Scene 2: The Caves

The group completes their short rest in the quiet, but safe dining room of Inn Plain Sight.

Merton settles into one of the corner booths, refocusing and recovering energy before they venture through the secret entrance. He takes nibbles at the hot wings and even a bit of karaage spider when the others aren't looking.

Hindle settles down at the opposite end of Merton's booth and takes time to rest and recover like the others. He makes sure to secure the hot wing sauce he had grabbed while using a new bottle from the kitchen for the hot wings and possibly karaage spider he eats before they continue on.

Leana settles into a cozy niche by the bar. It almost seems designed to have the best view of the room while keeping its inhabitants secure and pocketed away from eavesdroppers. She indulges in the herb-infused water she has prepared before meditating in preparation for the next leg of their adventure.

Brickowsky and Roaring Kitty make sure to help themselves to hot wings and potentially karaage spider with the good ale he had found when they first entered the inn. Once they have both had their fill, he burps in appreciation and announces to the others: "Ready when you are."

One by one, each of the adventurers suits back up and gather again at the secret entrance. No skittering can be heard, just the smell of fried spider and grease permeates the air. They walk gingerly through the entrance and turn the corner, Merton making sure to grab another torch to light their way. Brickowsky recognizes the stone in the tunnel as the same old stone from the tower he had seen in parts of the wine cellar. Soon, the tunnel splits left and right. What will our adventurers do next?

Brickowsky looks from one tunnel to the other, cocking his head to one side and inhaling deep, he tries to find clues that differentiate the two. Unfortunately, the spiders that skittered about earlier seem to have scattered any tracks that may have existed before. He can tell water seems to be dripping a bit louder from the right tunnel. He also notices the stones are a bit different in each tunnel.

As Hindle chomps down loudly on his karaage spider leg, Brickowsky crouches down to get a closer look at the stones lining each side. Both tunnels have stones from the old tower, but the left side's stones look more recently placed based on the scratches and coloring. By going to the right, it is more likely they will be following the tunnel referenced in the letter on the back of the Jadescales family portrait. With a nod of his head, he beckons to Hindle and the rest and trots down the right tunnel.

Soon the tunnel opens up into a large open cavern. A large body of water, perhaps a part of a sunken lake, appears and water drips into it from the stalactites. The sky can be seen through the large opening above the lake and the sun is barely peeking over the edge. Sunlight plays gently off the water and greenery that grows around this sunken lake. On the opposite side of the lake and through the opening, the old tower can be seen and throws a shadow onto the left side of the lake. Around the water, moss and flowers grow and spiders can be seen retreating into the shadows of the rocks and stalagmites. A tree, twisted with age, grows on the far side of this lake. On the right side of the lake, an owlbear snoozes in a ray of sun.

Leana, Brickowsky, and Merton split up on their side of the lake to find wood or other material that can float over the lake and be used as raft material. There do seem to be quite a few branches scattered about the ground. They keep a healthy distance from the stalagmites and rocks hiding possible spiders and the ray of sun the owlbear snoozes in. As they busy themselves, Hindle crouches down a little closer to the lake and whispers with Miet to check out the far side of the lake. Though not a sea, it is easy to tell the water is calm and he estimates it is about 300 feet across. Looking side to side, there's a decent amount of space for them to walk around the lake two by two except where vegetation or rock formations may force them to move single-file.

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Miet flies up rather high to go across the lake. Though the water is calm, her experience with Hindle has taught her not to get too close if she doesn't know what is there. The twisted old tree appears harmless as its leaves wave gently in the breeze that flows down through the opening. There is a surprising lack of vegetation within 5 feet of the tree. She can see some spiders bigger than the ones they encountered earlier running about, but they don't seem to be bothered by her, the owlbear, or the new visitors so far. She does not see any doors or openings to get out of the cavern at this time.

Miet flies further up and sees not far from the tree, but hidden by a stalagmite, are some rather large purple mushrooms. She finally exits the opening and flies closer to the base of the tower. She eyes another owlbear snoozing about 30 feet from the tower. She does a quick round about the tower, but whatever door was there seems to be buried behind rubble or vines as she cannot easily locate it. There are windows higher up the tower that appear to have no coverings. She returns to Hindle to let him know what she has found, but a little tired from flying about so much.