The glowing figure nods and says "If ever you need my help in escaping, please return." Then it and the portal disappear.
The bridge and the Castle as the end of it are surrounded by clouds of fire and freed demons, frolicking and savaging each other to celebrate their release from their imprisonment. It would be suicide to enter that mess.
You are at the south end of an enormous, narrow, twisty passage of basalt. At the north end is a sight that makes you think you must be in Hell: a fortress, smooth, angular, and black, surrounded with skeletons, skulls, and small hordlings.
Across this chasm, you see a seemingly endless hell of magma, ash, and bands of roving demons. Dozens, if not hundred, of imps fly over the chasm, climbing, diving, and eating bats. Flying over the chasm would be very dangerous.
The imps circling over the chasm see you and decide to have some fun with you. A mob of them encircles you, grabs you, holds on until your flight spell wears off, and then lets go. Not the best joke, perhaps, but they seem to find it hilarious...
You are at the entrance to a very well-concealed secret passage. From here, you see a horrible, blasted wasteland of sulphur and ash. Bats and imps circle, howling overhead. To the north, past an enormous chasm, you see an enormous black fortress.
You are at the south end of a very secret passage. A crude path has been marked out with stones, heading north. Wherever you're heading, a lot of people have been this way before.
This cavern is choked with hills, debris, and thousands upon thousands of stalagmites. Wandering among the mess are multitudes of giant lizards, some green, some red, some enormous. They don't seem interested in you. At the moment.
The shrine is still there, but there's not much interesting about it.
When you grab the spear, nothing happens, at first. When you reach the entrance to the shrine, however, you see that the lizards have gathered around it, staring at you with emotionless eyes. They don't appear to appreciate what you've done.
A band of lizards works up its courage enough to try and eat you.
You are at the east end of a very well-hidden secret passage. Corridors lead away to the north and south. You start getting the uneasy feeling you're being watched...
You are at the entrance to a large cave with a high, arched ceiling. In the distance, you see hundreds of soldiers, camped around a huge, reptilian beast. Something that large can only be a dragon. You back away before you're seen.
Again, you find a section of river blocked by long, sharp, jagged stones. Unfortunately, this time you see no way to move them. You'll have to head back.
You meet an Empire patrol coming out of the large cave to the west.
You stare out into a huge, open cave, filled with the lights of dozens of bonfires. Through the smoke, you can see hundreds of Empire soldiers, waiting, practicing, preparing. You back away from the entrance before you are seen.
The jagged rocks ahead slide out of your way when you get close.
There are the shattered ruins of a tower here. Whoever attacked this place, they weren't setisfied with merely entering or destroying it. They razed it to the ground.
You encounter an Empire guardpost. There's none of this pass-checking ar questioning business. As soon as the enemy sees Exiles are here, they attack.
Nothing happens.
The golem says "Present your gray pass." You get your pass out and present it. After a long pause, the golem says "You may proceed." It doesn't say or do anything else, so you leave.
The golem says "Present your gray pass." You don't have one. The golem slowly, ponderously shakes its head. Fortunately, it doesn't attack. Frustrated, you leave the tower.
This narrow channel is blocked to the west by a profusion of jagged rocks, pointing out of the water. At this point, you can't pass.
You are deep in enemy territory. Therefore, it's only to be expected that you'll run into groups of soldiers like this one...
You are seeing increasing signs of Empire activity - abandoned camps, lots of tracks, and skeletons hanging from the walls. You are far past enemy lines. You head back, before you meet an enemy force too strong to be resisted.
You see that someone has drawn a blue crystal on the cave wall. Looking around, you see a concealed passage heading west.
You find where Fort Haledon's troops were camped. It is a sad reminder of the sacrifice they made, the help you obtain their people's treasure.
You catch up with Fort Haledon's troops. They are pleased to see you, and Mahr-Tel shows you the preparations they have made, and the magic their shapers can unleash. If you reach the gates of the fort soon, they will attack with you, helping you enter.
You are at the west end of the secret passage. From here, you have a clear view of the Empire Ziggurat. Its smooth, huge granite looms high above the cave floor, and many guards patrol around it.
The short passage ends in a sheer granite wall. Remembering what the Vahnatai said, you search the wall, and, indeed, you find a secret passage at the base of it. It was well hidden and the wall was large - you couldn't have found it without their help.
The short passage ends in a sheer granite wall. Very little to see here. You turn back.
You cannot find Aimee's shade again.
You leap forward and strike a blow, which passes through the shade without affecting it. She shakes her head sadly, and disappears.
"Until I return, I leave a gift for you poor souls, fighting and dying for your land." Words and symbols start appearing in your mind, flying in like darts and lodging there. "This spell is my gift to you. Good luck." You now know the spell Death Arrows.
The shade moves towards you. She says "I am Aimee, of Exile. I lived in the islands before the Empire came, travelling the worlds with my mind. Now, I have left, and will not return until it is safe again."
Aimee's shade does not appear again. However, you hear a brief whispering in your minds, refreshing your knowledge of how to cast Death Arrows.
The huge plant beasts start to slide hungrily towards you. As you approach, you notice several small, ugly lizards scuttling back and forth at their base.
You look out over the water, and see a large spire of rock slide out of the way, leaving an opening for a boat to move through.
Delicatessen is a majorly cool movie.
To the west, you see the narrow waterway is filled with jagged rocks. A small guardhouse stands on a hill overlooking the obstructions.
You rush the archers, and they fan out to meet you...
An Empire patrol decides it just doesn't like the look of you...
You maneuver your boat delicately among masses of jagged rock. You suspect all this obstruction isn't here naturally, and a glance at the ceiling proves your guess right - someone has blasted huge chunks of rock out of the roof to block the way.
Exposed at last, King Micah rips off his face, to reveal....
The totems have a variety of grisly trophies on them. One of the poles, however, has something usual - a pink ribbon is tied around it. It's out of place, at best.
You have no idea what it would be doing here, out in the middle of nowhere, but on the floor right out in the middle of the corridor here is a crumpled length of pink ribbon.
Interesting. At the side of a crude path here, you find a small shred of pink ribbon.
Now there are two abandoned, broken, corpse-filled settlements here, one from humans and one from giants. Although the score is even, somehow how have a hard time feeling good about it.
The river in this little loop of cave is fairly calm. However, there is a waterfall to the east, much larger than the one before. Unfortunately, you don't seem to have any other exit...
The water flows faster and faster. You hear a loud, familiar roaring ahead. If you keep going, you may not be able to get back.
As you maneuver down this narrow tunnel, you notice that the water is starting to speed up.
This small, remote lake is filled with jagged, protruding rocks. Maneuvering will be difficult to impossible. In the middle of the lake is an island. On it is a small, glowing tower.
You greet the soldiers. You exchange news. Then they bid you luck and depart.
You attack soldiers of Exile. They fight back.
Tools left behind provide evidence that someone tried to burrow out. They soon gave up.
This tunnel stretches upward for some ways. After a time, you think it might be leading to the surface. However, you eventually come to a place where countless tons of fallen rock block the passage.
You search the encampment. Most of their equipment was wrecked in the battle, but you do find enough stuff to be worth several hundred gold in barter. You also find a scroll. It describes itself as a "Red Pass". You keep it.
You squeeze into this tiny, well-hidden cave, and see a large encampment of Empire soldiers. Unfortunately, they see you too.
The cave to the east is filled with thick, choking steam from several fumaroles. Sulphurous steam from miles below assaults your senses. The floor is covered with faint tracks from a giant lizard's strong claws.
The road ends abruptly here. Construction materials are still strewn about.
The humans get butchered and dragged off. It's gruesome, but brief.
The passage is blocked by a huge mass of webs. You try to maneuver past and find, much to your surprise, that they aren't sticking to you! You move past.
The passage is blocked by a huge mass of webs. You try to get past them, but they're just too strong and too sticky. You back off before you get caught.
Your movement has attracted a bunch of huge spiders. Their eight legs propel them swiftly towards you, pedipalps twitching greedily...
A rickety stone and wood bridge spans the river here. The grim, shadowy tunnels to the west are heavily festooned with webs, patrolled by spiders the size of your fist.
This is an fairly successful farming area. Long, orderly rows of mushrooms surround you. Crude stone homes are visible among the hills and stalagmites of the cave floor.
You are surrounded by all manner of filth. This is the sewer/garbage pit of the Nephilim. You try not to figure out what creatures all the bones came from.
The scattered ruined mining equipment, totems, and bones littered along the passage to the east indicate only one thing - you're getting near the land of the Nephilim tribe.
