Tunnels

Skeeve updates his rough map as best he can with the kep of Blornvid who is the beest at navigating the tunnels. You make you way back to the checkered tile board after traversing the tunnels again.

By this time you have been exploring the caveerns for seveeral hours, most of that time spent climbing through the passageways. Besides the Dero, Goblins, and mimic you have noticed other life but it is scarce here deep under the ground From what Blornvid can tell though it seems a bit more common than most deep passageways where life tends to cluster around specific locations where plants or fungi gro and can support a stablee ecosystem. The pressences of the ocasional snake, lizard, insect and bat colony lead you to believe there are other, likely much too smll for you, passageways to the surface from these caves.

Ariving back at the tile floor you take a short break as you concider what to do next

The pattern does not look like the map no matter how you look at it but as you reach out with your magical senses the tiles feel unusually receptive, as is awaiting your command. With a bit of probing Skeeve is able to move a tile, causing it to slide so that the black and white trade places. However as he does so he gets feedback that the format is invalid and need additional changes to become active. He is sure once is is active he will be able to tell more.You can either explain a basic approach and make a couple roll for each attempt or suggest patterns, or just say you spend time until you get it active. If you want.

Playing with the massive moving tile puzzle enchantment Skeeve sets the desired pattern after a few minte. During that time Raggy searches the time, perimeter, and area and notes that all the tiles themselves are perfectly smooth and free of dust or dirt. A thin trim surrounds the tiles, separating them from the rough cavern floor, which is covered in tiny rune that Raggy only notices due to a very faint glow when the tiles are moved by Skeeve.

As Skeeve gets the last 2 tiles in place he feels the board click and a slight shift as it activates. The magic he feels seems tied to some other thing. Not close. Beyond that he is guessing. Raggy shows Skeeve the glyphs, which stay lit but are growing dimmer. As best you can tell the platform is either a tool for harnessing and focusing magical energy and focusing it beyond what the mage can normally do unassisted. Most of the glyph's are for stability and storing power but there are others of Abjuration, Divination, Conjuration, Illusion, Evocation, and Enchantment.

The pattern you created appears to be one of several basic forms that do nothing, as far as you can tell, but help you become more familiar with channeling your energies into it. (something like a Tutorial level 1) More complex designs and transitions, you feel that more advanced forms require specific steps like most spells and enchantments, may reveal additional affect but will take time to figure out. While he was moving the tiles Skeeve had to continually focus on them and setting this simple pattern took a couple of minutes. You figure making anything more complicated would take even longer and more effort.
If you wish to figure out more, then I will need some rolls from Skeeve that will determine how long it will take. Otherwise you can propose other basic patterns and I will tell you how long it takes and the results.

Nothing in the natural cavern appears to be altered save the tiles and runic border.

You have been down for several hours, most of tht thing spent traveling through the connecting tunnels. Your best guess is it is after 4 in the afternoon at this time and it will take at least a half hour to return to the base.

Time : 1615

Skeeve spends several minutes and tries several more combinations. He discovers several valid arrangements. This leads the the additional discovery that not all valid combinations are active. He feels 2 should work but they miss something. It is not until he gets a third that he realizes the combination require another component to fully activate. Unsure what the first 2 word do or are missing he is confident the 3rd would create a connecting to distant point. This connecting could either be used as a means of communicating or transportation.

Retracing your path back past the glowing pool you continue past and find your way further west, passing a fork leading to the south and pausing occasionally to update your map, until you find the pink cavern. Retracing your steps again you get some of the water from the pool. However, Skeeve notes that the water begins loosing its magic as soon as it is taken from the pool. Tired after a long day exploring you make you way back to the base and enjoy a meal at the tavern before getting a good nights rest.