Move 369:  Leftbound and Wet

Smooth Caverns--Afternoon, Day 37 (Marpenoth 20)

Taking Azrun's suggestion, the group headed up the tunnel to their left. It was still very difficult to keep from falling in some places where the floor turned particularly slippery, but no one fell. They went about another 150 feet or so before the tunnel widened to a cavern, also filled with water. At the entrance to the cavern, there was another slope down. The water was a bit deeper in the cave, to the point that it would be difficult for Echo, the shortest member of the exploration team, to keep her head above water without resorting to swimming. Some poking around by the taller people revealed that there was nothing much of interest in here, at least not above the water or that Jana could feel with Azrun's staff.

"Well that was anticlimactic. Shall we try another one?" Blacky said

"Can't say that I'm disappointed about it though. How about the middle tunnel? If that one is empty then we can try the right one." Azrun waited until there was an agreement then moved back the way they came.

"That's fine," Renn said with chattering teeth. "And at least we've got a place
to refill our waterskins," he added as he continued to rest his longbow across his shoulders to keep it from getting too wet.

"Let's go," Echo agreed. She gave the equipment she was holding back to its owners.

Jana sloshed along behind the others until the next tunnel, where she once more took the lead, tapping the staff ahead of her.

After finding nothing of note in the cavern, the group backtracked then headed down the next tunnel. Jana moved back into the lead, and the others followed her through the waist high freezing water as they slowly progressed another 150 feet or so before reaching the mouth of another cavern. Standing in its entranceway, they could see an area to their right that was not underwater. Everything else they could see with their lights was submerged.

"Let's see what's over in the dry spot," Echo suggested.

Azrun nodded and started moving that way slowly, checking his footing along the way.

Jana sloshed over toward the dry spot, tapping as she walked. "I may never feel warm again," she muttered.

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