The rest of us will investigate the sketch map from the chief squirrel and return when we have news…
After some discussion on how to mark the spot on the road so we know where to come back to, we depart in a westerly direction. After a few miles we reach a crossroads marked with a huge obelisk in the middle.
We search around to no avail and even send Rob to climb up it. All he notices is that it was once taller and is now no longer tall enough for him to be able to see over the trees. We cannot find the broken off top and while a prayer of Detect Magic from Isis reveals a faint glow, there is nothing overtly interesting so we head North.
The road starts to rise up out of the jungle and the vegetation thins and becomes less arboreal. Towards late afternoon we crest a hill and see that the road becomes a causeway across a valley before plunging straight through a mountain. To either side of the tunnel are towers, with two further towers above and to the side. (Toby drew a lovely sketch)
We retreat out of sight and make camp. Rob wants to sleep in a bush for safety. We all agree to join him in his bush, which makes him smile.
On the final watch Varys and Rob are alerted by noises of a large beast snuffling and eating. In the dim early light they make out that it is some kind of giant land sloth!! Luckily it seems to be herbivorous. Isis attempts to befriend it, but the rhododendron branch she offers isn’t sufficiently better than the one it is already munching and it ignores her.
Seeing as we are all up, we head for the tunnel and the towers.
There is no movement detectable ahead and we approach the towers unmolested. Indeed, the place is as quiet as a tomb. Apt, as within the mountain the tunnel opens out into a huge chamber where many bones and skulls and dulled weapons give evidence of a great battle. Some burnt patches on the floor match with holes in the ceiling.
A thorough exploration of the place reveals it to be completely deserted and with nothing of value. It seems to have been manned by a garrison of humans sometime in the distant past and they had huge cauldrons for heating oil.
We continue north, after a hundred yards or so we are halted at the lip of a chasm. The gap is about 20 feet but the tunnel on the other side is about 5 feet lower and 10 feet to one side. We need to build a bridge of some kind.
Much discussion on our ability to carry a tree between the five of us.
The credits for this week roll as we see the party bed down for the night.