(Sorry it took so long- had an exam today, some others are to come this week!)<br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><br/>Jules, Salla, Alyssa:</span><br/>The grate is heavy - and its cold and uneven surface leaves unpleasant scratches on your hands - , but with some effort the three of you manage to uproot it, opening the passage.<br/>At the light of Salla's lantern, it appears like this:<br/><div class="inline-attachment">
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</div><br/>[<span style="font-style: italic">(don't let the change of colours confound you - the lower, almost rectangular zone is the room you come from ^^)</span>]<br/>Piles of debris cumber the floor; several heavy rings of darkened metal are affixed to the stone wall, and many are connected with one or more chains, coiling on the ground.<br/>Slightly to your left, close to the wall opposite to you, there's one of these rings, placed on the floor - on a particularly big stone slab. Looking around you immediately find two flights of stairs - the one to the left goes up, the other goes down -, their rough steps leading vertiginously to other gloomy,  mysterious levels of the tower...<br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><br/>Salla:</span><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">The fine hearing herited from your quarter of Elven blood catches again a muffled weeping, which seems to come from - below the floor?</div></div></div><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><br/>Eilnear</span><br/>The girl seems to find it difficult to speak - probably, terror and shock are still far from forgotten. Still, she murmurs in a musical, yet rather hesitant, voice :<span style="color: #BFBFFF"> "I am Lorelle Aldarei of Albathia, daughter of the Duke and Protector Ludwig Aladrei."</span>Despite the humbleness of her tone and demeanor, you can perceive a hint of pride in her voice. As you ask her what is she doing here, she seems confused, then slowly:<span style="color: #BFBFFF">"It's ... most peculiar, I must say. I can recall the names of thirteen generations of Aladrei, but remebering anything of my life before yesterday is beyond my ability. It is a most bizarre feeling, I must confess."</span>She gazes shyly at you with her big innocent eyes, then continues:<span style="color: #BFBFFF">"I came here with ... a friend of mine. But I lost him in a ghoulish field of ruins. And then I found the staircase and the forest, and then - "</span>suddendly her voice drops; she remains silent for a while, clearly recalling in horror some unpleasant memory..