Darkness, thick and cloying such that it leaves no details to be seen. But something is pusing against these shadows. A light shines, piercing through the gloom. There is little to reflect the illumination, the dull poorly worked stone is mostly brown. Sometimes reinforced with wood or rusty metal.

And in the opinion of Circe that is a good thing. Water is the most likely thing to reflect in these tunnels and she didn't want to see that. Circe had worn denim, with a work vest that let her clip on a military flashlight. Just so her hands would be free she also has a lanyard attaching a clipboard and pen to the vest. She wanted to inspect the tunnels before bringing everyone down as a precaution.

Paperwork was for testing the feasiblity of drawing a map. It'd work thus far. That and chalk. Lots of chalk.

Circe finds some hewn stairs going down. Circe takes this with caution, worried that the likes of Ram and other tall courtiers might not like these tunnels. At the foot of the stairs the tunnel T's out. Blue nose starts to twitch as she hits the bottom.

It is a old and musty smell, of something strong. Circe follows the smell to the right. What is the smell? Damp or old wood? With a strong tang of something else? Molasses?

Circe discovers a gallery that is the obvious source of the smell. There are kegs lining the back of the room. Or what had been kegs as they have rotten and none are close to intact. Circe snorts, "Rum running."

As unlikely as it was that anything would have survived from nearly a century of neglect, the elfin Fairest still checks the kegs to see if any are intact. Because it'd be very well aged, but alas it was all for nought. Everything was rotten or broken. But at least it was dry.

Blue nose twitches as Circe sneezes. So dusty. Shining the light around the room, Circe is curious as to how they got the barrels through the tunnels she followed. A back door reveals the answer, but it is shut tight. Or perhaps rotten and set into the frame?

Either way, the elf is reluctant to force it down in case it is load bearing. An ear pressed against it yields some noise from the other side. Something living perhaps? Well, she'd need better tools at any rate. Certainly Circe could shoot through the door but that'd just get a peep hole. It'd take more pistol bullets then she had to actually make a hole in the door.

She'd scouted ahead. She discoved had a place for them to check out as a group. Time to head back.