Move 165:  Into the Dome

The Garlstone Mines--Morning, 4 Eleint 1374 DR

After some discussion, it was decided that the entire group would go into the dark side passage.  After a short distance, the tunnel widened into a cavern which was almost entirely flooded, something it would seem had happened since Grizzler had visited the mines since it was not indicated on the map.  The far side of the flooded cavern was well out of range of the light on the rock Jana was carrying.  The air in this room, although not fresh and pleasant, did not smell strongly of anything.

"If I cover up the light," Jana asked, "will you guys with good eyes be able to see the other side, you think?"

"I don't think I'd be able to," Echo replied as she peered across the water.  "I don't think I can see much farther across there."

"I doubt it," Arachne replied.  "I didn't come in very far before, staying --"  She swept an arm from one side of the cavern to the other along the shoreline.  "-- about that far back from the water.  I saw that the water was there, but no more.  Now, that much closer to the other side..."  She shrugged.  "I don't think it'd make much difference.

"Logically, there's not likely to be anything interesting on the other side, if there _is_ an other side.  If there were, Ranchefus would've built a bridge, or at least left a boat here.  Or left keel-marks on the shore, if he _took_ the boat to leave."  She began walking along the edge of the water.  "Aloysius could go look, unless the presence of a second cavern serpent seems too likely," she suggested.

"It was an eel, not a serpent," said Aloysius flatly.  "I also doubt that anything of interest is beyond the waters.  Let us continue down the main passage and determine if any prisoners are here.  If not, perhaps we can come back and look in here more thoroughly."

"An eel?" Arachne asked.  "Really."  She turned to leave.  "I didn't catch sight of the gills.  Eel implies that it got there by water exclusively.  Underground river.  Interesting..."

"Indeed," agreed Aloysius.  "Unless perhaps the eel was brought here whilst it was still small.  I also wonder if the fish odor we have detected on Ranchefus' minions is connected in some way.  An underground river would explain a lot.  Didn't someone in Milborn mention a place call the 'Eelhold'?  Mayhap we should inspect that locale after we leave here."

He glanced back and the dark waters.  "Are we going to try to find a way to the other side, or shall we proceed down the passage and leave this chamber for a later time?  My vote favors the latter course."

Echo asked, "Do you think there is an other side?  It looks like just a flooded cave to me.  If nothing is going to crawl out and follow, I say we move on."

Echo looked at Arachne. "You said you smelled something in here?  Do you think we need to figure out what it was before we go?"

Arachne shook her head.  "Only if we have an overwhelming bias toward thoroughness," she said, "which I don't think we do."

Jana snorted.  "No kidding.  So we're moving on, right?"

"Not necessarily, I've seen Ranchefus fly on more than one occasion.  But whatever might be over there does not seem to pose a threat to us immediately or to contain prisoners.  Let us continue on and leave the detailed search for a later time." Blacky said and turned to head back the way they came in.

"Let us proceed back to the main passage," said Aloysius.  "There should be a large chamber to the left.  We could check that and then look to the right afterwards."

The group left the flooded cavern of the Dome and made their way through the many colored rocks of the cave that the main passage widened into.  Walking through that cavern, Fairyland as Ol' Grizzler had said it was fancifully called, was slow due to the rocky floor.  Once on the other side, the group stood facing the decision of which tunnel to take, the lit one on the left or the dark one on the right.

"Let us inspect the lit tunnel first," said Aloysius.  "According to the map, it should lead to a large cavern."

"I don't guess," Jana muttered, "you'd just trust me to walk down the damned bright one myself, and get this over with?"

"Go ahead and check it out, but yell if you run into anything.  I don't want you hogging all the fun." Blacky said with a smile.

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