Then Bart starts yelling, "I ain't some kid you know, I can take care of myself.  Just because I'm little doesn't mean that all you big idiot warriors need to be picking me up.  What if you dropped me?  I'd been crushed!  Then who would you use to find your traps.  I could have made it. I'm an expert burglar.  I found that trap didn't I?"

He turns to Father Durrant and Mr. Louglynn and in a more normal tone states, "I don't think that's the way.  There must be another entrance.  This guy plays for keeps, that was a beautiful trap, the stones were carved to look like mortar.  Fabulous." He then whispers softly, "next time, I'll use my wand."

Father Durrant and Mr. Louglynn decide to dig at the same place at the other end of the cliff.  At their direction the tools are picked up and the group heads down the cliff base.  Sarge and Bart are to resume checking the central portion of the cliff for traps and they drop behind the group a bit.  Dawn stops where she and Bart left off and waits for them to catch up. When they near, she hears Bart say something about about orc stains not coming out.  Sarge continues on alone to Mr. Louglynn waiting where she left off.

Father Durrant, Geoff, and Lars stop about twelve yards from the western edge of the cliff and fall in to their systematic removal.  The excavation continues for over an hour.  Sure enough, about six feet below the ledge, another opening is found.  Father Durrant signals the rest of the party while the opening is made larger.  Bart peeks in and see's a roughly worked solid stone tunnel.  About two feet in, the ceiling rises into darkness. The sand and gravel spills about ten feet into the tunnel.

Light from the entrance makes a door at the end of the 30 foot tunnel the only visible feature.  Bart, not wanting to slide in until he sees the ceiling, asks for a lantern which is produced (they have three with them, the rest are at the tower).  Bart puts the lantern into the tunnel and eases his way down the spill into the tunnel.

He slides carefully head first with the lantern before him until only his legs protrude.  The rest of party hears him start to chatter, "Oh, don't like this at all. I've seen bad stuff happen..." He pushes himself back out of the hole, rights himself, and steps away from the tunnel. "Ceiling is covered with webs, can't even see it. No telling what's up there.  Tunnel is only half as deep as the other one, but as wide. No blocks, all solid stone, floor and walls anyway.  Another nasty looking door is the only apparent exit."

Bart continues, "Hey, there's no chance in hell that I'm standing under these webs looking for traps.  We need to burn these things. Someone prepare me some flaming arrows, and I'll blast those things out." Sarge grabs four arrows and wraps them in some old cloth, which she tears from a large canvas and drenches them in lamp oil.

Bart meanwhile gets on his hands and knees to watch the webs and the hall through the 2' opening before him, his dagger next to him in easy reach; nothing stirs.  When Sarge is ready with the arrows, Bart stands and says, "one pull, get me out." He then pushes the lantern into the hole, sheathes his dagger, sets his bow on his chest, grabs the arrows, and pushes himself on his back into the tunnel with his feet.

Once he clears the 2' stone wall and has a good shot at the webs. He maneuvers on his back to lay his dagger on the slope to his right, the arrows on his chest, and his bow in his arms.  From outside all they can see is wriggling hobbit feet. Sarge makes to pull him out because it looks like he is being strangled, but Father Durrant stops her with a head shake and knowing look.

Bart gets situated, knotches an arrow, takes a deep breath, then bends to light the arrow in the lantern. Then sweeping it wide to avoid dripping flames on himself, he aims at the ceiling 25' away; looking upside down. The arrow is loosed, and flies into the webs, catching them on fire. The arrow hits the far wall and drops to the ground. Bart watches flaming lines spread across the ceiling. Flaming chunks start drifting down at the other end of the tunnel.

While watching this, Bart knotched another arrow. Knowing a second arrow on this side of the tunnel should do the trick, he puts the dagger on his chest, lights the arrow and lets it fly upward about ten feet from himself. That done, he yanks the rope. Sarge pulls him so hard he bangs his head on the slope, but it only takes a fraction of a second and he is out.  The two foot hole glows orange, then dims, then black smoke starts billowing out.  Finally it stops and the hole is black and quiet. No beasts attempted escape.  Bart looks in and can't see a damn thing. "Oops, left the lantern in there." But he sees no light.  Someone lights a torch and hands it to him. Holding it into the opening before him, Bart crawls in.  The entire cieling is filled with smoke, making it impossible to see what the webs concealed.

"That worked well," Bart says, "send a warrior down there to cover me, and I'll work my magic."

Geoff says, "I think we need to find some way to clear out the remaining smoke. Any of you witches know a spell that deals with air." He winks at Dawn as he says witches.  He glances around and sees the spell casters shaking their heads. "Hmmm.  I also noticed writing on the door at the other entrance.  This door too Bart?" Bart shakes his head.  "Okay then, Bart, lets check it out. I want to get into this damned place."

Bart hands the torch to Geoff and crawls into the tunnel.  He slowly crawls down the sand and gravel to the stone floor.  Soot and ash still float in the air, the smell is awful. Geoff follows with the torch and bastard sword.  The lantern must have been knocked down the sandy slope when Sarg pulled Bart through the opening; it lays on the stone floor, mostly melted.

Bart stands a few feet from the spill and motions for Geoff who is eyeing the smoke to give him room.  Bart pulls out a wand, a smooth stick covered with runes, holds it in both hands arms outstretched, and says a quick word, "schmeckel." He moves the wand to point directly at the doors.  Bart bids Geoff to remain where he is and moves cautiously to the door, keeping an eye on the ceiling.  Bart looks over the door without touching it.  They are well made solid oak doors; huge hinges bolted into solid stone wall hold the doors in place flush with the wall.  No symbols, glyphs, or mechanical traps are evident.  The only art is the stone reliefs carved into the stone above the door.

Bart knows the wand points to a trigger mechanism, so it must be within the hinges or pull rings, or behind the door.  He looks for cracks around, under, and between the doors and finds them to be very tight and dust choked.  No air currents are felt.  He pulls out a thin metal strip and inserts it under the door. It slides under about four inches then hits something solid.  The same occurs at the four other spots along the bottom of the doors Bart checks. Bart continues to insert the strip under, between and along the sides of the door.  Only four inches of the strip can be pushed through the cracks.  Bart motions for Geoff to approach and asks to be lifted so he can check the top half of the door.  Everywhere he checks the strip hits something solid after four inches are inserted.

Outside, after Geoff crawls into the tunnel, Dawn says to Mr. Louglynn, "This may be premature, but if we do find the right entrance, we'll need to let the others back at the fortress know.  Someone should remain here to keep an eye on things. Especially if we must wait 'til morrow to actually enter. And if we don't find it today, it might be a good idea for a few to remain here over night in order to get an earlier start."

"I like the first part of your idea," Mr. Louglynn replies to Dawn, "but, my dear girl, do you really think it a good idea to sit out here at night with all that fog?  That stuff radiated evil as far as Dame Cassandra could see. I don't think the risk is worth the payoff.  No telling what would happen if you spent a night inhaling that stuff."

Dawn replies, "I know a little cant that should provide some protection. It is a sphere that would surround those who remained. As far as the evil it radiates, I'm not that concerned. This whole place is evil. The fog is simply at home here."

Mr. Louglynn adds, "Not that I'm agreeing with this idea, but who would you have stay with you?"