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8 Gaiztoak 3479 PA

Spelunking

by Zinzyra Faer

This entry is also uncharacteristically messy and hasty because it was written in a rush while Roscoe was investigating the skeleton and dock.

The rest returned as normal, but the forest didn't dump them with us in the dome this time. (Note: I don't know if this points to a change in the way the magic works, if it is an effect of the storms, or maybe even an effect if the cultists.) Duraz spent a long time thinking about stone and the cliffside on his way back to us, and I think he took some of the cliff stone, which probably isn't...ideal.

The night passed terribly. The blood-red mist encroached on our position and animals in the cave became almost rabid when they touched the mist. Tara's quick thinking helped us⁠—we used Roscoe's portable hole to create a safe base to my dome, and I think that kept us safe during our rest. I watched the creatures toss themselves against the force magic all night, though, and I loathe to think what would have happened to us in the mist.

Notably, in the mist, I am convinced the creatures within it were... terrified? They also seemed to want to attack us. I'm sure they're souls, and they seem trapped. Because Fern and I agreed that these seem to be "fresher" souls, I don't think the color of this mist is accidental, either. The bigger question is why did it change from one day to the next? The obvious answer is the worst one. It seems more hungry than before. A symbol of Fury appeared above our location during the night, too. I don't know who put it there, but our presence is not unknown.

We determined where the water was coming from within the cave, and the group brainstormed a way out using wind magic, creative timing, and Tara's force wall (which I need to learn to do...). From there, it was a little chaos. Blackthorne and Fern ended up trading places with crazy bats, Tara was bitten by other bats (and I think they did her permanent harm), and her spell seems to have triggered yet another bit of gravity fuckery, which threw us into the sky again. Somehow along the way Duraz became tiny? We made it relatively safely through into the cave, but the weather took an... angry turn, and we all were lashing out at each other and making a ruckus as we went. It wasn't pretty.

We went through a 3-way fork deeper into the cave. The stone became a deep, deep purple marble and the wet floor was very slick as we started going downward. Once we made it through an uncomfortably narrow space, we made it to a surprisingly large cavern with a running river ahead and an old, rickety dock (Roscoe looted/investigated it, as is tradition). There was fresh blood in this river trickling in, from an unknown source. We ultimately decided to use the folding boat I've been carrying around in the haversack for ages, especially once Blackthorne noticed a huge creature in the deeper water. We're pretty sure this leads into the cultists' stronghold.

Let's see if we survive this.

Items Roscoe found:

  • Gold
  • Daggers
  • Cultist robes
  • Scroll case we didn't open

Margin notes in Sylvan and a cypher, for Rue:
  • Holy shit, I can cast wind magic.
  • Half-size Duraz is hilarious.
  • I need you to talk me out of being mad at your sister for something she said in the storm-induced rage.

Continue reading...

  1. Travel to Tower of Galdur
    21 Navara 3479
  2. So It Begins (Crystal Forest)
    23 Navara 3479
  3. Pixie & Wild Magic (Crystal Forest)
    24 Navara 3479
  4. Memories & A New Acquaintance (Crystal Forest)
    25 Navara 3479
  5. 10 Days, 9 Creatures, 1 Cave (Crystal Forest)
    36 Navara 3479
  6. Fuck This Forest
    37 Navara 3479
  7. The Hazard that was 37 Navara
    38 Navara 3479
  8. Divination and Dreams
    Overnight, 1 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  9. Eventful Autumn Equinox
    2 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  10. △⋈⧂δ▽∅
    3 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  11. We Left, and Then We Didn't
    5 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  12. Into the Mist
    6 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  13. Into the Mist (Part II)
    6 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  14. Traveling in Terror Storms
    7 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  15. Spelunking
    8 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  16. [Untitled]
  17. Unexpected Planar Travel
    Probably 8 Gaiztoak
  18. We Walk Too Slowly
    Less Probably 8 Gaiztoak
  19. Gnomish Delights
    20 Gaiztoak
  20. Stairway from "Heaven"
    20 Gaiztoak
  21. ⁠—
  22. Attempted Abduction
  23. Musings on Dying
    22 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  24. 22 Gaiztoak
    22 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  25. Dinner and a Wedding
    27 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  26. Back into the World
    30 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  27. No Rest for the Weary
    30 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  28. No Rest for the Weary, Part II
    30 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  29. Haunted: Past and Present
    31-32 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  30. Zin's Emotional Journey Upon Being Confronted with Her Exes
    32 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  31. Through the Wall
    32 Gaiztoak 3479 PA
  32. Is Anything as It Seems?
    32 Gaiztoak 3479 PA

Find your way!

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.045 © 2017-2025 [en] | Anvil Time: 00:09, Aug 7 2025