"This tunnel quickly goes down into the mesa, at quite a steep slope. There are stairs though," Jorgen informed the group.
"No where else to go?" Amadeo asked.
"I do not see any other openings or hallways," Jorgen reported.
The long and twisting flight of stone stairs were carved into a cramped passage of cold black basalt. At around 300 feet below the doorway the walls began to be covered with carvings.
With no other choice the party decided to head to the northeast. Casia was encouraged to leave the hut even though she was still concerned about returning.
The small clearing was surrounded by tall trees and soon the party found themselves within the confines of many of those trees. As they moved further in the woods became more dense, comprised of tall trees with long needle-like leaves clustered into spiral arrangements. High above, their branches locked together, blotting out the sunlight. Below the canopy, the tree branches were thin, losing their foliage from lack of sunlight, and jutted out from the vast maze of peeling trunks like skeletal arms. A blanket of fallen needles covered the ground. Locked in the gloom and cold, the forest floor seemed nearly barren, except for patches of lichen and moss that cling to the rocky soil and the lower trunks of the towering trees.
