14. Outside the entrance to the ruin

The Lost Temple by 'Asur Misoa'

Currently

This follows on directly from the session entitled Scouting the ruins.

The girls have arrived at the entrance that Traci and the Princess noted opened out into a slightly larger area than the other three when they checked them out previously. It is large enough for the four of them the go side by side quite comfortably. They have lit torches which are carried by Alice and Melissa and upon entering see that the walls and ceiling are coated in a mildly glowing phosphorescent fungi. It doesn't give enough light to see much by so they keep the torches lit for the time being. The entrance turns into a passageway and leads directly to a wide marble stairway, ancient and overgrown with surprisingly lush and vigorous vegetation.

As the girls reach the top of the stairs a terrible piercing cry rings out stopping them in their tracks. It's impossible to tell just where exactly it came from given the echoing sound and limited lighting. What to do now?

The Options

The girls could light more torches in a bid to see further into the gloom and maybe get a little more warning if something should come at them unexpectedly. Or one of them could scout ahead enabling the other three to act as back up if something should happen. Melissa could use magic to obtain knowledge of what's ahead, or they could all simply push on a little more carefully and warily.

The Decision

Using magic doesn't strike them as a good idea at this point given that they may need Melissa's abilities in combat or for any number of other more important acts that may arise. It seems wasteful to make use of her abilities in these circumstances. Lighting more torches may seem like a good idea but they only have a limited supply and there's no real hope of it doing much for their current situation anyway. The sound could be anywhere, or any distance away, or disembodied or just about anything. Scouting ahead is definitely a viable way forward. It limits potential danger to one of the group while allowing the other three to prepare to leap into action if things look like turning bad, and simply pushing on blindly seems very naïve and unwise given the limited knowledge of what's causing the shrieking cries. It's as likely a warning cry that intruders have entered the ruins as it is a cry of pain or terror. 

They decide to send the Princess ahead with the others following on at a distance. She has a torch with her and her cutlass at the ready. 

What happens next

The Princess moves ahead slowly and soon vanishes into the darkness ahead. Her footsteps are clearly heard in the echoing chamber as she descends the wide, marble stairway overgrown with vines and other vegetation. She stops as a large, shadowy outline looms ahead of her(1d6=1). She calls to the others who rush to her side. 

They await whatever it may be that approaches, Traci and the Princess up front, Alice and Melissa behind. Melissa palms quicksilver while the others draw weapons.