Far from the volcano that had burst to the northeast, there came another eruption — a subterranean quake, perhaps less vivid, but no less dangerous.
Its epicenter was at the southern edge of Blackfeather Woods, near the base of what the locals called "Death's Gate": a harrowing ravine that split through a part of the woods and tapered off into the relative calm of Spiderlings' Glen. Stumbling over the canyon at its deepest point meant a plunge into darkness, not unlike the Void of which the daedra whispered.
At late morning, when the sun sparkled elsewhere over a layer of early snow, the shaking started. The already brittle walls of the ravine began to erode, sediment raining down the sides. As the quake grew more intense, the canyon began to collapse in earnest and split even wider than before. It sent stones and dirt rolling into Spiderlings' Glen in a small rockslide, and the trees on the edge of the ravine cracked and tumbled into its wake.
All throughout the woods was chaos, with massive oaks weakened by age brought to their knees and the flow of Otter Creek interrupted by downed branches and disturbed rocks.
But the worst of it was to the south, where Death's Gate lay in ruin. Its once winding, snakelike path had burst to a yawning darkness, and the entrances to the tunnels it had harbored had collapsed. Corvids unable to take wing quick enough to escape the terror lay dead in the dust, as did small prey animals; the wolves here would not find food easily in these troubled times.
When the trembling at last subsided, a solitary grackle flew from the trees, heading south at a great rate of speed. It was quiet, save for the soft groaning of felled trees and occasional skitter of pebble downhill.
Too quiet, for all that had just occurred.
Its epicenter was at the southern edge of Blackfeather Woods, near the base of what the locals called "Death's Gate": a harrowing ravine that split through a part of the woods and tapered off into the relative calm of Spiderlings' Glen. Stumbling over the canyon at its deepest point meant a plunge into darkness, not unlike the Void of which the daedra whispered.
At late morning, when the sun sparkled elsewhere over a layer of early snow, the shaking started. The already brittle walls of the ravine began to erode, sediment raining down the sides. As the quake grew more intense, the canyon began to collapse in earnest and split even wider than before. It sent stones and dirt rolling into Spiderlings' Glen in a small rockslide, and the trees on the edge of the ravine cracked and tumbled into its wake.
All throughout the woods was chaos, with massive oaks weakened by age brought to their knees and the flow of Otter Creek interrupted by downed branches and disturbed rocks.
But the worst of it was to the south, where Death's Gate lay in ruin. Its once winding, snakelike path had burst to a yawning darkness, and the entrances to the tunnels it had harbored had collapsed. Corvids unable to take wing quick enough to escape the terror lay dead in the dust, as did small prey animals; the wolves here would not find food easily in these troubled times.
When the trembling at last subsided, a solitary grackle flew from the trees, heading south at a great rate of speed. It was quiet, save for the soft groaning of felled trees and occasional skitter of pebble downhill.
Too quiet, for all that had just occurred.
by Miryam
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Messages In This Thread
[BWP] the hell within earth - by ThE nArRaToR - September 30, 2019, 08:52 AM
RE: [BWP] the hell within earth - by Maegi - October 01, 2019, 09:25 AM
RE: [BWP] the hell within earth - by Abraxas - October 07, 2019, 09:38 AM