The Kelp Forest of Nedra

[rassafraggin]

Lyrrad's dark blue messy hair tangles about his forehead as he skillfully swims the open sea. You are about to step out past the comfort zone where there is no magic here to protect you. From here on in you are at the mercy of your Rebman friends who travel with you. Two Tritons also accompany the group to assist if things go south. The scout/hunter/whatever the heck he is wears a necklace of fish-bones, soft scale pants that hug his bum and an assortment of weapons. Oddly, his feet are slightly webbed, he may have some weird blood in his family or he got them surgically altered. In any case, it makes him go pretty fast underwater. He waits at the drop off to see how the girls are going to be divided up. Izett, Taleyn and Amythyst.

Taleyn has not met the Rebmans, but greets them with a friendly smile and a polite bow. Merrisol she seems to know, and she offers him a cheery wave and greeting. She seems a trifle on edge. She has been to Rebma before and clearly has an idea of what's coming. She waits for it.

Enki waits quietly, floating in the water in what seems like a listening pose.

Merrisol showed up in Rebma via Martin's trump, reporting to the Regent first and unable to suppress a broad smile of relief and pride. Fella must have leveled up out there in Minos or something. He joins the expedition as it travels to the outskirts and greets those he knows before finding Enki, to report to the Rebman in charge. "Sir, I have instructions from our Liege to specifically see to the protection of Dame Taleyn, Lady Izett, and Lady Amethyst." He glances at the scout Lyrrad, measuring him up with a pause over those natural webbed feet, and nods agreeably.

Enki straightens from his pose gracefully, clearly adept in the water, and opens his eyes. "Indeed.", he says, "I am sure you will do a good job. Well come.". He pauses, as if debating saying something more.

Lyrrad sweeps his gaze over the ladies as one who appreciates beauty would and states curtly,"The tide is with us. If we swim now, we'll make good time." He looks out over to the deep blue. "The Sea doesn't wait for anyone." He slides his sturdy looking harpoon into its carrying case on his back. "Respectfully, get the kissing over with, and lets move out."

Enki nods to Merrisol at Lyrrad's words.

Taleyn says, "I think my husband would be less annoyed if I kiss the lady."

Amy has met some of the Rebmans at least. She simply keeps with the group, staying quiet. A nod of greeting to everyone, but she otherwise is for the moment observing, and trying to keep her trepidation to herself.

Taleyn closes her eyes and points to a random Rebman to kiss. She points at a patch of sky.

Lyrrad remains impatient for people to get ready to swim out to the deep blue. Most scouts don't like to be kept waiting, after all. This particular one is reknowned for his skill as a hunter ... as much as his attitude. You get the impression he would have liked you to have been swimming out a while ago. Pansy Flatlanders who can't breathe underwater. pfft.

"You mean there are choices? C'mon then, who's giving kisses?" Amy asks. There's actually amusement in her gaze, as she asks that question, in an attempt to move this along.

Merrisol waits through the pause, but nods and withdraws when it turns out to be nothing. "Won't be but a moment," he says to Lyrrad. LADIES. "Ladyships, it is Martin's want that I safeguard your survival to the kelp forest and back," he tells them, adding simply, "..but please be assured that I require no order to be at your service. Place your trust in me to convey the Sea's blessing, and let go of your need for air as I bring you across the boundary." He offers his hand to Amy first, since she's such a wiseacre.

Taleyn takes a deep breath and goes ahead and kisses the scout.

Amy reaches her hand over to Merri, a smile crossing her face. "Of a certainty, Merrisol." She has no problem letting the man give her a kiss.

Llyrad gives Taleyn the hairyeyeball and stops her just before she manages to do that thing. He's got some scruples at least. This must be some strange Amber custom. He points at Merrisol. "He's the one who needs to do the kissin', ma'm, as enjoyable as that would have been."

Taleyn shudders. SHE HAS KISSED A STRANGER, FOR NO REASON!!! It is clearly a burden that she will just have to live with. She gets in line behind Amy.

Enki looks at Taleyn, somewhat bemused.

Merrisol steps back over the edge and takes Amy with him. He moves in closer and watches the precious lungfuls of air deplete themselves in a stream of bubbles, then leans in and presses his mouth full onto hers. Weeeee! Does he get to turn into a handsome prince now? Nope. Instead, he floods her mouth and lungs with seawater, then draws back with a smile. Welcome to the Wild Side, Amy! Setting her back on the ledge, he casts Taleyn a studious look as she tries to get cozy with the scout, and he tends to Izett next (because she's sleeping through it!). Then back to Taleyn. "Dame Taleyn, if I could, I would spare you the discomfort of being kissed by any but Lord Robert. Think of it not as a kiss but more like a... dead fish wrapped magically around your head." There, that's how you get through to a Feldane, he's heard!

Taleyn looks like one who dies a hundred deaths every time she comes here, but then she keeps forgetting and coming back, because Rebma is just so shiny. Though, Merri's MAGICAL DEAD FISH analogy seems to keep her so mentally occupied that she forgets all about the kiss and lets him get on with it with no effort whatsoever! Soon she is breathing underwater with the rest.

It's a unique experience, one that Amy's never been through before. But at least she trusts Merrisol as a friend, although it does bring a hint of panic to her, as she finds herself where she can't breathe, until Merrisol kisses her and puts that sea water back into breathing order. Yes, it's odd. No we're not going to question the magic. She can't help but mimic a swoon though, for a moment, while Merri is busy with Izett and then Taleyn - lucky fellow.

Enki watches quietly, with patience.

Lyrrad tries hard not to roll his eyes. Good. "Lets move out!" He turns and starts immediately to swim. "Best keep up now." The tritons ensure no one falls behind and so you start to move. The worst part over, introductions and kissage done and you are ready to go out to the deep blue. Lyrrad is a decent guide but you're clearly not getting the five star tour of the Deep. The actual goal of this mission: Find out if the Dragon Queen is buried in her tomb. Find out if the Kelp Forest is where the plant in the children's room came from and see if there are any clues there to the whole puzzle. Besides, the tomb of a dead witch. What could go wrong? Swim swim swim.

Time Passes

--[ Deep Kelp Forest(#7242RJ) ]-----------------------------[ Near Rebma ]----

The rolling sea floor becomes rocky in this area, a necessary bed for the Kelp Forest it supports. The rocks bear a snarl of ancient anchors which hold the plants fast to the ground as they stretch as far as possible. Cool waters drift through the forest, filled with nutrients to support the abundant life. It is home to all kinds of unique life from holdfast to the surface. Huge tendrils draped with leaves twist and twirl about making a way through seem difficult at best. Living within these giant plants is a host of sea life capable of navigating the forest. There is shelter here from the open sea. It is the perfect place for an innocent clownfish to hide, or the perfect lair to host unspeakable evil.

After time passes, you get farther and farther away from Rebma until you can no longer see the city. It's Ocean all around you. The guide must be following some kind of path but it's hard to tell how.
And when you get so sick of seeing pretty ocean blue... suddenly there is another drop off... and the forest as far as the eye can ee.

Taleyn is a strong swimmer, though by no means an expert in the water. She is clearly out of her element here in many ways, but she sticks with it doggedly. She asks a few quiet questions along the way and seems very interested in the changing scenery and in the larger mystery. Finally, she exhales, "Ohhhh! Is that the Kelp Forest? Amazing!"

Enki looks to the others and mentions, "The archivist could not meet with me, but sent me a letter warning of sea snakes, so be on the lookout."

Strong swimmer, physically fit, despite her diminutive stature and not looking like she could harm a fly. Amy looks over at Enki, with some startlement at his comment, now glancing around to see - "How would we know if it's a snake or some moving kelp, before it attacked, I mean?" she murmurs. Her gaze goes to the crazy sea forest, amazement on her face.

Enki reaches into one of his pouches and pulls out a candle encased in a metal canister with a hinged cap. He opens it briefly, revealing a burning flame, and then closes it, looking satisfied. He continues to hold it as he swims with ease, staying with the guide.

Taleyn's eyes widen as she looks over at Enki. "Sea snakes? How big?"

Enki shrugs, "Probably large."

RPG: Enki declares that he has the Everburning Candle (ILL-EB) gift.
RPG: Enki declares that he has the Aquatic Adaptation (SEA-AA) gift.

Lyrrad stares at the forest with an uneasy expression. "Ain't been inside." He tells the group. "Tell you the truth, wasn't much to look at before the cataclysm. Was just a bunch of plants. This mess.." He waves his hands at the forest. "Now it's this."

Merrisol swims with the drylanders as promised, lending a tether from his weapons belt to hold onto if anyone's swim endurance gives out. He follows the path taken through featureless three-dimensional space as closely as possible, and spares everyone his limited supply of showtunes. Sea snakes? He frowns as they reach the drop, and scans the kelp forest for life, spotting plenty of snakey shapes. But they're just those weedy things with lots of leaves attached. "Which way is the base of the mountain where she's buried?" he asks the guide.

RPG: Taleyn declares that she has the Tree of Life (DEA-TL) gift.

Amy sort of mumbles to herself, and sticks close to Merrisol, perhaps out of habit.

Lyrrad says, "We have to go through. Before this place was as snarled as it was, you could see the mountain, though not a lot of folk came out this way."

Taleyn's eyes widen as she surveys the waving kelp. "Oh. Yyyyes. I see. Yes, there's a curse all right. These plants-- they're not *natural.* Have a care how you go."

Enki looks interested, and looks back at Taleyn to say "How are you discerning that, if I may ask?"

Merrisol listens to the discussion with a pained grimace. "The whole forest is tainted?" Wonderful. He puts one hand on his cutlass hilt. Yeahyeah, sword underwater, but he left the harpoon in his other swimpants.

Amy gives Taleyn a glance, and then she simply shrugs. It figures. Is it too late to turn back now? She closes her eyes for a moment and then simply nods. "Don't touch the plants, right."

Lyrrad says, "So. I guess we have to clear a path then." He looks around the group for understanding. "How, exactly are we going to do that without touching the plants?"

There's clearly ... things living in there too. You see the plants move as though something may have slithered through them.

Taleyn smiles wryly at Amy's words. "Indeed." She smiles brightly at Lyrrad. "I'd recommend touching them with our blades and not our hands, personally!" She draws hers, a long, slender khopesh of pearlescent glass, looking for all the world like solidified seawater. "We'll see what we can flush ou-- hello." She stops in mid-flourish. "Oh. Yes, THAT there would be an Undead cursed sea snake, I believe." She points to something slithering in the kelp. "Battle stations, everyone!"

Enki looks thoughtfully at the kelp. I have a blade that might help, and with that he raises his candle.

RPG: Enki declares that he has the The Flaring Blade (ILL-FB) gift.
RPG: Taleyn declares that she has the Death's Bane (DEA-BN) gift

Enki's candle grows into a blade of white hot fire.

The sea-snake slither-slithers through the forest, it seems unawares and disinclined to leave the protection of the forest.

Lyrrad steps back a bit as he looks at the trees. "This ain't getting us anywhere." He grunts. "It ain't attacking. Don't waste your energy. Let's go in." He grabs the harpoon and uses it to start to shift the plants away so he can get through a particular hole. "This looks like a good place to start."
Enki nods and follows, careful to not touch the plants, eyes scanning the forest.

The ambient temperature of the water in Taleyn's immediate vicinity drops a few degrees, and even in the ocean, her hair is rippled as if by a chill breeze. Her mien pales, her eyes go from warm brown to a cold grey. "The Feldane Duty must be done. If we are not equipped in this particular expedition to clear this forest of its vile curse, then I or one of my House will need to do so in the future." She remains prepared and vigilant, but falls in to flank the scout to protect the party from undead snakes, rather than, say, diving into the kelp bed yelling BANZAI!

Merrisol keeps his weapon housed for the moment, first giving Taleyn's elegant blade a once-over, then Enki's super-hot sword, a squint. He glances at Amy and Izett, giving them the nod to follow along the path of turned-aside kelp. He uses his forearm bracers to push openings wider for them to wriggle through without making contact with the giant fronds.

Enki looks back at Taleyn, "Agreed, and I will help you at that time. But ..that is not our mission for this time."

Taleyn smiles at Enki and gives him a little bow. "I thank you, milord. I shall take you up on that!"

Amy wrinkles her nose, really not happy with the idea of undead snakes. Just - what she always did not want to meet. Still, she keeps to the center of the path, careful to not touch anything but water, if she can possibly help it. Enki and Taleyn get a dubious look, and Amy doesn't exactly volunteer for that mission.
A seahorse drifts near Merrisol. An undead sea horse. It doesn't loom very successfully though.

The plants don't stop you from coming in.

As they get further in, Taleyn's jaw drops open in wonder. "Bloody *hell!*" She pauses. "Look-- all those animals are dead! Everything in the forest! It's... it's like a Blight... only weirder." She looks suspicious of the ocean itself for making everything weirder, even Blights. "The mountain seems like it's the epicenter."

That of course has Amy use her Mandrakke sight, curiously.

Merri is perhaps used to being shadowed by smaller critters underwater, like maybe they think they can hitch a free ride and protection like lampreys on the side of a shark. When he sees his new little buddy is half-rotted away, however, he shakes his head and gives it an experimental nudge in another direction. "This seems to suggest that the Witch is still there."

"The plants are alive though, similar to the one that we saw in that child's bedroom. Are they giving off some sort of - I'm not sure quite what the right word is," Amy says, with a slight frown. "But certainly, I'm not reading anything from the critters at all."

Lyrrad isn't happy about being surounded by undead things, even though they are not attacking and simply there. "Lets get to it." He nods at Taleyn. "We don't want to linger anywhere." He doesn't state why but he looks really uneasy.

Enki grimaces, passing his sword close to a small undead puffer fish that ventures to close, it's body permanently inflated by some force other than air, since a quarter of it's body has rotted away. Enki looks to Lyrrad, and says simply "Agreed."

Taleyn nods to Amy. "I think the word you're searching for is 'pheromone.' The kelp is sending out a chemical that is... *calling out.* I think they're here to lure living creatures in. And then the forest steals their lifeforce."

Taleyn blinks. "And yes, our guide is right. We had best stay in motion. I think... I think if we fall asleep here, that we might end up just like them!"

Amy nods her head. "Let's keep going then," she says. "Apparently faster rather than not."

Merrisol goes back to his door-holding duties without further delay, on the off-chance that soul-sucking occurs from physical contact, not as a direct consequence of simply being here. If only Izett could talk to dead fish as well as she could banter with ghosts.

The undead critters seem to be massing around the center which is easy when you have someone with the site who can point the way now. Lyrrad looks quite impressed by Dame Taleyn, perhaps he might tell the story of how she kissed him after all. As you get closer and closer, there's more and more of the critters about. Still, they kind of shuffle around swimming uneasily through the water. Ever try and shamble with fins? Well..it's not fun. It takes some time to get through to the underwater mountain where supposedly the Sea Witch was burried but eventually you get there. When you first see the mountain it looks like nothing has been disturbed... and then you see a great gaping hole.

Alright then. It looks like a big black gaping blast in the side of a mountain.

Taleyn stares. "Oh. *That* cataclysm."

Enki raises an eyebrow, "Explain, please?"

Taleyn wrinkles her nose. "I don't know for certain, of course. But... I mean, Rebma's Pattern *did*, er, have a spot of bother for a while, and I've seen the taint of... of the Black Road affect many different worlds... Just a guess. We won't know until we get closer, or we kill something and it explodes into a pile of bugs with your father's face or something."

Enki pauses, looking at the mountain, "There was a Seal here once, keeping contained some creature it was Karm's duty to keep bound. The seal has been broken though and is no more."

Enki looks puzzled, "No..it does not have the feel of Karm magic...something lesser."

Taleyn's eyes widen. "Interesting. A... minor seal? *Is* there such a thing?"

Merrisol takes any pause in the journey through the forest to examine the kelp bed, how the root system works. As they get to the base of the mountain, he comes to a halt when he sees the supposed grave standing excavated. "Wait," he says to Taleyn, "There's another way.. Lord Enki, may I have your permission to try and bring in Lord Quinlan? He has aided Rebma's cause several times before, and has been able to sense the mark of Chaos in red algae."

Enki nods, "Of course. I am familiar with Quinlan's reputation, by all means."

Taleyn grins. "I'd be quite fine with that! We've worked together before."

Lyrrad is non-committal. He stares at the blast with some annoyance. "Rebmans have their own magic." He mutters.

Amy watches, sort of an errant witness in this case. But a lucky one.

Taleyn shoots Lyrrad a wary look, suggesting she has seen examples of Rebman magic that have made her hair stand on end. "Yes. You do."

Enki smiles, "Everyone has their unique brand of magic. Rebma appreciates the willingness of the Amber Houses to lend their magic to our aid, as we have done for Amber in the past."

The contact with Quinlan comes like an icy wind.

The image of Quinlan is resting on the deck of his boat, enjoying the moonlight. It seems he's recently been for a swim. "Evening," he says pleasantly.

Merrisol puts the kelp forest at his back while he reveals a small collection of trump cards from a secure pocket of his swim jammers. He finds the right one for the job and is on with the Pathian in no time. "Oh good.. you're already dressed. It's Merrisol, Quinlan. A bunch of us have gone to check a burial site in the kelp forests beyond Rebma, and it's not looking good at all. Feel up to another swim?"

Taleyn pulls out a brass spyglass with oddly scintillating lenses, taking a gander at the gash in the mountain through it.

The image of Quinlan blinks. "...I can try," he agrees, sounding surprised. "If you think I can help, bring me through. Uh - hold out your hand, for me to take."

Enki looks like he hears something, and turns to the others, "Lyrrad and I are going to scout just a short way ahead, we'll be back momentarily." At this he gives the guide a look and says, "Please follow me for a moment", in a low voice.

Merrisol smiles at the response and extends his hand. "Right. Just make sure to mind your air."

Lyrrad nods to Enki. "Of course." He follows the other along towards the black hole in the mountain. "What are you seeing?" He squints at it.

Amy definitely has no objections to Quinlan arriving. Helpful fellow he is. Got a great nose. Maybe not such a kisser as others, but well, can't have everything. Her grin is positively impish, though she does turn to look at Enki, and nods her head. "Alright."

Quinlan arrives in a Trump's rainbow, holding Merrisol's hand. His other hand's over his mouth; it's quickly clear *why* - it's just enough air to murmur a spell, letting a bubble of air form around the mageling's head. He nevertheless looks hugely relieved that that *worked*, he looks around to see where in the sea he wound up.

Taleyn says to the others, "That blast has opened a big hole, and it looks like there's a cavern in there! Something went to a great deal of trouble to get in there. There are... creatures sort of patrolling the gash. Oh, and a few shards of... something glittering." She looks up. "Oh dear... not mirrors? Could they be mirrors?" Yep, Taleyn is definitely wary of mirror magic. She beams suddenly. "Why, hello, Lord Quinlan! Fancy meeting you here!"

Merrisol checks, "The bubble-wrap takes care of the pressure consideration, right?" They are at the edge of a massive forest o' thriving kelp, which happens to be crawling with undead marine life. A mountain rises up ahead of them, and at its base gapes a hole.. three guesses what that was supposed to be.

Quinlan shakes his head. "Honestly, not really," he says. "I'm of Oberon's kin but - hey, Merri, could I possibly get a PG-13 please? This is going to get very uncomfortable very soon and if I spend all my energy breathing I'm probably not going to be much help."

Taleyn is looking through a weird-looking spyglass, possibly of Rebman make, to give account of the hole in the mountain.

Lyrrad and Enki return as the Mageling arrives. His harpoon remains out, though, just in case any of the undead critters decide they are hungry after all.

Enki nods to Quinlan, saying simply "Greetings. I am Enki and this is Lyrrad, our guide. Your aid on this is appreciated, as you reputation precedes you."

Merrisol keeps hold of Quinlan's hand, and hearing the answer, wastes zero seconds in pulling the mageling close for the chastest of liplocks. And squirts water into Quinlan's mouth because that's just how he rolls. It's entirely possible that the handholding also helped in the first place.

Taleyn asks, "Not to shove Quinlan off the deep end already, as it were, but the long and the tall of it is, we're aiming to explore that cave. Lord Enki, what is your opinion on the best tactical approach to those mirrors?"

Enki looks thoughtful, "They could be several things. Did they surround the can entrance? Or was there a path to the entrance that did not lead by them?"

Quinlan coughs a bit, but ...lets the bubble go, breathing the water. It's an Awkward moment, but he nods his thanks to Merrisol. At the moment, he honestly looks alarmed. "Reputation?" he asks. "I have a reputation? That made me *welcome*?" He coughs, which underwater is a neat trick. Maybe it was that spit-kiss. Or something even more awkward. "Um. So. Shards? Snakes?"

Taleyn says, "Looks like one big mirror BLEW UP and the shards are now scattered. I mean... doesn't that just make more mirrors to avoid? Or is that not how it works?"

Amy simply shrugs a bit, as she's not quite sure. She gestures towards the cave entrance quietly.
Perhaps its that Paulette luck that keeps the critters from thinking you are food. Maybe they just want fish brains...

Merrisol looks pleased about the success, despite the awkward. It's true, when it's an emergency, the body takes over and the presto-chang-o just happens. Maybe magic isn't so awful after a.... wait. "Mirrors," he frowns. "Where?" He missed something while he was on the trump, it seems. Following Amy's gesture, he stares at the tunnel entrance with returning dread.

Quinlan is not a graceful swimmer. When he's not using magic to move him through the water, he and the water tend to have severe disagreements as regards where he should be at any given moment. And it seems he's conserving his magic, because the attempt to move over to where the shards are is ...if Rebma had a funniest home videos contest this would be all over it, put it that way. But he does swim over to them, getting close to them, to extend his senses toward them. "Was at an interesting isle a while ago, lots of shards...might even be here actually, the island wasn't always above water..." Close, but not touching close. "Mirror magic, yes. The Road..." he absently commands a rock to roll across the seabed to roll onto his foot, to serve as an anchor. "There's something weird here. Not *Karm*...but kind of like someone saw Karm magic and tried to copy it? Tried to bind something here." He looks toward the others, puzzled.

Taleyn sort of tastes the waters. "It's... *almost* like... Do you know, I think they might have been trying to bind a spirit! Only-- it's not like Feldane arts. This feels like Shadow-magic."

Taleyn winces. "And something tells me they got it wrong."

Enki frowns at Quinlan's detection of Mirror magic, but only the briefest of moments before turning to Taleyn and saying "Mirrors come in many kinds. Some lose their magic when broken, others not so much. It would pay to be wary of them and avoid the shards if we can."

Amy sighs a bit, as she considers the situation. She tries using her Mandrake senses to see if there's anything near the cave that is alive, but at the moment, she's kind of just trusting to pure, dumb luck.

Lyrrad eyes the group. "Well?" He's clearly puzzled as to why they haven't advanced forward yet. Flatlander pansies.

Taleyn nods gravely at Enki's advice. "I shall take that to heart, Lord Enki." She surveys the wreckage, offering to pass the scope around to let the others look, too. "I wonder if the blast didn't come from without, but rather came when the binding spell went wrong, and the result blew up the mirror and blew a hole in the side of the mountain, as well! Ah! Perhaps they had trapped something in the mirror and were trying to seal it in there. Or were using the mirror to summon 'it.'"

Enki nods, "Sounds reasonable, but I would think it more likely they wanted to trap something." Enki reaches in request for the scope, to have a look himself.

Taleyn nods thoughtfully. "So-- it's reasonable to assume it got out." She hands him the spyglass.

Quinlan nods. "Something *was* trapped here," he agrees. "I can't sense anything about what. Just the seal that's binding it. The not-Karm seal."

Enki takes the spyglass and looks through it, looking for areas where the mirror was disturbed, and a sense of tracks.

Enki puts up the spyglass after a moment, handing it back to Taleyn. He then says "Ok, I think we need to be moving on. We can try to avoid the shards as best we can, for the most part, and attempt to get closer to the cave. "

Merrisol looks mostly lost in the discussion of theoretical magical properties of the mirror and of the reason the mirror lies in fragments. He glances back over the forest as though that was a cake walk compared to the prospect of swimming over a broken mirror. He stations himself with the Amberites again when Enki gives the marching order.

Taleyn nods and falls into formation-- that is, positions herself as meat shield to the magic users.

Quinlan studies the shards, the broken seal, a little longer, then looks to the others as they mention moving on. "Are we looking for whatever got loose here?" he asks, getting the rock off his foot so he can go with them.

Taleyn says cheerily, "It might be looking for us!"

Amy looks at Quinlan and smiles. Then she nods her head. "We were looking for confirmation that the sea witch was still buried here," she says softly. "It seems though that she might not be."

Lyrrad pffts and mutters something under his breath. It could be 'bout friggin' time', or something those lines. He goes forward into the maw of the manmade opening into the mountain tomb.

Enki nods, "This trip is for fact finding. The sea witch, or whatever was bound, may not have fully escaped. It might only be able to work through minions at the moment. Or it might have fully escaped. There are too many unanswered questions, and thats what we're here to take care of. Once we have more info we can come back better prepared for whatever threat is here and neutralize it."

Enki with that he gives the nod to Lyrrad to move out.

Amy follows after Lyrrad, cause she does that.

Quinlan blinks. "Sea witch," he echoes, looking around as if trying to decide if he's ever been here before. Maybe in open air. Shaking his head, to clear the cobwebs, he swims after Enki, absently conjuring wisps of light to guide his way.

Taleyn is vigilant for spiritual activity, but she is grimmer now, more on edge.

You pass into the darkness of the cave, and as you do it is almost impossible not to look at one of the mirror shards. They sparkle like little beacons of shiny but do not compel you towards them. Several layers of rock later and there is a great cavern. The light penetrates the darkness and catches the veins of white rock all throughout the cave, then bounces off the mirrors that surround. In the center of the cave there is a tomb. The sarcophagus is open and the mirrors are all shattered save one. The cave is also filled with paintings. Children mostly... and there is a black pit of sludge near that intact mirror.

"Unicorn save us..." Taleyn breathes.

The paintings of the children are strangely deformed, like someone was mentally unstable while they painted them. Grotesque little images. Either they hate children or are scared to death of them. One of the two.

Taleyn says, "The disappeared orphans-- there's no way this isn't connected!"

Amy shivers slightly, as she sees what is in the cave. It's quite a nasty little pit, this is. "I don't like the looks of this," she says, overstating the obvious. "Not one little bit." She looks around and about, to see if any ideas come to mind. Other than running away that is.

Taleyn's eyes take on a corpse-grey look again and examines the room, hand resting on the hilt of her black main gauche.

Enki looks at the sludge from a distance, to see if it is moving in any way.

Quinlan has a sort of halo of wisplight about him as he swims about the room. Studying the paintings, the coffin...the mirror and sludge from a safer distance.

Accompanying Izett and Amy while Lyrrad takes point just ahead, Merrisol looks about as squicked out as he ever has. Duty to his friends is probably about the only thing pulling him in a forward direction through the corridor of mirror shards. Entering the tomb, he gazes about with confused repulsion. After a moment, he makes himself approach the spooky paintings, doing a headcount of the number featuring children.

Enki hmms, "Ok, be ready...I am going to cast a light to dispel illusion.", he says as his sword shrinks back to a candle, which he raises high for moment, concentrating.

At once, all of Quinlan's wisplight blinks out.

And suddenly you are all engulfed in darkness.

RPG: Enki declares that he has the Revealing Light (ILL-RL) gift.

Luckily, the darkness doesn't last long.

Enki's candle shines bright. The area is illuminated out to as much as a hundred feet in each direction, brightly lit and as clear as day, as he peers around to room to see if anything is revealed. He starts to make a circuit of the room to make sure everything is covered.

The sludge is not moving. There are hundreds of drawings to count. You could write a book about 101 ways children can be terrifying just by looking at the cave paintings. Nothing at all seems to stir.

As the cave goes dark, Amy freezes. She just goes stock still, hands white knuckled, and manages to somehow not scream. But as the light comes back, in the form of Enki's candle, she stays where she is for a moment or two more, staring straight ahead at whatever is in front of her.

Quinlan murmurs, "I'm sorry about the dark," rather apologetically. "My wisps are illusions. I didn't know you had a Karm along." Sheepish, he turns his attention to the drawings, as if memorizing them, and their order.

There is no order, rhyme nor reason. Full-on crazy mo-fo.

Taleyn is revealed to be in a battle-stance right there in the water when the light comes back. She seems to be keeping a lid on being majorly freaked out. "There. Are. No. Spirits. Here. None. Not a single, solitary shade of the past, just... pure nothing."

Taleyn eyes the puddle of goo with increasing hatred. "It's not just consuming lifeforce like the forest. It's eating souls. And with every one it consumes, it grows in power."

Enki dims his candle down before it returns to a flaming blade, then says to Quinlan "BY all means, your wisps are very useful. I cannot cart a revealing light and wield my sword at the same time."

Amy stares at Taleyn and then at the puddle of goo, with horror written on her face. "Oh, those poor children," she says softly, jumping to a conclusion.

Darkness, however brief, at least meant there was no chance of being made to peer into any of the mirror pieces here. Merrisol turns in place blindly, listening, and starting back towards the center of the cavern. But the light comes back, and he jerks back as everything comes into clear focus again. He returns to stand near Amy again, and pans his gaze quickly again over the room again.

Enki nods, "Indeed.". He is now extra careful to not go too close and does not look directly in the mirror. Instead he takes out a mirror of his own, and looks into it to peer into the one upright mirror in the cave.
Taleyn nods at Amy's conclusion-- apparently she considers it a pretty safe leap. "It *seems* like it's-- sleeping, for now? Not currently active."

Quinlan says quietly, "I can try." He gestures, to bring back his wisps. "Just, um. Let me know if you're going to do that again. Okay?" He edges at the mirror and pool sidelong, extending his senses toward them.

Enki hmms to himself, then rejoins the group. "Quinlan, the woman you saw..did she appear as a beautiful woman, utter hate in her eyes, tall and regal, draped in rebman gold, purple and black. Her hair writhes with black snakes that whip out and around her?"

Taleyn turns to stare at Enki. "Tell me the punchline to that is not 'Because she's standing right behind you.'"

Quinlan blinks at Enki. "Um. I heard a sort of female voice. Saw pretty eyes. But it was in shards. I never saw a full face. We didn't exactly converse." The look he then turns on Taleyn is pure "oh THANK YOU FOR THAT SUDDEN HEART ATTACK" shock.

Enki looks at Taleyn, "Well...just kidding. No, I saw her in the mirror over there though, but only for the briefest moment."

Amy stares for a moment, and then her gaze goes behind Quinlan with a suspicious look, before back to Taleyn. Amy even frowns mildly. "Sleeping," she says softly. "You know, I have a feeling we might not want to be here if whatever it is wakes up?"

Merri stares for a few more seconds while understanding sinks in. "Waitwait.. hold on. They've been consumed?" he demands, distraught. "What about the legend of the Witch's army being comprised of children..? Princess Miriam's dream-vision of children training in some kind of arena, for battle? When did this start being about soul-eating?" Talk about your red herrings... so unfair!

Enki looks to Amy, "Wise thought. "

Enki looks around the casket, looking for some item that belonged to the witch.

Quinlan takes several moments to get a grip on his impending heart attack. "That? Was *unkind*." He takes a few more deep breaths, then studies the pool. "The pool devours souls for power, okay. But the pool doesn't move. So...the souls have to be brought here. So whatever's doing the kidnapping...will bring more children *here*. Yes?"

Enki looks back at Quinlan, "Yes, seems likely."

Taleyn clicks her tongue. "It's like a riddle. Is the goo the murder weapon, or is it just part of the crime scene?" She stares at it for a while longer, and then... "In fact..." She takes out a boot dagger and pokes it into the goo. RIGHT INTO THE GOO!

The boot and dagger are now covered in dormant goo.

Amy goes to check the coffin, just to see. Because someone has to. Empty coffin, should be straightforward - nothing to see there, move along.

Enki looks back, "The coffin is empty."

Enki checks closer, to see if there is a layer of silt on the coffin bottom, and if so how much...to tell how long it has sat empty

Taleyn says, "And the goo-- is dross. Just the sludge left over from consuming the souls. Like ectoplasm, only ickier."

Quinlan nods toward the only intact mirror. "To repair that, maybe?" he guesses. "All the others are broken."

Taleyn offers, "Or maybe used the energy to escape from the mirror!"

"Could you see the mirror from the coffin?" Amy wonders, as she moves to see if it's visible from that location.

You can't see the mirror from the coffin. But you could if you got out of the coffin.

Quinlan muses, "Can you trap souls in mirrors?"

Enki looks thoughtful, "It is said that once Rebmans could travel via mirrors, I could see a soul being trapped there as a possibility. Or perhaps the mirror is being used to deliver the victims to the sludge."

"You know, that mirror is totally visible for someone or something getting out of the coffin," Amy says, with a grimace, as she tries to figure that out. Just in case it's necessary. "Maybe put there on purpose, though - I can't think why?"

Taleyn decides to pore over the scene of the crime some more. She looks at where the goo is in relation to the mirror, in relation to the coffin, and its general location in the room. "It is... almost like a ritual sacrifice. Like-- well, amongst the orphans stolen, that she selected a couple as human sacrifices... perhaps to let the witch draw power *from* the souls of the sacrifices, and then she'd have enough energy to free herself. I wonder if we're not just looking for a witch, but for an accomplice? Or a *cult* of accomplices?"

Enki nods, "That is my fear as well."

Quinlan wrinkles his nose. "Road magic."

Enki gets closer to the coffin, checking the silt a the bottom to see how deep it is, in order to tell how long the coffin has been open.

Enki says "The Rebman pattern was disrupted about 2 years ago, right, maybe a little less?"

Quinlan murmurs, "A cult is possible with the Road involved. There's a Road-cult in Arden. But ...I'm not sure how that helps."

Lyrrad nods to Enki. He has been silent throughtout the whole thing, keeping watch.

Merrisol spends a lot of time just listening, listening and not really looking anymore. He shakes out of his thoughts after Taleyn's deductions filter through. "That does sound more in line with what has been discovered thus far," he says critically, surveying the group a moment like they are strangers. "Uh. So... we have a room full of shattered mirrors, one last one in tact, in which Lord Enki glimpsed a horrid woman figure for a moment. It may be we've arrived just at the nick of time, if that is the last mirror standing. They may have all been working together to keep the Witch's soul imprisoned?" He looks at the coffin. So where's the body?

Taleyn walks around. "She was in the coffin. Her cultists or whatever performed that Shadow-magic ritual to bring her back to life. I mean-- that's what this ritual looks like from a Feldane perspective. That dross was from the souls of no more than a few." She pauses. "Based on the timing of the Pattern-breaking, and with it being Road magic, she's had two years to regain her strength. Possibly the years have made her go a bit bonkers, as happens to evil power withering away in the darkness, hence the affinity with the Road magic. So, that story about the orphan army? She's probably amassing it right now." She looks at the mirror. "What the dickens did they use *that* one for when all the others got broken?"

Enki says "The coffin has been empty since about the time of Rebma's pattern disruption, based on the silt."

Amy stays away from the mirror, just pausing to look at each person as they speak. "Maybe she used it, to travel to her training arena?" Amy asks softly.

Quinlan mmms. "Was this witch you're looking for the one that was entombed here?" he asks. "Or was someone else?"

Taleyn nods-- "Yes! The training arena! I bet Amy's right!"

Taleyn smacks her own forehead. "Agh! And the blight of the kelp forest is probably the residue of that vile ritual! So, the valley *is* tainted! Not just by the magic, but possibly by the Black Road. Quinlan come look at this wretched kelp when we're done here."

Knowing the luck of the children of Paulette, perhaps it does.

Lyrrad tells Quinlan, "The witch was entombed here."

Merrisol waits through the continuing discussion for a few frustrated moments. "That doesn't explain all the other broken mirrors," he says. "Just someone tell me, the magic neophyte.. If all these mirrors surrounded that coffin, could the purpose have been to keep the Witch from coming back? We know that there are agents working for her.. we have seen their marking. Each sacrifice they perform shatters one of the mirrors.. these safeguards." He glances at the magi in the room. "There were not only children taken, you remember..? Two households from Rebma, servants and all. How many adults were there? And how many mirrors used to stand here?"

Enki nods, after contemplating the mirror. "It was used as a gate, but I cannot sense where to. With some preparation I could see the mirror shut using Karm magics, but I cannot do that now."

Enki looks at Merrisol, "A good thought, but we may not be able to determine the number of mirrors that were here."

There were six large mirrors.

You can tell by the frames.

Taleyn says, "I think the mirrors must have been shattered by her disciples. And... they brought this one in so she could escape the cave and take the orphan army with her? Because the ritual seems to be straight-up Necromancy to me. And it needs to be put an end to."

Lyrrad mutters from his position. "This same witch claims she can ride the Leviathan, just, you know...In case you didn't know."

Quinlan shakes his head. "Not 'straight up' anything, Taleyn," he says quietly. "Soul magic, yes. But also Road magic."

Merrisol nods, glad to have his theory shot down, in a way. He'll just be over there, guarding folk as requested and stopping with the thinking. Brain hurty.

Enki nods, "I do not like to think of Road magic and necromancy being mixed with mirror magic. Quinlan, can you sense the tainted if you were in the same room with them?"

Taleyn's eyes widen at Lyrrad. She did *not* know, apparently. "That is *not* good news. The last time the Leviathan rose, it nearly wiped out Amber." Then, "Necromancy takes many forms. Road Necromancers exist. I have fought some. And it's true, their magic does feel... odd." She shudders.

OOC> Martin says, "You have a Sea Witches Tomb. Someone opened it. Someone used SouL Magic with the combination of Black road to give the witch back enough power so she could break out of whatever eeal was here. Souls were eaten, (You don't know whose yet)> And she escaped through a mirror, probably."

Quinlan nods toward Enki. "Yes. I've had people come to me sometimes, asking if I can sense the taint in them when they're afraid of being tainted. The more tainted they are, the easier it is to sense."

Enki nods, "I have some people working with me on some project that I might ask you to test, depending on the Prince Regent's decision, if you would be kind enough to help?"

Amy looks over at Quinlan and she arches a brow, thoughtful.

OOC> Amethyst just yawns. And wasn't it Queen Moire who buried the sea witch here?
OOC> Martin says, "100 or so years ago"

Enki nods, "That would be appreciated. I will speak to the Prince Regent about it."

OOC> Martin says, "Also, Tally, Martin would have told you about the SEa witch claiming to be moire's sister."