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------------------ Chapter 13: At The Mine Entrance ------------------
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(DM:)
You have reached your agreement with the Dwarf, and gathered outside
the citadel. You all introduce yourselves, and he leads you to the
mines.  You head over to Mindak's Rock, and begin to climb the 'Stairs
of Tear', steps hacked into the side of the rock leading to the top of
it. The dwarf tells you the mines are on the other side of the rock.
Once on top, you all wait to appreciate the view. You can see the bay,
with Lion's Claw castle on the little island, the wall and the
devastation can be clearly seen from this vantage point.

(Silver:)
At the top of the Stairs of Tear, Silver will gaze inland briefly. A
look of sorrow crosses her face, and it seems difficult for her to
tear herself away to go down the other side of the rock.

(Arlon:)
"I feel sorrow for you Silver, this land and its life has been
corrupted by evil.  There are forces at work here that have perverted
the natural balance of things.  It will be a challenge for us to try
to restore things, I hope we are able.  But I imagine the challenge
would be greatest for you, for that what you love may seem alien to
you here"

"Even though I have chosen a life of travel, the song of the trees
still is strong in my being - I feel uneasy here.  I will do what I
can to find and eliminate this corruption."

(Silver:)
Silver brightens considerably at these kind words. "Why thank you,
Arlon.  You do understand a lot of my concerns, and this is partly why
I chose to come on this trip - the opportunity it would give me to
serve my Goddess in a special way."

She frowns slightly and adds, in a worried tone "But this trip into
the bowels of the earth - this really does worry me. I have no
experience of the underground, and truly fear what we may find there.
It is not the dark that bothers me, but what comes from it."

(DM:)
While you stare about, and into the green sea of trees inland, the
dwarf shouts out impatiently, and you all set out to descend the rock
on the other side.

(Silver:)
Before going down the stairs at the top of Mindak's Rock, Silver will
ask Tatiana "'Ana, what will happen to Tuft while we are down there ?
Are you sure he'll keep safe and not do anything stupid - did you tell
him to watch out for some of the unfamiliar plant-life in this land ?"

(Tatiana:)
"I've been talking with Tuft and telling him I'll be underground for a
little while.  He's found a nice little hole in a tree and cleaned it
out last night.  He'll sleep most of the day really.  We're not used
to getting up as early as we did today.  Most of the time our schedule
is more like about Late afternoon till Late night."  she paused and
smiled "Night owls really, birds of a feather as the saying goes."

Then more seriously "He'll be okay for now, I don't think the link we
have is in jeopardy."  She paused again as if thinking, she broke out
in a smile "Tuft thanks you for his concern and will save a mouse for
you when you get back.  He's says they're not as timid here as they
were back home.  But he likes the hunt more this way"

She shrugs and continues on into the mine shaft with Mindak

(DM:)
You reach the foot of the stairs, and there you spot several shacks
with over twenty dwarves and gnomes gathered there, standing about
aimlessly, their work halted.  Seeing you they cheer loudly. Help is
in sight for them.  They talk amongst each other excitedly, but only
those among you who speak dwarven or gnomish can understand a word.

You see carts with ore everywhere, and here and there kegs with what
you suspect to be ale, knowing the working style of the dwarves :-).

When you reach the foot of the rock, the dwarves all crowd you and tug
at your clothes, pushing and shoving you towards the entrance of the
mines.

(Silver:)
Seeing other party members accosted by the dwarves, she will shrink
away from their touch, and move to the shelter of whoever is nearest
out of Shade, Arlon, Keilan or Falrun.  Silver is becoming a little
agitated at the thought of going underground, and all of this jostling
is not helping her composure one little bit.

(Falrun:)
Falrun also seems rather put off by being in such close quarters with
so many people, but he also seems to be trying to make the best of it.

(DM:)
You stand in front of a large natural cave, about sixty foot inland
from the water level.

Mindak shouts for quiet in dwarven and in gnomish, and after a few
minutes the noise and jostling stops. Mindak confronts you, and speaks
to you all.

Mindak (the dwarf who owns the mining operation) has no knowledge of
the tunnels. They broke through onto a tunnel while mining, and in the
face of an earlier discovery of an underground temple down there
(which he volunteers to give you a tour of it), the miners feared to
tread in there, be it fear for curses (remember the pharaoh's tombs and
stuff?)  or monsters. They closed the hole back up. The dwarves and
gnomes working there will give you a tour of the existing complex,
lead you to the closed hole, open the hole for you, and then you will
be on your own. This is his deal. For a max of 2000 gp and one set of
arms OR armor for each of you (NON magical natch)

"This is the place. Now lads and lasses. What is it you wanna do
first.  See a tour of the explored mines, or head straight to the
problem spot. Either way you'll be escorted by me until you reach the
unexplored area, where your job starts, and mine stops. What say you
folks?"

(Falrun:)
"Thank you for your guidance, Mindak.  If it is ok with my companions,
I would like to have a tour of the temple to see if we can get some
information on what kinds of creatures may inhabit such an area."

"Maybe Silver or Dithion can determine who or what was worshipped and
possibly by what.  In the meantime Keilan, why don't you look for
tracks or something that will identify the inhabitants, if there are
any left."

Falrun then stands ready to proceed, not looking much different than
at any other time except for the backpack hanging on his back.

(Arlon:)
"I say we take a look at the explored mines, there may be some
invaluable info to be found.  It may give Shade some ideas as to what
we may see.  I would also like to take a look at that temple and see
if there are any secrets in it."

OOC: Did we decide morning or as soon as we could for this mission -
     Arlon would rather do it in the morning so he could scribe the
     rest of his spells.

(DM Meta:)
Oh yeah, Mindak can wait till next morning if you guys need to study
special spells for underground, or if you need other preparations to
enter the undergrounds... but not later than that. He prefers you guys
go in as soon as possible, but he'd rather you guys do a good job than
none at all.

(Arlon:)
OOC: Arlon's excitement is building again - remember when we got off
     the ship.

After any discussion about where we start
"Lets be off then, the secrets of this place are waiting to be found!"

(DM:)
Okay, the 2000 gold is for all of you to split.

Mindak says "Oh lads, t'is but to ensure our safe work. Should the
tunnels continue forever, just clear and test it for traps or other
menaces a days travel out, then get us and we will erect a barrier and
set permanent guards there. As long as we can work undisturbed you
know?"

On the Temple, Mindak says "Agh now. Interesting things from a
historians point of view ye mightn find, but from what we got out of
it, tis been abandoned for over three thousand years. We found a
treasure trove of pearls, but most were cracked from age. That does
not happen thru centuries, rather thru aeons."

(Dithion:)
Dithion says, "Let us look at the temple first.  It might give us some
clues about who settled this place first, and what we might expect."

He turns toward Mindak, and says, "When you found the temple, and the
tunnels, did you find any beasts or traps before?"

(Keilan:)
"What?!  We've no use going to the Temple.  It's been thoroughly
explored AND exploited from what Mindak here says.  If you want to
waste time, fine.  But I'm here to check out new areas for certain
reimbursements promised by Mr.  Mindak.  What good is it going to do
us wandering some ancient temple that's been overrun by inquisitive
miners?  I'm not looking for adventure, but if I were that certainly
would NOT be my idea of it.  Where I come from it is a foregone
conclusion that when one is hired to do something, one does it without
wasting the time of one's employer.  Can't you see that Mindak has
dozens of workers sitting idle?  Do you really think it's your place
to keep them on hold while you sift through ancient ruins like some
slack-eyed sage with half his wits about him?  Why, oh why, did I
agree to go along with this cursed plan?"

OOC: You people are enough to make a good ranger turn bad!  Good
     role-playing though.

(Tatiana:)
"Well I'm interested in seeing the ancient temple." Tatiana said in
the middle of Dithion's and Keilan's argument as if that settled the
issue.

"I'd like to know the underground area in case we need someplace to
run to escape in case that tunnel we enter is inhabited.  It would be
nice to have a known path of retreat" she continued to no one in
particular.

(Dithion:)
Dithion says to Keilan, "Because we are going down there, and we are
going to risk our lives.  The temple may provide clues that may help.
Maybe you don't see that, but I sure do, the mining can be damned for
all I care.  Another hour or two will not stop the world spinning."

(Keilan:)
"What I see is a man with good instincts.  You are of course correct.
The temple may provide clues to what lies below.  EXCEPT FOR THE FACT
THAT THE PLACE HAS BEEN LOOTED BY DWARVES AND GNOMES TROMPING THROUGH
IT!  IF THERE'S A DAMN THING LEFT, IT'D BE A MIRACLE!!  NOT TO MENTION
THAT MINDAK HAS ALREADY SAID THAT THE PLACE IS ***THREE THOUSAND***
YEARS OLD!!!  WHOEVER WAS THERE, ISN'T GOING TO BE THERE NOW!!!!  Ach
du lieber! I am beset by fools!"

(Dithion:)
Dithion turns toward Keilan slowly, and says, "You are the fool,
Keylime.  Temples generally have carvings in the altars, walls, and
pillars.  However, I forgive your asinine behavior due to ignorance.
And if there is nothing to be gained from looking in the temple, then
so be it.  It will not hurt to look, although it could hurt not to
look, dolt."

He begins to smile a bit as he says this, lowers his chin, and keeps
his eyes on Keilan.

(Silver:)
Away from the grabbing dwarves, Silver listens with concern at the
raised words at tones of voice used between Keilan and Dithion.

Frowning when Dithion deliberately mispronounces Keilan's name, Silver
will try to distract Keilan by holding his arm and saying quietly
"Please, my dear Keilan, I understand any anxieties you may have to
get the job over with as quickly as possible, but I too have
anxieties. Dis-harmony between ourselves is making it a hundred times
worse.  Please, for my sake, let us visit the temples briefly as so
many others wish to do so. I look to you on this trip to remind me of
the sun, not of dark storm clouds."

Silver seems genuinely worried at all of this and looks at Arlon,
Shade, Tatiana and the others asking for their help in calming
tensions.

OOC: The control that Silver normally has, is wearing thin rapidly.
     She is entering an unknown world, and is, quite simply,
     frightened.

(Keilan:)
Keilan closes his eyes as Silver speaks to him.  "Very well.  I no
longer care."

(Arlon:)
OOC: Ahh Dithion, you got all the good stuff in :-)

Responding to Keilans comments, Arlon says "Keilan is right - why
study the tracks of an animal that you have no idea about, (a
sarcastic tone starts to crescendo here) why look at the tracks of a
dragon when you are looking for a bear, why heed a warning over a
portal when it is the only way to go; if we are so worried about time
maybe we should just yell down the tunnel 'IS ANYBODY IN THERE' -
because anything that has been there for 3 thousand years would surely
want to know who is disturbing it!"

"Hey Dithion, why don't we go to the Temple and bang our heads
together, I'm sure the ALL-KNOWING Keilan doesn't need us."

OOC: Arlon is visibly upset; but it may seem he is cursing himself at
     the moment.

(Dithion:)
Dithion says with a laugh, "Aye, we could be head bangers!"

(Silver:)
Silver, suppressing a shudder as she enters the damp, dark caverns,
looks over at Arlon and Dithion and calls out to them "Please. This
whole job is bad enough as it is. This bickering is pointless, and
unnerving." She tries to smile to soften her words, but fails.

(Dithion:)
To Keilan, Dithion says "Perhaps later we could spar a bit?  I would
enjoy that."

(Keilan:)
"You would not."
 
(Dithion:)
Dithion smiles and says, "Then it is a date.  When we are done with
this underground exploration, you and I can play a bit."

(Shade:)
The drow frowns visibly "Hussshh guys! You were talking about
advertising our coming here to whatever danger can lie ahead: this is
just what you are doing now."

"I do not think this is a good time, if any exists, for a quarrel
between us.  I understand we are all more than a little nervous about
the unknown and this awful darkness all around, but try to keep your
mind clear and your nerve ready: in the underworld the difference
between life and death is made of stealth and quick reflexes even more
than on the surface."

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana stepped forward towards the mines, looking back to the topside
world she noticed the others still bickering and a few losing their
nerve.  She looked to Mindak and frowned at the impression The Eidolon
were making on their employer.

She shifted her backpack a bit to put it in a better position to play
a drum, the only instrument she had taken along.

*Thum Thum Thumthumthum*

The initial beats of the drum echoed well at the cave entrance and
Tatiana lent her beautiful voice to the music she was creating.  It
was a new instrument she had been training in and hoped she didn't
make a mistake to ruin the effect she needed to create.

She sang of doubt, and fear of the unknown being won over by
cooperation.  Friends helping a new land provide for neighbors, how
the Eidolon came to a new land and had to fight the natives for a
right to live in freedom.  About how the Eidolon cared for Dark Havens
people and how they provided selflessly for the injured after the
battle.  And how now the Eidolon were here to save the Dwarves and
Gnomes mining operation.

*Thum Thum Thumthumthum*

(Shade:)
He gestures at Tatiana "We'll play together when we will know what
awaits 'Ana, stop it for now please."

(Tatiana:)
She finished her music incompletely and abruptly.  "I can't finish
this until I know if evil of petty bickering destroy our group or if
we can overcome our apprehensions and help out our employer.  Argument
and discussion is good, when it is productive!  When it degenerates
into name calling it does nothing but create disharmony in the group
which can only lead to non-cooperation when we need it most.  If you
two can't argue with out slandering each other I suggest you stay
topside.  Otherwise, respect the motivations of the others and hold
your tongue.

"Keilan, I appreciate your straight-forward thinking and value your
comments.  But I feel we must know more about the mine shafts before
we explore an unknown area.  You would not enter a Dark and dangerous
portion of an unknown forest without exploring it's known boundaries
first would you?"

"Arlon. Your comments adding to the fire do not aid your cause much
either.  If I were Keilan I would be very reluctant to work beside you
with that attitude.  You obviously overlook his talents despite his
frank behaviour."

"I begin to wonder if you don't get along with Keilan simple because
he's a human?"

"Dithion, I see no need for antagonistic behavior.  It serves no good
purpose.  She looked to him then nodded her head towards Keilan as if
she expected an apology.

(Shade:)
Shade steps in the middle of the group and puts his hands on Keilan's
and Dithion's shoulders "Hey guys, what's on? - he smiles - no need to
insult each other moreso, it's just a matter of convenience: you'd
better keep your adrenaline for sharpening your stance than your
tongues!"  He runs trailing Arlon but keeping smiling and gesturing
toward the companions.

(Arlon:)
Arlon moves as if to say something; but he does not.  He takes a deep
breath and then stares down the tunnel, his staff in his left hand.
He seems distant - deep in thought.

OOC: I bet Mindak was having a swell time listening to this stuff :-(

(Shade:)
To Arlon, Shade says "Hey master, no need to get so upset. - he cast a
quizzical glance at his friend - say, I do agree with you and Dithion
on the usefulness of studying this temple, but there is no need for
arguing and besides the loss of _ANY_ stealth this attitude is scaring
our lady Silver more than a little: she is a Druidess not a sewer rat
like meself!"

(Silver:)
Silver chuckles at this, despite (or perhaps because of) her anxiety.

(Tatiana:)
Thinking the matter settled Tatiana turned Mindak, "Kind sir would you
show us you Mining operation, Temple and all before we head to the
area we are to explore.  We can discuss time schedules and thing we
need to watch out for while we are down there."  She held out her arm
for the Dwarf to take. (She's 5' 3" so it shouldn't be too bad).

On the walk into the cave, she turned to Mindak, I want you to post a
guard at the entrance to the tunnel we are going down.  He won't have
to enter the tunnels with us but I want him there as a guide for us
when it's time to leave for the night.  None of us ..."  She paused
looking at Shade "most of us have no experience underground. We'll
need someone to lead us back out of the warren of tunnels so we don't
get lost"

"Hey, are these tunnels worked or just hollowed out caves with those
stalactite and 'mite thingies?"

(DM:)
Meta: Hey guys, the fight is with the monsters and natives, not your
      own people :).  O.K I guess you guys go to the temple by
      UNunanymous vote :).

Mindak leads you into the cave. As you enter, the darkness and
dampness of the cave assaults you.

"Yeah, the cave bein so close to the water level and all that, there
is a lot of moisture here y'know? At high tide, one could be trapped
in certain sections if ya dont be careful y'know? But enuff bout dat,
look at those rich veins of copper! This one rock being so out of
place from the rest of this continents mountains, it has been offered
that it may once have been a meteor.  Yes, yes, an honest to the gods
meteor. You know what dat means dontcha? Of course ya dont, you aint
no Dwarves. Meteors are very rich in metals. Not just metals, but
magical ones. Mithral and Adamantite. We aint found none yet, but we
keep hopin ya know? Anyways, it is a strange rock, fer it imbues the
water coming out of it with magical properties. The li'l stream coming
thru the village, 'slumber' will put ya asleep if ya drink too much.
Its cousin on the other side of the rock from the village 'clear water
brook' on the other hand keeps ya alert, and will even heal yur wounds
somewhat. And then of course there is dat temple we are aheaded fer.
It is to some sea god or summing. I dont know.  Statues of mermaids
and mermen, that kinda beasties y'know?"

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana listened attentively to Mindak as they travel through the mine
shafts.  Uncommonly quiet, Tatiana was apparently not interested in
the mineral ore one bit. Tatiana leaves the dwarf, and soon ends up
near the back of the party.

(Tatiana:)
She walked towards the rear of the party, her chain mail shirt worn
loosely clinked as they walked.  "I'm gonna get a rash from all this
moisture for sure" she grumbled.  Running her fingers through her
bedraggled locks, "my hair is already limp."  He longsword hung at her
side, a brace of daggers at her belt, and her backpack was securely
strapped to her back.  Her drum was strapped as to be quiet at her
side.

(DM/Mindak:)
The dwarf keeps prattling while leading you on. The cave is huge, with
two solid stone pillars in the middle, large enough to build houses
in, as Shade remarks as from having seen in his homeland. Near the end
of the cavern two new passages lead out. Mindak points to the left one
and sez:

"We are now concentrating here, in the right shaft we encountered the
other tunnels, so while you guys explore, we can at least get some
more work done, but the right shaft is alot richer y'know?"

(Tatiana:)
As the approach the left tunnel they are to explore Tatiana spoke up
once more "We find anything related to clearing out the tunnel, what
percentage can we claim as our own?" she asked seriously of Mindak.

(DM/Mindak:)
On the 'finders keepers' question: "Sure, any ITEMS you find, ye can
keep. All the ores and such are mine.  As long as it was made by some
creature, and not a natural phenomenon, it is yours to keep."

(DM/Mindak:)
He then takes you into the right shaft. All along the walls rich
glistening veins of ore shimmer at you (I presume you lighted torches
n stuff) as you pass. You watch in awe at the obvious industriousness
of the dwarves, having cut all this in such a short period of time.

Then you pass a branch on your left.

"In here is where we met up with da tunnel, but da temple is onwards"

You continue, and when a branch to the right appears, the dwarf takes
it. After some more wandering and prattling, you reach a natural cave
again, it leads into a small natural funnel. The dwarf proceeds with a
big 'Here we are' smile on his fat face.

You enter a magical cavern. It is lighted by the light that shimmers
softly from a body of water on the other end of the cavern. Steps lead
into the water.  On the sides of the cave, both on the floor
(flattened by creatures and not nature) and in the water (half
submerged) are statues of alternating mermen and mermaids. Beautiful
in appearance, lifelike. It seems as though they watch you, but you
realize that it is but a trick of the light. In the back of the cave
(onland) are two large basins of stone.

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana shifted uncomfortably as they traveled through the mine
shafts, the idea of a Temple was no longer alluring, the moisture and
close quarters had dampened her spirit.  But when she saw the light
from the pool of water sparkled through the cavern and the sights to
behold she perked up noticeably.

As Mindak talked about the temple, Tatiana slowly walked to the front
of the group and entered the Cavern in awe.  She walked to the pool of
water where the mermaids and mermen statues were located.

(DM/Mindak:)
"Those bath tubs were filled to the rims with them pearls y'know?
Most of em were cracked n worthless, but some wuz still intact. Ya
wouldna believe da colors they came in. From black, red, rose, yellow
to silver and white, even blue ones. They wuz mighty pretty, but oh
well.  Nutting beats the shine of pure metals forged by a master
smith."

(Falrun:)
Falrun enters the temple listening closely to Mindak.  As the others
rush about exploring the area, he will stand quietly off to the side,
observing.  He shows much interest in the area, but has little
experience with temples, religions, and gods in general.

He will study the walls and ceiling, if possible, to determine if
there are any carvings or markings.  He will also walk slowly around
the edge of the room, going from where the water starts on one side to
where the water ends on the other side, looking for any possible signs
of a secret door or etchings on the wall.

(Dithion:)
Dithion will examine the statues.  How life like are they?  Could they
have been alive at one point, i.e., are they that detailed?  He will
also look down the steps into the water.

(Dithion:)
Dithion turns to Mindak, and says, "Has anyone explored this pool?
Have any gone diving into it?"

(Dithion:)
How deep is the pool?  If not, and it is deep let me know.  I might go
for a swim. : )

(Silver:)
Upon hearing this, Silver mentions to Dithion "Remember what Mindak
just said .... [This is a strange rock, fer it imbues the water coming
out of it with magical properties - for both good and evil] .... take
care not to get too close to the water." This last is said with
genuine concern, and not a little surprise that Dithion would have
made such a suggestion.

OOC: Even if Dithion meant the swimming remark as a joke, Silver is
     not in a fit state to recognize jokes at the moment.

(Dithion:)
Dithion turns to Silver, a slight surprised look on his face, "Ah, no,
actually, I was serious.  If they haven't gone in there, then it is a
place that has remained unexplored.  Anything could be down there, I
mean, look there are steps leading down."  He grins and looks to
Mindak for a response, and then says, "Oh, and yeah, I remember about
the magical properties.  If I go in, I will tie a rope to myself, and
you guys can hold on to it.  Hey!  You might catch something!"  He
laughs.

(DM/Mindak:)
The dwarf sez: "OH NO! No one has gone aswimmin in there! With dat
light there, ye cant see a bloody thang. No one knows how deep it is,
and some who submerged themselves, stopped when they had progressed
down the steps until their heads were no longer above water. The light
seems to be a property of the water itself. It effectively blinds you
if you try to see underwater."

(Arlon:)
Arlon says to Mindak "Does this pool have any connection to the
magical rock?"

OOC: After Silver's response to Dithion about taking a swim - I
     thought Mindak was talking about streams and not this pool.

(DM/Mindak:)
"No no no, I wus talkin of the magical effects of the two streams
OUTSIDE, and not about this pool, only that its water gives off light"

(Silver:)
"Well, that shows up just how much *I* understand about things
underground," Silver says with a wry expression, "I thought this pool
might be linked to the sources of those rivers somehow."

(Dithion:)
Dithion says to Mindak, "Has this area been searched for secret
doorways?  Has anyone tried to move the altar?  The tubs that held the
pearls?". If not, he will.

(Arlon to Dithion:)
"Dithion, I would not try to move anything just yet; lets get a good
look first.  Those basins probably were for offerings, there may be
something significant about them."

(DM/Mindak:)
Mindak answers the question whether he and his dwarves have moved
anything: "Nope, we did no such things, no. This is, or once was, a
place of worship of some kind. We dwarves have respect for that. We
looked around and poked around a bit, but we were not about to change
the scenery. Taking the pearls seemed no harm, seeing as most were
broken anyways. Had they held some significance to this god still, we
figured that them pearls would still be whole you know?"

(Arlon:)
Arlon will mainly do what Dithion does (beat me to the punch again).
Arlon will also look for markings, pictures of any kind on the walls,
basins etc..  and see if any memories are sparked :)

(Keilan:)
Keilan enters the temple at the back of the party and looks around at
the 'wonders' to be found.  After only a few moments, he leans on his
staff and takes on a disinterested look.

(Silver:)
After talking to Dithion about the water, Silver will say in a low
voice "Oh Mielikki, I know this is not your realm. But please guide me
truly through the paths I must walk in this place far from the sun and
the stars."

Silver will then take a deep breath, cast a wary eye at the ceiling of
the cavern and the immense weight of rock above her head, and walk to
the large basins. She will examine them to see if there is anything
which may have knowledge of (perhaps they would be vessels to hold
offerings to the Gods of this place). She will also look at the area
between the basins.

After that, she will walk close to the water's edge, near the steps,
to see into the pool and have a closer look at the statues. "The way
this water glows ... is this a property of the water or of the rock
pool in which it lies, I wonder ?"

OOC: Do I feel comforted by the glow from the water here, or is it a
     cold, impersonal, unwelcoming light ? Is it tinged with a colour
     at all ?






Meanwhile, Tatiana is at the edge of the pool with the shining water ...

(Tatiana:)
She kneeled down next to the pool and tried to figure out where the
light was coming from.  "This is cool!"  She ran her fingers through
the water.

Tatiana cupped her hand hesitantly in the water and then brought it to
her mouth to drink.  A Quirk of her mouth and eyebrows indicated
subdued interest (sorta a mental Huh? but I don't know how to say it).

"It's warm, warmer than I expected it to be but that's it" she mumbled
but no one seemed to notice as she was the only one by the pool of
water

Tatiana stood up and arranged her equipment to minimize getting wet
and started to wade into the pool.  She smiled as the lighted water
parted around her legs.  "Neat effect"

(Silver:)
Silver notices and has a sharp intake of breath, but says nothing.

(Arlon:)
Seeing that Tatiana may wade into the pool Arlon says (putting a
little emphasis into it): "WAIT Tatiana!  We should prepare proper
safeguards before wading into the pool.  Plus there may be another
tactic we might want to explore.

(Silver:)
Silver nods her head at this, but still says nothing.

(Tatiana:)
Tatiana paused at the cry from Arlon, the water was to her knees.  She
turned back to see what the concern was, but noticed Arlon was more
concerned with the altar.  She shrugged, then notice Silver's
concerned look.  She waved her hand and shook her head no as if to say
"don't worry"

She continued over to the first statue and started to examine it

"Exquisite workmanship!"  She then proceed to examine closely the
merman so she could describe it later in a ballad.

(Arlon:)
OOC: Does the pool seem natural or created i.e. do the walls of the
     pool show any workmanship or is it a natural depression.  Could
     it have held enough water to submerge the statues?

(Arlon:)
"This place is highly magical, whether by the rock or the architects
of this place.  For the features to stay this defined after so long,
the area must be magicked."

OOC: I would really like to hear Mindak's responses before I proceed
     any further.  Ok so I like to get a lot of info before I go on,
     its a mess to do retros - for me anyway.

(DM:)
The steps are very gradual. Each step is about 10cm down, and the
steps are about 40cm wide.  They are not really stairs. The entire
floor becomes steps, sinking into the water.  Thus the statues are
also at sinking levels.  The water gives off an eerie blue-silver
light, cold and impersonal.

(Silver:)
Because of the nature of the light, Silver will stay away from the
water, keeping fairly close to any characters who are searching around
the large basins.

(Silver:)
OOC: One further thing I will do w/o anyone else noticing (perhaps
     while hanging around in the Temple when Arlon deals with opening
     the secret door) is to compare and contrast the two staffs I
     have.  Are there any additional marking or runes on Tier Breche's
     staff which I (as a druid) may recognize ? Words of power for
     instance ? Or symbols which may give me an indication that this
     staff serves more than one purpose ?

(DM Reply:)
O.K. The staff is covered with runes. And I mean covered. It will take
some extensive deciphering and reading to get a clue as to what it all
sez. but you spot runes having to do with both healing AND harm....

(Silver:)
OOC: Can I just say ... Wow !
     I will be looking at this when we get out of here. As for now, I
     will keep it safe, and use the owl-headed +2 staff. I will keep
     Tier's staff strapped to my back, safe from harm.  If we get to
     rest down here, then I will study it further. If we get into a
     desperate situation, however, I will try to do some quick
     deciphering ...

(DM:)
The statues are very lifelike. So lifelike they could indeed once have
been alive. The detail is incredible, attesting great skill. The
mermen and maids are all smiling, and look at peace. They are all
facing the middle line of the cave.

The rest of the cave appears natural. Only the floor and the steps
into the water, the statues and the basins are made by creatures.