<div align="center">(http://www.poweranimalsunleashed.com/images/forest-light-900.jpg)</div><br/>The southern winds bring a chill to your skin, it whispers to you a harsh melody as it strolls past your ears. It was a welcome sound, one that made the triviality of your current patrol seem a little less boring. The afternoon sun seeps through the lumbering trees around you. This is your forth straight hour of walking through the forest on the outskirts of Falcon's Rock, you have made this trek many times before. Tiring legwork forced upon you during your training that the rest of the Valkyries didn't care much for and with good reason. No one has found anything interesting on one of these patrols for a decade. The monstrous tribes that use to inhabit the surroundings of Falcon's Rock has long been driven off and bandits learned quickly to stay clear if they don't wish to end up on the sharp end of a spear. Despite this the Grand Matron insists on regular patrols.<strong>"We can not afford to harbour complacency."<br/></strong><br/>Leading you through this<em>fruitful</em>task is Senior Valkyrie Aster, the Grand Matrons half-sister, your former drillmaster and resident sadist. The middle aged half-elf has a rough yet comely demeanor. That is, when she is not subjecting you to various excruciating tasks like hauling stones to rebuild the the west wall of Falcon's Rock or forcing uphill marches to build character. Despite this you have become friendly with her after you completed your training, after all she is much easier to relate to when she isn't the one giving you orders. Unfortunately for both you and your friendship with Aster she was back in command. Aster looks exquisite, beautiful blond locks of hair flowed down her shoulders accentuating her comely figure. Her skin pale and soft. It was amazing that she was able to keep such care of it considering the nature of her work. Her hands never stray far from the pale-blue sword attached to her belt as she heads the patrol.<br/><br/><div align="center">(http://cache.desktopnexus.com/thumbnails/785993-bigthumbnail.jpg)</div><br/>You take a fleeting glance at a dark moping cloud as it passes in front of the low-hanging sun. Then a loud cracking noise whips your head to attention. Studying the area you try and find the source of the noise. It is not until you look in the direction of advance do you notice something amiss, Aster was no long with you. A few moments later you find where she went. A hole, carved deep into the soil. It appeared as if from nowhere, previously concealed, lying in wait until it swallowed up Aster. A faint groaning comes from the mouth of pit. The voice of Aster.<br/><br/><strong>"Help... I am ok, I just-"</strong><br/><br/>The sound stops as you hear a thump. Moments later you hear the echoes of high pitched screeching.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">And we are off! So to start with you know you are at least several hours travel from Falcon's Rock. There is a single pack horse with you that carries emergency food, a healers kit and rope. Finally, the hole is at least 70 feet straight down, pitch black.</div></div>