Chapter 26: Dungeon Crawl Part III
The ranger brushed off the remaining strands of cobwebs clinging to his doublet and followed the little mage onward. His hand on his bollock dagger and his eyes primed for spotting any unseen danger in the dark.
More twisting and turning pathways lead the duo deeper into the bowels of the mountain. After the dangers of the zombies and spiders, they dreaded the idea of what lay ahead. From the note on the map they had passed the Orchard, traveled the Serpents Path, slain the Weavers, and now must read from the Pool of Stars. Somehow that last task sounded easy and yet more frightening.
After what felt like a half hour of traversing the path, inching closer and closer to the next chamber, the ranger's keen hearing picked up the sound of a babbling brook echoing through the tunnel.
"Hey, do you hear that?" The huntsman whispered after tapping the mage on the shoulder
Water. We must be close."
"If we are fighting a kraken, I'm leaving this fucking place. This damn dungeon can keep its treasure."
Hastur gave a nervous gulp. She curled her fingers on the hilt of her rapiers and continued on. Sweat puddled on her forehead. She pushed herself forward. One hand on her sword, the other holding an orb of magical light to guide her way. When she reached the end pf the tunnel, her jaw struck the floor.
A massive cavern decorated in similar stone buttress trees all around the rotunda. In all four cardinal directions, an elven face was carved into the trunk of the trees with their chiseled lips pouring a gentle stream of water into a large cistern that hugged the Southern most edge of the cavern. Above the faces was a carving of a phases of the moon. Full, half, crescent, and new. The water below the surface looked inky black, but miraculously shone any reflection. In the cavern ceiling hexagon shaped crystals jutted out like stalactites. The sweet aroma of rain filled the adventurer's nostrils.
This...this is beautiful!" Hastur said basking in the wonder of her ancestors.
"I'll admit" Thaelin said cocking his head to the side "Its impressive."
Freki bolted ahead and jumped into the pool. He splashed and paddled his little self through the mystical waters. A look of glee took his muzzle.
"Freki! Get back here! There could be a monster in there!"
The little hound whimpered before paddling himself back to its master. Once back at Hastur's side it shook itself free from the water.
"Dummy." the mage laughed placing a hand atop the dogs damp head.
Thaelin waltzed around the chamber admiring the stonework done by the elves. It was lively. All the small ripples that would be seen on normal tree bark was meticulously carved into the stone. Even the leaves on the branches looked fragile enough to fall off at the slightest touch. But in his investigation of the chamber her failed to spot any signs of treasure
"Hey Hast! So what do we do now?"
Freki whined when Hastur's embrace abandoned his scratching his head for retrieving the elven map from her satchel. The mage unfurled the scroll and read the final line once more.
"Read from the pool of Stars."
Thaelin furled his brow. How? We are under a mountain? There are no stars. Hastur looked around the chamber. She pulled her magic orb of light closer to the cistern but didnt see anything. Just her reflection.
"I...dont know."
The ranger raised his hands in exaggeration. 'Well great. Night fall isn't for six more hours. Are we really going to just sit here and wait?"
Hastur let out a annoyed sigh. "I guess so."
The mage reclined by the water's edge and tried to think. As simple as the note was. How could this task be so difficult. Read from the pool of the Stars. Obviously this was the pool, but when she looked into it. She couldn't see anything. This puzzle was starting to give her a headache
*Splash*
*splash*
*Splash*
The ranger scooped up another handful of pebbles and proceeded to toss them into the cistern. Since their dog didn't get eaten or dragged under by a massive tentacle, it was safe to assume there was no danger coming from the pool. And was free to cast stones in the meantime
*Splash*
*Splash*
*Splash*
*Click *
The last sound puzzled the ranger. It was hard to see, but from where he stood. It looked like his stone was floating right on top of the water.
Um, Hast?" he said dropping the rest of the pebbles
"What Thaelin?" she said rubbing her temples
"Why is that rock floating?"
The cleric looked across the pool and noticed the strange sight. It was a stone that was sitting perfectly on top of the water. In her wonder, about the confusing sight, she lost focus on her light spell and the chamber returned to darkness. Only for a while though.
From up above them, the stalactite crystals came alive glowing in a bright phosphorescent light that bathed the chamber in a soft blue light
At the pool. Hastur could see that the stone Thaelin threw was matching perfectly with the location of one of the crystals in the ceiling.
"They're stepping stones!" the mage said jumping to her feet! This way."
The cleric took Freki in her arms and used the pool as her guide. She too a brave step into the pool. Fulling expecting to get her feet wet, she was amazed that under her boot, was a firm surface. She pivoted herself to stand on the unseen stone and took another step. And then another. And another. From Thaelin's spot on the edge of the pool, he thought it to be some kind of magic. His partner was walking on water. It was only after taking his own first steps did he feel invigorated by feeling the first stepping stone underfoot.
The duo made their way across the pool and found an entrance to presumably the final chamber where their treasure could be located. The adventurers took their final steps from the chamber and followed a rocky path upwards. By their guess they had to be at the horn of the Anvil shaped mesa.
Another dark path took the do to their much desired but relatively disappointing treasure room. Hastur summoned another ball of light in her hand and gently tossed it in the air. The soft yellow orb floated to the ceiling and shined with the might of a dozen burning candles.
The chamber was partially empty. With the exceptions of a mural of dozen elven nymphs dancing on the walls. Minstrels played their flutes and harps. Farmers collected the bounty from stuccoed fruit trees emerging from the walls, just as the buttresses in the previous chambers.
Thaelin kicked the dirt. "Damn. There's no treasure."
Meanwhile Hastur was taken by the beauty of the room. A smile took her lips as she walked the walls admiring the beautiful faces of her ancestors, and their care free smiles, all living in the splendor of the world. No fear, no danger, and long before the humans came north and ruined their homes.
As Thaelin was moping his head picked up and his eyes scanned the walls. To due south a glimmer of light took his eye. Sitting a pedestal was a silver bowl with fresh apples inside and three small cloth bags each chewed on by centuries of moths and other rodents. Poking through a tattered corner of one of the cloth bags was a dusty yet shining piece of coinage.
"Wait! I smell treasure!" he said running to one of the bags. He ripped open the ancient cloth and his hands shook when a dozen gold and silver coins piled out into his palm. "Yes! Gold! Sweet gold! Oh I knew this dungeon crawl was going to be worth it!"
The cleric rolled her eyes and approached the other bags of coins. Unlike her friend, she gently untied the drawstring and took one of the triangular silver coins into her hand.
"Yeah, your rich but they're all worthless to you."
Thaelin's greedy smile shot to a melancholy frown.
"W-what?" he whimpered on the verge of tears
"These are Elven coins. No merchant in the North or South will ever accept these as payment. They are useless everywhere except the in the Far North."
The triangle and square shaped coins fell from the huntsman's hand. He stood still as his head hung low. After a long sigh. He broke his silent brooding.
"GODS DAMN IT!" his voice echoed through the halls. The ranger stomped off and paced around the chamber cursing it's elven builders for leaving him a useless treasure.
Hastur pocketed the two remaining bags into her satchel then turned her attention to the pedestal. The silver vessel featured a wide bowl and a thin stem and a narrow base. Two handles near the mouth of the bowl were in the shape of a twisted wreath of wheat. And numerous workings of bare trees with twelve moon phases between the branches decorated the exterior. By her guess this artifact was a relic from a her tribe. The Children of the Moon.
But most importantly what caught her interest was why and how were there several red and ripe apples sitting inside the bowl thats been locked away for centuries. The cleric hunched over the pedestal and pondered the mystery. Another great mystery is what wold happen if the bowl was removed. Or even an apple was removed. Surely another trap would trigger. Or for all they know , the apples could be poisoned.
Thaelin, finally cooling off after his disgruntled tirade came up beside and looked just as clueless as the half elf. "What is it?"
"Its a cylix." the mage said looking over the object in question. Her whispered reply matched her curiosity.
"It kind of looks like a bowl."
"That's what a cylix is, idiot. Its an elven bowl."
"Huh. Then why didn't you just say it was a bowl?"
The ranger unsheathed his bollock dagger and stabbed one of the apples from the vessel. To the cleric's protest he sliced it in half and took a bite. It crunched and squirted juice along the edge of his mouth.
"Not bad." he said shrugging his shoulders "tastes fine to me."
Hastur watched her friend slowly chew the apple slice and finally swallow. She balled her hand into a fist and swatted the man in the chest,
"YOU! IDIOT! That could have been poisoned or the change in weight could have triggered spikes to shoot from the walls! I cant believe you!"
The ranger unbuttoned his knapsack and lifted the cylix from its pedestal. Not a single care crossed his mind. He poured the remaining several apples into his knapsack and savored Hastur's disgust at his actions.
"What?"
"How are you not dead yet?"
"Lady luck must like me." he smirked
Whilst the duo argued Hastur looked down to snatch the cylix from the fool's hand when she saw the most wondrous sight. The silver basin was filled once more with a bushel of fresh apples.
"By Oghma!"
Thaelin grinned at the magical vessel. "This, this is going to totally pay for my lack of treasure. If only it was a bottomless beer mug instead of a endless fruit basket"
Hastur sidestepped while cradling the cylix in one arm. "Like Hells you are going to sell this! You said I can keep whatever treasure we find. Im keeping this
"B-but its shiny! And we can sell it!" his protests fell on deaf ears. There was no chance to change the half elf's mind.
Hastur cradled the vessel in her arms and made her way out of the dungeon. For the first time in a long while accomplishment made her smile shine brightly. She didnt want to mention it, but the apples did taste pretty great. Thankfully with this relic, they wont be going hungry in a long while.
And as for Thaelin, he collected the elven swords from the defeated zombies in the Orchard chamber and tied them into his blanket bedroll. It wasn't a magical silver bowl, but the collection of elven swords sold to his information broker, could help pay his expenses with a little profit.