Day 1 Log wrote:
After three days and three nights of flying across the harsh and icy peaks of the Fortress of Ends, we, Flurry of Fun, have finally arrived at our destination. Our guide, a frazzled, robin-blue fae called Harold, had led us twisting and turning through massive glacial spires, rocky peaks, and stone-cold trenches cracked into the ice. As we traveled, our hearts fluttering with anticipation, we scanned the cold and cloudy horizons, hoping that each cave we passed might be our destination. At one point, Harold stopped the party to rest beneath the thinned branches of an old and scraggly pine tree, turned to the group, and said: 'Well, I was pretty sure the cave entrance was half a kilometer back, but I didn't seem to spot it... You wait here while I circle around. Don't worry! I'll be back shortly.'
As these things always seem to go, the guide was not back shortly. We waited two and a half hours before he returned, by which point the sun had already begun to set and the nighttime chill set in. The fae touched down in the branches of the pine tree, turned to us, and said: 'Silly me! We hadn't passed it at all. It's just a few kilometers ahead.' And so, we gathered our gear and continued on.
When we finally came to our destination, we found the cave mouth to be a dark and foreboding sight. The stalactites and stalagmites stuck out like crooked teeth in a gaping maw, and the faded sign haphazardly nailed to the nearest tree simply said: 'Don't.' You might wonder what it was that we were not supposed to do, but to those of us standing at the gateway to those caverns, feeling the icy breeze ascending from the depths within, it was obvious. Don't enter.
Of course, that was exactly what we would later do. After making our camp for the night and taking an inventory of our food and equipment, we ate our breakfast, fastened our hooks and lamps carefully to our belts, waved goodbye to our trusty guide, and entered the cave.
The first stretch of the cave was relatively quiet. The wildlife was few and far between, although we were able to get a good look at some fascinating species of bats, and those first few hours were marked by the collection of a variety of standard geological and biological samples. As we walked further, the cave began to branch apart into dozens of passageways, each leading in a slightly different direction but still looking quite the same. It soon became clear how the decision dynamics of Flurry of Fun would go. Lieyel had come to be the leader of the team - her inability to cooperate with the others resulting in the more group-minded members of the team following out of a desire to stick together.
And so, we walked and walked and walked.
As the earth beneath us became loose and rocky, Lieyel stopped suddenly. Turning to the group, she stretched her wings and blocked the others from progressing: 'The ground ahead seems quite unstable. Perhaps we should find another path.'
As we were just about to turn around, we noticed something sparkling ever so slightly at the opposite end of the passage. Curiosity piqued, we decided to brave the unstable passage, treading as lightly as possible.
Carefully making our way across the passageway, one step at a time, we had nearly reached the opposite end of the cavern when the floor caved out beneath us. Bruised and battered by the falling rocks and disoriented by the sudden collapse, we found ourselves quickly plummeting to the bottom of a great trench.
Fortunately, Ulthir, ice pick at the ready, was quickly able to fasten his hook to the nearest rock wall and grab on to his companions while the floor that had just stood beneath us tumbled deep down into the darkness below.
Stranded at the edge of the cliff with our return passage blocked beneath piles of rubble, there were two options. We could climb down into the trench below, or we could attempt to move the rubble and head back in the direction we came from. Feeling that the deepest parts of the caverns might hold the most fascinating secrets, we decided to try descending into the trench.
Gazing down into the darkness below with little idea of how far down this pit might go, we prepared ourselves for the descent.
Ulthir nodded to the group and jumped into the trench with wings outstretched, leading the way through the pillars of ice and jagged rock edges. With his guidance, we were able to make our way to the bottom of the trench unharmed.
By the time we had reached what we thought to be the base of the trench, we were ready to make our camp for the day. And so, we logged our activities, ate our meal, and rested.
As these things always seem to go, the guide was not back shortly. We waited two and a half hours before he returned, by which point the sun had already begun to set and the nighttime chill set in. The fae touched down in the branches of the pine tree, turned to us, and said: 'Silly me! We hadn't passed it at all. It's just a few kilometers ahead.' And so, we gathered our gear and continued on.
When we finally came to our destination, we found the cave mouth to be a dark and foreboding sight. The stalactites and stalagmites stuck out like crooked teeth in a gaping maw, and the faded sign haphazardly nailed to the nearest tree simply said: 'Don't.' You might wonder what it was that we were not supposed to do, but to those of us standing at the gateway to those caverns, feeling the icy breeze ascending from the depths within, it was obvious. Don't enter.
Of course, that was exactly what we would later do. After making our camp for the night and taking an inventory of our food and equipment, we ate our breakfast, fastened our hooks and lamps carefully to our belts, waved goodbye to our trusty guide, and entered the cave.
The first stretch of the cave was relatively quiet. The wildlife was few and far between, although we were able to get a good look at some fascinating species of bats, and those first few hours were marked by the collection of a variety of standard geological and biological samples. As we walked further, the cave began to branch apart into dozens of passageways, each leading in a slightly different direction but still looking quite the same. It soon became clear how the decision dynamics of Flurry of Fun would go. Lieyel had come to be the leader of the team - her inability to cooperate with the others resulting in the more group-minded members of the team following out of a desire to stick together.
And so, we walked and walked and walked.
As the earth beneath us became loose and rocky, Lieyel stopped suddenly. Turning to the group, she stretched her wings and blocked the others from progressing: 'The ground ahead seems quite unstable. Perhaps we should find another path.'
As we were just about to turn around, we noticed something sparkling ever so slightly at the opposite end of the passage. Curiosity piqued, we decided to brave the unstable passage, treading as lightly as possible.
Carefully making our way across the passageway, one step at a time, we had nearly reached the opposite end of the cavern when the floor caved out beneath us. Bruised and battered by the falling rocks and disoriented by the sudden collapse, we found ourselves quickly plummeting to the bottom of a great trench.
Fortunately, Ulthir, ice pick at the ready, was quickly able to fasten his hook to the nearest rock wall and grab on to his companions while the floor that had just stood beneath us tumbled deep down into the darkness below.
Stranded at the edge of the cliff with our return passage blocked beneath piles of rubble, there were two options. We could climb down into the trench below, or we could attempt to move the rubble and head back in the direction we came from. Feeling that the deepest parts of the caverns might hold the most fascinating secrets, we decided to try descending into the trench.
Gazing down into the darkness below with little idea of how far down this pit might go, we prepared ourselves for the descent.
Ulthir nodded to the group and jumped into the trench with wings outstretched, leading the way through the pillars of ice and jagged rock edges. With his guidance, we were able to make our way to the bottom of the trench unharmed.
By the time we had reached what we thought to be the base of the trench, we were ready to make our camp for the day. And so, we logged our activities, ate our meal, and rested.
Just like Lieyel to take charge! Glad to see that no one got hurt :D
