Legacy of the Silver Dragon: Chapter 1 (Chickens, Demons, and a Missing Girl)

[gambler1650]

There appears to be nothing around the edge of the cavern, at least that's moving and alive. There is however what appears to be a small pool of water to the northeast portion of the cavern. It doesn't appear to be coming from the walls. And the flickering torchlight doesn't quite mask another, more silvery shimmer in the pool (the water itself).

To the northwest portion of the cavern, another opening appears, this one more traditionally at ground level and about 10 feet wide.

OOC: I will assume that Mysthyr does indeed shine a light into the tunnel to the south, and that Antares looks.

As Antares glances inside he notes that the tunnel is about 3 feet wide and high, and much more roughly tunneled out than the other passages the party has gone through. It would be very cramped for the smaller members of the party, and impossible for the more heavily armored, larger ones to fit into. As he looks in, he sees the flash of pale skin as whatever you've been following goes down the tunnel, appearing to turn towards the right - perhaps 20 feet away.

 

[gambler1650]

Double posted... sorry...

 

[Binder Fred]

Mysthyr does indeed shine a light into the tunnel to the south.

Antares nods solemnly, as if given a mission of prime import. He steps into the cavern and lines himself up with the hole, trying to peer into it from the other side of the room, as it were.

As Antares glances inside he notes that the tunnel is about 3 feet wide and high, and much more roughly tunneled out than the other passages the party has gone through. It would be very cramped for the smaller members of the party, and impossible for the more heavily armored, larger ones to fit into. As he looks in, he sees the flash of pale skin as whatever you've been following goes down the tunnel, appearing to turn towards the right - perhaps 20 feet away.

"We are not crawling through there, are we?" he inquires after a quick report of what he's seen. Away from the bright light of the torches, his elven sight adjusts to the shadows, making them seem less likely to simply... eat him (or perhaps it is simply the presence of living water nearby?). As the other deliberate, he steps closer to it, intending to clean some of the soot from flesh, and perhaps even fabric?

Suggestion for Gambler: He does, nonetheless, feel somewhat better when Stellan follows, bringing his torch with him... though the young man seems more interested in the far tunnel than the pool.

OOC: Examining the pool. Anything resting on the bottom? Perhaps tracks/signs/artifact on the sides of what must be a watering hole for the community down here? Failing that, any indications that it continues/leads to other places? (Did I misread or was the 'silvery shimmer' something *in* the pool (fish perhaps?))

 

[gambler1650]

OOC: The water itself is what appears to have the silvery shimmer to it... Not luminescent itself, you don't think (in other words, it doesn't glow on its own, but under light it has the silvery shimmer)

There's nothing in the pool itself that can be easily seen. It looks to be a couple of feet deep, right up against the edge of the wall, and perhaps even a bit beneath (so it's possible that it's quite a bit deeper where it can't be seen, or that the water is coming up from some crack). The bottom appears to be much the same as the floor of the cavern, earth and some rocks. There do appear to be some tracks near the pool, though other than seeing that they're small scratches and on the ground, not much else is evident.

 

[Toric_Arthendain]

Myst crosses the cavern to the other ten foot wide exit, shines his torchlight inside and takes a look.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Bosco keeps an eye on the way they came, making sure they don't get cut off from behind.

 

[gambler1650]

As Myst looks into the exit to the northwest, he can see about 20 feet along the passageway until it seems to bend to the west (left).

 

[Binder Fred]

Somewhat reassured by the water's quiet appearance, Antares squats down and peers quizzically at its surface, strangely reflective in the light of his friend's dancing torches -- as they move them about behind him to get a better view of this or that around the cavern.

OOC: Anything new visible from his lower vantage?

He pensively reaches down towards it and - freezes in place, suddenly flashing to a translucent bloc of gelatin melting into nothingness: what if this is another one, lying quiescent and so water-like until something - say the fingers of a careless elf - should disturb it from its slumber?!

The young mage quickly backs away, picks up a rock fragment and throws it in, hoping against hope for a quiet *ploof* and slowly spreading ripples...

<If he gets them:
"Hum." His heart quiets some, though not entirely. Silly of him, really: it's just water. Water with a peculiar sheen, granted, but still only water...

He approaches once more and resumes his previous gesture, dipping the tip of two fingers in, bringing them out and rubbing them together against his thumb.

OOC: Any effect of the water on his finger? Any idea where this sheen comes from? If no effect, Antares will, somewhat dubiously, start cleaning his hands. If still nothing happens, he'll clean the rest of him.

 

[gambler1650]

The pool does indeed show normal ripples when Antares tosses the rock into it. When the elf puts his fingertips into it, they come away with the same sheen on them. And the sheen does not disappear when he rubs his fingers and thumb together, nor when he cleans his hands. In addition there is a slight tingling - but not unpleasantly painful - sensation in the skin which appears somewhat paler where the water touched.

 

[Binder Fred]

When the elf puts his fingertips into it, they come away with the same sheen on them.

"Peculiar... An algae perhaps?" he comments, mostly to himself.

Perhaps more worryingly,

The sheen does not disappear when he rubs his fingers and thumb together, nor when he cleans his hands. In addition there is a slight tingling - but not unpleasantly painful - sensation in the skin which appears somewhat paler where the water touched.

Even the water here is strange, it seems. (Is this what bleached the White Ones, drained the colour from their gelatinous assailant? An entire world composed of nothing but whites and greys and shimmery translucence...?) And what a day not to have brought vials, containers or even skins! Teacher Disare - dreadful thought - will probably request that he come down here again and carry out the task properly this time!

"There are tracks, scuffs and scratches, by this silvery pool," he softly informs his compatriots, what with cleaning being indefinitively postponed, "and that is sadly a language mine eyes do not speak... Can any tell if there are human tracks within this lot, of a human girl nearing womanhood perhaps?" The sooner she is found, the sooner they can exit this strangely compelling place!

<Response any?>

Failing that and as his companions do not seem overly decided on whether to pursue the pale demon or not: "Ah... Well. As we seek to rescue the fair Anna - which one may hope still lives and breathes, shielding Gods willing - and as surprise, if once our goal, now seems an unlikely circumstance at best... Ah, might we not raise our voice in shout, that she hear and perhaps respond?" He looks eagerly/hopefully from hafling to dwarf to the pair of lightly armored humans...

OOC: If nobody objects and if there are no volunteers, Antares will position himself by the tunnel by the pool (the one they haven't used yet) and shout Anna's name three times as loud as he can, pausing to listen in between. If nothing, repeat with the way they came, and then finally the small tunnel... Anything?