Academy of Drell, Part IV

[Zhure]

The construct picks up Doyle and dives down into the water, it's slippery aquatic form drifting rapidly from sight in the cooling liquid.

It only takes it a few seconds to clear the surface on the other side, swimming much faster than any of you or your companions would be able to do, then sets Doyle down on the lip of the pond outside the cavern, waiting for further instructions.

Meanwhile, Doyle reports back to Charlotte what it perceives: "It's a huge mess out here, the snow is all melted in odd patches and the trees are smouldering. As far as I can detect there's nothing moving out here now, but there's stuff off in the far distance. That stupid construct needs to pick me up and move me where I can see better."

 

[Jeremy]

"What's going on over there?"

What could possibly be so loud we'd hear it THROUGH the water...?

 

[Dalamar]

Sildarin, still upside down on the ceiling, goes closer to Charlotte and then descends to the cavern floor.
"What does he see...?"

 

[novyet]

"Should we head back outside? Does Doyle think it's safe?"

 

[Zhure]

Doyle reports back he can see no movement from his position at the poolside.

 

[novyet]

"Well we're not seeing anything here, so let's head topside."

 

[GnomeWorks]

Charlotte closes her eyes for a moment. "Doyle says that the snow is all melted in wierd patches, and the turees are smoldering... it sounds like something exploded up there, or was burned... there are also moving stuff in the distance, but Doyle can't see what they are. There's nothing near the pool, though, so it should be safe to go up."

She nods in agreement as Ellie speaks. "I agree. We should go up there, and see if we can get a clearer picture of what happened."

 

[Zhure]

Ellie and Charlotte brave the water first. While it had been warm earlier, now it seems even hotter, whether from being inside the chilly still air of the caverns or whether from something else is hard to tell.

After swimming down briefly and then back out, the light seems far too bright, but that's probably from being underground for so long. Once your heads breach the surface, you can smell brimstone and something charred, like grain cooked too long. The trees around the grove are no longer afire but they clearly were not long ago. Doyle sits on the edge of the pool.

As he had reported, the snow is melted in large chunks, as if balls of fire and detonated within the grove. There's no sign of the nature priest from earlier.

A dull roar, like the voices of a mob, can be heard from westward toward the main campus, and a similar sound can be heard southward, from the docks, although a lot fainter -- perhaps due to the distance.

 

[Dalamar]

Sildarin levitates higher, checking if he could see something from up there.

 

[Jeremy]

Rallyn finally drags his stumpy legs out of the water. I'm definately not made for swimming... And after looking around blinking for a few moments, he decides that figuring out what happened can wait until he is dry.

After ringing out his jacket he dries his hair with it, then rings it out again, waiting for Sildarin to call down what he sees..