That night you sleep in the royal guest quarters at the palace. The doggy beds are very comfortable and you awaken refreshed. Soon after a yummy breakfast of Gravy Train you are escorted outside to the landing strip. It is a sunny, cold morning. The air is thin, very cold and very dry. Sirius A shines low on the horizon like an electric arc. Standing by the Steve Jobs is a beagle-like Canis Majoran. He wears a cape. "I am Underdog," he announces as you approach. "I will be your guide to the nearest of the ruins. Are you ready to depart?" "Yes," Crotchety says. "Follow me!" he says. Raising his arms above his head he leaps into the air and takes flight! Tully says, "Come on, guys!" Tully runs into the Steve Jobs and once the others are in, he follows Underdog. Crotchety follows Tully. Zanax reluctantly follows, too. Darian tags along too. Lo and Wang bring up the rear... "My favourite position!" says Wang. Soon you are airborne, and idling along in the space ship behind the flying beagle. The bard turns to the paladin. "Why so reluctant, Zanax?" asks Tully. Zanax shrugs, "Somehow, I don't think we'll find either a nernal or the helmet here." Tully says, "Maybe not, but we have to start looking somewhere. Do you have a suggestion on another location? What is clear is that more worlds than ours are in peril. We need to find a way to fix these things and help these worlds out." Zanax looks at Tully, "What makes you think that the nernals can even be repaired or that they should be repaired?" Tully shrugs. "Well, honestly, they seem pretty unnatural to me. Not fixing them would restore the normal order of things, but it would likely cause millions, maybe billions of deaths. That seems like a good reason to try to repair them." Underdog flies across the plain with the Steve Jobs close behind. After awhile the land becomes hilly and broken. Here and there below you see the dried channels carved by streams and rivers, now long gone. A few scrabbly bushes and coarse grasses cling to life here and there. You fly over a razor back ridge and on the other side is a small, flat-bottomed valley, several miles wide. In the centre of the valley, perhaps a mile across, is a collection of buildings comprising what was once a small town. The streets and thoroughfares are arranged in a radial pattern, all converging on a central circular square. In the centre of the square is a dark pit, perhaps 100 feet across. The buildings are intact, as best as you can tell, but the streets are clogged with dirt and filth. You see no signs of life. Underdog lands high up on the ridge, just below the summit. He stands there, arms akimbo, while the Steve Jobs lands nearby and you disembark. "This is as close as I dare to go to the hallowed shrine of our uplifters," he says. "If you want to explore it, I will ait here." "Let's go, pilgrims," Lo says with a smile as he is eager to check things out. Tully says, "Thanks. By the way, why do they call you Underdog?" "Because I am the champion of oppressed dogs around the world," he replies. "Very interesting. Ok, well, we will be back soon, I hope." He heads down with Lo and the rest. You make your way slowly down the side of the ridge. The terrain is barren and rocky. Reaching the bottom, you find that it is only a little easier, as the ground is rough and stony. An hour after leaving the Steve Jobs you reach the edge of the town. A rock and dirt-strewn road stretches out before you, ending at a central square about a mile away. A gusty wind blows relentlessly and the hot blue star of Sirius blazes down on you. Zanax wipes the sweat off his brow, "I vote we head straight for the center." "Okay, but let's be careful." Tully says, "Ok, let's go then." He starts walking toward the center. Zanax follows and keeps a sharp eye out. Black-eye scampers on ahead. The robot brings up the rear. You maintain a brisk pace along the street that heads towards the centre. All is quiet except for the keening of the wind, but you still get the uncomfortable feeling that you are being watched. The only movement you see along this street and the side streets that branch off of it are pieces of vegetation, large and small, blowing along. They somewhat resemble tumbleweed. After less than half an hour you reach the central square of the town. It is circular, as you noted earlier. The purpose of the buildings that form the perimeter is not clear to you. The square is also littered with pieces of twisted metal, dirty and streaked with rust; perhaps the remains of the machines that the people who made this place used to delve into the bowels of the world. Again, all seems quiet, though the feeling of being watched persists. You approach the edge of the large pit in the centre of the square. Black-eye runs up to it first, looks over the edge, yelps and then runs back to Zanax, behind whom he cowers. The pit is about 100' across. It drops into absolute darkness. You cannot see the bottom. Its sides are smooth and seem to made of some shiny black material. There does not seem to be any way to climb down into the pit...safely. "I DETECT ENERGY READINGS FROM SOMEWHERE BELOW US," announces the robot. Zanax grabs a stone and drops it straight down near the center of the pit and counts the seconds before he hears the stone hit bottom. He counts for several minutes but does not hear anything. "Maybe we should check the nearby buildings for a lift," says Tully. "Seemingly there are no active AI's around," Lo remarks. "Guess we have to do this the old fashioned way," he says. He picks up a stone and says, "Great Thoth, light this rock," as he casts Light on it. He then tosses it in, to see if there are any rungs, ropes, indents, to climb down with. The light dwindles to a pinpoint and disappears. "Odd," Crotchety says, stroking his chin. He casts Dispel Magic on the interior of the thing, just in case we have an illusion here. Nothing seems to happen. Crotchety tosses another rock down the well to see if anything different The same thing happens...or does not happen. Tully heads to the building nearest the hole. "I am going to see if there is an elevator or other access." Lo goes with him. Wang tags along as well. The nearest building is rather nondescript, You find an opening to the interior and head inside. Inside, it is mostly empty but for some rusted pieces of twisted metal and junk lying here and there. In a dark corner, though, you come across a large humanoid figure of rust-streaked metal, standing erect on two legs, the eye-holes in its head staring blankly off into the distance. Tully says, "Let me see if this robot is operational." He looks to the others. "Let's take this robot with us. It might be able to give us some information later once it is restored." Tully rolls a man-shaped robot that is covered in rust out of the nearby building. He says, "The Steve Jobs should be here shortly so we can fly down that hole." He awaits the Steve Jobs. Lo and Wang wait as well. A moment later you hear a low hum as the X class scout cruises in low over the buildings. It lands near the where you stand and the door dematerialises in the hull. "Do you think it's wise to risk the Steve Jobs, Tully? I can fly or levitate down the hole..." "I have a feeling it goes for an awfully long way. In fact, I think it probably leads to the real base. I think it is the only real choice." "Perhaps. Or, it's a place for something to reside." "Perhaps you could use the lights on Steve Jobs to illuminate more of the hole." Tully says, "He will as we go down." He props up the robot and says, "We can get him when we get back." He heads over to the Steve Jobs and goes in. Zanax follow Tully on board...and Crotchety follows too. Darian shrugs and follows Tully. Lo follows the rest of them. In the ship, cold drinks and celery sticks await you. The air conditioning gives you goose bumps. As the Steve Jobs lifts off again it says, "I am receiving a request from that robot for a power link-up. Should I connect?" Darian looks at Tully. "We might get some answers from it before we risk the Steve Jobs." "Good idea," Tully says. "Let's do it, Steve Jobs, after we get out there near it." Zanax frowns. "Shouldn't we determine if the robot is hostile first before powering it up?" Zanax says, "Steve Jobs, can you determine the purpose of the robot and what weaponry it possesses?" "It appears to be a mining robot," Steve Jobs replies. "In which case it would be equipped with various energy tools for cutting, clearing and blasting." "Can you ask it why it wants to be powered up?" "It is an automatic signal. There is no intelligence behind it." "Do you think that system could have useful information, Steve Jobs?" "There is a possibility, though to do its job it would need only rudimentary intelligence." "Alright, power it up once I am outside. If it attacks me, then I will run back in." The Steve Jobs sets back down again and the exit door opens. Tully exits the ship and then signal the Steve Jobs to power it up. For a moment nothing seems to happen. Then Tully sees a faint glimmer in what would be its eyes, were it living. The glimmer grows. Suddenly the neck twists with a loud squeak. An arm moves. A leg pivots. The glow in its eyes turns red. It raises and arm and before he can react it fires a red ray at Tully, out of its middle finger. The bard is blasted for 25 hit points of damage. Tully says, "Owww! That isn't very nice!" as he activates his sinclair sword. He attempts to cut its' arms and legs off. Zanax says, "Steve Jobs, shut down that robot!" Tully also activates his shield belt. Suddenly the robot explodes, showering Tully in white-hot slag. Fortunately by this time he has his shield belt activated. "The robot is deactivated," says Steve Jobs. "That was effective," Tully says. He heads back into the Steve Jobs. "Let's go down the tube." Zanax asks, "Steve Jobs, why did the robot attack Tully?" "I do not know," the ship replies. "It did not communicate with me. Perhaps a bad ethics circuit? Or perhaps it was trapped by whoever left it here?" Tully says, "Doesn't bode well for future encounters, most likely." Zanax nods. "Slag first, ask questions later." "Exactly. Well, let's head down the hole." Tully takes the pilot's seat and heads down. "Steve Jobs, please scan for objects in the way as well as any signs of movement or powered activity. We will take it slow unless you can verify the tunnel is clear for a few miles." He maneuvers the Steve Jobs out and down the tube and descends slowly. "Keep the view windows open. Everyone, keep your eyes peeled for tunnels or anything else of interest." Suddenly all of the walls of the X class scout turn transparent, as do the floors and ceiling, giving you the sensation of floating slowly down the shaft. The ship illuminates the shaft for several hundred feet above and below you. You descend slowly. Black-eye chews on a bison burger. The rest of you get veggie burgers. The first three miles down the shaft are uneventful. Soon after you descend past that point, though, the ship stops and hovers, facing a dark opening, about 10' square, in the curving wall. "The shaft drops vertically below us for another five miles," says Steve Jobs. "After that it begins to curve to the south while still descending." Crotchety watches the screens carefully. Lo and Wang do the same. Tully says, "Cool! I didn't know you could go transparent like that." He looks to the group. "Do you want to check out this corridor or continue downward?" "Let's go down, first. We can always visit this on a return trip." Zanax asks, "Steve Jobs, can you scan the opening in front of us and determine where it goes or what's in it?" "That passage runs for several miles, which is as far as I can scan. I detect low level energy readings, starting about a mile in." "Hmm, maybe we should investigate the tunnel, first..." suggests Darian after hearing the news. Zanax doesn't look convinced. "Steve Jobs, do you detect any energy readings below us?" "Yes, but it is very distant." "Is it weaker or stronger than the other energy source?" "Weaker, but that may be factor of its distance." "Let's check out this tunnel," Tully says. "Steve Jobs, can you open the side hatch and extend a ramp out to the tunnel?" "Of course." The hatch opens and with a sparkle of energy a ramp materializes, extending across the void to the dark opening in the shaft wall. Zanax asks, "Steve Jobs, do you have robots that you can send out to scout?" "I do, but they are probes for exploring hostile worlds from above. They may not be suited for exploring a small underground passage." "I COULD GO," offers the robot. Tully says, "We should get some other exploratory robots once we get back to the Almada, but until then, let's explore ourselves. Robot, you should probably stay here and monitor us. If you notice any hostiles, then let us know and get yourself to safety." "AFFIRMATIVE." "I can take care of the healing," replies Darian as he places his hands on Tully's shoulders and uses his psionics to heal. Tully stops Darian. "Thank you Darian, but I have spells. If we meet a mind flayer or something, you will need all your psionics." Darian shrugs. "As you wish. But, if we meet a mind flayer, don't expect me to last very long against it. My psionics are useful, but they aren't that powerful." Tully casts cure serious on himself followed by up to two cure light wounds spells. His four spells cure himself completely. "I have two more cure serious spells." He then casts protection from fire and protection from lightning on himself. Tully walks to the tunnel and says, "Come on, guys, let's go." Lo shrugs his shoulders, "I have a few cure light spells to dispense." He gives a weak smile as his power is significantly limited to the rest of the group. With Tully leading, you cross the energy bridge to the dark opening. Using a random light source, you look down a dark, featureless passage that stretches for as far as you can see. You start walking. The first hour is uneventful. Then, you see a faint glimmer of light up ahead. As you move towards it, it grows steadily brighter. Finally, you get close enough to it to see that it is a faintly glowing yellow orb attached to the ceiling, illuminating an intersection. At this point the passage forks. One way angles off to the right and ahead; the other way angles off to the left and ahead. "Which direction is the energy source?" Crotchety asks of the computer. "You are standing right under it," replies Steve Jobs. Tully laughs. "Are there any other energy sources ahead? Maybe larger energy sources since this one seems to be a light for the hallway." "Perhaps, but you are near the extent of my scanning range through solid rock." Tully asks, "Do you want to continue this way, guys, or head deeper?" "Head deeper," Wang chuckles. Tully says, "I am not going to comment on that." Black-eye chirps and gallops off down the right passage. Tully says, "I think we go right..." He follows after Black-eye. Zanax shakes his head and follows the pair of misfits. "I have a bad feeling about this..." The rest of you follow. The passage runs for about another mile. After a bit you notice that the air is cooler and getting more humid. After the burning aridity under the white star of Sirius, this is a welcome change. Eventually you see another faint illumination ahead. It grows larger and brighter, and finally you see that it is a doorway through which a flickering light shines. The air is quite humid, now. You reach the doorway and stop when you see the scene before you. You are staring into a large, rectangular shaped chamber (100' X 200'; 100' across, 50' to the left, 175' to the right). You are about 100' above the bottom of the chamber, which consists of a large pool of a translucent green liquid. You cannot tell its depth. In each of the other three walls you see an opening similar to this one; none of them are at the same height as this one...one is above while the other two are below. The ceiling consists of a pattern of flickering lighting panels; you have seen similar in other old installations that you have visited. A movement on the surface of the pool attracts your attention. Squinting, you see that it is Black-eye. He appears to be doing the back-stroke. Zanax snaps, "Black-eye! Get out of the pool! What if that stuff is toxic?" Tully shakes his head. "Are you nuts, Black-eye? Green goo is to be avoided at all costs. What if that were green slime?" The noor seems to smile at both of you, then paddles over to one of the doorways which is almost at the water level. He climbs out and shakes himself. Tully says, "Well, I guess it isn't green slime. Do we have a way down there?" "Black-eye, is it deep?" Black-eye does not answer. "I can levitate down there, but until we know what it is, I suggest we don't enter the pool." Tully says, "I wish we had thought to pick up some jet packs." He thinks for a moment. "Anyone have any rope? I do, but only 50 feet." Black-eye, meanwhile, shakes himself again and then goes running off through the doorway and out of your sight. "Let's follow the dog," Crotchety says. Lo and Wang just shrug and follow, not having much to add to this conversation. "I think we're screwed," says Wang. He seems quite pleased at the prospect. Tully says, "Well, let's find out..." He dives into the pool of green goo. Darian jumps off the ledge and descends to hover over the green pool, waiting to pull Tully out, if need be. Zanax sighs, wondering if he's the only sane one here. The bard does a swan dive into the pool. From 100' up, though, it is a pretty hard impact, so he takes 23 hit points of damage. His murky form is visible to the rest of you under the surface... Tully swims back to the top and emerges. "Oooooowwwwww! That hurt. Anyway, it is just scum on the water, guys. There are also some tunnels under the surface of the water. Come on down!" He dives under the water and swims to where the Noor is at. Once he comes up on the ledge he yells, "We might as well start here." "Why do you want to explore the tunnels under the water, instead of the ones above the water? After all, most of us don't breathe under water too well." "I don't. I want to explore this one first. It is above water. I just thought I would let you all know about those." He looks for the Noor and waits for his party. Zanax sighs. "This is a bad idea." Zanax levitates down to the water. Crotchety jumps onto Zanax' back, just as he starts to levitate down. Zanax growls, "Get off me, you old coot!" The added weight of the cleric is too much for Zanax, and the two of them fall past Darian and into the water, 100' below, for 17 hit points of damage. Lo and Wang shrug and jump in. They hit the water as well, for 27 hit points. Struggling back to the surface, Zanax, Crotchety, Lo and Wang swim over to the the opening where Tully waits, while Darian pulls himself along the grimy wall to join him as well. Once everyone is out of the water, you look down the passage. It runs for perhaps 40', then there is another chamber large chamber. You proceed down the passage, everyone but the elf squelching loudly, and look into the next chamber. This one seems to have identical dimensions to the first one, and is also water filled. There are three other exits from this chamber. One of the others is also at water level, and is in the opposite wall. However, there is a 10' wide walkway running around all four walls of this chamber to this other doorway, so you will not have to get your feet wet this time. The other two exits - one in each of the other walls - are 50' and 75' up, respectively. Of more interest to you, perhaps, is what appears to be a log floating in the water, about 50' away. As it moves slowly and deliberately towards you, you note that the log has a pair of eyes. Darian draws his sword. "Crocodile?" he wonders aloud. Tully shrugs. "I have no idea. Let's hurry on and avoid it." If it rushes forward to attack, Tully will cast animal friendship. Zanax draws his Sinclair long sword just in case. The log continues to move towards you at a leisurely pace. Lo pulls out his mace and Wang gets ready to fight back. "Lemme at 'im! Lemme at 'im!" says Wang. Darian levitates above the water and waits. Tully moves on toward the entrance. Zanax also levitates above the water. From above, Darian and Zanax can see that the creature is indeed a crocodile. It stops about five feet from the walkway and floats there. "That's interesting behavior for a crocodile. Do you suppose it's a machine?" "I don't know," Crotchety says, backing away from the edge of the water, curious still to see what the thing is. Zanax snorts, "Well, why don't you get closer and find out?" "I can give him a push up the rear," Wang offers helpfully. After a few more minutes of this the crocodile submerges. Zanax and Darian watch it sink into the depths and finally out of sight. Tully says, "Can we frickin move on already, guys? I don't know what is so fascinating about a big swimming lizard." Crotchety shrugs and trudges on after the rest of the crew...as does the dynamic duo. You move on, along the walkway, which leads to an opening in the wall. The opening is the beginning of a hallway, which runs for about 100' and then opens up into another chamber. Midway down the passage, though, is a door. You proceed to the door, which obligingly shimmers out of existence when you reach it. You look into a room, obviously a laboratory, filled with benches loaded with beakers, test tubes containing bubbling liquids, bunsen burners burning and all sorts of other stuff. Attending to it all is a half-orc: a short, swart, swarthy individual with beady eyes and a single eyebrow. He turns as the door disappears and lets out a groan at the sight of you. "Not you again, you stupid elf," he says to Darian. Darian chuckles. "And here I thought you were dead. Rather surprising to run into you here, don't you think?" "I'd ask you not to make any sudden moves, but I suspect you won't listen." Darian's blaster is in his hand and pointed at the half-orc. "I'd ask you to do the same thing but I know you wouldn't listen," the half orc replies. "Hey boss!" he calls over his shoulder. "We got company!" Tully says, "Who are these folks and what are you up to? Nice lab." "Thanks," replies the half-orc. "Trust the stupid elf not to make any introductions. He probably can't even remember me. I'm Sammy Davis Jr." With that the half orc does a quick rendition of 'The Candy Man'. Tully and Wang can't help themselves. When it comes to the chorus they both chime in, singing harmony. "What the hell's the racket in here?" asks a new voice from the back of the lab. Standing in a previously undisclosed doorway you see a middle-aged man in the robes of a mage. His red hair and goatee are peppered with grey. "Hey, look. A singing penis." Darian's eyes narrow as he recognizes the man. The blaster stays on the half-orc. "Razamataz. What are you doing here?" "Hmm?" says the arch mage, glancing at the elf. "Minding my own business. How about you?" "Trying to save Earth." "Oh? From what?" Tully says, "Razamataz? Hey, isn't that the Emperor's friend?" He looks over at the mage. "Hi, I am Tully. You all are from Earth?" He keeps his blaster rifle lowered for the time being. "I have many friends," Razamataz replies. "You were involved with getting the artifact from Gladsheim, weren't you? That impressed Clarvis...and me, too." Tully nods. "Yep. Thanks." "I'm impressed by his voice," adds Sammy Davis Jr. Tully smiles. "Thanks, I am a bard, so I have to be able to sing...unless you were referring to Wang." "I'm sure he was," says Wang. Darian frowns and asks, "The Emperor's friend? Which Emperor, Tully?" His eyes don't leave the half-orc. "Clarvis. Going to conquer the world guy. You know, right?" Darian shakes his head. "I don't know an Emperor Clarvis. Which Empire is he running?" Tully says, "Hmm, Saltar, I think." He looks over to Razamataz for verification. "Saltar," says Razamataz. "But you're from Oerth, right? Checked in on your home, lately?" Tully frowns, "What is going on there?" "The Empire of Saltar, perhaps? I think that's east of Nlad. I guess I missed the part where Razamataz was a friend of his. Because when I adventured with Occa, Razamataz here tried to kill us, multiple times." "And you tried to kill me, too," the arch mage adds. "But we helped each other a time or two, right?" Darian cocks his head to one side. "Really? When was that? Please, refresh my memory. I remember Casablanca real well and then the dragons in the cave west of where Lord Valdar lives." Tully looks surprised. "Really?" He looks over at Razamataz and says, "Why did you do that?" "They were interfering with the plans of a man I was trying to help. A good man," he adds. "I helped you to get your companion back from the hells." "Yes, and you were also the one who had Occa's soul trapped in hell. I've never been able to figure out just how you manage to convince some people you're a good guy when you've done so many horrible things that are so obviously evil." "That wasn't me, you stupid elf. That was that stupid arcanadaemon!" Razamataz replies. "But who cares? Occa works for the Emperor, now. Get used to it." "Zanax, what do you sense from Razamataz?" Zanax shrugs. "No evil, but he could be masking it." Tully says, "Well, let's not be too rude, Darian. It seems we are working toward the same ends for now so let's leave it there. Speaking of which...we came to these ruins with the help of the dog civilization that lives here. They too are suffering due to changes in climate. We thought we would explore these ruins. Have you already done so?" Darian sighs and puts his blaster back in its holster. "So there, ya stupid elf!" laughs Sammy Davis Jr. with a grotesque leer. "A bit. Mostly chambers filled with water which are filled with aquatic creatures. You will also find a lot of gnolls and flind about." "Hmm, flinds and gnolls sound kind of boring although our ship said there was an energy source lower down. Have you been down to the energy source?" "No, I haven't," Razamataz replies. "It's probably just a dedicated nernal. There's lots of those around, still." Tully continues. "Oh, from the ravages of time. We are seeking a fresh Nernal to fix the climate control Nernal. Do you happen to know where we can find one?" Razamataz shrugs. "Good luck. I went through that stage once, years ago. But they're all gone. All worn out. That's why the old civilisations fell. They were too dependent on their technological toys and when they broke they had forgotten how to fix them. Magic and psionics. They mark the way to the future. "And why are you trying to fix Earth's climate? There's nothing wrong with it." Tully says, "There are some still. There is a mage that has one that Occa told me about. He could do anything with it. Anyway, I am sure there are some out there. I am sure there is a way to rebuild them too." Razamataz shakes his head. "As for the climate, an ice age might be normal, but it doesn't help civilization." "So?" "Maybe you could help us, though. Could you tell us which star systems and sectors you explored? That way we won't cover the same areas." "Are you kidding? I've seen more than I can remember. It's a waste of time, these Nernals." "If you have any theories about Nernals that would be helpful, that would be good too." "Spend your time on magic, that's my advice." Tully nods and says, "So, why the lab here then?" "Just some experiments that I would rather not conduct on Earth," the arch mage replies. "What kind if you don't mind me asking? Maybe we can help? I have picked up a lot of knowledge about science in the last year or two." "No thanks," he says. Tully says, "Fine. Let's go find that power source then, guys." Razamataz shakes his head as you leave. "Some people have too much time on their hands. How did you get here, anyway? Teleport?" "Yup," Crotchety says quickly, "That was it. Teleport. Gotta go. Be seeing ya around, bud." Tully is about to jump in with a response, but then holds his tongue when Crotchety chimes in. "How did you know the location?" asks Razamataz. Tully says, "The dog people told us about it, but they fear this place." "So you only teleported from the surface?" Razamataz asks sharply. "What does that matter? For someone as secretive as you have been in this conversation, you sure ask a lot of questions. Do you own this place? If we are trespassing, just say so." Suddenly Razamataz chuckles. "You are trespassing," he says. "Actually, I just clicked my heels together three times and said 'I wish I were home. I wish I were home. I wish I were home,'" Crotchety says helpfully. "But it didn't work, and I instead ended up chatting pointlessly with you. Later." Razamataz chuckles again. "If you consider this a pointless conversation then you really ARE stupid!" he says. "Now, why don't you run along and fight some gnolls or something?" "Good idea, goodbye!" Tully follows along. Once they are away from Razamataz, he contacts the Steve Jobs and says, "Go into orbit and don't let anyone board you without our permission, Steve." He follows-up with, "Oh, if the dog people seem to get offensive, then just go further out, but keep within range of communications. Ok?" "Very well." Tully says, "Ok, now that is taken care of, let's go find that Nernal." Darian spits at the floor. "If I thought we could take Razamataz, I would've tried. I don't know how he's convinced people he's a good guy, but I know there are plenty of good folks in graves that could tell you otherwise." Tully nods. "I suspect you are right, Darian, but someday he will get his. Besides, I wouldn't be so sure that others are fooled by him. These are strange days and they call for strange bedfellows. Who knows how things will turn out? Anyway, our mission is still the same, although Razamataz did get me thinking....maybe there is a way to control the climate using magic. Perhaps there is a relic or artifact with that kind of power out there. What do you think? Maybe the Throne of the Gods could do it or something like that. The Gods would know. Maybe we should see about getting a commune to see if there is any hope in this quest." "Don't look at me!" Crotchety snaps. "I can't help you." "That would be a question for an arch-mage, Tully. Or one of the Wizards." "Or a High Priest, with a Commune," Crotchety says snidely. "You gotta think that a direct conversation with a God might provide just a little information." Tully says, "Actually, that is what I was thinking. Maybe we are going sideways on this quest and should find a high priest or two to ask and then find a true Wizard to talk to as well. What do you guys think? Or do you want to continue to do random searches? I mean, this is fun, but it might not be very productive unless we get lucky." "Not that I know nothing about anything," Crotchety says, "but it seems like this Razmataz guy is someone important. Maybe others back on earth want to know where he is holing up these days." Tully nods. "I was thinking that too. I was thinking we could show Occa the video the Steve Jobs takes of this place in case he wants to check it out. I wonder what he is up to, here?" There is a pause. Tully says, "Ok, since we are here, let's keep going for a while." You head down the passage to the next chamber, which is much smaller than the previous chambers, about 40' square. There are no other exits from here. However, it is also filled with water up to within a few inches of the passageway entrance where you stand. The water here is a deep blue-green, as if it is very deep. Tully says, "I can check that out. All bards of certain experience are able to change into animal form like a druid. The can form a bird, reptile or mammal. The form I am going to take should be able to go down almost a mile although I am not sure that would be useful so I will just explore a little bit. Once I get back, I will probably continue as a turtle until we hit another body of water. Also, let's have some signals. If I turn around twice, that means I have found something interesting and you should go with me. You can hold onto my shell and I will take you to where it is. Don't worry because it won't be out of breadth's distance. Hmm...maybe we should get some space suits for this underwater exploration. What do you think?" Zanax shakes his head, "I think it's a bad idea to head into the water unprepared. Steve Jobs, can you send a scout that can be used in the water?" "I can, but it will take awhile to get it to you." "Steve Jobs, can you have it bring down 4 devices that will also allow us to breathe underwater?" "It will probably be faster to have the Steve Jobs come down." "Your shield belts will permit that," Steve Jobs replies. "You do have your shield belts, don't you?" "Yes, we have shield belts, Steve Jobs," Tully says, "Let's go, guys!" He jumps in the water with his belt on and bobs to the surface. Zanax shakes his head. "But I can survive without air for a short while." Tully says, "The belts will recycle the air. Come on in...the water is fine!" Darian sighs, turns on his shield belt and jumps into the water. "If it's warm and wet then count me in!" says Wang, and drags Lo into the pool. Lo falls in. Everyone but Crotchety is in the water. Ducking under the surface, you see that the pool is quite deep...at least 50'. You see five exits from this pool: an opening in each wall at different levels, plus a circular hole in the middle of the bottom. The pool is otherwise empty. Tully says, "Let's go to the nearest one." He swims to it and through it. The rest of you - save Crotchety - follow the bard.
happens.
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