It isn't that difficult to find a campsite outside of the village, though most of the good spots close to the mining camp proper are already taken. One patch of wet leaves is about as good as another patch of wet leaves, however, and there's a slight bit of high, less-soggy ground on the far side of the riverbed. There are tents, a struggling fire... and a scraggly miner who comes by to offer leftovers from dinner, which turns out to be a thin venison and root-veg soup and bland bread. The really observant, and those who go mingle in the evening, may discover that a lot of people have had this same meal. The miners aren't quite running a soup kitchen because they've been collecting donations for the work, but then they are keeping a hundred-odd extra people from starving. Now and again fragments of music drift across the way; it's variations on the same simple melody, but it isn't otherwise familiar.

It is, largely, an uneventful night. The pilgrims are wary of the nobles, in a manner that borders on skittish distrust, though with a few exceptions most of them aren't in any condition to be taking up arms, or complaining too loudly. Also, the soup pot made a second around and it's harder to be grumpy with a full stomach. Their stories, as Brigid discovers, are similar: they're from the area, near as far east as the edge of the Crownlands, and north through the Oathlands. Common people, smallfolk, who all heard the stories of the power of the healing cave, usually as second or third-hand tales, and came to see it for themselves. Several have seen it for themselves. Some have been in the cave more than once, hoping to see the miracle. They describe the pool, the massive columns of stone... along with lights, and a faint, haunting melody that heralds the coming of the power. Nothing bad has ever happened to anyone: the worst that happens, sometimes, is absolutely nothing at all.

Late into the evening, another miner comes by with a wooden crate, lined with someone's shirt: raggedy, threadbare padding for half a dozen or so pieces of crude jewelry. Finger-width fragments of crystal, wrapped in bronze wire, some of them on leather cords, others on thin chains, along with Evaro's medallion. He's clearly uncomfortable with turning them over, but thus he does, with a slightly grumpy reminder that some people have put a lot of their faith in them so be careful. A dire warning? Not so much. Not quite a suggestion either, though.

Night passes. Morning comes, cold and damp. It stopped raining a few hours before dawn and now a thick fog has settled around the foothills, but these folks are all used to being up with the daylight, and the tattered village comes to what life it possesses slowly but surely. It's perhaps an hour after dawn when Evaro and another pair of miners come across to check up on things. "I hope you all slept well; are you ready to see the cave?"

By the time morning returns, Vulpiano has achieved the same level of presentation he displayed upon arriving. Clean, somehow finding the time despite the late night he had, properly dressed with not a hair out of place. He is awake and ready by the time others are still stumbling out of bed, or whatever passes for such in these parts. Thus it shouldn't come as any surprise that when Evaro asks his question, the man responds with an affirmative "I believe it would be best if we set out right away, yes." Grey eyes do turn to his companions, however, to see if any might object.

Dawn broke with the baron having already been awake for some time. The cold and wet of their surroundings did little to..dampen his spirits and was quite used to such conditions. When Evaro approached, Rane was working a whetstone along the edge of Goldenshade and he looked up, giving a nod not to signify they all should leave, but that he was ready. The darkened, cured leathers were donned and ready for whatever their new journey might have held in store for them. A glance toward Brigid and Katherine, just to ensure that the Moore clan was ready as well.

Amund is up by the time it stopped raining. Up and ready to continue on their journey. His tent is already taken down, his sword sheathed at this side, his armor slash expensive clothing already worn. His expression is one of focus. Quiet, almost sullen.

Esme chatted where she could and was just general Esme. She doesn't seem to sleep well but finally sleep comes to her. Although, it's restless but when she's up to face the day; one would never guess it. Her smile is bright as she just waits for Dante to lead on. She'll follow into step when the time comes.

Narcissa had passed the vast majority of this venture in silence, her burnished gaze flitting hither and there. The drifting ghost of a melody causes her pale face to turn and seek it whenever it surfaces, but as to its nature and verse she says naught her own curiosity. Her black gown remains covered by only a oily black piece of leather cuirass and oakhide arms - nothing else to shield the poet. Then, there is the presentation of jewelry which causes a flutter in her habitual calm

a slight furrowing of brow before a single nod is given in way of answer.

Sleep having been hard to come by with the cold and damp morning, Dante at least looks satisfied with the stones that have been gathered up and brought to him. Picking up Evaro's medallion, he examines it again for awhile, then puts it on. "Foreman, I am going to see if I feel anything from wearing this stone. Perhaps if there is anything to it, I will." He shrugs afterwards, "Perhaps not. But if taking it down there does something - I'm curious to find out." Gesturing to the other half-dozen or so pieces, "Someone pick up the rest of them. Pack them or wear them, I don't much care." Eyeing the wary pilgrims, he then nods to Vulpiano. "I agree. If everyone is ready to go, let's head for the mine." Provided no one objects, he follows Evaro there.

It is worth noting that Vulpiano makes no attempt to pick up or carry the rest of the pieces. He's a steward, not a pack horse.

Katherine stretches her long limbs more often than usual, though whether because of the night's sleeping situation or the new, unfamiliar leather armor she's wearing this morning is anyone's guess. No matter the reason, her expression bears a pinch of discomfort, though she does manage a smile to those in her party as they stir and prepare for the trek into the mine. A small dagger is slid into a sheath at her hip, recently sharpened by Rane. At Dante's command, she steps over and plucks up a stone fashioned into a bracelet, to carry on her person. The item is rolled onto her wrist and observed idly until they depart.

Vulpiano checked perception + empathy at difficulty 15, rolling 19 higher.

Rane checked perception + empathy at difficulty 15, rolling 7 higher.

Katherine checked perception + empathy at difficulty 15, rolling 32 higher.

Dante checked perception + empathy at difficulty 15, rolling 10 lower.

Brigid checked perception + empathy at difficulty 15, rolling 19 higher.

Narcissa checked perception + empathy at difficulty 15, rolling 16 higher.

Amund checked perception + empathy at difficulty 15, rolling 5 lower.

Esme checked perception + empathy at difficulty 15, rolling 9 lower.

Brigid wields Canon, a diamondplate two-handed sword with rubicund cross-guard and pommel.

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Brigid before departing.

Evaro and his men lead what amounts to a parade through the town. It's evidently the morning's entertainment, all of these nobles turned out to go clambering through the tunnels to see what they shall see. And they do. They look a touch confused; a touch bewildered; a touch concerned, maybe. But certainly no one leaps to interfere with the train heading up toward the mine.

The entrance to the mine is not particularly appealing. It was a natural cave entrance once but it's been widened manually, and braced with heavy timbers that do a very poor job of suggesting they have any ability at all to keep the mountain from crushing that black gap into a flat seam. The early daylight doesn't reach more than a few steps inside, but Evaro and his men have lanterns, and they light these before going inside. The foreman also has a bottle of something, and he pours a measure into a battered cup, which he passes around. "It's a fortified mushroom broth," he explains. "Slightly fermented. Makes some people feel better about venturing into the tunnels." And, "We'll go single file. Some places are extremely narrow. Some are going to require you to duck. Some're going to make you crawl." One of his men actually laughs aloud at the latter, a short bark of sound that may imply that 'some' might be an understatement. "But this is a functional mine. It's not intended for creature comfort. Figure out how you plan to go. I'll go first," he waves his lantern, "and Antony will bring up the rear. Markel will hold the middle."

And then he sets off, into the mine.

The shinies do not catch Narcissa's attention, but the expressions of surprise certainly do. She mutters under her breath to her brother beside her, and anyone else in their contingent so inclined to pay heed to the poet seemingly talking to herself, "....do they fear it?"

It was less Dante's speaking and more Katherine's lead that brought him to pull a jeweled medallion from the pile. It was little more than a crude leather thong necklace with a wooden setting, but he slipped it overhead before venturing off with Evaro and the rest. He paid little mind to the eyes of those that gawked and mocked, whatever their purposes. As they came to the cave entrance, Rane's brow furrowed a bit to see how narrow some of the places would be and gave a nod, placing a hand to his right oblique for no apparent reason. "Marquis Dante, I will take up the rearguard, ensure we all stay together." He glanced around to everyone else. "Know who is in front of you and who is behind. We stay in that order always to keep from losing anyone."

" I'll bring up the middle with Markel. " A glance towards the others and it would be noted she declines the brew with a wave of her hand, focused and ready to move forward - it would also be noted she does take one of the shimmering rocks and loops it at her belt.

Amund holds out a palm to refuse the mushroom juice, passing it in favor of someone who does want to try it. More specifically, though, he offers it towards Esme, with a nod to the Limerance Devotion as he follows the rest of the group. He has also passed the artifacts that were offered before. If they were meant to protect him from harm, he'll have to rely on something not that, it seems.

Vulpiano does take the brew, though whether he actually drinks it or not is unclear. Surely he does! Maybe? Does it matter? Either way he doesn't pretend to have much expertise when it comes to crawling into mine shafts, and so he waits for those with an idea of what they want to do to speak up. He'll go where he needs to.

Katherine inhales and exhales deeply, as though settling nerves that twist and writhe with every step that brings her nearer to the entrance of the mine. However, her face remains a smooth mask, as if remiss to share her true feelings on the matter with anyone. She does not, in fact, turn down the mushroom broth. What could go wrong? And she does this before her husband can go into full protection mode and slap it out of her hands. HA!

Esme studies the stones for a moment and then she shakes her head to both the drink and the stones. She does keep track of where the stones go in case she changes her mind, but for now she passes on both. The caves are studied and she does not look afraid, but she will take place on the opposite side of Narcissa that Dante chooses. Making sure that she stays nearish to the other Fidante. There is a smile, but she's rather quiet for now.

Waving off the weird mushroom brew, Dante adjusts the large crystal around his neck and cocks his head to Narcissa. "Are they? I didn't notice, although I wouldn't be surprised, either." He mouths the words 'superstitious peasants' behind one hand, then nods at Brigid and Rane as they declare their positions. "Very well, I'll go in front with the Foreman. Everyone, be very careful and know who is in front and behind you - and hopefully we won't need to draw a weapon if we're stuck in a crawlspace." He smiles at Esme when she approaches.

Narcissa may or may have kicked at Dante's shin at that peasant comment.

"If you do draw a weapon, like a sword, make sure to prioritize thrusting over swinging." Amund suggests, keeping his hand on the hilt at all times. Hypervigilance is important when you're being led into caves, no matter how trustworthy the guide might seem. Or not, in this case.

Katherine falls in line with Rane directly at her back, all the while her face is marred by the reaction to that mushroom drink. Not bad, not good. Just...strange. The urge to spit rises, but uh, she's a lady and will just suck it up and deal with it.

There are cave systems ... and then there are cave systems. Though the light from the entrance does not seem to pierce the darkness very far, the so-called lost light reaches further than they might've guessed, limning everything with the faintest idea of wan, weary light, like day exhausts itself by the time it reaches the interior. The three lanterns create a narrow corridor of brighter, warmer illumination, mostly because the whole thing rapidly shrinks down into a very narrow tunnel that any of them can touch both sides of without a great deal of effort. Some of the stone is very starkly cut, as if it's been hacked away to widen points of it, while the ceiling overhead is braced every few paces with another wooden beam, these now braced by pillars underneath, forcing everyone to decide whether to go right or left around them.

So it's fairly easy going for the first few minutes. Until they reach the end of the original cave, and the part where the actual mining begins. The ceiling drops uncomfortably low, such that the tallest among them are now forced to duck every time one of the beams is encountered. There's a narrow path cleared through an endless debris field, where the walls have been hacked away, the precious bits removed and likely some of the largest chunks of rock hauled out, but aside from a roughly cleared path down the center, much of the unwanted stone was simply left where it fell. Some parts widen, chewed away by hard physical toil, stone piled in corners and heaped in mounds in the center of the largest spaces.

"Perhaps a visit might be arranged the next time someone asks me if the mines really need all these supplies to ensure safety and productivity." Vulpiano remarks potentially dryly as their movement further within the miles grow more awkward. He's following along, neither at the front nor at the very back.

There was naught to do but follow along and wonder just why in the hell his wife took a drink of something that he could smell from some feet away. Well, there were all different types of 'adventurous', aren't there? Rane simply shook his head a bit and grinned, herding those in front of him as needed.

Having given up on keeping her clothing clean, Narcissa gets to the grit of it and crawls, ducks, inches by wherever the mine needs it.

Katherine follows the group with relative ease and comfort, the only disruption to deal with being the occasional dip of her head beneath the wood beams. Every so often, she turns back to verify that Rane is still there, following close behind. Otherwise, she contents herself with staring at the backside of whoever is in front of her.

Esme moves with feline ease through the area. She keeps looking around the area that she can see, but she also seems to be keeping an eye on Narcissa and Dante.

This walk/hunched over waddle/crawl is made all the more difficult in a full suit of diamondplate, which perhaps Dante is rethinking wearing when it comes to the question of mines. Grunting and occasionally cursing, scraping and sliding forward, he might on occasion butt his helmeted head against the foreman's feet because of this. Just because.

Ah yes, rock, stone, and more rock. Brigid ducks when necessary, glances over her shoulder to keep check of those behind her all but does begin contemplating when it will need to become necessary to remove the armor she is wear to crawl through something. For now, movements are agile enough and when attention is not on those around her does she open up to her other senses - hearing being a key one.

Vulpiano checked stamina at difficulty 15, rolling 11 higher. Vulpiano rolled a critical!

Brigid checked stamina at difficulty 15, rolling 5 higher.

Katherine checked stamina at difficulty 15, rolling 3 higher.

Rane checked stamina at difficulty 15, rolling 2 lower.

Dante checked stamina at difficulty 15, rolling 20 higher.

Esme checked stamina at difficulty 15, rolling 22 higher.

Amund checked stamina at difficulty 15, rolling 5 higher.

Some of them do better than others. It is impossible to tell how far they've come, how much longer they have left to go. There are regular checkpoints, places where the tunnels branch off, improper crossroads where lanterns are hung at the forks and boxes arranged like furniture. He passes passes around a waterskin the next time, and the three of them have some of that regardless of what their entourage does or does not. But a few minutes' rest at this junctions does little to combat the peculiar fatigue that comes from the unfamiliar movement. The crouching. The stooping. It winds for miles, maybe for hours, maybe for the entire day, steps uncountable, fatigue building in the calves and subtle aches in the backs of necks. The temperature has dropped noticeably, but they were all dressed for winter anyway, so it isn't terribly uncomfortable.

Yet.

The mine abruptly runs itself out, though. There is what appears to be a dead end, solid rockface that has a few deep gouges where someone may've angrily taken a pickaxe to the stone. Evaro calls one more stop here, explaining, "This is where the seam ran out." He looks at Dante. "Imagine coming here, and trying to decide, from here, where the seam went. Up into the mountain? Down? Where do you go? What do you do when your livelihood depends on finding those damnable rocks? When it might be the tax man, or some ill-tempered noble coming to find out why the goods stopped?" He waves his lantern in a slow arch. Between the three of them there is just enough light to see, but it stops abruptly. Everything behind them is pitch black, and the shadows cast by the lamps are like umbra, stark and sharp. "We've a few on the crew who are good at chasing the seams. They go diving deep into the mountain, through natural tunnels and holes, like that one." Mikel, there to the left, steps to the side and reveals a hole approximately four feet across, down at ground-level. Maybe not a tight squeeze, just an incredibly uncomfortable one.

"Some of them," the foreman adds, "never come back out."

Narcissa checked stamina at difficulty 15, rolling 4 lower.

Vulpiano is... surprisingly fine. How is a steward who spends most of his time working with ledgers managing to do well crawling all over the place? He shouldn't. He's more than fifty years old. Not used to physical work such as this. Yet somehow he's... fine, white gold hair bright in the torchlight. He doesn't say anything, just listens.

There was some perspiration on the brow of the baron, perhaps odd considering his athleticism and ability on the battlefield, and yet, here he labored. When Evaro paused to show the seam and surrounding areas, Rane gently lowered himself to a knee and took slow, deep breaths through his nose. Once more did a hand go to his side as though there was a stitch from lungs burning. He wet his lips and swiftly dabbed at his forehead to hide any sign of distress or fatigue.

There is a bit of interest in what Evaro is explaining, glancing to Mikel then the hole that is indicated and an exhale of breath is given, " Not an easy life, that. How does one find their calling to do this? I've heard some stories about folk who work in the mines being able to "hear" stone." A light smile on her lips then, " Folk story nonsense?" A glance over to Rane, at her belt is a small cloth produced and what water provision she has on her person is dribbled lightly upon it. It is silently handed over to her cousin, a silent brow risen but nothing else before her attention goes back to those ahead.

Esme is fine chugging right along, for now. She's looking at the various rock strikes. When they come to the end of the hall, she glances at the strikes again. Her fingers come up to touch the scarred surface. Then she looks up as Evaro speaks. Something in his words has her auburn brows lowering a bit as she steps a bit closer towards Dante and Narcissa.

"I will not venture down that dwarf of a door." Narcissa states flatly. Her arms are crossed stubbornly over the cuirass, her chin tilting upwards as her nose crinkles. "Unless they go first."

While Dante had made the trip with relative ease, his muscles slightly sore from the crawling, it seems to have inflicted a more serious blow to his mood. Evaro giving them a thinly-veiled lecture on the plight of miners versus tax men and nobles leaves him with a dead stare in his green eyes, fingers rubbing the crystal for a moment. He glances over at Esme and Narcissa with brows lofted and a tilt of the head at the hole in the wall. The Marquis looks less than enthusiastic. "I'll still go up front behind Evaro, sister."

Katherine all but collapses against a rock wall. It's a wonder she made out the carved surface amid the absolute absence of light. Not even the small lanterns at the front of the column are enough to truly illuminate structures or cast appropriate shadows from the objects around them. Huddled on the structure in the dark, Katherine's breathing is loud, ragged and echoes down the hall, not just from the exertion of winding her way down into the heart of the mine, but from the shallow atmosphere and constrictive feeling enveloping her. She listens intently to Evaro's words, and a chill spasms down her spine at the thought. After taking a moment to catch her breath and reorient herself, she stands once more, brushes off her leather pants, and prepares to push onward.

Amund doesn't look particularly tired after this trip, but that isn't saying much. Mines are a different challenge than any Gauntlet. The air here is sparse, after all; breathing is at a premium and forcing your muscles above and beyond a certain threshold of movement is likely to spell your doom. "None of it is nonsense," he says, to Katherine. "I knew someone who could hear stones, and metals, and gems. She helped me to fix a sword." As they approach the hole, he stares at it, holding a lamp outward to see if there any glimpses of corpses inside. If not, he goes on his merry way in following Mikel.

To BRIGID, rather.

"Well, this has been insightful, but I fear that's as far as I go." says Vulpiano. "I would be more useful up above putting the town in order while you are occupied below than I would in any sort of explorative or investigative ability." the steward states. Really, he doesn't belong here. That he managed the trip at all is halfway close to a miracle.

"How does anyone find their calling to do anything?" Evaro answers that question with a shrug. "For most of us, it is a family trade. We live here. We die here. Same as farmers, same as soldiers. Most everyone ends up buried at least six feet under anyway." Is he making a joke? It's awfully difficult to tell. He does frown at Vulpiano and Narcissa, and that decision to stay behind - or worse, go back - and it leads to a very brief huddle between him and his men about whether this is a good idea because it means one of them is going to have to escort them back. One less guide; one less light. It's not quite an argument but it's clearly a two to one vote against, until the foreman finally relents. "No one else'd better change your minds, we've got no one else to spare."

No. There are no corpses visible in the hole. It does go at a slight downward angle, but it's not especially steep and the stone not smooth enough to fear sliding. As the party splits up, Evaro demonstrates the proper way to go down: feet-first, lamp in hand, the other hand pressed against the wall to help control the way he shimmies and inches down to the next level.

It goes down maybe fifteen feet, that amber light of his getting fainter and fainter as it goes. On the up side that means it will get brighter and brighter as people descend after him. However, they've now left the mine behind, and are now back in a proper cave system. The walls aren't hewn at all, not braced with beams. They're smoother, but they curve, narrowing just up ahead to a gap that will require squeezing in the other direction: not down, but in.

The thorn in all their sides at this point, Narcissa vehemently declares, "I am -not- going down there, to only crack my skull. For stones, laughs, pretty objects or glory. I will stay right here where my not shining knight in armor self may live another day."

"May I suggest the open air rather than... right here, Lady Narcissa?" says Vulpiano with perhaps the slightest bit of teasing humour to his voice.

Rane steeled himself for more contortions and exertions, following behind the rest of the gang and they slipped into the abyss below.

" Wait. " Would be uttered softly, fingers then go to her breastplate and then her pauldrons, a quick unbuckling happening as she then hands them off to the pair, " Bring these up top, will you? " With less armor in this suffocating place, a loose cerulean blue blouse is revealed in a flutter.

Brigid checked willpower at difficulty 15, rolling 8 higher.

Katherine checked willpower at difficulty 15, rolling 5 lower.

Esme checked willpower at difficulty 15, rolling 1 lower.

Rane checked willpower at difficulty 15, rolling 1 lower.

Amund checked willpower at difficulty 15, rolling 15 higher.

Dante checked willpower at difficulty 15, rolling 2 lower.

Dante tries to shimmy down the hole, not looking terribly pleased about it - but after a few feet, he climbs back out, gasping for breath. "I need some water or something," he mutters with a ragged, anxious edge to his voice. Drinking from a waterskin, he sits to the side for awhile, catching his breath and watching that terrible hole.

Esme moves down the cavern and she looks slightly calm, unless one looks at the wild expression in her eyes. It's like a caged animal and she's starting to try to count exits. Ones that don't exist. A breath is taken as her hands shake and she offers a comment towards Dante.

Katherine stares at the hole, eyes betraying fear and exhaustion. "I don't think I can do this," she whispers to herself, more than anything. And then, after a brief internal pep talk and a moment spent looking for some sense of resolve on the faces of those still standing there with her, she does it. Slowly, carefully and successfully, though when she reaches the bottom, her heavy, ragged breaths return to force down panic which threatens to consume her. "Easier coming down than going back up, I suppose?" she asks, weary from just the thought.

A glance at those around, sensing and watching their handling of the situation, she waits until everyone else feels comfortable enough to go down to help provide encouragement to those from behind just like those who have gone ahead can encourage with their voices of success.

Amund doesn't complain, doesn't utter a single word as they move down the cavern. He's focused on the journey ahead and their destination, and while calls for water and comments are made, he makes sure that their rear-guard is kept safe. It also helps to motivate others to keep going if there's something continuing to move ahead behind you. No words of encouragement from him.

Fewer miners now. Fewer lights. One at the head of the column, one at the tail end. And Amund's, a third bit of illumination that seems woefully inadequate to hold back darkness that is waiting to flood in. Darkness with as much weight to it as what must be a million tons of stone overhead. An entire mountain, just over their heads, waiting to drop down upon them like a curtain of granite. It's awfully quiet, and a little bit damp, but Evaro did say something about a lake, or a pool, or something. The whole structure of the space is different. No touch of civilization here, only the raw stuff of the earth. No beams to hold up the ceiling, which is perilously spindled with spires, like icicles made of rock, a million limestone daggers aimed downward at half a dozen heads. Some, though not all, join matching spindles coming up from above, elaborate pillars being built up, drop by drop, by rare drips of water that make their way down from somewhere high above.

"It's always easier to go down," Evaro assures Katherine. "Not much further now."

Thankfully. It's really just past that squeeze, where the gap in the stone is better navigated by the slimmer members of the party. Just past the squeeze, and into a moderately-sized cave, but one that feels positively enormous after the ever-increasing narrows of their passage. A few enormous stone columns do seem to hold up the vault, dripstone forming curious shapes in the lamplight and cast strange shadows on their dark sides. And there's a pool of water, shallow but crystal clear: with no source but the same drips that have formed the stones, one can only wonder how long it has taken to fill.

There was a varying degree of apprehension for those that were readied to to go below. He didn't necessarily want Katherine plunging deep, but a touch at her hip in silent support had himself prepared to go as well. As they squeezed and sucked in those guts, they eventually came to a room that was almost otherworldly. There wasn't a great deal to see all at once and the lanterns were a poor solution, but it was all they had. It may have looked aimless the way Rane looked around in wonder, but it was pointed and directed, even if there was no hope of seeing..well, much at all. "This..almost defies belief."

After the grueling, breath squeezing descent into the depths of the mountain, in that narrow, awful, anxiety inducing tunnel, Dante seems pretty pleased to get down here into the cavern. Silent and stretching out into the darkness with the large, clear pool before them, he glances at Esme with a set of blinks. "Look at this, cousin. What do you make of this?" Kneeling down at the edge of the water, the Marquis takes off the crystal and dips it into the water, curious to see if anything happens.

Esme studies the cave as they enter it and truly she looks a little bit relieved that there is more area to breathe in. However, there is a glance up at the water and as it drips down and then she moves closer to the water's edge. Her green eyes move over it as she looks at the stone he uses and then she breathes in. It's almost like she's trying to feel the place before she offers. "It does seem out of the ordinary, but then most things are that way. It is how we define ordinary." Her lips curve upwards a bit as she just sweeps her eyes over the people and the water.

With feet firmly on the ground, does her attention shift and drift to to the pillars of the earth surrounding them, focusing on the water for a brief as her Patron kneels beside it, beckoning a cousin over. But for all outward appearances she appears collected, calm, and silvery sights focus on anything that wants to shift or materialize.

Amund lingers by the edge of the pool, looking at it with suspicion. Retrieving a vial of holy water from his bag, he removes its lid, and upends the contents on the pool itself, as if expecting some kind of reaction. You know, just in case.

Katherine runs her hand around her wrist, the one that sports the jewelry containing gemstones from this very lake. Seeing as how her cousin has already tested his own piece in the mysterious liquid, she holds back and does not do the same, yet. Instead, eyes are cast around the cavern, seeing only what the dim light reveals. "It certainly is something," her whispered words reply to Rane's amazement.

Evaro has probably seen this a dozen times. At least. He and Mikel spread out just enough that the light isn't entirely contained in one spot. One more lantern would've made a difference, perhaps, but what they have is enough to faintly paint the far walls, to reveal that there are still more passageways leading off this point. More crevices, more holes, more yawning black voids that go gods-know-where. Or that let gods-know-what come inside.

Brigid checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 8 lower.

Dante checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 34 higher.

Katherine checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 17 higher.

Rane checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 2 higher.

Amund checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 4 higher.

Esme checked perception + investigation at difficulty 15, rolling 3 higher.

The chill air is a strange mixture with that of the moisture that wants to cling, dripping and plopping all around them - nothing seems out of the ordinary that is if you're one that enjoys spending time in deep down creepy caves with shimmering lantern lit pools.

There was another nod of agreement with Katherine's words and he looked this way and that at nothing in particular. Rane stooped to cup some of the water in his hands to smell it, even going so far as to dip his tongue into it to taste for anything out of the ordinary.

Katherine steps nearer to the water's edge, close enough that she can see clear through to the bottom. It's shallow, but perhaps ought to be less transparent, still, right? But no. She catches a glimpse of her reflection staring back up at her, throwing into sharp relief the part of her face illuminated by lantern light. When she hears a disturbance in the water nearby, Katherine turns to say something to her husband. However, before she can say anything, he places the water on his tongue. "You wouldn't drink the mushroom broth but you'd immediately drink the mysterious water?" she asks. Three weeks in, and she already asks the perfect wifely question in the wifliest of tones.

"You might get a bad stomach from a spot of water, not sure what you might get from mushroom juice." Amund remarks to Katherine as he seems almost disappointed at the water's... complete lack of eventfulness. After a moment, he reflects his lamp at it, trying to get a glimpse of... himself. Something, anything.

Hands on his hips, Dante makes a slight sound of disappointment after standing back up. "This is no grand cathedral. It's a little hole in the rock with a small pool. The man's delusional." He looks around for the foreman, trying to get some answer out of him. "Evaro. Explain this. It's nothing like you described it to be." He scrutinizes the cave, looking for anything of interest.

Esme offers a comment towards Dante, but she smiles softly and then looks over at the water and those dealing with. The woman does pause as someone /drinks/ from it. Her brows lift and she turns for a moment to see if they sprout horns.

"What? This doesn't strike you as a grand stone cathedral, my lord?" Evaro sounds only a little bit surprised by this. He trades a look with Mikel, who shrugs, and then he shrugs and shakes his head. "I warned you that it does not perform on command. Perhaps if you wait a while, or you come back... ah, but no, I don't imagine you'd care to make this trip more than once." He straightens up out of the lean he'd settled in to, there against the damp stone, and gestures about with his lamp, causing the shadows to scatter, though they just reconvene at other angles behind the rocks.

Rane spat even the small bit of water out after the very unpleasant taste, but at least it wasn't anything poisonous. "Water seems to have come from the mountains. It's hard, not sure if it's potable." He shot a glance over to Katherine and gave a quick look of 'Yes, dear...', but then Amund had a valid point and he felt vindicated. He walked over to Katherine and settled easily at her side.

Brigid checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 3 higher.

A glance towards Dante, " To those whose life is this, this place is a cathedral and just as holy as any you might find above." It is said calmly, attention this time going towards Evaro, offering a dip of dark hued head, " You did very well state that it doesn't work on command, but, can you recall anything that might have been similar in each case? Does a wound need to be present? " At that does Brigid step forward, already her hand going to the dagger sheathed at her hip to rest idle.

Keen eyes watch the shaddows fly apart and reform with Evaro's gestures, Dante remarking to Brigid, "I don't think that's it. I don't think they expected us to be impressed at all. I think they knew it was nothing special. The question is...why did they say so? Have they been luring people down here with promises? Some sort of scam going on?" Suspicious eyes fix on both townsmen, the Marquis resting a hand on the hilt of his blade. "Tell me right now what's going on."

Katherine stares hard at Brigid's hand, or what she can make out of it in the dark. However, she does not move to stop her from making the attempt, as long as it is shallow and can shed light on this situation. Katherine turns to address Evaro. "Do people usually drink the water to heal, or simply touch it? You mentioned, I think, that it can help even the people whose wounds are not necessarily recent. Old scars and other deformities are affected?" At that, Katherine turns to tug at Rane's hand, and discreetly but intentionally squeezes at his marked forearm. "Check it," she suggests. "Though I didn't hear any singing when you tasted it. Maybe the water doesn't favor you." A wink is offered in his direction, though he may not even see it.

"So, speak plainly. Who do you serve and why are you sworn to them?" Amund draws his sword in a smooth motion, leveling a look at Evaro. The shadows are kept in the periphery of his gaze, the lamp tilted towards them with the other hand. Sandstalker gleams red under the faint light, which makes the glass-encased sword all the weirder.

Rane smiled back--also unsure if it was seen at the remarks from the baroness, but he nodded as well and removed the vambrace from his right forearm and dipped the whole of it in the water to wait for any sort of reaction. "The Keatons are prone to curses rather than blessings. Let's hope it doesn't end poorly, but I doubt it will end well." It was the sword of a sword being drawn that made him quickly turn his head and reach for his own. My, things were escalating rather quickly!

Katherine steps back and out of the way of those drawing their weapons, the scene turning toward the violent at the drop of a hat.

Brigid keeps her hand still upon the hilt of her dagger, but the awareness heightened by Dante and Amund causes her to remain alert, perhaps hoping they hadn't been lured into some cave by beings serving anything untoward but then again - would she really be surprised?

Esme doesn't seem distressed. On her guard perhaps, but not pulling a weapon. She seems calm in the midst of the questions. Her eyes move over the shadows and then back towards the people. She's very quiet and tends towards Dante.

"Really, my lady, that won't be necessary. There's no particular rhyme or reason to..." People plunging their limbs into the water, as Rane does, which Evaro watches with a bit of interest. Like most everything that has happened in the cave thus far it is spectacularly uneventful; the baron gets his arm wet up to just below the elbow, which is about as deep as the water is, but nothing changes. At least not until Dante's suspicions finally get the better of him, and Amund draws his blade, the glass indeed glittering with eerie red light.

"Do you really think..."

"That's enough," Evaro very quickly cuts his associate off before whatever Mikel was going to say gets any further than that. Evidently he does a lot of this. There's a brief second as he looks between the lot of them, wetting his lower lip, but the train of thought is possibly shaped by the sellsword's contribution, to which he says with a snort, "We work for the mine. The mining company." He's the foreman; he's quite adept at rattling off an entire chain of bureaucracy that is nearly as dull as the cave is, without missing a beat, especially since it goes slowly up a convoluted food chain and ends with him gesturing - with the lantern - at Dante. "So, ultimately, him; at least unless we decide there's a better offer someplace else." As for Dante's actual question, he's possibly stalled this out as long as he can before he finally admits, "Alright, alright. This isn't it. No one thought you'd believe it was real, anyway. Tell me I'm wrong. The other cavern - the real one - is more difficult to reach. Takes some faith to even make it."

A glance to Amund and then Dante, sighing softly as she looks then to Evaro before slowly does she walk over to Mikel and this time her hand at dagger has switched to Canon which is drawn, it's gleam shimmering with a light all it's own and levels with purpose at Mikel, " Do we really think what? "

Then it was Rane's turn to glower. Nothing happened with the water on his skin and he rose quickly, tone very aggressive. "You've risk the health and safety of each of us here for a /trick/?" He looked over to Dante, expecting worse to come from the marquis.

Even Katherine wants to pull her dagger from her sheath. Ah, in fact, she /does/ pull it and holds it out. Thankfully, it is too dark in the cavern for anyone to see this ridiculous experience play out, but there is no way she is dying in a mine without at least attempting to defend herself, should it come to that.

Esme looks at the water and thinks of the vial of holy water. It shows in her eyes as she looks from one of the party to the other. Then she rolls her shoulders and neck. "So, onward to the right spot then?"

Dante Saying nothing for awhile, Dante stands there, glowering at the two men. Finally, he mutters in an icy tone, "You in front, foreman. Other one, in the middle. You had better not try anything stupid or we'll kill you both down here. Take us to the right one this time or you'll not come out of here alive."

"Lead the way." Amund lowers the blade, but doesn't sheathe it. He intends to use it, just not now. His eyes are focused on Mikel, then Evaro. "By all means, Masters."

Katherine sheaths her tiny dagger and sighs. "We came all this way, I guess we ought to make sure we see what we came to see."

"Do you really want to chance your luck?" Mikel just can't help himself. "You kill us down here, you'll never find your way out again."

Really, if looks could kill, Evaro might just slay his associate right there; but he's wide-eyed, slightly horrified by this, evidently not really keen on that particular idea.

"What?" says Mikel. "It's true. They got no idea. None at all. Not even the barest idea of how dark it is down here. Iago lost his bloody mind cuz his lamp went out and..."

"Enough!" It's going to be enough that the nobles have obviously had enough of all of this but Evaro has, maybe, a greater value on his own life than he does on the idea of trying to educate some silks into the perils of the undermountain. There's finally a sigh. "You lot might want to rest for a few minutes. And put your sword away; you're not going to be able to climb with it."