As you minister to the bear you hear a faint sound. Looking around startled you find yourself facing a woman of great beauty.

She smiles at you. "I have not seen such compassion in humans for many years. Not that I have seen many humans for that matter, the wards of the Avelyssians are strong. I will look after the bear and its family. I have been away and have just returned or this would never have happened. As a reward for your kindness I will let you pass through the cave. It will bring you close to the sea and avoid the troubles you would otherwise face."

She points along the cave in the direction the bear had arrived. "After about ten paces there are stairs down. There are 1000 steps so be sure you are fit. At the bottom turn to the left. It will take you half a day from there but nothing will disturb you. I will take the bear."

Before you can speak she and the bear have both vanished.

You have no idea who or even what she was.

After porridge you settle down to rest. Ford's leg is not too bad and Lurel spends a little power on making it better. Next day you follow the woman's instructions and emerge from the tunnel in by a small lake in a hollow. The sounds and smells of the sea come from the other side of a tall stony ridge.

It is again dusk. Midge's spoon is back to its rusted condition.

"I suppose we had better camp here. It's getting dark," Lurel suggests to the others. He looks at the lake before them, and takes a deep breath. "Can you smell the sea? It can't be far now - I can even hear it! But trying to negotiate that ridge in the dark would be a bad idea, I think."

He drops his pack on the ground and sits down on a rock, waiting to hear what the others make of his suggestion.

Looking back into the tunnel, he shakes his head slightly.

"I wonder who - or what - that woman was. An elemental perhaps? At any rate, I'm glad to know the bears are being cared for." He grimaces. "Though I would have liked to ask her a few things - about those others she mentioned... Alyssians? I suppose at least now we know the name of those who are trying to keep us out."

His face turns serious as he looks at the others.

"We have passed those Alyssians' outer wards. What I fear is that the closer we get to the sea, the more dangerous the traps will becomes, and the more powerful. The first few, the disks, were just to discourage people. But what do they have in store for those who were determined enough to make it this far? I think we should keep watch tonight. What do you think?"

He smiles slightly. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to take the last watch, so that my magic is recharged by then."

Lisette starts to ladle out the now abundant porridge into bowls and passes it around. "I agree that we should keep a watch. I don't like it that people can pop in and out like that. If she can do it, others could have that ability too - and they, these Alyssians that is, may not be partial to our reaching the sea...... I'm glad she's going to take care of the bear though." she adds as an afterthought.

She begins to eat the porridge. "I agree that Lurel should have the last watch so he can rest and recharge. I'll keep the watch before that. I don't have a problem with being up in the middle of the night. I also suggest that we let Midge get a full night's rest so those bug bites can heal. We'll use the salve just in case. A three shift watch should not be too strenuous on the rest of us. "

Ford agrees to take the first watch.

"I don't know about anyone else but I feel distinctly manipulated. How did that woman know we were going TO the sea if she had been away, we could as easily have been coming back."

He eats the porridge and waits for the others to settle themselves, watching Lisette using the salve on Midge before settling in to sleep. After about four hours, during which nothing happens, he passes the watch to Lisette.

The second watch passes untroubled, though a breeze begins to blow in from the sea bringing with it a fine drizzle.

Lurel is troubled only by rain. But when the morning arrives the sky is clear.

The ridge between you and the sea is made up of many stones, some of them large. It is topped off by what from the bottom of the depression looks like a series of twisted roots.

The lake in front of you seems brilliant azure in the sunlight, small brown fish can be seen swimming in it. Yellow flags and pink water lilies grow around the bank.

The most noticeable feature however is not what you see but what you can hear, the squabbling of myriads of birds.

Lurel looks up. "Where are all those birds?" he asks, puzzled. "That's some noise they are making!"

He quickly walks down to the lake to splash some water into his face. When he returns, he is thoughtful.

"I've been thinking, about what you said, Ford - how the woman couldn't have known where we were going. Do you remember how I said I didn't believe in coincidences any more? I am more certain than ever that the incident with the bear was a test. I suppose we passed it. What other tests, though, have been prepared for us, and what other criteria are there besides compassion?"

He sighs. "We'll just have to wait and see, I suppose. Meanwhile we've got that ridge to look forward too - and I don't like the look of it. Unless anyone can see a way around it?"

A more detailed examination of the surroundings in daylight shows that the sides of the depression in which the lake is found are easy to climb away from the ridge but the ridge extends as far as the eye can see.

Ford grunts. "It's a storm beach. We have one in Dayone not far from Camford. I've never been there but have seen drawings. We'll have to climb it at some point."

He looks at the pot of porridge still far from empty and helps himself to a serving for breakfast. Although nothing is said you can tell he is finding the diet monotonous.

Lurel grins at Ford. "Maybe we can catch some fish when we get to the sea, for a change from the porridge?"

He looks at the remaining porridge, and joins Ford for breakfast. Between mouthfuls of porridge Lurel lets his gaze wander around the terrain.

"How about," he suggests, "we climb up here at the side, where the slope is gentler, and see if we can make our way on to the ridge from there? It would make sense to gain height where the going looks easier, wouldn't it?"

He grimaces. "I think we have to be prepared for anything on that ridge."

(OOC: Hope you don't mind me taking over Ford again so soon Malchik ^^ thanks for keeping him going for me. )

"Hmm, sounds good to me."

Ford finishes with his porridge.

"Well, at least we know there's a good chance these Alyssians are good natured in some way, if that was a test and the condition was compassion..."

He shrugs and then gets up a few minutes later, stretching.

"Shall we get moving soon? The less I have to look at porridge the better."

He grins slightly.

OOC> Welcome back! You must have been suffering withdrawal symptoms!

You break camp and follow Lurel's directions. Unfortunately although the idea was good in theory and you are higher than the lake floor, the storm beach still has to be climbed. You all fall, taking small amounts of damage as much to your dignity as anything else. Finally you stand at the top amongst all the driftwood.

The storm beach drops steeply to a flat sea bed. There is no sign of the sea. The tide is a long way out. The ground is alternately mud and sand with large shallow ponds. Some three or four hundred paces away from the beach the sunlight is winking and flashing off what may or may not be metal items.

There are large flocks of birds scurrying around in the shallow ponds. The birds fall silent as you appear but do not fly away. On either side of you the storm beach is backed by cliffs. They are not especially high but would not be easy to climb. Your path by the stream into the lake appears to be the only way back.

Midge's spoon remains rusty.

"It looks like we have two choices," Lurel says glumly. "We can try to scramble down there, and walk across the mud, and hope that we'll find a place where the cliffs drop down to sea level. But I don't like the look of the ground down there. It might not be so easy to get back up on to the beach. Or we can climb up on to one of those cliffs - I could try using earth magic to help us get up there. Then we can search for easier access to the sea - we might be able to see better from up there too."

He holds up a hand to shield his eyes.

"I wonder what those glinting things are," he mumbles. "But they're a long way from the beach..."


Lurel looks to the others for their opinion.

OOC - Sorry to have gone for so long without warning. WAY too much going on and I let this slide.

Lisette peers over the cliff to the muddy bottom below. "Although it is probably more dangerous, I think that we should travel along the bottom there. I'd like to see what those shiny, metallic objects are and I think travelling through the mud might be quicker. I just hope that the tide doesn't come in while we are down there, if we choose that route."

"I'm more for the cliffs personally... we can see the area below from up there and maybe then we can find a less dangerous route, as you said... besides, for all we know those shiney things could have been put there to lure us into a trap... they look a little bit obvious, don't you think?"

Lurel looks out across the mudflats, and frowns.

"I don't know," he admits. "I would like to see what those metal things are, but like Ford I feel that this is all too convenient. We arrive here, and the tide is out, and the sun is shining so we can see those objects...."

He gnaws his lip.

"We don't know when the tide is going to turn," he points out, eventually. "For all we know, it could be on its way back in, and we'd get cut off. How about we stay up at cliff level and observe the tide - see how fast it comes in, how far it goes out...just to give us an idea how much time we have. Then, when we do decide to have a look at those shiny things, at least we won't be completely taken by surprise. And if we have a look beyond those cliffs we may find a way where we can get off the mud more easily."

He looks at the others, to see what they make of his suggestion.

"Sounds good to me. May be a cliche, but 'better to be safe than sorry'. I mean, the tide around here could come in in a matter of seconds. Things don't seem to behave normally around here..."

Ford smiles and looks to the others for their opinion.

As you are busy discussing the tide a cloud covers the sun and it begins to pour with rain, the type of summer day storm that appears from nowhere. There is no shelter on the storm beach. The winking from the metallic objects continues until the sunlight has gone. A streak of lightning strikes the ground some way behind you. Midge's spoon remains rusty so the storm is presumably natural.

"AHH!!"

Ford jumps back from the direction of the lightning.

"Erm... seeking shelter might be a good idea... this storm doesn't seem too friendly..."

He spits as rain gets all over his face and in his mouth as he tries to speak.

Lurel laughs. "Why do I get the impression that something - or someone - really wants us to climb down to the beach?"

He surveys the terrain. "It's too exposed up here - especially when someone is flinging lightning about. Maybe we should retrace our steps a bit, until this storm passes. I certainly don't want to be caught between the tide and the storm on the beach down there!"

Ford grins slightly, "Good idea, there must be some shelter around here somewhere..."

He starts looking around for any kind of decent cover from the storm.

Shelter is not in obvious supply. There is none on the storm beach or the sea beach; the cliffs would be hard to reach and have no caves. Retracing your steps to the lake will eventually get you back to the cave that you emerged from.

You could put up a tent though not easily on the storm beach as there is no secure anchor. Alternatively you can wait it out.

The edge of the cloud is visible and it is moving quickly. It should soon have passed. However it is clear that there are other such squalls on the way.

The birds, getting used to your presence, are starting to make more noise and seem to be behaving more like birds you have come across before. (At least that Lisette and Ford have seen. Tagfier is not noted for birds.)

"It looks like we're going to buffeted by either storm or surf. Why do we tie one of the tarps between two trees and make a lean to? That way we can keep some of the rain off of us. The rain should also keep the bugs away for now."

Lisette looks around for good place to tie up the tarps.

OOC>bugger, sorry about the lateness and tardiness and a.... you didn't miss me so who cares.

"I would have liked to know what those shiny things were... perhaps more of those disk pieces? the next chance we get, perhaps 2 should stay here while the other two go down the beach?"

"Well there doesn't seem to be any other shelter around here. And I don't fancy trekking all the way back to that cave we were in before..."

"Yes, good idea," Lurel says to Lisette. He opens his pack, and pulls out a groundsheet. The wind lifts up an edge of the sheet, and it begins to flutter.

"Hey, can someone help me with this before the wind blows it out to sea?" Lurel calls out, holding on to the sheet with one hand while he fastens up his pack again with the other.

He grins at Midge.

"I think we'll have to look at those shiny things soon, but not before we know what the tides are like here. Midge, I'd like you to keep an eye on the sea. Yell as soon as the tide reaches the glinting things out there - then we can perhaps get an idea how much time we'll have for our excursion across the mudflats. And I think we should stay together rather than split up."

Lisette grabs a corner of the groundsheet and begins to fasten it to a tree. Once thats fastened, she begins to look around for stones to weigh down the lower edge.

"I agree... safety in numbers. We should watch the tides and when they begin to ebb, then we move to check out the metal objects in the distance. You can't change the direction of the tide as it receds, so we should be safe."

OOC> Shin, of course we missed you. But we were just about missing everyone except Theta at one point so I didn't PM you. Trust you are okay.

Your securing of the tarp requires the attention of all four of you. It only takes about three minutes when you make a concerted effort. The sun has appeared again, the lake glowing brilliant blue in its hollow. There are more storms on the way but the tarp will protect you from the worst. As you glance back at the beach you notice that the tide has come in to the base of the storm beach. The birds are scurrying along the edge trawing their beaks in the water. The shiny objects whatever they were are invisible. It is morning so presumably if you watch and wait you will see the tide receding.

Lurel stares at the water, and curses softly.

"Oh, sorry," he apologizes hastily. "But just look at the speed the tide has come in at! If we'd have climbed down to the mudflats...."

He doesn't finish his sentence.

After a glance at the sky, he looks back at the others.

"Well, it's morning now. Let's see how high the tide goes, and how long it takes before it starts falling again. Then, as soon as the tide starts ebbing again we climb down and investigate those shiny objects. Does that sound all right?"

He tugs at the tarp to check it is securely fastened.

"Meanwhile we've got shelter here, and we might as well eat something while we wait. Also - how about exploring those cliffs? This might be a good opportunity to see what lies beyond - is anyone up for it? Or do you think it's too dangerous, with those storms on the way?"

The cliffs are not especially high but they are sheer.

Ford stares down at the tide.

"I knew it. Obeying the laws of physics doesn't seem to be in fashion around here..."

He looks to Lurel.

"Well, you can go explore those cliffs if you like, but personally I think the lower down we are the least chance we have of being fried by lightning..."

He shudders slightly at the thought. Then looks up and notices that the tarp is fastened to two trees that he's currently under, and he jumps up.

"On second thought, we might be safer on the cliffs than under a couple of trees heheheh..."

He grins nervously.

Lurel looks at the cliffs. The climb would be difficult for most people, but perhaps Earth magic can help here.

"We've still got that rope, haven't we?" he asks no one in particular. "And I can try to build steps of earth up to the clifftop. As for lightning, we'll just have to press ourselves flat against the ground if there's danger of lightning strikes, I suppose."

He notices Ford's glance at the trees, and grins.

"If those Alyssians want to get us they'll find a way. We might as well explore. Maybe they want to stop us from climbing up to the cliffs - and I'm suddenly very curious as to what we might see from up there."

He shoulders his pack - without the groundsheet it feels somewhat lighter.

"So, who's coming along to explore? I think two of us should go, and the others stay here and keep an eye on the sea, to see how high and how fast the water rises - but if you think we should all stay together, then I that's fine by me, too."

Ford jogs up to Lurel, rather eager to get away from the trees.

"Er, I'll come!"

He grins slightly, trying to hide his fear of lightning.

OOC> They don't have live trees on a storm beach. I am assuming that you hung the tarp between two huge dead old tree roots of the kind you find washed up on the shores of Oregon and parts of northern Europe. They could still attract lightning.

Lurel and Ford get to the top of the cliff (Lurel you have used one of your 8 elemental spells for today). There is nothing to be seen in any direction. The cliff top is flat and grassy with a few rather tough, scrubby plants struggling to find sufficient nutrients in what is clearly impoverished soil. This extends as far as the eye can see. Looking towards the sea there is no land visible. The sea is calm enough with only a slight swell where the storm is passing overhead. The tide has come in as far as the base of the storm beach but risen no higher.

It occurs to you that lightning is far more likely to hit you if you stand on the cliff where there is no object anything like as tall as you are.

To judge from the clouds you have at least 15 minutes before the next squall will reach you.

Lurel looks around and grimaces.

"I think my curiosity is quite satisfied, thank you. At least we know now that it really wasn't worth climbing up here."

He glances at the sky. "Think we'll make it back to the others before the next shower arrives?"

With a last glance at the scenery Lurel sets off back towards the others.

Lisette, making sure that the shelter is secure, and realizing that the tide is not coming up any higher than its present point, begins to walk down the beach admiring its beauty. She is also checking any tide pools to see if there are any trapped fish or crabs to use for dinner.

The tide has receded a little and there are a few trapped creatures in the pools at the bottom of the storm beach. The birds move silently out of range.

As Lisette peers to work out whether the creatures are edible she notices that the tide is disappearing almost as rapidly as water from a sink after the plug is pulled.

Within a matter of moments the scene is as it was when you first arrived. The glinting metal however is only briefly visible before the next storm cloud covers the sun.

Lurel shakes his head in consternation.

"There's something strange about those tides. Well, I don't think we have much choice but to go and investigate those things, and hope for the best."

He grins at Ford. "Hope you can swim..."

Waving at Midge to indicate that he, too, should follow Lisette, Lurel embarks upon the descent down to the beach too. On his way down he is trying to assess just how high the tide will rise - perhaps, if they do get cut off by the rising waters, his Earth magic may be of use....

But Lurel is not sure whether he would succeed, and hopes that they will be safely back in their shelter by the time the tide returns.

Before Lurel steps onto the beach he notices that there are three distinct colours to the exposed sea bed. The sand is fine and the colour of pale straw. The mud is in some places a darker brown than others. The shallow ponds are either over rock or the lighter mud. The birds avoid the darker mud, too. It is clear that you will have to cross all of these to reach the glinting objects.

Shielding his eyes against the sun, Lurel is trying to determine the best way to get to the objects. The colour of the darker mud, and the way the birds seem to avoid it, make him hesitate to set foot on it.


He calls to the others "Avoid the dark mud patches - I don't like the look of them... and neither do the birds, it would seem!"

Picking his way across the sand and rock he approaches one of the mud patches, gathering up some small stones (and a piece of driftwood, if he finds any) on the way. He hopes that perhaps a closer look at the mud will give some indication as to why the birds are avoiding it - perhaps the mud is unsafe to walk on...or the habitat of unpleasant creatures... or maybe it just smells bad.

When he reaches the mud patch, Lurel drops a stone into it (provided he has found something he can use for that purpose) to see what will happen.

OOC> I think you picked up some sticks earlier but I'm not going back to look. Yes there is a lot of driftwood.

When Lurel drops the stone there is a small gloop and it disappears. When he prods the mud with a stick, the stick sinks to a depth that would come up to Lurel's knee before there is any purchase. You notice that you can avoid the mud but only by passing the objects and doubling back.

The sand is easy to walk on, as are the pools over rock but the light mud is slippery. It can be crossed but only with care and slowly.

Lurel whistles softly as the stone vanishes...and wonders how deep some of the other patches might be.

"Over here!" he yells to the others. "And stay out of the dark mud - it's deep!"

While he waits, Lurel tries to map out the best way to the objects - a way which will avoid the quicksand-like mud patches.

Ford walks over the sand at a medium pace, hopping and dodging the mud.

"So, Lurel, any ideas as to a good route? We need to act fast if we don't want to get drowned by the next tide..."

"Yes, quite," Lurel says, and frowns. "We can't afford to waste time. Lisette! Midge!" he yells to the others. "Hurry up - we don't want to get caught by the tide!"


He looks out to sea to keep an eye on the tide, and points out the route he has decided on to Ford.

"What do you think?" he asks. "I know it's a bit longer, but that deep mud could be very dangerous, and we have to avoid it."

"Sounds good to me. The first puddle may only be knee deep but the others could be much deeper..."

Ford crosses his arms as they wait for the other two to catch up.

The route to the the sand where the metal objects are winking merrily is a little circuitous. Apart from the odd skid on the mud, that does no serious damage, the only discomfort is being caught in a downpour. It passes and you reach the sand ridge soggy but unbowed. Approaching the nearest object you realise that all you can see is a little bit of it. The rest is buried in the sand. Glancing ahead, there is another silvery metal piece equally buried.

Midge's spoon remains rusty.

Lurel walks around the object to have a good look at it.

"Looks like we're going to have to dig it out," he says somewhat less than cheerfully. "Midge, I want you to keep an eye on the tide. Warn us as soon as you can see it turn - hopefully we'll be well on our way back to the beach before then, but we can't take chances...not with the ...unusual... way things are behaving here."

He takes one of the little stones he has collected earlier out of his pocket, and drops it on to the object - perhaps they will be able to tell something from the sound.

"These things must be big. Or heavy. Else the tide would wash them away, wouldn't it?"

The stone pings off the metal with the force of a bullet, grazing Lurel's ear and giving quietus to one of the birds on the shore.

"Ow!" Lurel yells and leaps back in surprise.

Rubbing his ear where the stone grazed it, he looks at the object suspiciously.

"That stone didn't just bounce off... it was propelled in some way!"

Lurel is tempted to kick the object, but thinks better of it.

"Uh... that can't be good... if it can propel solid stone away at speed, what would it do if we touched it!?"

Ford blinks trying not to think about it.

"Great. Now how are we gunna dig it out?"

"I don't suppose anyone brought a spade?" Lurel grins ruefully.

He picks up a piece of driftwood, and pushes it into the sand next to the object, to try to find out how far the object extends under the sand.

If the object is small enough, he will try to lever it out of the sand with the piece of wood.

If the objects appears to be too big for that, he will start scraping the sand away instead, again using the piece of wood.

The first object Lurel uncovers is about twice the size of his hand. It is a series of interlinked v-shaped metal straws. They are thin and pliable but if bent return immediately to their original shape. Their high coefficient of restitution accounting for the effect on the stone. They remind all the party of the description Zekic gave of the strange object transported to the Castle of Storms.

OOC> who remembers that??

A little further on, the next is very different. It is perhaps some kind of costume. The front and back are two long isosceles triangles of the ubiquitous metal. It is one continuous piece that, if straightened out, would look like a diamond. The bend is wide enough to fit across Ford's shoulders. In what appears to be the centre of the shoulders a neck and head piece is attached, apparently seamlessly. The 'head' is smooth on one side the other has a large extrusion not unlike a beak with the lower jaw straight and the upper decending ftrom the top of the head in a series of waves.

As you tug it from the sand you cthat it is attached to what look like human bones.

Luerel looks at the objects, frowning.

"They look strange. I wonder....is that what the Alyssians have been trying to keep people away from? And if so - to protect them, or to protect the objects? Still, I think we should take them with us, up on to the beach, so we can examine them at our leisure. Who's got the second groundsheet? Let's bundle them into that."

He thinks for a moment, then starts pushing the piece of wood into the sand at random, between the two objects.

"Just checking if there is anything else, buried under the sand," he explains. "Midge! What is the tide doing? Has it turned yet? And check the spoon - is it rusty, or shining?"