Chapter 17: Deep Reflections

[Elvis]

Thul nods in agreement with the Redman. "We don't know enough about the terrain ahead. We either send a scout, and waste time, or deal with it as it comes."

[Jeff]

When Belarin speaks the word and makes the gesture that prompts his arcane sight, a sudden ringing starts in his ears, while colors swarm and radiate across his field of vision.

Give me a percentile roll, Ken!

[Dave B.]

"Thank you for the offer, Adamant, but no need. The climb down for me should be rather simple" Shorak says to his warforged friend.

When he notices the boat in the shadows and the drow male, Shorak hurries over to the rest and whispers, "There is a Sulatar boat hidden in the shadows below the bridge and keep. I noticed one male drow aboard. Asleep or injured? I couldn't tell for sure." He looks back to where he saw the boat. "There may be a small party of other Sulatar inside the cave." He adds.

[Ken]

That's a 71. That's good, right? Right?

[Joe]

Aug 27, 2019 20:48:16 GMT -4 Dave B. said:

"Thank you for the offer, Adamant, but no need. The climb down for me should be rather simple" Shorak says to his warforged friend.

When he notices the boat in the shadows and the drow male, Shorak hurries over to the rest and whispers, "There is a Sulatar boat hidden in the shadows below the bridge and keep. I noticed one male drow aboard. Asleep or injured? I couldn't tell for sure." He looks back to where he saw the boat. "There may be a small party of other Sulatar inside the cave." He adds.

"This just keeps getting better. Olladra preserve us from our enemies," Streko whispers.

[Brian]

Melethos stares at the boat. "Or it could be the skiff that brought the Sulatar to the keep." He looks back at the cave. "We do not have time for another distraction. While I hate leaving a potential enemy behind, it is only one drow. I say we push on. The rope idea is out, if you agree, Kal." He looks at the sorcerer.

[Jeff]

The world around Belarin seems to jerk erratically around him, and a wave of vertigo falls over him. Those around him see his body blink and flicker, then vanishes like his fey-step power, and he reppears right at the edge of the ice-bridge there at the mouth of the cave, five feet from where he'd just been standing. To him, everything just jumped away from him and he feels himself slipping...

Adamant immediately reaches out and takes hold of his arm, keeping Belarin from sliding right off the edge and pulling him back away from the very edge.

Then all is normal again, and Belarin's dizziness fades. His arcane sight did not take effect, and he suspects magic is getting particularly warped around this cave.

Since rests have taken place, I'm assuming Adamant hasn't had his Delver's Light active this whole time. At the moment the only light source around you guys is the nearby fire-stream, which casts plenty of bright light in the vicinity but doesn't extend much into the cave mouth.

[Dave W.]

Aug 28, 2019 5:14:41 GMT -4 Brian said:

Melethos stares at the boat. "Or it could be the skiff that brought the Sulatar to the keep." He looks back at the cave. "We do not have time for another distraction. While I hate leaving a potential enemy behind, it is only one drow. I say we push on. The rope idea is out, if you agree, Kal." He looks at the sorcerer.

"I will be vigilant as the rear guard, but I agree, time presses and we have Histra to save yet."

When Belarin flickers and Adamant steadies him, "Are you alright? Did you mean to do that?"

---

Adamant will turn on the Delver's light before we go into the cave but will see to Belarin first.

[Ken]

"Whaaa--" says Belarin. His eyes are wide and unfocused. After a long moment, he seems to recover. He pats Adamant's arm as though to reassure his warforged friend. "I'm... all right. Thank you."

He says to the others, "Be VERY careful with magic here." He takes a long breath. "Whatever we might have felt earlier is quintupled here." He shakes his head. "That was not fun."

[Dave W.]

"Good." Adamant allows himself to be reassured by the solid Belarin.

When the warlock gives his warning:

Aug 28, 2019 12:05:56 GMT -4 Ken said:

He says to the others, "Be VERY careful with magic here." He takes a long breath. "Whatever we might have felt earlier is quintupled here." He shakes his head. "That was not fun."

Adamant laughs lightly, "Well, it's a good thing we didn't rest and recover the magical energy we may not be able to use..."

"Anyway," he looks into the dark cave, "I wonder if this light will cause a problem." He turns on the Delver's Light and turns it to the cave.

---

So Delver's Light on high and Adamant is facing the cave. What could go wrong?

[Darren]

"No scouting," Kal says. "No splitting up. We stay in very tight formation. I don't think reality will be the same in there as it is out here. As for them," he looks towards where Shorak indicated, "I agree. We can't worry about them right now." Kal passes a hand over the blade of his sharrash, bringing the metal to a soft glow.

____________________
What the hell? Kal will cast Light on the sharrash blade.

Assuming the weapon doesn't explode, I'm ready to move into the cave.

[Jeff]

Kal's spell takes effect: but the light that springs up around his sharash flickers erratically, going from bright to dim and back and forth in an irregular pattern. It gives him the impression that its duration is unstable, and that it could wink out at any time.

When Adamant engages his Delver's Light, white floods the cave mouth and pushes further into the cave, revealing a quickly widening passage that becomes a sizeable cave....and a floor completely covered in an increasingly thinning layer of ice. Unlike Kal's cantrip, Adamant's light remains steady.

There are a few narrow columns of grey-white stone, seemingly formed from stalactites and stalagmites meeting, as they do in deep caves, after thousands upon thousands of years. The ice on the ground appears lumpy here and there, but is otherwise flat.

There is an otherworldly shimmer along the edges of the partially revealed chamber. It is utterly quiet in here, and rather cold.

PC placement on the map is, at the moment, somewhat arbitrary. Want to give me a formation you wish to be in? There seems to be plenty of space for it the further in you go.

[Brian]

Melethos tenses when Kal casts his spell, but relaxes when his light merely flickers. He relaxes more when Adamant's light shine brightly, illuminating the cave. It is, at the moment, apparently free of enemies.

"The ice," he says. "Be careful. It looks thinner. Keep that other rope handy, in case someone falls through." He draws the Sword of Galifar. "Arrow formation*. Everyone be ready. Call out if you see, feel, or hear anything unusual, no matter how minor you think it is. Communication will be our best defense. We need to know what we are up against." He moves into the cave. "Follow me."

______________________________________________________

*Again, for reference:

Darren, I'm not bogarting you leadership, just moving the game to the next stage. If Kal has any orders, feel free to call out. Mel will follow them.

Sorry, Dave W. I know Mel told Adamant to be the rearguard, but this formation has him up front. My bad.

Dave B, while I'd like Shorak up front, the formation calls for him to be in that second line. He's still close enough we shouldn't be surprised.

[Joe]

"Arrow formation. Keeper's shadow, where I am in that...ah, yes, that's right. A rather back-heavy arrow as I recall."

Streko takes his place at the center of the second line.

He turns to Shorak and nods with a smile, then over to Belarin. "Let me know if you need further grounding so you don't flicker about again. As unnerving as that was for the rest of us, I can't imagine it was pleasant for you in any way. Are you okay otherwise?"

[Dave B.]

"Considering the amount of light Adamant is providing, I should be able to perceive any threats from the back." Shorak says as he moves next to Streko in the formation. He looks around the cave as they move in, not forgetting to check above them as well as all sides and as much as he can see around the stalactite/stalagmite columns.

[Elvis]

Thul moves into the cave, taking up a position to allow the others space to fall into the arrow formation.

[Ken]

Belarin takes his spot in the rear, his dagger ready.

[Dave W.]

“Ah,” Adamant hesitates when Melethos calls the formation, looking nervously backwards. But he falls in place. He pulls his shield to his arm but keeps his right hand free for now.

He moves with the group.

[Darren]

Taking his place...his rightful place...at the center of the formation, Kal nods to Melethos to lead them forward.

[Jeff]

The "arrow" formation comes together as Melethos stands at the front. Kal has his sharash in hand, Adamant only his shield. Belarin holds his pact dagger ready. What of Shorak, Streko, and Thul? What, if anything, do they carry in hand?

Remind me, in your next posts, what you've got in hand vs. what's stowed (but still on you), generally speaking.

[Elvis]

Thul has his axe in hand.

[Brian]

Shield raised, longsword held in a defensive position, Melethos advances. He listens for the footfalls he heard earlier, keeps looking for signs of movement. His friends follow close behind, their presence almost palpable. He can even smell the odor of pipe smoke clinging to Captain Thul's clothes.

He keeps moving forward, toward what looks like rocky ground looming past the ice.

________________________________________

In addition to his sword and board, Melethos is carrying the dust of disappearance given to them by Alaq and a stoppered potion bottle (transmutation?) they found in the slaad chamber by the water bowl.

[Ken]

Aside from his dagger, Belarin has the recently acquired lantern-like thing tied to a loop on his belt.

[Jeff]

Adamant's light reveals more of the cave as Melethos leads the party forward. It expands to a point that you think might be widest part of the cavern. The "shimmer" you saw before is also revealed even as it fades from the edge of your light to encapsulate the whole place: the walls on either side of this great chamber, and even the curved ceiling, is crenelated with crystals completely, making it feel like you're walking into a gigantic geode.

Each crystalline facet is tiny, angled a slightly different direction from its neighbor, but is perfectly reflective and not tinged with a particular color; they scatter Adamant's light brilliantly back and forth to one another, illuminating the cave fully....yet there is something about the cave that keeps it from seeming too bright. Magic is clearly present here; there is no hum in the air, but you all feel a certain tension to it. The constant flickering of Kal's sharash adds to the eeriness.

It also becomes apparent that the small gem-like facets on the walls gradually increase in size the farther into the cave you go, so that by the time they reach the far well (and you do see a far wall) some are as large as two feet at the widest. The overall effect feels like you're staring into the compound eyes of a colossal insect.

The flat icy floor soon gives way to an irregular but still mostly level stone floor.

Only about forty feet ahead of Melethos you see a kind of dais and column that reach up to the ceiling, roughly hewn from the stone if hewn at all, and forms an alcove all by itself in the center. The interior walls of the alcove bear the largest mirror-like facets of any in this place. Each one is larger than a floor mirror and has formed vertically lengthwise. Through several of those mirrors, you see your own reflections approaching, with Adamant's light making silhouettes of you all.

The stillness of the cave makes your every shift and footfall echo clearly back.

Sorcerous strobe light courtesy of Kalarian d'Deneith.

I should add: all of you, keep an eye on your private thread. Nothing at the moment, but at some point, possible.

[Darren]

Kal places a hand on Melethos' shoulder, moving slightly forward to stand next to the man. "A moment, please," he says, then taps the ring on his finger as he stares intently at the dais ahead.

Captain Brack, has Sem returned to the ship, yet? I would like to speak with him, if he has.

[Jeff]

Seconds go by. No answer from anyone by telepathy.

[Brian]

Melethos nods to Kal as his friend comes to stand next to him. As he waits for further instructions, the tiefling looks around the cave, taking in the smooth crystal surfaces. There didn't seem to be an exit, so where did the person do, the one whose footfalls he had heard?

Eventually, his eyes settle on the dais and the large crystal. What could that possibly be? Could this mysterious penitent have gone through it somehow?

[Darren]

Kal shakes his hand and scowls at his finger. "Well," he says finally, "I guess we're on our own. Magic does not appear to work in here, or at least not correctly." Kal looks back at Belarin. "I suggest you keep your sight to yourself. It's unpredictable. I'm guessing looking into those mirrors will reveal these alternate realities that the dragon spoke of. We need not face that. Our mission was to check the cave for this person the dragon seeks. We can look around the cave without looking into the mirrors. He's not here."

[Elvis]

Thul starts his circuit around the chamber. He follows the wall around from the north to the south, walking behind the dais.

[Dave W.]

"It's beautiful." Adamant states. "It's going to be difficult not to catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror if we are going to search for this petitioner. I doubt it will be as simple as finding him sleeping behind the platform. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we can only find him by looking in the mirrors... that seems about right for this place."

"But we won't find him standing here. Let's move in and at least see if he is behind the dais."

---

Adamant has the Rikkenmark blade sheathed still. for the record, he doesn't have his backpack but would have: blade, light hammer (but not Syndra), shield, greaves, and the stones of confusion in a pouch.