Svog, you watch Mazatl talking inside the sub. Your teeth only bite bark armor, and your tapping doesn't even make it through to them; you'll have to wait to communicate until you're able to speak with them.
You see Guisarme glance over his shoulder at Mazatl from the pilot's seat. You can't make out the words, but everyone else hears, "According to Chaney's report, the mermaids were initially interested in the gifts that Ultimus presented and didn't realize that they were enchanted snares. Now, this rift in the harbor floor, which wasn't present before, coincides with their disappearance." He turns his gaze back through the forward viewport. "The King may have swayed the Governor somehow, but Tremblay knows he's still up to something."
The sub continues descending deeper until you're coasting along the floor of the harbor. Distantly overhead can be seen the faint starlight filtering through the top layers of water, but it's mostly dark in this underwater world, except where it's illuminated by the faint light emitted by the sub itself. You can see crustaceans moving less than 10 feet below you as you cruise toward the massive rend in the ground. From this close you can tell that the hole goes deep; no light penetrates further than another 20 feet or so beyond the lip of the chasm that you're approaching. Svog Kos trails alongside the submarine like a pilot fish.
Guisarme continues. "I don't know if an alliance with the mermaids is possible. Everyone knows they're pernicious and treacherous, not to mention bloodthirsty. But if Tremblay's right...they have a major grudge against the King."
"Everyone knows there's no cure for the feral, too. That doesn't make it true, nor mean we shouldn't try. We have more in common with them than we ever have before... who's to say we can't write new stories about the mer who weren't betrayed by pernicious humans with enchanted snares?"
To Guisarme, still looking out the window.
"So does this little bit of negotiation with a foreign military power have the blessing of the Governor or are we committing treason?"
Guisarme nods to Mazatl. "You make a fair point, that's a prejudiced characterization of mermaids. But you may find that while it's prejudiced, it's not inaccurate. Time will tell."
"As to your question, sir wizard...that depends on whom you ask. The short answer is that right now, the Governor would like nothing more than to capture all of us and parade us before Ultimus as a show of loyalty to the Crown. The popular theory at the moment is that the Governor has been overthrown and replaced with a fake, a puppet; but it's also possible he was simply paid off."
Aifric says, "This don't sound like something I can stick a spear into its face and fix. As important and high falutin' as this is turning out to be, why is Tremblay betting on us? If we're being played against a so-called king and a maybe-fake governor, we seem to be a losing hand. Tremblay has magic fish, manservants, and connections in high places. Don't he have other, more powerful people to turn to?"
The sub begins its descent into the rent in the sea floor as Guisarme replies. "Tremblay does have other agents, myself among them. Some of them are elsewhere, assisting with other missions, but many of them were compromised when the Governor turned over to King Ultimus. As Tremblay put it, they 'saw the writing on the wall.'"
Aifric figures the magic fish is going to belch them out onto dry land in a cave somewhere down under. He gets ready to hop out.
"So... Why did you stick around? I'm here because I already lost one home. I'd like to keep people from having to experience that of I can. Started off as something to do, though. The things boredom gets me into. She shakes her head slowly, as she starts to suffuse the ship with a thin honeysuckle scent, by trickling her conduit's energies into growing a small batch of the flower in her hair. Better than the smell of sweat and fear.
"I owe Tremblay a debt that I have still yet to repay," Guisarme comments, his gaze fixed outside the front viewport of the submersible. Without elaborating further, he angles the controls downward, nosing the craft down into the dark abyss of the water. You feel the sensation of the water pressure increasing around your vessel, as the craft makes soft groaning noises in the metal hull.
Your assumption was correct, Aifric. Within 5 minutes of your initial dive into the rift, you see a hole in the side of the chasm that Guisarme aims his craft toward. The tunnel leads into the underwater cliff wall, then upward, and finally levels out in a cave that's filled with air, not water. Your craft comes to rest on a sandless beach of rock inside a cave about 10 feet high, and you can only guess how long.
"Welcome to our temporary headquarters," Guisarme says, standing up from his pilot's chair and moving to the top hatch, opening it for all of you.
You climb out of the sub and are greeted by a strange sight - numerous magical instruments and measuring tools of every description piled up in various places on desks and tables haphazardly scattered around the cave. There's a flurry of activity from a medium-sized group of people, you count 18. There's no sign of Tremblay.
"Then I take it that everything is stable, and not going to collapse imminently. No worries about the king reversing his decision to rip open the earth. Good, good. She says from beneath her crown of honeysuckle. She watched Chaney for reactions to the well-stocked laboratory. She personally, hadn't the foggiest what all of the minutiae was, aside from 'for reading things'. She prefered candles for that, honestly.
Aifric's other assumption turns out to be incorrect. He assumed they were going into the cave(s) to track down something or someone. He is surprised to hear that the cave is going to be their headquarters. It is not unusual for him to be confused, though, so he's not too worried about it.
Chaney climbs out of the craft.
"What is this place? More importantly why are we here? With these resources," Chaney indicates the submarine and the magical instruments," killing the king would be simple."
Aifric, there is a strong sense of magic nearby, and you think you can see its source - it looks like a captive tornado, whirling in place atop a small table. There are some men in robes and academician's hats standing nearby, studying it, taking notes and discussing with one another.
You see many strange people gathered here - some men in armor wearing guards' uniforms, what appear to be a team of nurses, and a few plainshirted laborers carrying things around.
Guisarme looks around at all of you. "We number few, but Tremblay has assembled us all for good reason. It's from here that we will find the cause of the massive hole in the floor of the harbor, and where teh mermaids went to. Once we discover that, we believe we'll gain some insight about the power Ultimus wields."
Guisarme looks at you, Chaney. "We are of like mind. I, too, have pressured Tremblay to challenge Ultimus directly. Even with our limited numbers, our magical resources are significant."
He makes a sweeping gesture around himself at the cave you all stand in. "Yet, as Tremblay pointed out, we do not have the capability to create this. Whatever created this rift is far beyond any resource any of us wield, and that goes true for the Governor as well. We would be throwing our lives away if he were to somehow harness that power in our direction."
He points at the tornado. "The air ritual being is how the majority of the tunnels will be explored. It will form breathable air around whomever gets sent down there."
"How fragile is the ritual?" Mazatl asked without too much show of concern. Surely something that kept them from being crushed by walls of water wouldn't be easy to break.
"It's tried and true within the waters of the Harbor where the members of the Academy often conducted research, before," Guisarme comments, glancing over at it, "But it's never been tested at this depth before."
"So, we are the group that will explore these caves, right?" Svog is amazed with the sight of the cave and all those magical stuff around them.
Guisarme's brow furrows. "That's going to be up to you, actually. Ever since the incident with the Monarch Tremblay has instructed me to provide you with options. Apparently he was so thrilled with the results of your independent actions that he feels you deserve more...free rein."
He makes another sweeping gesture that encompasses the cave. "My instructions were to bring you here and make it clear to you that Ultimus wants your heads. Furthermore, I was to bring you up to speed on our plan to find the mermaids. Your participation is voluntary."
"The first I have done. Now that you are here, there are two plans underway." he holds up his dark pointer finger. "First plan is to use that ritual to keep the water clear of the deeper tunnels, hoping to find some evidence of whatever caused this hole to form. We don't know for sure what's down there." his second finger goes up and Guisarme gestures at a group of people talking nearby. A woman breaks off from the group of people she was talking to and approaches you. "The second plan is drier, but potentially more dangerous. Patience here will explain."
Patience, a young woman in her late teens with curly brown hair worn short, pushes her glasses up her nose and gestures that you follow her. She takes you to a chest that she kicks open, that is filled with uniforms. You all recognize them from your encounter with the "sailors" that you fought earlier. Speaking briskly, the young woman gets right down to business. "Hi. These uniforms were captured from the wreckage of the Monarch when it crashed ashore. Under the new governmental alliance between the Governor and the King, the King's ships have free rein to leave the harbor whenever they please. One of them, the Smiler, is scheduled to leave the harbor at dawn to travel down the coast. We want to know why, and we're putting together a team to infiltrate the ship and find out what they're planning."
"I'm only good at under cover when there isn't any danger involved. I kept what I do secret for years before throwing it away with the first fiery outbreak. I'm not sure I'm fit for parading around in someone else's clothing. I will say that you should send people with holes in their ears, though. That seems to be a universal trait for the people in his ships."
Patience nods and gestures at a nearby table where there lies, apparently, an awl. "We thought of that."
"Then you've already found the other sailors?" she tilted her head. "Well, or I guess it does rather stand out."
"The sailors' earwear was noted when the ships first were greeted by our navy in the harbor mouth. It was actually one of the first clues to Tremblay that this Ultimus is not as benevolent as he claimed. Pirates are the most commonly found class of people with such piercings," Patience comments, picking the awl up and turning it over and over with her fingers idly.
"Ah, so... basically what I knew, but more. Good to know." she looked to the others, to see what their opinion was.
"Well, I'm not really much into the infiltrating stuff..I tried it and I was going to get killed but luckily you guys arrived." Svog scratches his head thinking,
"Going into the caves doesn't sound fun either but if we return alive, it could make a great song." He thinks for a second,
"I vote for the caves.." He knows going into the unknown is scary but he will not go alone and the risk to die in there will be lower but infiltrating the ship, they could get caught easily.
Guisarme's penetrating eyes turn to each of you in turn as he awaits the group's final answer. Patience pops her chewing gum.
"I don't think I'd be a good filtrator, either," says Aifric. "Besides, I don't like the idea of her sticking that sharp and pointy thing through my ears." He hefts a spear and says, "That's my job."
Mazatl grins slightly, "Well, get started then." She gives Aifric a teasing look. "We'll watch."
Athena eyed the uniforms not entirely sure what she should do, she knew she would have a decent chance at sneaking in but the idea of being alone on a possibly hostile ship wasn't pleasant but as Chaney so kindly reminded her being underwater wasn't much better.
I can try to join the crew if it's needed. she finally spoke up.
Aifric sputters, "I meant... Ohhh, I get it."
"Unless Chaney has some sort of reason he'd prefer the ship... are you sure you want to go alone? Well... I mean... without us?" She tilted her head to Athena, surprised. "And you Chaney?" It seemed like the ship was significantly more dangerous, but it also stood to reason that smaller numbers made infiltrating the ship more likely...
"I agree with her, we know you will be capable but going alone it's very risky" He crosses his arms and thinks about what the pros and cons will be,
"If they catch you..." He doesn't want to think about it, he kind of went a halfway through that.
The dark wizard pulls a coin from a pocket and flips it.
Wincing slightly as it lands on his covered burn he glances at the coin and returns it to his pocket.
"The caves."
"I'm sure I don't want to go alone but I also don't want to be down here, if we need to explore the ship then it's best if I go."
Guisarme shakes his head gently at Athena. "I believe you could, but Tremblay requested that your group stay together. Something about keeping alive the lightning in a bottle."
He glances around as his voice trails off. "That is, assuming you are willing to help us. As our activities progress, it will be difficult to secure a reward - at least until our ultimate goal is achieved. Should you wish to part ways, I could drop you off on the surface shore using the submersible."
Assuming nobody jumps at that chance, Guisarme continues. "It seems that you prefer the exploration of the caves. Good. That was the assignment I was assigned to provide intelligence for. You'll be a perfect fit for the potential...challenges that may await you down there." as he finishes talking, Patience is gathering up the chest of clothes and putting away the awl.
Guisarme guides all of you over to the group of academicians surrounding the mini-tornado that Aifric and Chaney can detect as magical. One of them, wearing a tri-pointed hat, breaks off from the group and approaches you. "Greetings," he says in a reedy and businesslike voice. "Which of the volunteers will be supporting the ritual?"
Guisarme explains, "In order for the ritual to be maintained, it must be bound to one of you. Your life force will sustain the ritual keeping air around you and the water at bay. Should your life force fade, the ritual will as well; so it is a serious responsibility. Is there a volunteer for this?"
"Well Aifric and myself are slowly dying so adding further magical insult might be unwise."
"I feel stronger than I've ever felt in my life, but, if we run into any bad guys, I should be on the frontlines. My life force might fade if I get hurt, plus I wouldn't want everybody to die just because I got myself kilt."
Before we're pressed onwards: "How's this? You clearly have a widespread intelligence network, even if you may not be able to entirely trust it. You at least are better at researching than I. Perhaps you can offer recompense in the form of knowledge about Chaney and Aifric's afflictions?"
"I've been holding back a verdant tide of life for my lifetime. Adding air to the outside might actually make my life a little easier, to be completely honest."
Athena got quiet once more, she wasn't needed so she would follow her friends in whatever they decided. She hated being underwater but she felt even worse about leaving people their.
Guisarme glances over at the academic at Mazatl's request. "I presume you know something of what is afflicting you already, wizard?" he asks Chaney. Assuming Chaney responds in the affirmative, Guisarme nods. "I would have expected as much from you. Share with us the information of what you are afflicted with, and we will put our most valued sources on the case."
While that information is being passed on, the academic in the tri-pointed hat approaches Mazatl. "Please follow me," he says, directing the channeler to the dais upon which the whirlwind spins.
His assistants move aside, and the academic moves to a podium next to the dais. He begins murmuring under his breath as he stares at the writing on the podium's surface, and the whirlwind begins to shift and change, wobbling and becoming increasingly unstable, before narrowing and becoming a thin arrow of air that rockets at Mazatl's chest. At the last moment, the whirlwind seems to bend upward, blowing your hair back and centering at the space between your antlers. For a moment it's as if you're a wind tunnel, and you feel high-force winds buffeting you from all directions. There's a blast of air that hits everyone nearby, sending papers flying everywhere from a nearby table, and then it calms.
"The ritual is complete. They're ready." the man with the reedy voice comments.
"We should test the waters, figuratively and literally, yes? To ensure that the ritual didn't have a negative impact because of my conduit." She doesn't look particularly phased by the exchange as she rolls a shoulder, aside from the fact that she's now looking upwards, towards her forehead, to see if she can see any change. Not that she likely could anyway.
Do I need to take the ritual? Svog asks before the ceremony.
Aifric stays close to Chaney to see if he can understand what it is that is killing them. Chaney wasn't able to share anything about that after Guisarme made his appearance in the tavern.
The pointed-hat turns to you Svog and shakes back and forth impatiently, nearly bobbing off of the old academic's head. "The ritual was expensive, and could only be bound to one of you. Her." he says, pointing at Mazatl; specifically, at the space between her antlers, where a small white whorl can be seen floating in midair.
Guisarme himself nods at Mazatl's suggestion. "Just over yonder, the section of the caves that is above water ends. To progress beyond that point, you'd either need to swim or stay within 50 feet of the ritual locus." he points at the white whorl, which is radiating magic.
He guides the weredeer channeler over to the water's edge, where the ground slopes downward into a watery tunnel. It's black inside the water, and you can't see anything. As you approach, Mazatl, the water is driven back, as if by a massive invisible plow that stretches from floor to ceiling in the tunnel. Water curves upward along the radius of the ritual, forming a wall of darkness that the torchlight extends faintly into.
"You'll need to be careful of some side passages," Guisarme tells you. "If the tunnel is a dead end and there's nowhere for the water to be pushed away from you, you'll be blocked from pushing any further. That means if you can keep moving forward, the water's able to be pushed away from you somewhere else. Am I making sense?"
"No dead-ends or the water won't let us pass as it doesn't have anywhere else to go...I'm glad I'm half fish." Svog meditates on what Guisarme told and ends with a small laugh.
"Neat." Mazatl smiles, while looking up to the whorl. "I think we're going to be fast friends." And... Mazatl gains some firepower in the arms race she is currently carrying with the sea. "So... we won't be able to move all the way to the rear of the cave, unless it opens wide, yeah? So we have to hope that it's not beyond our limits. How are you at seeing in the dark, Svog? Or does someone have a spell that will grant us light, or Svog light once we reach the end of a passage? Is there anything else about water that we need to bear in mind with your form, Svog?"
Aifric uses the butt of his spear to tap the floor of the tunnel where the water has been driven back. Is it rock? Mud? Something else? Is ALL the water driven back, meaning the tunnel floor is completely dry?
"I don't have any torches with me." He continues in a completely unironic and unsarcastic tone, "When I left home, I didn't know I was going anywhere but the Hook. I don't usually take torches to the Hook. I've never needed any there. Torches are good for a cave but not really good for a tavern."
"Unless you have something against said Tavern." Mazatl acknowledged.