They've been down in the cave for twenty minutes now, having been pawing through the horde of treasure. Most things are moldy, would fall apart if touched. But they found the stone mentioned in the journals and have ventured forth. Down in the pit with it's Kiera who's taking her time, reading what she's found. The bundle of journals bound in twine have been ravaged by mold as well that's eaten at the parchment. But there's visible passages and it looks to be the journal of someone who was traveling across Arvum. It's something to be read later for sure. The glint of Rubicund. The group stands above the pit, a solid eight feet or so deep, as they wait for her to gather up her finds. There's more rooms north.

Drake keeps watch as his sister looks at books. When things are collected up, he helps her out if need-be, then looks toward the north. "Let's get what we can find and keep moving."

"Agreed," Deva echoes. Out the corner of one eye she watches as Kiera reveals the rare finds, but for the most part the Redrain is trying to keep an eye on their surroundings and the path ahead. One never knows when more snakes might pop out.

"Great job,"Thea tells Kiera as she helps her out. There's a nod of agreement with the others as well, as far as more exploring. "Same,"though her eyes are drifting about, looking for---snakes or any other creepy cralwlies.

"We certainly dont want to be here when the tide returns. Id rather not get stuck down here without a way back upward to return to the boats" Jaenelle admits as she watches Kiera return, offering the woman a smile when its all done carefully. "So we go to the next room, try not to touch anything lest we create an issue, until we can at least determine if everything is safe before we attempt to remove anything. Ready?" she asks the group, with the plan to move as a unit.

Kiera nods "Alright," she says ,working to quickly expose the sword and looks around for something to wrap it in. Stack of book and longsword stowed in her backpack, she begins the climb up the rope

There's fabric to wrap around the sword and swiftly enough with Drake's assistance, helps Kiera out of the pit. There's no other traps it seems in here, the owner having relied on it's discreetness and location to do most of the protection. But into the north they travel and as they spill out into the room, it's... also just heaped with stuff. Here there's a corner where it seems the pirate(s) had spent time when the tide had come up when they were in. There's a few skeletons in here too, obviously having been trapped below and having triggered another roof trap. As evidenced by the small boulders that had fallen and crushed one. But there's boxes and chests to be looked through, shelves here as well. There's a wall with ropes and rope ladders to the west as well. Or the path back to the south.

"Ouch." Deva keeps a clear distance away from the skeletons on the ground, circling around them toward a collection of chests to rummage through. "I think that would be one of the worst ways to go," she observes matter-of-factly. Still wary from the previous rooms, she first looks around to make sure she's not about to set off yet another potential roof collapse before she'll touch anything.

Drake taps a skeleton with the end of his rubicund sword. But it's the normal sort, not the sort that might get up and cause problems. He nods in agreement about the chests. "Just be wary of traps, or we'll meet this same fate."

As they make their way into the other room, Thea really looks inot the room. Her footsteps turn even more careful, because hey--you never know. Judging by those pirates, they saw better days too. "I'm not sure I would touch anything on the walls just yet,"Thea reccomends. "Lets take a good look around, yes?" Though it's clear she wants to look aorund a bit.

Thea checks perception at normal. Thea is successful.

Deva checks perception at normal. Deva is successful.

Kiera checks perception at normal. Kiera is successful.

Jaenelle doesn't seem to wish to poke about just yet, not wanting to trigger anything which she might not notice so she allows the others to investigate the room first before she begins. Once things seem to be in order, and there are no further rocks planned to fall from the ceiling, Jae moves towards one of the walls to look across the shelves. "Was there anything further written about what we might find in here, or was it simply the stone that might have been hinted towards?"

Kiera ooc back

Kiera looks primarily for anything more with lagoma's sigil or journals that might belong with the set, picking a box to rifle through as she answers Jaenelle "only the stone was mentioned in the passage i found

Here, further back away from the opening, while still damp, things seem better preserved. Or maybe just that the more valuable and better protected stuff was placed back here. There's tomes yes, they've not withstood the test of time too much at all, and some fall apart in Kiera's hands as she picks them up, or tear, but nothing further to accompany the journals. Thea combs through things as well, everyone careful not to touch lest they trigger something. But there's no further traps. The boulders seem to have taken care. There's fabrics, some wrapped tightly that they might actually be salvagable. There's a great deal of things but they'll take time to get out, to clear out. This is generations of piracy here. Who knows what would be down here and what great families that there might be objects that belong to. Drake similarly finds this and that, bric a brac, some of it valuable, some of it not so much. Deva's got no luck, she goes through a chest and is rewarded with a warning hiss and a snake that false charges forward when she opens a lid to warn her to back off.

It's Jaenelle who seems to have struck some small fortune or at least, it looks like it could have been a fortune at some point. A piece of jewelry? When she brings it out, it's not. It's something familiar though.

Looking through the items on in the chest nets nothing much of value, but Drake won't be too discouraged. The snake gets his attention, but he'll only leap to Deva's aid if she makes any sound about it. He's otherwise diverted by... not much of anything too valuable, but a bolt of fabric here and there. Maybe they'll collect all this stuff up later, as it appears to be spoils.

"Whoa, whoa! Hey little buddy," Deva definitely stumbles a step back, giving the snake plenty of clearance. "Just looking around. Didn't mean to interrupt your nap. You hungry?" She slides a hand into her sack to pluck out a bit of jerky in an effort to befriend the lil' hissing creature with food.

Carefully looking through chests and whatever else she can lay her hand on, Thea exhales. "There's so much stuff!" Glancing over to Deva, she lifts her brow. "Do uh--snakes eat jerky?" Thea knows blood, guts, swords, and ships. Not---that sort of snake. "Have you all found anything,"the Malvici asks.

Carefully, Jaenelle pulls something from the shelf, the worn discs left as they are so she doesnt change the location of where it is directing it's former owners to. "An astrolabe. I wonder where they were going, or if this lead them here? Perhaps this was only a stop between where they ended up. Does anyone recognize the coordinates this shows?"

Kiera sighs as bits of crumbling parchment fall through her fingers but only seems mildly upset, given what they've come away with. The Jaenelle's find attracts her attention and she moves over to take a look

Jaenelle says, "'''''"

"Eggs, I think," says Drake. "And small animals, but only still alive." His shoulders shrug as he slams a chest shut. "Nothing too interesting, but there's money in common goods."

Thea checks intellect and sailing at daunting. Thea fails.

Kiera checks intellect and investigation at daunting. Kiera fails.

Drake checks intellect and investigation at daunting. Drake is successful.

Deva checks intellect and survival at daunting. Deva fails.

There's a wrinkling of her nose at Drake's comment. "Eggs---that must smell amazing,"before going to take a look at what Jaenelle finds. "I can TRY and look at it if you'd like.." As she's sure others would give it go too.

Thea claims above!

Drake looks at the object. For some reason, he's spent enough time around sailors. "Somewhere in the Crownlands, I think. Hard to say exactly where."

Drake considers for a bit longer. "...Puzzling, though. Why would it be set to somewhere inland? Aren't these tools for sailing ships?"

Kiera smiles at her brother "Better than I could tell" shey eyes the group and then the rope ladders with a question in her expression

Jaenelle listens to Drake, looking around the underground island they had to sail to get to. "I would assume they had to use it to get off the island we're on to go someplace else. Even if it doesnt tell us the exact where, it would point us in the proper area they had to sail towards."

Kiera checks perception at normal. Kiera marginally fails.

Thea looks down at the object, before nodding her head in agreeent to Jaenelle. "I wonder if it still works,"her head cocked with curiosity.

The Astrolabe, though worn, can still be moved if one seems inclined to twist the various dials. The gold that it's made of, seems impervious to the ravages of damp.

"Do we want to take it and move on?" Drake asks, looking up. "Not sure how much further there is to go."

Apparently snakes do eat jerky, or are tempted by it enough not to bite Deva's hand off. She idly listens to the conversation, and even steals a glance toward the astrolabe in question, but she seems to have no great insight on the matter. "May as well peek at what's left," she nods, following Kiera's gaze over toward the ropes.

Deva checks perception at normal. Deva is successful.

"I think that is the best idea, not to linger" Jaenelle informs the group, holding onto the Astrolabe without shifting it's directions. "I could have someone look at a map of coords for this island and then take the coords leading away for a better idea. I know Arx has many caves hidden throughout the waters of the Lowers, so perhaps they had a cove somewhere near by.

Kiera looks dubiously at the ropes unable to accuratel determine their condition "Can anyone tell if those are any good?"

"...I don't think we're going up there," Deva says loudly after a moment, pointing toward the wall as she exchanges a look with Kiera. "Those ropes will snap, and that wall is way too... slimy to grab onto. As much as I'm curious to know what's on the other side, I don't want anyone to break their neck either."

"We got what we came for. If we'd rather leave now..." Drake says. He thinks he could make the climb but isn't sure if there's further value in it, and looks at Kiera.

Indeed, as Deva points, further up near the top of the wall the ropes look barely holding, there but for the grace of never having been disturbed in probably some time. Moisture though less back here, has made for a slippery to scale even with gloved hands or bare.

"I think we got more than what we came for, and should this area need to be explored further, we know how to reach it to do so. Is everyone prepared to travel back towards the opening, and to the boats?" Jaenelle asks, making sure they are all in agreement, especially as the ropes leading further are far too damaged to go deeper than they have.

Thea's agree, simply saying,"Maybe we can use it while we're here. Or on the way home." At the mention of the ropes, Thea lifts an eyebrow, skimming them. She lifts her gaze up, following them. "I wouldn't attempt it. And if one of you get hurt, I'm going to have a fuck of a time trying to mend you, then trying to get you back in time before the time if you slip and break yourself...."

"I think so," says Drake. "I can watch our backs for any further sign of trouble."

Somethings brushes up against Deva's boots. When she looks down, it's the snake - she's faintly sure it's the snake from the chest - twining about her ankle, making it's way slowly up the boot.

Kiera hms "We've already pushed luck several times and earned a favorable outcome we dare not press further" she echoes the others, taking the boooks and longsword to hand to Jaenelle "These I believe are yours though I would humbly ask your permission to continue assisting with the research to make the artifact operational. The knowledge is the only thing i sought from the trip in truth

"Probably that time," Deva agrees readily, perhaps a bit sadly, but she eyes those ropes like they trouble her. "I'm rea-- oh hey," she holds still as her little reptile friend starts creepin' up her shoe. Leaning forward at the waist, she offers her wrist and forearm instead of her leg for the creature to wrap around.

Jaenelle accepts the things from Kiera, nodding her head, "of course. I would not wish it any other way. I hope that we are able to discover all the secrets that the stone holds so it might better serve further people in what it was meant to do. Whatever it was. If you all wish to dig further, you have my warmest gratitude in unraveling what has been lost till now. All I ask if that when you find out, you return the stone to me so I might see it well used to save the lives of the Compact." If that is what its meant to do, at least, who knows, damn stone!

Thea looks at the snake wrapping around Deva's shoe. An impish gleem appears in her eyes, you can see the wheels turning. "Hey, if you bring that home--think you could do me a favor?" Looking over to Jaenelle, Thea then asks,"Did you wish to give the stone to Sister Sophie? I can if you'd like. We are to meet for tea soon enough...Seems sooner rather than later."

"And if someone wishes to take the journals and the astrolabe?" Jaenelle further asks as they begin to leave the northern cave and head towards the opening once more. "Learn more about both? That would be welcomed too."

"We'll take them back with us. I'm good at travel, and Kiera is good at research," says Drake. "So, between the two of us-"

"A very eventful trip, your grace," Deva tells Jaenelle as the team starts to head back to the boats. Thea's reaction elicits a curious, mischievous smile. "Depends on the favor," she replies first, "but now I'm dying to know." She will watch their backs on the way out, keeping an eye out for rocks, more snakes, angry pirates... the usual.

Thea turns toward the exit. "Martino has this giant closet,"Thea starts to Deva. "Thank you for this,"she says to Jaenelle with a since tone to her voice. There is a smile on her lips, stone safely tucked away.

"I'm not bringing it back only for it to be chopped after hiding in someone's boot," Deva tells Thea with a frown, protectively stroking the snake's head.

"It won't be chopped up,"Thea promises. Actually, she starts laughing at the image she's formed. "He'll likely run out crying..."

The caves aren't going anywhere. The velenosans can send people down here to clean it out. Who knows what else might be found within when more time is hand to do so and better ways to get in and out that won't send people plummeting. The little snake slithers up Deva's hand and settles around the clothing, as if seeking the heat of the woman, the pale creature flicking it's tongue out now and then. They'll have to be careful in the passage back to the main room and snakes are everywhere and plentiful. BY passing the pit and the contents that might be inside, a little easier now that they know where everything is. There's sailors at the top of the exit wall, a fresh rope ladder secured and rolled down so there's less falling people and slippery hand holds.

They found what they came for. The stone in the journal is secured and safe though what it does, who knows. Could it be what the Princess of Thrax was looking for? What if it isn't? Time will tell, that's for sure. But for now, there's a cave to get out of and get back to the ship and look over what was salvaged on this run and see where it leads from there.