This chamber has a musty but not unpleasant
smell, like grass
after a rain. The sound of dripping water echoes loudly. The space seems utterly black and cold, without the faintest gleam of light or heat. <what is the effective temperature?> |
The room has 2 oil lamps that are just like
those on the upper
levels. 1 lamp
is placed near the bottom of the ladder leading
to area 13, and
the other lies at the foot of the stairs leading to
area 27. Both lamps
are usually kept unlit.
When the guardhouse was built, Brubgrok
had a basin chiseled
into the rock here to hold the water
from a natural spring. The
whole chamber is flooded to a depth of
about 2 feet. Brubgrok’s
servants keep the walls clear of fungi,
but some mold still grows on
the walls and in the shaft leading up.
Water flows silently from the
spring, but condensation from the walls
creates a steady drip into
the basin.
>>27.