Having stepped over to the mural depicting the shield, Vashon reads the 'magic words' written on it.

As with the others, the magic tunnel-portal opens almost instantly. Once you've traversed the short distance to the other end, you can see that it looks out upon a large rocky hill (small rocky mountain?) from which a waterfall can be seen and heard cascading off the visible cliff face that's maybe 500 feet away.

You are at the base of the hill, presumably because there isn't any convenient exit point between where you are and the waterfall.

The waterfall appears to be around 100 feet high and maybe 20 feet wide. It drops into a small pool that does not seem to have any run-off. The height and width of the waterfall combine with the splash of it hitting the pool to create the fine mist over the area, but it doesn't block your view in any significant manner.

There does appear to be a narrow path that wends its way up the rather steep hillside to reach the pool and waterfall.

Having entered the tunnel, he walked to the opposite end. It took only about 5 minutes but presumably he traveled much farther than that in the physical world.

Once at the end, he studied the scene before him, noting the waterfall, the mist, the cliff, and trail.

He decided to wait to see what the others had to say before he stepped out.

Stepping through the portal was the mysterious Drow female named Chess ala'riina.  She looked around at the landscape to make sure there was no surprises waiting in the mist.  From all the stories that others have encountered this place could easily have a Water Elemental near by.

The oddity of the tunnel was that it was only the end that he could see through. The sides were opaque, and, of course, he couldn't see the terrain behind him either.

He was unsure about just sticking his head and trying to peer around the edge, so, instead, he just stepped out and took a few steps toward the path as he glanced around the area.

His main concern was that there might be a sleeping dragon nearby!

"So, every Wonder has a guardian of some sort, right?" he asks the others. "And these guardians are either something that lives a very, very long time or else they aren't alive at all. Does that seem to be the way of it?"

"My main concern is that some wandering monster may have wandered into the area. Or do you think Esmeralda would have foreseen such an occurrence?"

Vogh was the last of the three to step out of the tunnel.  The scene before her was surreal and much different than the last one she had stepped through.  Making a deep inhale as Vashon made his comments about the other places he had been, Vogh listened and then commented.

"Well, in all honesty, the first one we got, wasn't guarded at all.  It was buried deep.  It wasn't difficult to get.  The next one was guarded by a sphinx that had been in the spot for a very long time.  Once again there was no problem getting the item once we gave the proper password.  Lastly, we found ourselves in a crypt.  Surprisingly enough we didn't encounter anything to stop us.  There may have been something way back but it had either left or had died.  So, I have no idea what to expect here.  I just remain on my toes and alert for any danger and when in doubt proclaim I am a Green Star!"

"That's a good point... about something that maybe once was there," Vashon replied after taking a very looooooong time to think about what she said.

"It could be that there was a guardian of sorts there but for some reason, it didn't perceive you as a threat to what it was guarding."

"Anyway, there seems to be a path of sorts leading up to the waterfall. Looks like it might just a run-off... I can't imagine it's lasted this long as a normal path... not without someone tending it."

He then leads the trek up the 'path'.

While the 'path' wended its way between rocks and hills like a run-off stream would follow, it was also the way people would have walked rather than climb over the rocks and hills.

The path wasn't particularly steep, so it was easy going although you had to be a bit careful that the loose pebbles underfoot didn't shift and cause you to lose your balance.

It took about 20 minutes to reach the waterfall. Up close, you can see it's about 100 feet high and maybe 20 feet wide. The water drops into a small pond about 40 feet in diameter although it's somewhat irregular in shape. Oddly, you don't see any run-off from the pond yet it doesn't overflow. It doesn't appear stagnant in any way, but then the falling water is probably enough to prevent that.

You are standing about 20 feet away from the waterfall... just far enough not to get splashed but you can feel the light mist from the falling water.

OOC: So, yeah, the end of November--1st of December is where it all went to hell for me. It's taken 3 months to get to here. Are we ready to move this game forward? Or has it finally set sail and time to bury it at sea?

I am totally up to play Vogh!!!

"So now what do we do?" Vashon asks as he surveys the waterfall.

"Will it be concealed in a cavern behind the water? Seems a bit too obvious, but the falling water tends to carve out such places all on its own."

"Search?"

Vogh was enjoying the mist as it hit her face when Vashon spoke his question.  "Yes, searching the waterfall should be priority one.  If whatever we are looking for isn't behind then perhaps it is below in the lake."  Vogh turned to Vashon then and said, "Shall we, Chess?" Vogh asked the other companion they were with.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:06, Sun 26 Feb 2023.

Chess ala'riina looked at the pond.  "There has to be some sort of way the water is leaving.  But if its a drain without a cork then it could pull someone down deeper.  I would suggest a spell that would allow one to breath water. she said as she looked over at Vogh.