The quest successfully returned to the valley of the Gardens of Taubra and set up camp beneath the entrance to Mount Issabella. The weather had improved markedly and James was surprised to see the moon Ragnar highly visible in the morning sky over the mountain. And without a doubt that moon was significantly larger than when he had observed it back in Badendorf. Did Ragnar follow an eccentric orbit? James sat silently beside his tent and considered the various possible explanations for the novel moon. Was it a captured comet? Why was Ragnar blue? How close would the moon approach this Alternate Earth before it swung back out into deeper space? What was the orbital period? James wished that he had the time to study the moon, but other priorities always took precedence.
A celebration was prepared by the Sisters of Theodor to welcome back the adventurers. Oakleaf Gilderwood met with dozens of Sisters in charge of the various crop programs. He inspected the harvested materials, and toured the still growing garden beds. James accompanied Sir Giderwood on some of the tours, and was impressed with the thoroughness of his approach. Not only were the plants inspected, but soils were dug up and investigated for moisture content, fertility, tilth, acidity, and temperature. The Emerald Wizard carefully observed the small organisms living within the soils, even making use of a field microscope from time to time. He cast nurturing spells when required to ensure the success of these varied plant varieties.
“Worms, fungi, nematodes, larvae, insects and beings so small as to be invisible to the unaided eye are all of vital importance to producing the qualities we require in our medicinal plants, young James,” explained the Master plant pharmacist. “I foster communication with them all. We have imported soils from around the world, and have introduced complimentary living organisms to our gardens. From our studies we have produced mutually beneficial arrangements for ourselves, the plants and the inhabitants of the soil. Working together we achieve results not possible any other way. Are such methods used in your own homelands, Sir James?”
“Yes and no Sir,” replied James as he considered his answer carefully. He was reminded of some of the local farmers who sometimes provided produce for his grocery store back home in Stromness. Some of those folks would adore these gardens. “Most farming practices in my world involve cultivation of just one crop, on a large scale. There are exceptions though, which we call ‘organic gardening’. Organic gardeners plant many crops in a field, and rotate what they grow in their beds from year to year. They pay close attention to the health of their soils and often provide their plants with ‘companions’ to improve the health of two crops at the same time. Come to think of it, some ‘organic’ gardeners even speak of magic in their soils!”
“Well, there you go young James. There is magic in your world after all. Perhaps when you return you may be able to increase the magical content of your life using what you have learned in ours.” suggested the learned mage.
“Do you really think that it is possible for me to return to my world, Lord Gilderwood? I have been wondering about this since my arrival,” asked James.
“That has always been the plan, young James. I apologize for being distracted by events but believe me when I say that I have always hoped to return you to your life and family as soon as possible. I will speak more of this, as the time approaches.”
With that, arrangements were made to enter the mountain. A base camp was constructed at the entrance discovered weeks early by Sir Gilderwood, and with guards posted for the night the five questers spent the night resting and gathering their energies for what was to come. Morning arrived, and as packs were donned James noticed that Celeste had pulled on her own Emerald cloak of camouflage, over the top of her crimson Sisters robes. Erik Blarneysson began the process he promised would produce an entry point for the group.
Using some of the precision mining tools from his heavy travel pack, Blarneysson deftly climbed the rock face and carefully inspected the supposed entrance used by Gloamanthal and his minions. Lightly tapping here and there with his mining hammer, Erik ‘hmmmed’ and ‘hawed’ with each new observation. At one point he pulled out a small stone drill from a pocket and used it to extract a core sample of the stone from the top of the entrance. Inspecting the results, then deftly tossing the cylinder fragment of rock over his left shoulder the Dwarf appeared to reach a conclusion.
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“Ets no doubt the stone wurk of that blasted Waagersson family! Bastards avery one of them! Ide recognize thar stone wurk anywheres! Just the malcontents that a blasted Gloamandog would tak advantage ov! Al havta watch fer goddamed traps behind every corner, wath that family at the controls. Holy jehoshaphat! We’re in fer it now. Just stay close behind me an do as I tell ye! An don touch nuthin I don tell yas ta touch!”
With that Erik Blarneysson made one last tap with his hammer, and the edges of the stone entrance became visible to the questers. A puff of dust emanated from the edges of the stone work, and the slab swung outwards on perfect hinges, revealing a dark entrance to the insides of the mountain. Blarneysson produced a handful of large red rocks of the sort used by the acolytes of the Astronomical College. He handed one to each of the adventurers as they entered the cave, then drew his battle axe from his pack, and took his place at the front of the line commenting, “Dant loos tha red rocks. They be are only source of light an ya dan’t want ta find yerself in tha dark in tha middle of tha god dammed mountain, do yees? A Dwarf lak me can see in the pitchest dark but yer human eyes are next ta useless. Now file up, and lats go,” commanded Erik.
The way narrowed immediately, and angled upwards. Every step was a challenge, as the route was more reminiscent of a fracture in the mountain, than any sort of conventional trail. The floor of the passageway was uneven and irregular. The footing was unreliable, with loose and damp gravel underfoot. The glow provided by five red rock lights was minimal, but as James’s eyesite grew accustomed to the dark he found himself more and more able to see reasonably well. The Dwarf led the climb, followed by Sir Gilderwood. Celeste was next followed by James and lastly Elana. Silently the group followed the Dwarf, climbing and proceeding inwards, towards the center of the mountain. Hours passed. A claustrophobic feeling began to overtake James, which was made worse by the increasingly stagnant nature of the air inside the mountain. After some distance had been covered, Erik alerted the climbers. “We approach a widening in the kavern. Be most be careful! Wait until I tell ye to move forward!”
The air quality continued to deteriorate and James felt exhausted, His pack was likely the lightest of the group, and he carried only a simply short sword for a weapon, yet he was exhausted. Celeste’s war hammer and Sir Gilderwood’s scythe bladed staff must be significant burdens in comparison. Even so James wondered about his own ability to continue. An unusual smell came to James’s attention. Very subtle but disturbing. Metallic in its nature and unfamiliar.
Soft tapping sounds permeated the silence as the adventurers awaited Erik’s judgement. “All kleer,” sounded the Dwarf. “She is a safe place, and a good spot fer yas ta rest.” With that the group made their way into the cavern and seated themselves as comfortably as was possible.
“I will have to do something to assist your passage,” commented Sir Gilderwood. “The air inside the mountain does not have the qualities to permit the required exertions. My power has already diminished this far from the sunlight but it will be sufficient to purify the air and improve our breathing.”
Oakleaf Gilderwood gently chanted words of power, then scattered a handful of an aromatic dried herb. A soft green glowing light formed a bubble which rose around the five comrades, then faded into the background. Immediately the uncomfortable smell disappeared and was replaced by a whiff of fresh oxygen. The effect increased and greatly improved James’s state of mind. He could breathe again.
Canteens were passed around for drinking, and Elana offered all a mixture of dried fruit and nuts specially prepared by the Sisters of Theodor. James felt refreshed, and had some energy return to his tired limbs.
“What was that smell Sir Gilderwood, back in the passage, while we were waiting for Erik?” asked James.
“Blue Stone,” interrupted Erik Blarneysson. “Bloody Blue Stone, Master Jamersson. Those Waagersson brothers are working the bloody, bloody, Blue Stone. I dan na why, but thar is na dowt in my mind. I kin smell that rock a mile a way. No Dwarf in his right mind would aver touch tha stuff, but Gloamancrapper must be putin tham up ta somethin awfully bad. Thays workin Blue Stone or my names not Erik Blarneysson! Why da ya suppose that are doin this Sir Gilderwood? Workin Blue Stone just gets ya killed!”
“I am not certain Master Erik, but I have suspected that something like this was occurring. Clearly, the target of this Chaotic invasion was always the Blue Stone deposit in the heart of my beloved mountain. But why? It is my hope that Master James may be able to shed some light upon this subject,” and he paused to view the impact of his words upon James' expression before continuing,” We need to understand the motivations of our enemy to thwart his plans of destruction. But something fundamental escapes my awareness of this issue. Blue Stone carries great dangers but also powers much of what magic is all about. It is my understanding that no larger deposit of the mineral exists anywhere on the planet. Indeed the presence of this lode of Blue Stone played no small role in my decision to found the Gardens of Taubra in its present location. The Winds of Magic blow strong here. Medicines grown in the shadow of Mount Issabella are the most potent in the world. Surely, this is Gloamanthal’s target for his evil plan. But what is the plan?” Gilderwood gazed towards Erik, Elana, and Celeste finally pausing again when he viewed James.
Uncomfortable and uncertain what to say, James replied, “I wish that I could help you Sir Gilderwood”.