Tales of Fantasy & Wonder Vol. 1

VII - The Sea Caves

The sea caves

Game VII                                                                October 18th, 2017

Passing the night without further spectral menace, by dawn the adventurers had made their way as far north as the isle would allow, coming to the bird colony cliffs that Xammy had collected eggs from more than a week ago. Having caught no game on the east side of the island the night before, Theo sends up his hawk for a meal when they return.

The mage peers over the crumbling edge, searching at first for the caves, and then the curious steps he had mentally noted, of a design and position to camouflage them by natural illusion. After some discussion Xammy asks Theo to wait in line with the caves below them, so he could retrace his steps to the location where the illusion was broken by the morning sun.

Signalling to the ranger's movement from afar, Xammy waved both arms the moment Theo's footfall came to rest beside the first steps, halting his progress to mark the spot.

Returning along the eroded edge, the explorers rearranged their gear for ease of descent with Theo taking the lead. Keeping his weight against the treacherous cliffs, he carefully progressed to the churning growl of the waves. Xammy soon joined him on a narrow beach of tumbled rock that was washed ceaselessly back against the rock walls at the base, moving west along this natural path to the half merged hollows of three caves.

The central aperture was the largest, with the furthest being barely discernable above water. Theo advised they wait, scanning the backwash of seawater around the caves for a hint of what may exist within. With only kelp and weed rolling in and out of the caves, he ventured further with steel in hand.

The water level receded as the sun climbed, and with its' light the ranger espied a smooth wall on the right side of the main cave, its surface scarred with tools to make staggered hand holds in the sheer rock. Wading through to the edge of the light, the adventurers studied the holds by the light of a cantrip, and discussed how they should climb into the cavity above them.

Xammy climbed a few feet before slipping back into the shallow water. It had been his goal to keep the cantrip light going and investigate the top, since they were unsure of what waited above. The spell broken, Theo grumbled and roughed some gravel into his palms for grip, deciding he would do the climb slowly with scimitar ready.

Keeping his balance, Theo inched his way up the water polished rock, the hand holds zig-zagging to further increase the time and effort to reach the shadowed end. Eventually, his hand patted a level floor 30ft or so up. Pausing to listen, then stealthily passing over the threshold, the ranger tested the darkness and could barely describe some kind of headless figure, a statue in the middle of the new passage.

Helping Xammy up with the aid of the rope and grapple hook, Theo demonstrated the breadth and height with the light of a torch, the statue now studied by the pair. It was worn with age, but enough detail remained to show it was a robed man with sandaled feet. There was a square cavity where a theoretical neck would have rose from the shoulders, the echo of air and water coming from the aperture as though it was hollowed all the way to the waves below, via the furthest cave if they were connected.

Unravelling the cord and clothe from the golden bust of Indran, Theo asks for the wizards assistance to help him lift and guide the head to see if it would fit the statue. His suspicion is soon confirmed as the idol slides into place, and a strange sound begins to resonate out from the broken crown of its head.