The (now) five sent to found the clave were gathered in the morning light in the central courtyard of the clave.  The open gates allowed the dissipating mists to be pulled away by a gentle breeze.  The aromas of the morning's meal still wafted from the open pavilion where much of the cooking was done.

The trio of carpenters had assembled to bid their farewells, at least for the moment.  One of the carts and associated automaton mules would be left to help with the hauling of supplies at the clave.  At least one of the laborers was still considering a permanent job here, especially after the livestock herds were expected in another two weeks.  There were still conversations to have, plans to make, pay to discuss.  Perhaps it would even depend on who the animal handlers were.  At least some nascent area for grazing had been cleared to the west of the clave, the lumber used for the structures that continued to rise in wilds north of Yenth.

The carpenters themselves were glad to be returning to their homes, but friendly here and glad of the time they'd spent.  There was much good-natured trading of stories as the small group exchanged their goodbyes.  Some of Lyel's songs and tales were rehashed.  Admiration was again heaped upon the utility of Nalla's lumberbot, slow though it might be.  Pride in what they had accomplished was burnished.

And all the while, the gorge remained silent and empty, just as it had since they first arrived ...

Zalbane had been very pleased to find the fragrant wood for preserving the fruits they were gathering - it made saving the bounty much easier, and had given Lyel something to hone in on once they'd made their way to the clave.

But beyond that culinary experiment, Zalbane had been working with her favorite of all things, light.  The workshops, dining hall, and some of the streets had needed the illumination she'd managed to cobble together, and the spindly watchtower (which looked too fragile to support itself, but like Zalbane herself was far more sturdy than it looked) was topped by a gleaming beacon she had imbued with her own light, so that the night would hold fewer terrors for them all.

The gorge still beckoned, and no one had emerged yet, but that did not mean it was done giving up its secrets.  Once the walls were up and a few more facilities prepared, Zalbane was more than willing to illuminate the dark recesses of that mysterious place...

Building, planning and designing, Alberic is in his element and clearly relishes all opportunities to make things. He is remarkably agile and quick-moving for someone who moves in such a painful fashion, and he is soon whizzing around the site, leaving plumes of coloured smoke streaming from his pipe.

As he gets more accustomed to company, he manages to reign in his lengthy rambles, though this does give way to tuneless whistling and humming as he works. He does his best to engage Zalbane in conversation about the Iron Wind, trying to eke out every last detail he can, scribbling notes thoughtfully, and contrasting with his own experiences. Following Lyel's arrival, however, Alberic becomes a little distracted sometimes, stopping abruptly mid-task, if distracted by something - but it always seems to pass and he resumes his work.

As the carpenters prepare to leave, Alberic claps Mustane on the shoulder... with his good hand. "Thank you again, Mr Mustane. I was in a tight spot over in that pocket dimension, but you really sorted things out. Still, something to tell the grandchildren, eh?"

He pauses a moment, as if trying to locate an internal sensation. "Is it just me, or is there a bit if a buzz in the air at the moment? A sort of electronic feel?"

Mustane nods and laughs.  "Aye, that it'll be.  Got to have 'em first though, so I'm glad to be returning to Yenth so I can raise the kids I've got."  Mustane blinks at Alberic's second question.  "Buzzing?  I feel nothing.  Just the breeze."

Artane addresses those remaining collectively.  "We'll deliver these reports to the Prelate.  And the supply requests.  I don't know if her plans have changed since we left.  We'll see.  Any other requests that the Order can provide, things that we humble carpenters cannot?"

Lyel kept himself busy about the small community by keeping things light hearted, though naturally he didn't shun the work assigned to him. His initial introduction to the budding clave was embarrassing enough, having only just managed to land the travel bubble close enough to a stream to sort out the inconveniences of the travel, leaving him soaked, mutated, and in foul disposition regarding the man who had sent him.

'The wind cursed thrice suffers no fault for the heart being cold as ice,' was his mantra as he made his way to the settlement, and despite his irritation, he tried to brush it off with graciousness, and luckily these members were not so crass as to make a large deal over his somewhat inconvenient alteration. At the very least he needed to alter his trousers to accommodate the tail.

Naturally the opportunity to peruse thoughts was too great to pass up, and it did make it easier to crack a joke at the right time, or spin a tale that wasn't boring. He also had opportunity to practice some of his ability to sometimes amusing but harmless effect, having some of the workers set down a tool they had just picked up, and wonder why they suddenly did not have the tool in hand, to the puzzlement and amusement of others as well.

Lyel was able to learn a lot about the community sereptitiously as well. He was only stymied by his attempts to open the mind of Alberic, which puzzled him intensely, and also gave him a sharp headache whenever he tried.

When Artane gathered the group, Lyel frowned somewhat. Being reminded of whom this mission was being conducted for did not please him, and reminded him of his most recent encounter with the Order. He kept his silence to let the others more vested in the matter choose, and he certainly had no interest in promoting Norbint's interests here, given the woe caused by him.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:06, Fri 13 Mar 2020.

Being no further information or requests to carry to Yenth, the carpenters bid their last farewells and headed southward.  They guessed that the next visit to provision the clave with stores and staff would be a week away.  More, if the weather turned foul.

And so the quintet was left alone in the forest on a sunny spring day.  There was certainly more work to be done, as always, but no immediate needs were left unfulfilled.

OOC: I'm ok fast forwarding through the day, although you can feel free to do things in the meantime.

With the carpenters gone, and new people with the tiny clave, Zalbane had a bit of an idea.  "Lyel, Alberic, Tacita, and Nalla, do you think we have the time to make a better evaluation of the Gorge while we're waiting for more supplies?  Once the carpenters get back, we'll have to continue to expand and strengthen the Clave, but I would like to get a better handle on what's down there.  Even a simple mapping would be well enough, and if we can find a better way into that shielded room, that would be even better.  Something is likely to happen at some point, and I would like to know more about what we can expect," she says to the others, spreading her hands wide to invite discussion.

Lyel had begun to take out his spectacles, which often preceded him stealing away to a nook to pore over a completely empty book, but at Zalbane's suggestion he put them back away and smiled. "I have yet to see the gorge. Moreso, I suspect that the reason for me being sent here has to do with what lays down there rather than what occurs up here. I am also inclined to want to see what the fuss is about that I have suffered to come here for!" Lyel frowned and rubbed the small of his back right where the stump of a tail had grown. he still needed to get used to it's presence, and found himself in an awkward state too often trying to sit. "Count me in. Hopefully I'll get to see some of the things everyone has been talking about first hand."

Alberic puffs thoughtfully on his pipe, releasing a cloud of aquamarine smoke that smells of the seaside. He grimaces, and takes the pipe from his mouth. "I'm all up for a look around down there. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say...

The path between the boulders leading into the gorge and along the northern wall is much as it was.  The walk is wide enough to get by safely, but just barely.  The gorge itself quickly yawns open and deeply.  The shadowed recesses at the bottom are revealed only to the keenest of eyes.

Zalbane holds her crystal high, imbuing it with her light to throw back the darkness at the bottom of the gorge.  Surely there was something down here that might explain the forcefield room, or any of the odd occurrences that had drawn them here, or at least be of use in establishing the clave!

Although it is, at times, awkward to look so far down while hanging on at the ledge, Zalbane's light does provide some decent illumination below.  At this height, the floor of the crevasse seems to be littered with irregular piles of leaves and sticks, with occasional bits of bone peeking through.

The rock of the gorge has enough cracks and fissures in it to hold climbing spikes, if you were inclined to make your way down.

Alberic peers down into the crevasse. He shrugs. "Well, I'm game. I've 3 spikes in my pack..."

Zalbane will offer to loop and tie rope as Alberic puts in spikes.  "The safer we can make this, the better. The bones I see below make give us clues as to the nature of what this place was, or perhaps more things lie below the drit.?"
This message was lightly edited by the player at 01:44, Thu 16 Apr 2020.

Quite distracted by both setting up the lumber mill to continue its rudimentary tasks in their absence and planning out the next few stages of construction as they travel Nalla almost doesn't notice when the others quite literally run out of rope.  The problem is easily solved as she hands them spare coil she keeps in her pack at all times.

"Thank you." Alberic has soon stashed his pipe, and carefully begins to hammer in the first spikes while Zalbane fastens the ropes together. This done, he begins to clamber down into the Gorge, lowering himself down to hammer in the next spike. He is ungainly at the best of times, but it is pretty clear that he is not an experienced climber...

Alberic is able to manage the descent without falling, but ungainly is a kind description of his efforts.  At least the spikes seem reasonably secure and there is sufficient rope to reach the uneven bottom.

Alberic completes the climb, and breathes a sigh of relief to find himself safely on the ground. He clamps his pipe back into his mouth, and takes a few long puffs. A drift of acrid lemon yellow smoke comes out, and he grimaces slightly. He calls back up: "Well, I'm down!". He unslings his clock hand from his back, removes the mitt from his mechanical left hand, which immediate begins to glow, illuminating the area, and begins to look around.

Lyel watches with some trepidation as the mechanical man makes his way down. On several occasions he holds his breath as the ungainly and cumbersome process on several occasions makes it seem that the strange companion would plummet to his own demise, creating new bone litter for birds and scavengers to pick from. Once the call of Alberic makes it's way back up, Lyel calls back: "Bit of a harrowing climb it seems! We should definitely invest into finding a safer route!" He then smiles half heartedly to the other two. Despite the obvious misgivings about making the climb, he was excited to get to the bottom and finally see what this hullabaloo was about. "I guess I am next. No time like the present, huh?"

Following the same process as Alberic, Lyel slowly begins his descent, holding his breath as he moves down in spurts. At least he had use of both his arms in case he were to plummet...

The men begin moving about awkwardly in the narrow confines of the gorge bottom.  They can move single file with (relative) ease, but moving past each other will be difficult.  As the leaf litter and sticks are disturbed, worms, insects, and other decomposers scurry and squirm for better cover.

Having made his way down much more gracefully than he had intended or assumed he would, Lyel lighted his foot upon the uneven ground and heaps of detritus at the bottom, feeling the confine of space that he had not judged fairly from above. "More Narrow down here than it seemed." Lyel cast a glance in either direction, not sure which way they should travel, and considering whether he should bother drawing on an esotery to investigate ahead. Turning to Alberic he asked: "Should we be concerned with any unknown crevasses or such here, and which way are we going to be traversing?"

After taking the time to wrap a thin cable around herself, and the rope several times Nalla effectively falls into the gorge at an unusually slow rate, letting the friction do most of the work for her, even bumping into the walls a bit doesn't seem to bother her as the tiny amount of kinetic energy is just absorbed, not even causing her to rebound off the surface.

Once she reaches the bottom she detaches the cable with the same amount of care, and only then heads off in the direction the others went to catch up with their slower progress through the compressing terrain.