"It is only as I expected. More work to be done, but nothing new. As for surprises, I'll wager that the nastiest ones will never spring upon, but are more like to stand in the open so plainly visible that we do not notice the danger, except by such slow degrees that we one day will find ourselves trapped by them without ever noticing when we put our foot in it."
Terrance goes into the tunnel? It reaches an intersection.
Damien, I mean.
While listening to viscaria, Hiems is briefly taken aback, and despair and loss embrace his thoughts.
Well, let them come then, or let me come to them. Either I'll be ready, or I won't. Either way, I don't care, but I won't make things easy for them, if I can help it.
After looking carefully both ways, Damien comes back to the magi
Lord, if I may? The tunnel reaches an intersection. If you engage in it, I can't garanty your safety against back attacks, especially if I'm busy defending your front. If there are more of these spiders before us, I'd like to come back with Gerard, or, at the very least, to explore them myself. My armor should protect me from any bites, but I can't say the same for you.
Hiems hesitates. At the moment, he doesn't care, he just wants to be alone. Yet, he can't let Damien risk his life alone. He is tempted to just give up and let the 2 grogs explore the tunnels later.
I thank you, damien, but I'll go. In these tunnels, should anything come from behind, we should hear it in time for me to prepare some magic. And you might come across some spell against which you'll be powerless*. So I'll go with you.
*Damien didn't even consider this possibility, so confident is he in himself and his ability to overcome opposition.
Hiems, turning to viscaria:
I thank you again for your help and precious device, lady viscaria. Now, if you may, Damien and I will leave you and explore these tunnels.
(OOC: If viscaria wants to come, he won't oppose her, although he'll go last, so as to protect her from any back attack. Anyway, due to her size, he can still see before her. And Damien will lead the way, going left)
Viscaria seems to struggle for control over her emotions. "Hiems, I don't mean to press you on the issue, but there's supposed to be half a queen of vis somewhere in this tower, and I can do little to further the tasks I've been assigned until you collect it. Cygna is supposed to be harvesting rooks of Mentem vis from the Vintners, but only came back with a few pawns, but otherwise our larder is bare, as it were. We were in the middle of discussing the best way to repair your sanctum. Is this really a good time to go exploring tunnels?"
Hiems ponders the question for a few seconds.
I would think so, yes. These tunnels may contain either dangers or treasure, and I don't like not knowing where they lead to. Exploring them might prevent further trouble, or lead us to unknown riches.
Thinking back to Damien's proposal
Unless I take Damien's word for it and send him there with Gerard while we try to salvage that terram vis? I don't like it, but I understand I'm wasting your time here... Okay. I asked for your help here, so it's the least I can do.
Damien! Pull back. I'll finish what I was doing with lady Viscaria. You'll condemn these tunnels for now, and we'll explore them later together.
In short, what will happen: Hiems and Viscaria will go back to the Terram Vis in the wall, try to see how to extract it. Damien sees his master is uneasy with the tunnels, so at the first occasion, he'll go in them without Hiems knowing, probably with gerard (and amos young grogs in training, should amos want to come. This might be an opportunity for various players to play grogs alone)
If the grogs want to play this out, they can start another 2.4 chapter doing so 
Viscaria suggests that she can attempt a ceremonial spont of a Re(Cr)Te 15 Touch/Mom/Structure spell (riffing off the TMRE pg 96 spells, minus the Herbam req). Cr/Re 5 + Te 8 + Affinity 3 + Aura 5 = (21 + Die roll)/2 (and she might fuel that further with her Spirit to guarantee success), but this would wall up the vis, which you would then need to dig out again.
(Well, I think a "grogs only" adventure would be fun for people, so I'd like to open this option, but no one seems interested 
)
I do not pretend to understand anything to all this, but can't we fortify the structure and dig up the vis? There's all this rubble I threw out there. If using Muto Terram magics like Rock of Viscid Clay, couldn't we fill in the hole? Since the rocks are already carved out, we'd even save a magnitude. Maybe we can... I don't know, hold up the structure somehow, and, meanwhile, dig up the vis, and fill in with mutoed stone?
(Also, the spells on TMREp96 use guidelines restricted to people with Hermetic Geometry -which, IMO, would be an awesome mystery for viscaria-)