Chapter 24: Clearing up loose ends

August 9, 2 pm

We rest for a moment, and around 2:15 PM, some scraping sound is heard from that open corridor, as if metal were scraping against stone. The wizards make portals and start gathering energy. Kieron and Ra sneak next to that opening. After about four seconds, Ra shows a desire to move forward, and Jaysek shows him “ok, go check the situation” and at exactly the same time to Kieron “wait for the gate.” A second later, Neiia arrives at Jaysek’s place asking where the others are and whether we’re going. She doesn’t see Kieron or Ra, Kieron doesn’t see Ra, and Ra doesn’t see Kieron. Jaysek tells Neiia he sent Ra to check the situation ahead and points out Kieron standing right there next to that opening. Ra recognizes that the sound probably came from the iron reinforcements of the bridge in the next room. Neiia grabs a healing from the megabottle. Ra returns to tell that there’s an empty room, and the group continues forward.

Ra notices a chest in the middle of that room and tries to gesture to us about it. The bridge starts making quite a loud squeaking; there’s iron placed there clearly on purpose so it would alert if someone were coming across. The same bridge is attached from the other side so that it can be easily dropped down. There’s a chest in the middle, and Neiia starts aiming at it with an ice ball. Neiia throws ice balls at the lock several times and breaks it, then opens the chest, which is full of books. Jaysek wonders about the books for a moment, and then he summons a water dragon from the water.

The dragon starts doing business and has a bunch of knuckles, one revolver, and one baton. Jaysek buys the group some weapons. After this, Jaysek takes one book from the box, and when opening the book, something is about to explode in his eyes, but he deflects it safely. The others rest; Jaysek casts a language comprehension ritual. After the ritual, the others go looking around and Jaysek starts quickly examining the books. The group finds a food storage and some first aid supplies in the form of minor heal potions. The group continues investigating and ends up in a sleeping chamber, where they find 68 bronze, and Ra finds 20 copper and some drow clothing. All the clothes have some mark that Ra recognizes as “fifth elf type and low-ranking family” - but as far as he knows, there are only 3 categories of elves.

Ra takes one mark with him, and the group continues their journey to the waterfall in the cave. There behind the waterfall is one sleeping place and a chest, in which Neiia notices there’s a magic trap. The group examines the room but finds nothing else. Neiia casts fly on Ra; Ra flies to peek at the water route coming into the cave. Nothing interesting is found there, just the sea. Neiia goes to one hammock to rest. Meanwhile, Jaysek does a small-scale research on the books and finds about 50 books: most are books on archery but there are also some type of monster manual, a poetry book (in high-elven), a diary/notebook, a book dealing with items/supplies, an area guide of lost coast, an area guide of riddleport, an area guide of devil’s elbow, and a book of magic rituals.

Kieron heals Neiia a bit. Neiia and Jaysek go to that last sleeping place by the chest and deliberately trigger the trap, which doesn’t do damage because it’s safely directed aside. In the chest are magical, small-sized women’s clothes, two sets of nice ones, two sets of work clothes, a priest’s uniform and shoes for all clothes, one large and impressive set of gems which Neiia estimates to be worth several bronze, a silver scroll tube. Jaysek opens the scroll tube, which explodes safely. Inside the tube are maps: one of lost coast, one of riddleport, one of devil’s elbow, one of the elf kingdom (Aularia), one of the myasian continent. At the bottom of the chest are 53 pounds of star metal.

4 PM.

Jaysek and Neiia start flying toward the sea to see what this place would look like from the sea, and it seems like there’s nothing here that would attract attention. The group carries loose rubble to the first room of the cave. Neiia starts analyzing equipment; Jaysek casts floating disc ritual 3 times. The first one disappears when metal is loaded onto it, the 2nd magic fails, the 3rd magic succeeds well. Ra and Jaysek argue and unanimously succeed in convincing Neiia that it’s not worth going to that demon place yet.

Around 5 PM the group leaves for camp, which we reach at 7 PM. The mages are still alive. The night passes peacefully.