24 - Elven Necromancer - Halfling Druid
[cast 3 of 10 spells; Eagle Wings to expire at the beginning of turn #8, Stone Elemental to disappear at the beginning of turn #9]

...

While the stone elemental looms over the motionless body of the centipede, now looking much smaller and fragile than before, Elven flies around the chamber, picking up two lighted torches from their sconces. She then moves to hover by the side of the elemental, exchanging sad glances with him as they both share a moment of silence, dwelling upon the senseless loss of life they had engendered. Elven had heard stories of the depravity of Dicerolling Medicineman, the monster who had built this dungeon --- she now knew they were no exaggeration.

But time waits for no man, or woman.

With the centipede gone, it seems there is now a seventh tunnel to explore, the one beyond the grate. As I understand it, the grate (or grating) was fixed into the floor of the chamber and the tunnel beyond it is in fact --- at least initially --- a vertical or down-sloping shaft. Not the most welcoming of prospects, but still navigable by a flying halfling-sized druid.

Logic would dictate that such a tunnel would have an opening to the outside at its end, for otherwise, why hadn't the giant centipede burst out of its prison days or weeks before. Logic would dictate that such a tunnel would be somewhat safer to explore, for any traps along its main corridor would have already been triggered by the passing centipede. Yet, in her heart of hearts, Elven had a nagging feeling that Logic's secretary may well be out to lunch and all of Logic's dictations thus gone with the wind. Still, regardless of what lay ahead down the seventh tunnel, surely it was better than travelling alongside humans and dwarves, elves and goblins --- or, worst of all, other halflings.

Elven introduces herself to the elemental in his language (Petran) --- his name is apparently Stoneybridge --- and motions him towards the grateless gap at the centre of the chamber. Stealing a last glance at poor Snookums and wiping a small tear from her eye, she flaps her wings and follows the elemental. At the edge of the shaft, she hands the elemental one of the torches and asks him if he would be so kind as to jump down into the shaft and report how deep it is and what he can see at its bottom, while she remains for now afloat above (say, 10 feet above the chamber floor), one hand holding the second torch, the other her trusty Meld Into Stone staff.

...

P.S. Dicerolling Medicineman?! I mean, really... What were his parents thinking when they gave him such a name?! Surely, it's just asking for trouble...