals the group to halt. They freeze.
----> Tilwic backs up down the stairs toward the rest of the party. Six steps lower, he whispers behind him, "He said the ceiling is moving."
----> Siggy hops behind Tharg's head and hides.