[coronatiger]

Thoughts on August 8th

I sent Olivia to restock lantern oil. Kine received the task of getting enough food and water for everyone and their horses, except for Va’lyndra, who has her own food, suitable for an elvish palate.

After another swimming lesson with Olivia, I had Va’lyndra show me how she manages to draw her arrows so quickly. I said I hoped to be able to learn it before we arrived at our destination, but Va’lyndra shook her head, and said I would need more time than what would be available during the short rests we would make on our way down. I intend to stand on Lightfoot’s saddle and practice all the way, though. I don’t see why that should be so difficult.

Just before the shops closed for the day, Va’lyndra got her arrows from the fletcher, and Kine retrieved the large water barrel, which she had had fitted with a false bottom, presumably for smuggling valuables out of the mines.


Thoughts on August 9th

We had packed everything yesterday, so as soon as Lady Karita had broken her fast, we rode off towards the mines. We had some trouble getting Chestnut to enter the darkness, and had to pull him after the wagon, but he soon calmed himself.

As expected, we had to show all our valuables at the checkpoint, so the governor’s men could record what we brought inside; we wouldn’t have to pay a tax on that when we left.

The innkeeper at the Mild Mole still has it in for Kine, so we couldn’t stay there for the night, at least not as a group. We went a little further to set up our camp, but Kine decided to provoke the innkeeper by trading consumables to his guests. Lady Karita, ever the prude, vocally made a point out of pitching her tent as far away from ours, so I pondered different ways to make Olivia squeal, just to annoy her, but I finally thought the better of it, considering the complaints we would have to put up with tomorrow. We tried to keep it down, but I fear some yelps of pleasure may have found their way across camp.


Thoughts on August 10th

Back below ground, we reinstated the night watch routine, starting with Kine, then Va’lyndra on Magnar’s former watch, and finally Olivia and me in the early morning. Lady Karita needs more sleep than the rest of us, so since she doesn’t have watch duty, we can all have breakfast together. The lady certainly isn’t a morning person, and she chewed me out for having kept her awake. Olivia was mostly spared, as Lady Karita knew that while I may be the stealthier of the couple, I was to blame for Olivia’s outbursts.

A thought occurred to me, now that Magnar isn’t with us anymore, I may be the strongest person in the group. Except for when I’ve been alone, or travelling with Olivia, there has always been a burly man around, be it a strongman in the troupe, a soldier for the duke or a hunter in the woods. Va’lyndra is muscular, compared to others of her kind, but still skinny. We tried some arm wrestling after breakfast, which I won, but I’m disproportionately strong in the arms and shoulders, so if I were to consider overall strength, I’d be about even with the elf. We didn’t care to do, or have time for, more rigorous testing.

As the day wore on, we descended into the lower levels of the caves. The hallways down here are carved with more skill, and here and there, you can find artistic statues. In the afternoon, we arrived at the fortress that marked the entrance to the long-abandoned city. We set up camp outside, and Va’lyndra looked for tracks around the campsite, but found nothing except for evidence that other adventurers had been here before. We had been told that parts of the city had been explored already.