The gaping tunnel ahead lead into darkness, and with the bright sun still glaring off the sand, the heroes could not see very far at all past the opening.

Kovin pulls out the glow rod from his pack, unsure of whether to ignite it yet. "Never thought I'd need one of these in a desert, but there you are I guess. What should we do next? I'd say we should go down and see where it leads."

Maya wrapped her robes tight then nodded. Lead the way.

"It would seem we have few other options," Jonas concurs, moving a little closer to the front, ready to defend the others from anything that might come out of the darkness.

The edges of the tunnel were decorated with intricate rockwork, carvings that formed a network of symbols. Besides the sand that had fallen in a heap, the floor was immaculate, and was made of smooth, large, diagonally-laid tiles.

No danger was detectable, at least at this point...although the air from inside felt cool and stale.

(Assuming that the party sticks together at this point—and that you're using the glowrods available to you—I'll move you along here shortly)

"Well there's no use just standing around. Let's see what there is to see," and with that, Kovin jumps down into the unknown, glowstick in his hand and adventure in his heart.

"Am I the only one here less than thrilled to be going into a hole that, just a few moments ago, was threatening to swallow us whole?" The mandalorian shakes his head as he follows the group, " You Jedi certainly are brave... Or perhaps foolish. Probably both."

He lowers the scope on the side of his helmet, switching to the light-amplified view of his electrobinoculars.

"I'd go with both!" Kovin calls back up the tunnel. There's a pause. "It's dark in here. Aren't you guys carrying glowsticks, or is a lightsaber much too noble a weapon to be used so nobody trips?"

The beam from Kovin's glowrod extended into the dark hallway, casting light over the innumerable dust motes floating in the cool air. The stone walls here had carvings similar to those around the door outside. These carvings formed intricate patterns, and it seemed almost like they told a story.

Firan could see a bit farther, and so far everything was clear. Up ahead, a couple dozen meters, the wide hall came to a point which then split off into three smaller corridors, each of which seemed to lead in a different direction.

The heroes were on top of the coordinates provided by Xan's datapad: they had, apparently, "arrived." So the datapad was of no further directional use, for the time being.

While trying to stay within the glow of the lights, Maya drifted to one of the walls, admiring the intricate designs on its surface.

You may make a Daunting ( ) Knowledge (Lore) check as you examine these designs.

Also, optionally, you can first try and perform a Hard ( ) Perception check, with 1 setback, to reduce the difficulty of the Lore check by 1.

Kovin instead is looking ahead to the three paths. "Let's see if I can't find our way ," he reaches out with the Force, seeking which is the correct way forward.

Seek roll : 2eF 2 Dark Side

A dark feeling crosses his mind. Something about this place is testing him. He'll just have to navigate the old fashioned way.

Flipping a Destiny point:

Perception check : 2eP+1eA+3eD+1eS 1 success, 1 threat

"Hmm... " Kovin runs a finger down a runic channel engraved in the wall. "There's a pattern. Repeated words. Can you follow it?" he asks.

Maya can now make the Hard Knowledge (Lore) check.

Kovin suffers 1 further strain as he inhales a large amount of dust, loosed from the wall by his finger.

Knowledge (Lore) : 2eA+1eP+3eD 3 successes, 5 threat

Please be gentle.

A pattern? Repeated words? I wonder..... Seifer mumbled...

Maya realized that these runes were a sort of language. She had seen these symbols before, in her old master's house. He had been working on deciphering scrolls that were filled with these symbols. One such symbol had stuck in her mind: a curved sword interposed over a vertical line. Her master had written "great danger" under it. This same symbol was featured prominently on the cold stone wall in front of them.

Beyond that, Maya did not know what these symbols signified.

Maya licked her lips.

I've seen these before . It's some other language. Lord Dusk was studying these runes at one point. I remember seeing the notes during one of my sessions with him.

She gently ran her hands over the symbol of the sword. I've definitely seen this one before. I'm not sure what they mean, but he had written 'Great Danger' in his notes.

"That's not such a good sign. But we need to keep going: they want to be here, so there must be something important."

I've definitely seen this one before. I'm not sure what they mean, but he had written 'Great Danger' in his notes.

"That's not such a good sign. But we need to keep going: they want to be here, so there must be something important."

As Kovin spoke, the doorway to the tunnel closed with a stone-on-stone thud , and all daylight was extinguished. Now the light from Kovin's glowrod was the only current source illumination in the place.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again - aren't you people carrying glowsticks?"

" We've got three paths ahead. I guess the question is, do we want to go away from the 'great danger' or towards it."

I assumed someone drew a lightsaber we passed the last bit of natural light. Though I could be wrong.

Maya's eyes darted about as a cold chill crawled up her spine. She felt trapped - an all-too-familiar feeling for the young Togruta. She tugged worriedly on one of her head-tails as she moved closer to Kovin.

Maya suddenly felt grateful that she was accompanied by Jedi. They were formally trained in the Force and had abilities far beyond her own. However, it was the Mandelorian who pointed out to the path ahead.

We came this far, haven't we?

When the lights go out, Kovin is unsure how to go on. In the camps, a sudden loss of light usually indicated a loss of power presaging a night raid on the barrack hut by the camp enforcers, heavily muscled and well-armed mercenaries crashing into the worker billet to carry off those thought to be plotting to escape or attack a master. For all the comforts and privileges he had back then, the security his position in the work camps granted him, he still remembers those attacks with fear.

The explosive boom of the closing door and the sudden darkness brings this all back to him in a rush. Though his light is still on, he tightens his grip on his staff, swinging it into a defensive posture. His empathic bond with Zelt causes the tusk cat's hackles to rise in sudden fear, the creature wrapping himself around Kovin's legs in a protective gesture. Kovin reaches into himself, forcing calm into his body. Reaching out through the Force, he attempts to establish his surroundings.

Sense roll : 2eF 2 Light Side, 1 Dark Side

Kovin suddenly feels...echoes...of strong emotions. Fear, anger, hatred, grief...

And he can feel his friends in the Force, strong presences all of them. It was as if these emotional echoes had begun swirling around them, disturbed by his touching of the Force, and upsetting the natural balance of things.

At this point, I'd like everyone to perform a Fear check: make an Average ( ) Discipline check with 2 Setbacks (one for the surprise of the door closing, one for the prospect of the unknown).

Fear Check : 2eA+1eP+2eD+2eS 0 successes

The cold feeling threatened overcome Maya - to suffocate her. She tried her best to calm her nerves, but she had never been good at controlling her emotions.