Lambrac raised an eyebrow at Thaniel's suggestion. "A coffin, perhaps? ...Well, it's a good idea. It'd have to be metal cups though, anything else would have rotted away long ago." he mused.

When it was his turn, Lambrac set hand and foot to the knotted rope, and began to haul himself up, slowly carefully at first with lack of practice. But soon a summer spent working about a Lantanese lateen-sailed merchantman, hauling ropes and scaling the rigging, came back to him and he was rapidly ascending the cliff with ease.

Shucking his backpack to the ground, Abbas hooked one loop of his bedroll’s leather groundsheet upon a hook on the backpack, then carefully unrolled the groundsheet, trying to avert his eyes politely from the rapidly derobing Fareeda.  The polished length of the elven longbow was tested briefly into the water, then placed in a secure position between a few of the larger rocks, anchoring the bow upright.  A small length of broken bowstring tied to the end of bedroll, looped over the upright bow, and an improvised triangle wall was erected to give the bathers a small area of privacy in which to disrobe and enter the refreshing water.

It was not, however, without some mental regret for Abbas.

From the opposite side of the wall, Abbas submerged and refilled his waterskins, took a potful of water to move aside and wash the blood from his face and tend the many small cuts, then returned to the cliff edge and took a look below.  “If you would tie the waterskins and so forth to the end of the rope, I will pull them up and refill them for you,” he offered to those uninterested in the climb and the refreshing water.  "If you take your time, and use the wall for support, it is now an uneventful climb.  The water is clean and quite refreshing."

In reply to Lambrac (msg #354):

Krogan shrugged at Lambrac's humorous remark.
Oh, I dunno.   Clay pots and the like might still be around, right?   
When everyone else was up at the top, he'd ascend as well, wanting to help protect anyone still on the ground.

As the others make the climb Linni studies the waterfall, smiling at the unexpected beauty. She takes her waterskin from Krogan when he arrives, kneels down by the pool and fills it. Setting it down beside her Linni drops her backpack to the ground and hikes her robe up to just above her knees. Sitting down on the edge of the pool Linni dangles her legs in the water, sipping the cool water from her waterskin. "It's nice here."

Reluctantly, Jibril ascends the cliff until he reaches the waterfall.  He thinks twice before deciding not to jump in the pool with Fareeda.

From behind the screen comes the sounds of Fareeda laughing and splashing.  She emerges quite refreshed after a several minutes, making final adjustments on her outfit as she reappears from behind the screen.

Once Lambrac had been given the hand-up to reach the summit -or the summit of the pool level at the least- Abbas carefully removed his leather armour and moved to the far edge of the pool, where he proceeded to clean his leather armour.  It was not fragrent by any stretch, but preventative efforts were a benefit to the entire party.

With Linni only feet dangling, Asha refusing to climb, and Fareeda exited, Abbas disrobed and submerged himself in the refreshing water, restoring his body's moisture and soaking in the moment of tranquility amidst turbulence.

"Once everyone is refreshed and restored, let us return to the underground chambre.  My explorer's curiousity is indeed perked.  If that place is as old as Thaniel and I believe, it may well hold information to help us with the later explorations."

Jibril washes his face and the stains of his clothes, while he remarks to Abbas. "Have fun getting yourself killed without me in that tomb. I'm not about to go explore a tomb with my spells nearly depleted for the day, and you keep on seeming to forget that the Professor and his crew need for us to bring them some water.  So that's exactly what I'll be doing."

"The old gnome--as crazy as a loon as he is--knows this jungle better than any of us...well with maybe the exception of Tarzan here, who might learn to communicate with us by clacking together some coconut shells by the end of this journey. So I choose to put my faith in the Professor and his leadership first.  His survival, and the knowledge he carries, is paramount."

He cocks an eye at the elf. "Perhaps you can find other ways to impress the lovely tart, Abbas?"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:56, Tue 31 Jan 2012.

Finding the stepped-cliff waterfall, Lambrac gazed about appreciatively then quickly availed himself of the water to refill his flasks and drink all the cool, refreshing water he could. With the dehydration that the humidity inflicted, he welcomed the restoration. Sadly, once they were out and climbing down the cliff again, he knew they would all feel hot, sweaty, filthy and exhausted very quickly. "We can't keep slogging out here and climbing that damn cliff every time we need water. Someone will break a neck. Hopefully we can find a more accessible source, or better, leave as soon as possible."

He hauled off his sticky leather armour and rinsed it out in the far end of the pool, keeping bathing and cleaning activities well away from the drinking end. Fortunately the waterfall-borne water moved quite quickly.

"Don't forget the mad professor also wants to explore a tomb or ruin—or rather, wants us to explore one for him—and doesn't want to leave empty-handed. Maybe we can sell him that one and call it done? ...But if you put your faith in him, he'll get you killed, just like the last band of intrepid fools he led out here and didn't bring back."

Abbas replied in momentary silence, allowing Jibril's venomous words to wash away with the other filth.  Eventually, however, a response was warranted.

Lifting his head slightly, Abbas tilted to observe Jibril, then tilted back to enjoy his soak.  "Yes, you are cowardly enough to insult three members of your party in peevish spite," came the politely-intoned observation. 

"If you had challenged me as cautious, defensive even, I would be forced to acknowledge the truth of your jab, but you strike blindly and awkwardly - I would echo comments about your attire, but that would be rude, so I decline.

"If you refresh your memory, we possessed water for today for all parties - the need to explore for water was to keep us supplied well for the future, should something happen to you that your divine connection were to be so denied.  Having found the clean source, we are well tended to that means.  By all means, venture alone through the dangers of jungle.  Armed with the sharpness of your tongue, what famed and fierce beast would dare test your fineries for defence?"  An idle hand gesture - dismissive?  Freedom?  As you wish? - and the elven warrior returned to his calm words, delivered without the sting of a fine orator, simply in a matter-of-fact politeness.
 
"And the four of you will undoubtedly appreciate the single waterskin you port back, rather than assist the party in finding containers in the monolith with which to port back sufficient water for all, as Thaniel and Lambrac were discussing to assist the ship's crew.  Surely the professor will not take remiss that your concern for your droplet and skin prevented you from exploring the very ruins the professor hired us to do.  Surely not.

"'Life is a chaplet of little mysteries and surprises, which the philosphers count with a smile... a supply with which you seem sadly deprived.  Let us be philosophers, gentlemen.'  Sit with the Count de le Fere's wisdom, and refresh in the clean waters.  After all, 'Nothing makes the future look so bright as to survey the vista of creation through a glass of fine wine or clear water', as the saying goes in Silvermoon.

"If you wish to not proceed below, none of us will force you to do so.  You could assist by warding the entrance, or venture alone through the jungles if you wish, though, for your safety despite your words, such would not be recommended.

"Either way, there is no need to insult Fareeda's grace or our guide's and his assistance in these lands."

Nodding to Lambrac, Abbas shifted the flow of his conversation.  "I was reflecting in the water here about the same, Lambrac.  The flow of water here is swift, and I thought if only we had a small channel with which to convey it, rather than scaling the cliff.  If we gathered some of the bamboo we marked for the ship, and returned here with it, we could bind it together, submerging one end up here, within the falls' pressure, and placing a sword-like stopper through the end of the bottom piece.  A trickle of water would be likely enough to continue keeping the water fresh without draining the pool, and when we arrived, we could simply pulling the stopper from the side of the bamboo, fill our barrels, and replace the stopper.  A couple pitons could help secure the arrangement, depending on how long the professor feels it will take to repair our vessel."

Jibril leans back and smiles.

"Abbas, do you know you talk way too much? Do you enjoy listening to your own verbosity?  I would have thought it was an Elven trait, but Thaniel here seems to undermine that theory."

"And exactly who put you in charge of everyone here? Although you might not like my acerbic tongue, you certainly seem to enjoy telling everyone what to do and what not to do."

"I, on the other hand, am trying to do exactly what the Professor asked us to...which as far as I can remember, didn't include set off trapped monolith and kill yourselves where a morbid, undead scream emanates."

"I apologize if I was talking over your understanding, Jibril.  It would explain your inability to distinguish between the rest of us, in contrast to your ultimatums.  Perhaps you can take up your disgruntlement with explorations to the professor.

"My apologies indeed."  Abbas' tone never raised, though it did become more distant, as though Jibril's speech was insufficient to retain attention of the listeners.

"Lambrac, what engineering thoughts did you have for the water?  Perhaps a handcart to help carry it back - it might be presumptuous to request Asha's dinosaur companion to assist in carrying, but perhaps she would know where more complacent beasts of burden could be located?

"Krogan, what did the orc bands you travelled with do for water on journeys?

"Or Linni, did the professor relay any tales of previous travel issues, and how they ported the water and wood supplies to replenish their venture?"

Reaching the summit - which in fact was not the summit but a large ledge past which the cliff carried on rising up - the sound of rushing water became apparent: a waterfall cascaded down from further up the cliff face, forming a wide pool on the ledge. Strangely, no rivers streamed away from the pool - evidently the water drained away underground. The waterfall itself poured out of the rock face, not down from a river high above. Perhaps this way it had avoided the stagnated, disease-ridden, water sources elsewhere in the jungle?


Fareeda, Zane, Lambrac and Abbas were already in the shallows, cleaning and enjoying the natural swimming pool. A good thirty feet across, the small tarn was shallow enough to stand in and the water visible to the bottom for around five feet, then the water darkened as it grew deeper.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:23, Tue 31 Jan 2012.

When they reach their objective, Thaniel spends a moment to remove the various piece of flora from his garments and straighten them out. He pats down his pockets, maknig sure all of his components are where they should be, then turns his attention to the pool. "An attractive source of water. One would normally expect a druid's grove to lie not far from such a feature, but in this land....." he leaves the sentence hanging.

"Druids exist here too," Asha stated, perhaps unnecessarily considering her presence. She began stripping down, showing little of the shame generally expected of civilized folk. Once she was down to her small-clothes, decent by the most lax definitions but certainly showing more skin than anyone but a street-dancer would without blushing, she slipped into the cooling water.

The young woman ducked her head under the water, wetting her hair before breaking the surface once more and shaking excess moisture off her face. She grinned at anyone surprised by her apparent lack of shame before cupping her hands to drink deeply.

Krogan looked at Abbas.
I never traveled with the warbands, I was too young.   But I remember them using animal skins for water bags.   Large ones.  Sometimes an entire deer carass.

He quickly filled the bottles he had, even the ones he was given, despite if their owners were up there with him.   He'd said he would, after all.  He was tempted to take a dip as well, as he was feeling dirty and grubby as well.  But he'd wait his turn, so that there would be someone armored and armed in case they were attacked.   Fresh water like this wouldn't stay unoccupied for long, after all.

Lambrac's response about piping the water down was delayed by the continuing complaints from Jibril. He sighed. The priest was continuing to be an irritation; hopefully he could one day make himself useful by conjuring water, healing wounds and warding off undead, else this would be a much harder expedition. "Abbas can be in charge until one of us speaks any wiser words." He counted himself in that group, having no intentions of pushing the group in any direction, apart from towards civilisation.

"And we should keep talking." He nodded to the unnamed wild man, doing... whatever he was doing. "He speaks Common, or knows some words. I'm thinking he was an explorer who lost his mind out here, or perhaps a boy abandoned or lost. I've heard bard-tales of children raised by animals or fey, with civilised ways. If we keep talking, even Jibril's yammering, maybe he'll remember some more, respond to something we say... I wouldn't want to push him though. We should let him try in his own time."

He was momentarily distracted by Asha shedding her clothes and beginning to bathe, and not behind the screen. Blinking the feminine vision away, he considered Abbas's proposal, and was surprised by the simple ingenuity. He wished he'd thought of it, but the heat and humidity sapped all wit and thought. But now, lounging in cool water refreshed his mind and spirit. "You really should be a Lantanna, Abbas. But I think you may trust too much to Gond's graces. We'd need to hollow out the bamboo stalks—there are barriers inside, at each nodule—else we'd have dozens of short pieces that would collapse. I have a drill that might handle the work, or perhaps we could use an acid poured down a metal tube..." The engineer was animated now, talking with his hands, shaping each object and action he described as if he held it. "We'd still have multiple pieces, which we'd need to join together. Perhaps a sticky sap for glue, tied with a leather cord? It doesn't matter if it leaks, as the water would still run down."

"I had a more extreme idea. This pond drains underground, within the cliff. Those crevices are pretty deep. If he had some explosives, like smokepowder or a spell, we could blow it out and extend the waterfall all the way down... A bit messy though." It was an idea, an option, and, to the Gondar, a pretty awesome one. The impracticalities and destruction would leave it on the back-burner however.

"Now, a cart... Wheels would be difficult to fashion, and would get bogged in the soft earth, skip over the uneven ground. Perhaps a sled?"

"I was also thinking of making a simple condensing still to collect water. The heat and humidity should ensure a good supply."

"Anyway, I was planning to leave construction work until we're safe and supplied at the Scilander. It will take time to build anything really useful, and the ship may have some extra tools or supplies. It certainly has better wood that doesn't need to be chopped, planed and treated."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:17, Wed 01 Feb 2012.

"Still helpful, Krogan." Further observation was cut off as Abbas blinked simultaneously with Lambrac, averting eyes politely.  Fareeda AND Asha?  Two beautiful women in the party, both relaxed on custom.  This was going to be a very, very long trip for the polite elven swordsman.

"Thank you for the compliment, Lambrac.  I must have picked up some of your Lantannan wisdom.  The drilling out makes much sense, as does the sap for a glue.  I had simply been envisioning strapping them together with vines and the like.

"If we find ourselves with several sacks, we could simply use the bamboo as a light carrying rod between pairs of people, hanging the sacks on both sides of the bamboo to balance weight.  It might be easier for travel.

"If we are able to obtain larger items to carry the water, a sled as you suggested seems wise - save Krogan, and Asha's companion -" Abbas nodded to her inclusively, "- None of us seem overly blessed with might.

"The... explosion does seem a little... extreme, I believe you said.  Beside the noise, the open water source would be more likely to draw competition and attention - the hidden nature of it now is a great benefit to us.

"I am not familiar with the still of which you speak.  I have heard of them, but know very little.  How does such a thing work, and what magic or fuel does it use to create the water?"

Turning to Asha, Abbas picked up the conversational tidbit she last dropped.  "Asha, are there druids in the region that might be approached for assistance with the sacks, or, alternatively, that might find issue with our kills of the wildlife for meat and watersacks?" A politely unvoiced question, in light of her strange companion, was if she was included in one of the two categories as well...

"None at all. It's just a matter of trapping water-dense air in a container, a barrel or a pit. Overnight, when the air cools, water should condense out of the air, collecting on the inside surfaces. The balloon canvas should be water-proof; that will make a good covering, with a heavy rock to weigh down a funnel so it can drip down into a bucket inside. We can put juicy leaves and, ah, waste water inside to gather more water... It won't be much, but could supplement our supplies."


OOC:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condensation_trap

Hearing the grand plans of pipes and containers and all sorts of construction (and destruction!), Fareeda lets out a soft sigh.  "Let's not get too industrious, boys," she says.  "We were sent to find a supply of water, not provision an entire city for a month."

"Besides, even a strutting peacock like Jibril will not want to be thirsty, so we should be able to rely on him to secure what we need.  Let's just fill what we have and return back to the professor.  We can always return if more water is needed."

As a final nudge, she adds, "besides, I think the professor would want to hear about the tomb."

Krogan's envious looks of the water as he remained on watch did not escape notice by Abbas.  "Enjoy the water, Krogan - you most of all need the cool-down with the heavier armour you were porting.  My apologies - I should have suggest such earlier.  I will return to watch."

True to his word, the elven warrior emerged from the water, towelled briefly with an old shirt, and donned his dried-off leather armour before taking over watch.

"We seem to be divided in direction.  Shall we discuss to try to come to majority resolution?" inquired Abbas after Fareeda's indirect support of Jibril - a strangeness, no doubt.

"By my take, Fareeda and Jibril support returning immediately to the professor, with our refilled personal waterskins.

"Thaniel, Lambrac, and I believed it more helpful to explore the tomb to provide the professor with more details of it, and in hopes of finding more water containers to make the return trip a better supply of water for the ship.  Additionally, I would note that at least a brief sojourn below provides us with an idea of anything special we need to bring on a follow-up trip, or to adjust magical preparations and study, but I digress.

"Linni, Krogan - thoughts?

"Asha, was it your wish to venture with us, or did you intend to separate back? Your dinosaur did not devour us - a good start to a friendship -" Abbas smiled lightly.
 
"And... ah, yes, my unnamed friend."  Turning to Zane, Abbas pointed to himself and repeated Abbas, pointed at each party member in turn, noting their names, and open-hand questioned to the wild man.  "What is your name, friend guide?"

Nodding gratefully to Abbas, Krogan stripped off his armor.
I agree that we should head back to the professor to tell him of our finds, but exploring that tomb seems important.   I'm no scholar, gods know, but whoever is buried in such a well-protected grave is probably important, and should be worthy of study.   
He grinned.
And, of course, it would be a shame to let their wealth and other items remain lost to everyone, rather than being used by deserving people such as ourselves.

In just his breeches, Krogan dunked himself into the water with a sigh, making sure to be "downstream", if possible, from everyone else.  He hated to be dirty.  It reminded him of the fetid muck of the orc caves, and he'd vowed to never be that dirty again.

Linni listened to the sparring with a slight smile, as if she found the whole situation amusing. Here they sat, at an oasis in the middle of a fetid jungle, undead, dinosaurs, disease and who knows what else an immediate threat to them and an argument over clothing choices and friendships was being debated. She stood up and shook her legs off before slipping her sandals back on.

"My Uncle needs to know what is going on, and we need to give some of the water to Ham, Jens and him. They'll be repairing the Scilander for us, we can't abandon them on a whim to go and explore some crypt." She shrugged, "If you're all so keen on it, why not wait till tomorrow and take a look when we're refreshed. I'm sure Uncle will still need those materials for repair, we may find something down there that will help."

Once he slips back out of the water, with but a loin cloth, Zane slips into the woods and returns wearing his shirt once more. With narrowed eyes he moves towards Abbas and grunts."Me Zane." He makes a odd whooshing sound and points at the sky towards where the ship landed or at least in its general direction."Dactyl." Strange. He moves towards Fareeda and sniffs, almost in her face before ducking away and grunting at Jibril. Scampering up into a tree, he perches on a branch.

Drying off his face, Jibril cocks an eyebrow at the wild man. "Did he just say he was insane?"  He shrugs, but then returns his attention back to Abbas.

"You can put the matter up to a vote Abbas, but as I've already said repeatedly, I'm not going back to the crypt today. I'm not putting my life in danger to satisfy your curiosity and because you think you know what's best for the rest of us. If the group voted to jump off a cliff, would I also follow? No.  So, I will take my chances with the jungle--alone if need be--to go back to the Professor today with whatever water we can carry and what news we have."