2.0 - Lure of the Lost

Urik is sticking to the center of the group. Thinking to himself, Caves again. And more big monsters. Aren't there any Jedi artifacts above ground? Tactically, he's following Dagger's cues and has his blaster drawn, but his eyes scan the walls of the caves constantly.

The cave system is something of a maze to you all as you move about. For the first several minutes, Dagger keeps peeling off into side corridors that get smaller and smaller until the end. Some of the corridors go on for quite a ways, while others seem to stop before Csillag -- taking up the rear -- can get herself into the corridor with the rest of you. Heyop's glow rod casts an odd light around the cave -- but unlike the cave on Splintir, there aren't an abundance of natural crystals here to reflect the light. This place seems, somehow, quite a bit more mundane. Every now and then Urik pauses and reaches out with the Force -- but there is nothing here to connect with that he can feel -- not like the cave back near the Dawn Temple.

After your most recent excursion down a side path -- you return back to what you have come to think of as the "main drag". Down to your left would be the entrance to the cave system -- and the canyon and the large cranky beast beyond. As you continue deeper into the caves you come into a large room -- it's like someone took a scoop out of the earth before you. It's slightly rounded floor dips gently into the center and then rises again on the far side. Kaveri's eyes the room with some suspicion tied back to a former experience.

Kaveri holds out an arm, encouraging everyone to stop. After a few moments of concentration she provides some background on a hunting trip she had on a strange swampy planet with a diverse cave system. Occasionally, bubbles of gas would almost push out a cave and create a nearly spherical picture like the one you see before you. Then, the gases might settle into the bowl of the cave -- where they could be all kinds of toxic. She recommends either holding your breath as you pass through -- or working around the edges if headed to the other side.

Dagger and Urik manage to get across the bowl in the cavern -- Urik's eyes are watering but he managed to hold his breath and get across without seeming to suffer anything. Dagger, on the other hand, stumbled slightly while crossing and took a big gulp of air that turned into a series of hacking coughs as he staggered the remainder of the way across with a guiding hand from Urik. Dagger is standing, but looking a bit overwhelmed -- coughing significantly and dabbing at his tearing eyes repeatedly.

As you work your way around the side, Kaveri following, the footing turns into a narrow ledge where the walking is a wee bit treacherous. Unfortunately, the handholds on the wall are few and far between and the uneven shape of the cave means that some times you have to lean out to make some forward progress.