Teri answered the call for volunteers by grasping hold of the end of the rope and looking over into what, to a human, was barely-visible darkness. Tanya's summation of what she could see was correct, though missing that the staircase was cracked in places and had holes. It wasn't enough on its own to be a dangerous drop, but if you lost your footing or landed in one of the holes... well, a twisted ankle would probably be the least of your possible concerns as you went tumbling down.

The Nem descended down to stair-level, then stepped away from the rope. "It's just a steep staircase, but be careful where you step!"

Someone else would probably have said 'bring a torch', but being able to see in the dark made that a less obvious concern.