Into the dark

[I'm assuming the marching order is as follows: Orthos and Mercurio up front; Varel and Wolfie in the middle; Laurie and Nibben bringing up the rear.]

The party cautiously follows the impatient raven into the fetid hole. Just wider than six feet in diameter, it tunnels down at a gentle slope, its walls made of nothing sturdier than compacted earth held together by the root systems of surrounding vegetation.

Approximately 20 feet down, the floor of the tunnel reveals a set of old stone stairs, half-buried in the dirt, their edges eroded by the ages. The dirt walls gradually expose more and more hardened stone, and the earthen tunnel eventually merges into a subterranean corridor. This appears to be a fully excavated structure, though of an unknown origin and ancient vintage, long since buried and forgotten by time.

The foul smell intensifies. In the glow of Orthos’ supernatural flames, various bones and piles of excrement – some old, but others quite fresh – can be seen littering the floor, requiring careful footwork to avoid. The corridor continues straight ahead, but openings to the left and to the right can also be seen in the dim light.

As the group considers its next move, the sound of drums suddenly echoes all around them: a deep, irregular thrumming, like the heartbeat of a dying man.