...

As the members of the rag-tag party carefully deliberated their actions, unsure of the dangers that await them in this depressing old world, one of them decided to test out the 'tremors' felt earlier in the pools of thick oily water. As the scrap of booklet landed into the shallow end, slapping and making a wet [i]plop[/i], before sinking slowly into place. The sound echoed with surprising density in the chamber, seeming to reverberate in the enclosed space and pulsed outward. For a moment it seemed nothing happened, the ruins continuing to remain silent as the ripples caused by the landing rapidly abated into nothingness. Whatever the unnamed soul thought was hiding the depths seemed only a figment of their hasty imagination, their test seeming to prove this much, and that much alone. A precaution is much better than doing nothing at all, in theory, however it seemed their experiment did not account for all the outlying factors. What resulted was an unforeseen consequence. A low moan in the distant north then broke the silence, disturbed by the stray noise. Something had been woken by the careless action, and the tired shuffling of stone could only mean it was beginning to move. Metals soon scrapped against the floor, or walls, it was difficult to tell at this range. It wasn't just one 'thing' either, but many, indicated by a rising chorus of groaning fragmented sentences in the wicked scuffed melody. 

"The sign... I-I see it! We've found it...! Our call must have worked! How long has it been...? No matter... The precious mark... Oh, blessed Goddess, we knew you wouldn't abandon us...!" 

Suddenly the lights in the northern passage began to shift. One by one, the collective glow seemed to separate and then push forward, driven by a wave of shadows. Whatever it was, they were slow, but there was no telling how many there were. 

With all the cautiousness around the hallways themselves, perhaps this accident might prove an advantage for the defenders who would be meeting their adversaries from the open end. But would the conflict itself cause more of what lay dormant in these ruins to awaken? Who knows how many other ways they could be swarmed from, if they took too long. The other passages seemed to have remained placid, as far as any of them could tell. There was still a chance to avoid all this if they moved now. Whatever the choice, it needed to be quick. There was a clear timer ticking down now, and who knows what happens when it runs astop. 

And then there is the problem of those among the party who haven't stirred from their 'dream'...

...