Scouting the Deep Roads under the Hunterhorns

[circleprodigy]

WHO: Inessa, Newt, Kain and Fingon
WHAT: Finding alternate routes, encountering difficulties every step of the way.
WHEN: Some ambiguous time during Solace
WHERE: The Deep Roads under the Hunterhorn Mountains
NOTES: CW: Starting with implied violence, cave-ins, claustrophobia, Warden Things and going from there. Will update as necessary.

It has been an arduous journey, both getting to the Deep Roads passages and scouting them throughout, and one not yet completed. While they have encountered their share of obstacles already, from dead-ends to darkspawn, the group has yet to fulfill their purpose. Finding passages under the border to the Anderfels has been an uphill battle, to put it mildly. Most routes are used by Kal-Sharok, darkspawn, or Ander Wardens, all on the 'avoid' list, and so the party must seek older trails, side passages, places less trafficked...and less likely to be maintained to any degree. That it's risky goes without saying, but better they find such passages than their enemies.

Inessa repeats that as often as need be, both internally and aloud. She says not a word of complaint, meeting setbacks with renewed determination and as long as the others are able and willing to continue. There's no pushing them to the point of collapse, though it's not difficult to see that she's very invested, and always seems to be a little more so whenever Anders Wardens are mentioned or encountered. Even her mabari, a bottomless pit of love, becomes tense at mere mention of those Wardens and gives them no quarter when forced to fight. Gaharel remembers well their time in Weisshaupt.

A few days into their journey underground, Inessa is marking their progress on a map when Garahel's sharp whine snaps her back to their surroundings. "Garahel, what--" The unfinished question dies on her lips when a piece of the ceiling slams into the ground, followed swiftly by another. Glancing up, her eyes widen as the entire tunnel is intent on coming down around them. There's no time to run away, so she casts Barrier and prays that the others are close enough.

Comments

[somethingwild]

"Would you like help with some of the rubble?" Newt offers, making his way over to her. He holds his wand up, lit up with a Lumos Maxima spell to provide some light as he walks. He tries to examine as much of the damage as he can as he does, trying to assess how bad the situation is.

He has a few scratches and bruises himself, but he remains intact, as ever.

"Merlin," he says, shaking his head.

[in_death_sacrifice]

Kain clutches at Garahel for a moment, then pets him, as if to reassure the mabari... but it's really more for his own sake, even if he'd never admit that. He's grateful for Inessa's light touch too, of course, and nods. It'll be fine. He's not too thrilled, but he's used to running on survival mode anyway. At least that light from Newt's wand helps, a great deal.

"If you've got the magic to move it away, by all means." Sure, Kain could probably manage it physically, but magic ought to speed up the process. He steps closer to where the rock has fallen to block their way, taking a closer look. He glances over toward the mages. "It's hard to say how stable it is... do you think it can be moved without further collapse?"

[somethingwild]

Newt glances over at the rubble, frowning. A moment later, he has to dim the light on his wand to preserve his own energy. Merlin only knows how they're all going to make it out of this particular mess. But he is, at least, going to try and help as best he can.

He moves carefully, taking care where he steps so as not to bring any more rocks down on them all. He shifts his wand to see if he can distinguish a good spot to try and at least attempt to move some rubble carefully.

"Perhaps," he mutters to himself. He waits a moment before pointing his wand to a small corner, muttering a spell under his breath. He waits another moment. A small fragment moves, slowly, but it moves. And it doesn't bring the roof crashing down on their heads.

"Well," he says. "That's at least a start."