Night to Remember – Underside

[Grey Wolf]

As was common for the door all across Tazlure, they opened inward and that meant hinges were on the other side of a rather sturdy looking wall. Through a gap where a piece of rock was missing, only a bit of the room was visible, stacks of crates and a number of bales laying upon the floor.The hole was far too small for him to fit anything thicker than his little finger through, though it did reveal that the wood the door was made from was about two inches thick. meanwhile, Ashtalion and Corbin continued to work on their tunnel, and possible way out to freedom.

[Danomel]

"Crap", Danomel exclaimed as he ran his hand over the door frame. "Not an exit! Yet there is some air movement. there has to be another door beyond this one." In his mind he visualizes what he knows of the Red Banner layout superimposed over the basement area were they are, trying to determine how close they are to an outside wall.

Finding a small chip in the frame, Danomel peered through. "Looks to be a store room of some sorts, maybe bar supplies by the fact that it is locked. Who knowes? Long way to hall stuff though. should be an outside door for easier access."

Glancing at Barrett, Danomel asks "Any luck on the lock? The door appears to be about four fingers thick, pretty sturdy stuff."

Looking over his shoulder at the other man, Danomel query's; "Valsert, is it? Don't know if the lock can be opened, and the door itself seems to be pretty sturdy. Think if the two of us put a little shoulder into it, with a bit of a running start, we might be able to force the latch? Otherwise, I think we are going to be relying on the mages to tunnel out of here."

[Corbin Dillon]

With continued endeavour, and focus, Corbin continued to shore up the foundations of the building as they slowly but surely cut their way through the wall, and hopefully into the sewers from whence they could make their escape.

[valsert]

Valsert looked doubtful as he approached to survey the sturdy door with Danomel. While willing to try, he did not hold any hope that their efforts would make any headway.

"The hinges are in the right place for us to open it this way. But the lock looks strong, and it or the jamb, must break. I do not know if we will have the power to bring it down....but we should try."

Positioning himself across from the door, Valsert gave a slight nod to let the other man know he was ready.

[Ashtallion Urdil]

Sweat was running down his face, his neck and back in small rivlets now, the strenuous effort of forcing the wall apart was taking its toll on the mage. The lack of air did not help and only quickened his decline into exhuastion. He surmised they did not have too much further to tunnel through and though the prospect of entering a sewer was far from exciting, it was better than being trapped and potentially burnt alive.

The only thing he could do was to keep his concentration on the spell-weaving, tiredness would bring distraction, so he focused his thoughts solely on the sorcery.

[Danomel]

Danomel nods at Valsert's comment. "Yes, I don't hold out much hope either, but short of finding a key, or possibly something that could be used as a pry bar, I don't see any other possibles."

Danomel moved over next to Valsert. "Sill if we are lucky, Barrett may find a way to open the lock before we have to resort to this."

While waiting for Barrett to finish with examining the lock, Danomel takes a few flickers for a good look around the room."

[Grey Wolf]

Even had Barrett tried to examine the lock some more, his search would not have revealed anything new. Aurelius had revealed everything there was to know, yet he was not ready to solve the puzzle for the Querist, leaving such a task for the man himself. Thus, Danomel and Valsert were left with about two yards of running pace and a rather sturdy door they were trying to dislodge from the hinges. THUDUD. Timing on their first try was somewhat off, the dull thuds of their shoulders against the heavy wood resounding in the near darkness. THUD.......THUD.....THUD...... Again and again they came, yet the door did not budge, fine dust falling from above as they shook the very walls with their assaults. It was on the fifth rush that they saw the first effect, a small pebble dropping to the floor and rolling to their feet from under the door. The door was no longer as immovable as it was before, the bolt scraping against the chipped stone with a sound akin to one heard on unsheathing the sword. Meanwhile, Ashtalion and Corbin managed to tunnel through about half of the rock between them and the sewers. First signs of structural weakness began to show, Corbin's skill constantly needed to keep the tunnel sound and open.

[Ashtallion Urdil]

Ashtallion could feel his muscles burning, particulary in his arms and shoulders. He stood as solid as the earth itself, unbending, not yielding to the exhaustion that threatened to break his concentration. Arms extended before him, palms facing the ever expanding tunnel. Swirling tendrils of glittering green energy spiralled around him, rising from the stone under his feet as he drew up earth energy, channelling it into the wall to work his sorcery.

Not even the folds of his robe moved. Evey so often, the only movement he would make was a slow, strong and purposeful gesture of his fingers as he corrected or moved a part of his spell. He was increasingly aware of the structural weakness, but he could spare no extra strength to helping Corbin. Ashtallion hoped Barrett would return and possibly help the young mage in holding the walls together.

[Danomel]

"Movment at last!" Danomel proclaims . "Once, twice, maybe thrice more and the door should yield to our efforts Valsert! A moments rest, then lets finish this."

Danomel takes a moment to run his hands over the door. noting that it is definitely looser in its frame. while the door itself appearing undamaged for the most part, it seems that where the latch enters the frame is turning out to be the weakest part.

There should have been a better and easier way than the basic application of brute force here, Danomel thinks to himself.

Glancing at Valsert, Danomel proclaims, "Lets finish this and hope the rest of the way is more open!"

[Barrett]

The Querist stepped aside, a frown forcing the lines in his brow to prominence.

"If I but had some small pieces of metal I could attempt to trick the lock, but..."

I wonder if the spines of my quill pens would do the trick... if I but had my entire kit instead of just the one plume I carry...

Noticing the apparent success of his companions, Barrett could not help but wince.

"Have a care. We do not know what might lie in yon chamber. If there or fragile or dangerous things that the door might knock. Also, remember the dangerous rush earlier when our air went to feed the flames. If the door should bust open, the air flow might cause another such burst - leaving us in more smoke and dust and causing still more disaster for those still above..."

[Corbin Dillon]

As they continued to bore their way through the wall, it became clear that there were signs of structural weakness. Corbin could feel it in the very earth as he worked swiftly and calmly to control the structure, rebalancing it where he could, and reinforcing it with magic where he could not. Like Ashtallion his body was beginning to tire, but he focussed all his concentration on the work he was doing. He knew that he had to maintain careful concentration on his magic, especially now as the structure of the wall became uncertain. He knew that he was just a student of magic, but he also knew that he was talented with said magic. There was no giving up, or giving in - this was their way out, and they needed to make it work.

[Grey Wolf]

The bigger the hole grew the slower their progress became, though it continued to grow. Despite their best efforts, bits and pieces of rock and earth crumbled away, tumbling to the ground, several rolling over the floor to stop at their feet. From Ashtalion's previous exploration of the area, they have dug through two thirds of the way, though once they broke through they would need to make the hole wider if they wanted to be able to pass through it. Corbin felt tired and sweat was running down his back in rivulets, the effort taxing him much more than the more experienced adhiel sorcerer. Even Ashtalion did not feel completely fresh, though it was certain he would have enough strength to finish his tunnel before he had to rest.

HWile the rock at the side gave way to Valsert's and Danomel concentrated efforts, they were far from breaking through. Time and time again they slammed their shoulders into the sturdy wood and time and time again pain jarred their very bones. Soon their shoulders were so bruised that further efforts would bring continued pain and suffering, even though the door moved a good half an inch within the widened hole in the rocky wall. Now the steel bar that held the door in place was clearly visible, and they could see it reached a good four inched into the stone, explaining why the door had been so hard to break through.

[Danomel]

After looking at the doors steel bar, Danomel slumps down on the floor. "I need a rest. And this is a really depressing turn of events!" he exclaimed. "I expected the deadbolt to be somewhat longer than a regular door, but this..." He waves his hand in the general direction of the lock. "This is unexpected."

A sudden thought occurs to Danomel. "I wonder..." Kneeling down, he examines the somewhat exposed steel bar, He fishes out the pieces of metal he picked up earlier. Examining them, he selects one of the steel pieces. Inserting it between the door and frame he pushes the end of it against the bolt. Then pushing hard and using the frame for leverage point, he attempts to see if he can coax the bar to move into the door.

[valsert]

Valsert did not need the burning itch in his shoulder to tell him that he would be rewarded with a large bruise for his efforts against the door, the actual pain from the task was enough to make that clear even without looking.

Yet the door remained closed. Any exit beyond was still out of reach.

Stepping back to catch his breath from the efforts, he cast a glance at the work being done to tunnel out. The hole looked promising...in a risky dangerous way. If nothing else, it made him gain more respect for the versatile mages.

It was then that a thought struck him, and he shook his head at the dimwitted sight they must have made trying to man handle a solid door when such talent surrounded them.

"Master Barrett?" he began his question by trying to gain the priests attention "Do you also have the ability to shape stone?" he finished with a gesture towards the tunnelers.

"Do you think you can remove the bit here that blocks the doors latch?"

[Corbin Dillon]

The continuous effort of not just the excavation of the tunnel, but of the entire evening was beginning to creep into Corbin's mind and body. He could feel streams of sweat coursing down his body, his clothes becoming increasingly sodden. But he knew that they must finish the task of finding their way out. There would be time for rest after that. He focussed all his attention on the tunnel, blocking out external influences as he drew upon all the inner strength that he possessed to push through the tiredness boundary, and beyond it. He could hear bits of earth tumbling to the ground, and he could feel that it was becoming less stable, so he continued to focus all his efforts on stabilising it. He moved the earth slightly to rebalance areas that seemed to be prone to collapse. Of course it was okay for some bits of the earth to fall, just so long as there was still a discernible hole they could exit through.

[Ashtallion Urdil]

Although he did not feel the strain as much as Corbin did, the magus could certainly feel his strength ebbing. Though his sorcery continued to flow through him, the effort to keep ahold of his concentration was becoming greater. A mortal body could only handle so much aether flowing through it, but the golden eyed adhiel persevered. Earth was a patient element, and while he still had a third of the wall to tunnel through, Ashtallion reminded himself that methodical working would see them to safety, rather than blasting through the remainder, which judging by the structural weakness already, was ill-advisable anyway.

His body was beaded with persperation, the red robes starting to cling to the dampness of his skin. Despite the exhaustion that crept throughout his body, his mind and soul exhalted in the flow of the aether, the exquisite sensation of sorcery.

[Grey Wolf]

Metal scraped against metal as Danomel tried his luck, the smooth thin strips of steel he had found before not coming anywhere close to moving the bolt that held the door in place. Had there been notch near the end, he might have caught the bolt and tried to pull it closer, but as it were, his attempts turned futile. The lock's mechanism was too sturdy for what little force he could apply to overpower the force that held the bolt in place. Without a change in tactics that door was going to stay closed for a long long while. Valsert and Danomel simply did not have enough physical strength to open it by force.

Meanwhile in the other room, Corbin and Ashtalion found that once they got about three quarters of the way through the last part of their work became quite easy, a number of bricks tumbling away and into the sewer water beyond. They had a passage, though it was far too small for any of them to pass through just yet. It was wide enough however, to send in the foul stench of refuse, excrement and rot into the small room. It was simply sickening, the stale air in the chamber replaced by the foul stench, that made eyes water and did its best to make them gag.

[Ashtallion Urdil]

Ashtallion visably recoiled as the wave of sewer stench hit him. He had expected a foul smell, but this was something else. The mage had to force himself to face it, concentrating on the sorcerous energies about himself, for that focus was all that kept his stomach from heaving. Certainly the sorcerer gagged....and to think they would have to trek through the filth.

The green sorcery still flowed from the mage in a steady twisting stream. He had been successful in tunneling through, however the exit was not yet wide enough to accomodate them. Asht focused his will once more and sought to expand the tunnel, just enough to let them through.

[Corbin Dillon]

Finally the wall gave way, the difficulty decreasing as they got to the last bits of the wall. Their reward for this was a putrid and foul stench that rushed in and assailed their senses. Corbin wrinkled his nose in disgust at it, though there was no escaping it now.

The hole that had been created was not sufficiently large for any of them to fit through, but it could be enlarged. As he felt Ashtallion begin to do this he once again focussed on maintaining the integrity of the hole so that it did not collapse about them.

He paused in his work for just a moment to yell to his comrades.

"Danomel, Valsert, Barrett - we're almost through." He cried, as loud as he could manage, before returning to his work.

[Grey Wolf]

As they struggled to broaden the passage stench reached the trio in the passage beyond, Corbin's voice riding on the wave of an almost unbearable stench coming from the sewer. Each passing flicker made the passage wider and allowed more stench to pour into teh room, half a burn later, some water leaking in as they burrowed more ground away. Bit and pieces of things that were better left unsaid floated upon the small stream of water, the small puddle spreading across the floor, moving towards Ashtallion's and Corbin's feet. It would be a few burns more before they could crawl out of the room and into the stinking sewer tunnels.

OOC: Oh, I almost forgot. This thread is no longer impassable. Good luck gentlemen.

[Danomel]

Hearing the call from the other room, Danomel considers the stubborn door for a flicker longer before turning from it. Just as well, He thought to himself, I won’t be tempted to do something that might possibly have been extraordinarily stupid. What was the old saying, desperate measures for desperate times? Something like that I guess. Odds are I will never find out what was behind the door now. Probably a small barred cellar window we could not have gotten out of anyway.

“Well I guess we best get moving.” Danomel comments as he heads out of the room and around the corner.

Upon turning the corner He pauses for a flicker, wrinkling his nose. “What in all creation is that odor?” Moving forward into the growing stench, Danomel considers that maybe the door might still not be a bad idea after all. “I hope it does not get much worse. It smells like they are breaking into a sewer! I have no idea how they can concentrate.”

Danomel puts forth an effort of will attempting to ignore the rather unpleasant olfactory sensations assaulting him.

[Ashtallion Urdil]

It was indeed difficult for Ashtallion to concentrate of his sorcery, however uncount hours spent in meditation and focus excercises had trained him to ignore distractions. If he could keep his cool whilst under mage-fire, he could handle this, for a few burns more at least. As the water started to creep towards them, the wizard resisted the urge to spend energy on creating a shield about himself to reply the sewage, however he held back until his current spell was done and the others were safely into the sewer.

Sweat and weariness were now more profound on the golden haired magus, his red robes clinging to him. The euphoria of his sorcery was starting to ebb, though it never wavered his concentration.

[Corbin Dillon]

How utterly vile, Corbin thought as the sewage began to connect with his expensive clothes. He had certainly not expected this sort of thing this evening, but then again it WAS fun. Well, fun of a kind. And it might have been more fun without the stench and general presence of the sewage. Still, adventuring always had its downsides - it wasn't all demon-slaying and attractive-women saving. As the latter came to mind he briefly wondered whether Madam Tigre had got out safely, as well as his friends above ground.

He continued his efforts to broaden and support the hole in the wall, keeping it secure for all to pass safely through into the sewer.

[Grey Wolf]

With the hole already in place, and two mages working to make it larger, the work progressed much faster, and soon the hole was large enough for a grown man to crawl through it, wading through ankle deep water, if what flowed in the sewers could be called water, and get out of the cellar they were all in. No sign of attractive women, or demons was visible in the faint light available to them all, though the stench may have well been spawned in Nether as it were foul and disgusting beyond belief. It was a way out and beggars could never afford to be choosers.

[Ashtallion Urdil]

As his tunnel widened enough to finally allow them all passage into the sewer, Ashtallion wanted nothing more than to sigh with relief, however he held back from doing such as the large inhale of breath would no doubt result in a gagging reflex kicking in.

The mage peered dubiously into the sewer before cautiously moving to forward and entering the small tunnel. The 'water' that seeped in soon became much more, soaking the hem of his red robe. He silently noted to throw the robe out later once they were out of immediate danger. Asht paused once in the sewer, he regarded the water with distain, resisting the urge to create a shield about himself to repell the sewage, however he needed what strength he had left for other weavings.

Gesturing with his right hand, the sorcerer sought out threads of light energy, knotting them together into a ball of light, one bright enough to illuminate the way forward. Although finished with his earth sorcery, the magus still maintained a link with the brick and stone, incaase he needed to suddenly flood his strength into the walls and maintain their stability until all were out of the celler.

" You had all best hurry! I don't know how long this exit will hold with the Banner coming down on top of it! Corbin....come through, but be ready incase the wall comes down...."