I think shipbuilders is rather optimistic for the goodfolk of Elizabethtown, to be brutally honest. I suspect that for most of them putting up a two-room tin-shack that doesn't blow over in the breeze is a challenge....
The shipbuilders We walked through the cave, though from the size of it cavern might be a better description, and while the amount of stuff piled up in there didn't really change, there were signs that it was used regularly even if not often. There was dust on some things, but others were clean and tended to, and the floor was dusty only at the edges or beyond piles of things that were hard to see over or push past. We looked around, mostly in silence, taking all of this in, and then we found a platform-pulley; a large wooden platform suspended from ropes that went over a high pulley and was used to raise things up or lower things down to a lower level. Jimmy looked at it, and then at us. "I can go down on that," he said. "You two can handle my weight easy enough." "We'll find the stairs," said Ben. "There's no way that's the only way up or down." The stairs turned out to be a long winding slope that curved in a tight helix and was narrow enough that it looked like it had been hacked out by hand. I said that, and Ben stopped us all while he stared at the walls and rubbed bits of stone with his fingers, and generally put on a show. "There was a fissure or something here first," he said. "This was widened, not hacked into the whole stone." "I didn't know you knew so much about mining," said Jimmy, awe creeping into his voice. "It's amazing what Ben knows," I said, failing to keep the sarcasm out of mine. Ben shot me a look, Jimmy missed the sarcasm and the look completely, and we carried on down. To the banks of what was probably the Creek running through Humbug Gulch, only down here it was much colder, darker, and wider. The water ran fast and the noise it made as it slowly carved its way through the stone of its bed was loud enough that we had to shout over it. "This is a bit more lively than it was on the surface," shouted Ben. "I wouldn't like to be rafting along and find myself down here." I looked at the dark, churning waters and agreed with him; a raft would either shake itself apart or get smashed up on the sides the moment you lost control. "It explains all the stuff up top," I said, and no-one heard me, so I shouted it again. "You need a real boat to sail this. Though… none of the locals look like boat-builders to me." "You need a real reason to sail this!" yelled Ben. "El Dorado," shouted Jimmy, and at that moment I think Ben and I both started to believe in this City of Gold. Before that my money would have been on the locals brewing moonshine and wanting to chase thieves off, but now there was too much going on here, the signs of effort were too great. And I knew, with a slightly heavy heart, that there was no way of persuading the other two to back out of this adventure now.
Greg - yes, well, perhaps the shipbuilders are outsiders then. Or, well, obviously I have no idea what's going on here, but that won't stop me from tossing ideas out there!
This adventure is playing out so naturally, from the exploration to the dialogue to the reactions of our three heroes. Continuing to enjoy this very much indeed.
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I think shipbuilders is rather optimistic for the goodfolk of Elizabethtown, to be brutally honest. I suspect that for most of them putting up a two-room tin-shack that doesn't blow over in the breeze is a challenge....
The shipbuilders
We walked through the cave, though from the size of it cavern might be a better description, and while the amount of stuff piled up in there didn't really change, there were signs that it was used regularly even if not often. There was dust on some things, but others were clean and tended to, and the floor was dusty only at the edges or beyond piles of things that were hard to see over or push past. We looked around, mostly in silence, taking all of this in, and then we found a platform-pulley; a large wooden platform suspended from ropes that went over a high pulley and was used to raise things up or lower things down to a lower level.
Jimmy looked at it, and then at us. "I can go down on that," he said. "You two can handle my weight easy enough."
"We'll find the stairs," said Ben. "There's no way that's the only way up or down."
The stairs turned out to be a long winding slope that curved in a tight helix and was narrow enough that it looked like it had been hacked out by hand. I said that, and Ben stopped us all while he stared at the walls and rubbed bits of stone with his fingers, and generally put on a show.
"There was a fissure or something here first," he said. "This was widened, not hacked into the whole stone."
"I didn't know you knew so much about mining," said Jimmy, awe creeping into his voice.
"It's amazing what Ben knows," I said, failing to keep the sarcasm out of mine. Ben shot me a look, Jimmy missed the sarcasm and the look completely, and we carried on down. To the banks of what was probably the Creek running through Humbug Gulch, only down here it was much colder, darker, and wider. The water ran fast and the noise it made as it slowly carved its way through the stone of its bed was loud enough that we had to shout over it.
"This is a bit more lively than it was on the surface," shouted Ben. "I wouldn't like to be rafting along and find myself down here."
I looked at the dark, churning waters and agreed with him; a raft would either shake itself apart or get smashed up on the sides the moment you lost control.
"It explains all the stuff up top," I said, and no-one heard me, so I shouted it again. "You need a real boat to sail this. Though… none of the locals look like boat-builders to me."
"You need a real reason to sail this!" yelled Ben.
"El Dorado," shouted Jimmy, and at that moment I think Ben and I both started to believe in this City of Gold. Before that my money would have been on the locals brewing moonshine and wanting to chase thieves off, but now there was too much going on here, the signs of effort were too great. And I knew, with a slightly heavy heart, that there was no way of persuading the other two to back out of this adventure now.
Greg - yes, well, perhaps the shipbuilders are outsiders then. Or, well, obviously I have no idea what's going on here, but that won't stop me from tossing ideas out there!
This adventure is playing out so naturally, from the exploration to the dialogue to the reactions of our three heroes. Continuing to enjoy this very much indeed.
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