" The way is clear...for now." smircked Vrai. He joined the group on the stone outcropping with a graceful bounce.

" I thought that elves were supposed to be humble." returned Oktavianus with an uncompassioned glare.

The fellowship froze for many minutes waiting for something else to happen until Teflar, finding the way clear, led them down another stairwell. Ten minutes later, the team came to another switchback.

" Look!" railed Nanith with excitement. Following his indication, everyone saw, at the edge of their sight, a citadel top emerge from the darkness below. Cracked crenellations ran the length of the roof and a faint scent of dust and rot lightly blew upon the cool, damp air. " Wow!" the hobbit exclaimed " A fortress!"

Erelis and the others crept close to the edge of the landing trying take in the full view of the scene.
" Whom do you think lived there... or could still be living there?" the rogue postured to noone in particular. " I bet we'll find it is the korbashlavid's hideout." he added confidently.

" You think that would be best?" said Roslyn warily " You know, us potentially fighting off a mass of these things??"

Teflar answered under his breath " We'll do what is necessary."

The team pattered down the narrow stairs and reached the canyon floor which emptied into a small courtyard. It apparently was the top of an old battlement; the rest of the structure was swallowed into the inner depths of the earth. Crumbling masonry littered the drybed on both sides blocking casual walking along the gorge. A crumbling tower stood on the west side of the courtyard.

Nanith frowned and looked behind him. " Have you been able to sense anything else yet, Erelis? I would hate to walk into an ambush right now.�

The psionic glanced ahead as if suddenly in a trance. After many unsettled moments, he answered " I fear we are being watched."

Gailwind twisted around fast in a panic; his nerves obviously not settled from the night before.

" On where does your scrying sense exhude from?" spoke the archer flatly. He bow was cocked as if to release a dozen arrows simultaneously.

Erelis spun slowly scanning the higher portions of the cliffface " Many small eyes I feel......they move around us in many passages."

Nanith bent down, picked up a pebble and tossed it into the center of the courtyard. Everyone then noticed the cracked concrete slabbing holding up the middle portion start to slowly slide into the ground. " I suggest we approach the tower with the rock wall at our backs." said the rogue " The grounds are unstable for casual walking and we know we can�t be attacked from behind." He looked towards the top of the ravine. " Nothing would stop anyone from throwing rocks down from above though."

The team realized that returning up the stairwell was not an option so they quickly moved clockwise along the outer foundation.
Aramil wrung his hands as if trying to detach them. Fear seemed to dance at the edge of his eyes. " I don't know why, but this all feels so wrong, so evil." he whispered. " I keep running over this in my mind. Kobolds are just not this smart. Not smart enough to build a tower, not smart enough to think of poisoning trees. I still feel we must go forward but knowing that kobolds will most likely be the least of our worries."

Moran squeaked high above the gorge as the fellowship moved a dozen paces before a wooden door that centered the middle of the dilapidated western tower.