The Pursuit to the End of the World

[GodlyD&D]

Jaregon had to remember get up to get going as early as he could manage, so he arose when he woke, before the sun was up. He washed and had bread with spicy spread he ate right away, and washed it down with a fruity tea, and made himself presentable, and went out when the sun had just come up. Then he went toward Filter Park.

There he did not see anyone, so he went to the place to sit at the base of the great figure in that park, and watched for Fornesak.

Jaregon thought yet more on the passage that ran underground below this place, which some had used carrying something from further by the outskirts probably to a place just a little way from that park. Could they find out more about it?

After some time, he saw Fornesak approaching. Fornesak saw him, and came there right away. Fornesak said, "Ah, you are here already. Did you get here a lot earlier?"

"I got here a little after the sun was coming up."

"That was a little while ago, it is still early morning less than hour since then, when we wanted to be here. I think with us both here, we can talk of anything loud enough, and that one staying in there can know we are here and open up for us. We told him we would include him in our investigation."

Jaregon said, "We must also be ready to go before the next day comes to that place to meet to the side of the Doohop Bar, where we would be ready to go with Tuharlion and others for their mission."

"I understand that. We will not spend most of this day investigating over here. We can then leave to get enough rest to be up much earlier, before morning comes again."

The door near them in the base of the great figure in the park opened, and they saw it was that same scrawny man with a beard hanging low from his face and moderately lengthy hair on his head. That man said, "I knew it was both of you. I had looked further. I found that something had been dropped in that passage below."

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Fornesak asked, "What do you mean? Something had been dropped? Can we see it?"

"Well, I left by that opening. You could come in, and then you might go and look at it."

Fornesak and Jaregon went in after that man who used that space. When their eyes adjusted to the dimness that was left to most of the space, with the small lamp in there, they saw that this man clearly had a few more things, mostly for food and a drink, there, near his sleeping mattress. He led on to that hole. And there by the edge was a band, like what might be worn on a head.

Fornesak picked it up. It was then seen that there was writing, with golden letters on the dark gray background.

The man asked, "Can you read what that writing says?"

Fornesak said, "No. I cannot. But I know where I have seen writing like this." He kept looking at the band.

Jaregon asked, "Where would that be?"

"There is writing that looks like this at front of the large temple at the center of our community."

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The man asked, "So, the Arceusian Temple?"

Fornesak answered, "No, that temple is not at the community's center. And, it is not as large. This large temple is the temple of the Elderson Ganderbel Fellowship. I have not been to it, and would worry about standing out if I tried going there. But I saw a sign that was posted there with lettering really like what this has."

"So you don't think of going there to ask what this says?"

Fornesak said, "But why? This band would be a link to those who go to that temple. What was being carried through the tunnel below here was carried by some who were going to that large temple. It might have been enough of an effort that the one losing this band was not even noticing that. So, what was carried really would have those ones leaving prints of their shod feet going through that way."

Jaregon said, "We would still want to know what was being carried through that way."

"Yes, what heavy stuff was carried by those who would go to the Elderson Ganderbel Fellowship through thar way below going nearly in that direction?"

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Fornesak said, "That there were those carrying whatever they had then going in just one direction means they were bringing something from the other end of the passage. Perhaps they were going right to the temple of the Elderson Ganderbel Fellowship, but we could go that other way and look for where they were coming from. We might know more from what we find with that."

Jaregon said, "Wouldn't we need ropes? We might jump down there just fine. But how will we come back and come back this way?"

Fornesak said, "I do not know. So we will have to get rope for it."

The man here said, "I have climbing rope. It is how I went to get this band that was dropped and then came out again."

Fornesak asked, "Who are you? We were thinking you are just someone without a home who found this space to manage staying in."

"I am Ahriten, and was known for expeditions I made through the western wilderness, and through mountains beyond there. But I do have enemies, and they were at work to keep me from having a home here."

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Fornesak said, "Wow! You were really known! What happened?"

Ahriten said, "I had competitors who wished I did not stand in the way of their ambitions, and Eldersons in the neighborhood of my home that wanted to have the property that was mine in some easy way. They somehow met to conspire against me and they planted evidence to implicate me in a major robbery and murder that had not been solved. So authorities were after me and I knew I would not have a defense against those against me in their prepared court. So I changed my look and went into hiding. My success with expeditions is over, I have to have another life."

Jaregon said, "It is good that you trust us."

"Certainly, you both impress me, making time to explore this with me, regardless of who I might be, and most importantly you are not Eldersons, or Arceusians, and you certainly are not any one of my competitors."

Fornesak said, "I am sorry to learn these things happen. I wish there was a way to bring those who implicated you to justice. We have this mystery to still explore, for now, and time for it just now. If you join us for that, Ahriten, shall we go and find out what we can, now?"

Ahriten said, "You know I will agree to that. And I have the climbing rope with me and am ready."

[GodlyD&D]

Fornesak, Jaregon, and Ahriten came down into the passage easily enough, and it impressed them that the bottom was firm, whoever went through it that one way toward the center of the community would have been carrying heavy things for them to leave prints. The three there now went the other way, looking through it to see where whoever passed through it had come from. Ahriten carried a small lantern that showed the way through there.

Rafters were seen at the top through here, held up with support on the sides, that were holding the passage open. It would not have been new, but of use for some long time. But they went on a good while, not seeing it leading to any open space, while it curved only slightly. But finally light of an open way came into view. They went on not slowing down.

The opening they came to was between canyon walls. A very small creek ran along the middle of that canyon bottom. They saw no people here, and only small animals in the distance.

Looking around, Jaregon asked, "What could have been brought from here?"

Ahriten said, "There is nothing that was here that would have been taken through the tunnel. But see over there? There is what I am sure is a small cave opening, and it must then have the answers."

[GodlyD&D]

Fornesak said, "We must look! Let us go to that cave opening, and see if we can find out what happened that there were any going through that passage carrying heavy items from here."

That made sense to Jaregon, and those three went from where they came out of that passage going through the narrow canyon to where the cave opening was seen further on. The only living creatures here were a few crabs seen near the small creek, those must of have been feeding on more than the green algae along it though. Much further on there were a couple of beavers seen by the creek, and a few smaller rodents, possibly jerboa or manic mice.

When they came to the cave opening it was seen to be large enough for any human person to enter it, or to come out from it. But it was dim in there so that they could not tell what was within.

The three looked at each other. Fornesak said, "I am going to go in and see what there is to see in there." He stepped into that dark opening.

Ahriten said, "I will go in as well."

Jaregon said, "I will too."

[GodlyD&D]

Ahriten and Jaregon followed Fornesak stepping into the opening of the cave. They found the mouth rather narrow, but it widened a bit within. Ahriten's lantern showed the appearance in the cave, that would have been too dark otherwise. It widened a bit more further in, and then narrowed again to where it came to an end a good distance in from the cave mouth, that end still showed a hole continuing on from it, still.

Fornesak, Ahriten, and Jaregon saw nothing that explained what men had brought underground below the city, so they went through the cave to reach that end with a hole, to see if there was anything it showed. The hole was dark, but they came to it and Ahriten held his lantern to it as he peered in. Then he looked at the others. He said, "It is a vortex!"

[GodlyD&D]

Jaregon uttered, "What?"

Fornesak asked, "What do you mean?"

Ahriten sought another way to say what he meant. "It is, well, a sort of narrow tunnel. But it digs through something besides further into this canyon side. It leads to some other space apart from this where we are."

Fornesak said, "What do you see inside through it? Could it be an explanation for what we saw that we look for?"

"It has a lot of white stuff, in piles and along all that surrounds those piles, some of it looks close to where this tunnel that goes through the things for reaching that."

Fornesak said, "We should check that, to find out if it would be what those who went through that passage came to bring things from. I want to reach in there, maybe I can reach far enough to feel what is there."

Ahriten said, "Alright, we have nothing but this rope otherwise, still be careful, and don't reach through the sides. It is a vortex and it will twist your arm all out of shape. Reach through really keeping your arm straight that way."

Fornesak carefully put his arm through as he moved closer and closer to the cavern wall to reach in the most. Suddenly though he moved very quickly back again. He said, "Ouch!"

Jaregon asked, "What was wrong?"

Fornesak looked at his hand. In the light from the lantern it looked red. There were bits of white over the sleeve of his garment. He said, "It is really cold in there!"

Ahriten reached at his sleeve, and carefully moved a bit of white from it, and looked at it. As he did, it seemed to grow smaller, leaving wetness where he held it. "I think it is water."

[GodlyD&D]

Jaregon responded, "It is water? Water needs to be carried from here?"

Ahriten said, "It is a gate that must reach to the end of the world. Accounts tell of where water is frozen in those distant places, and this reaches there, and makes it easy for men to bring it frozen through there, and keep those things that are used at the Elderson section and the Arceusians refrigerated as they have been known to do. So it was a secret kept from the Ithalists, and we discovered it. There is frozen water at the end of the world available through that hidden gate, and we discovered what the Eldersons and Arceusians kept secret when they learned of it. All this time any Ithalists wanting items they had to be kept cool had to go to the Eldersons, or else to the Arceusians, for them to keep it cool, for a storage fee. We should take some frozen water back ourselves, and let other Ithalists know that we found the source for that."