Elayne had heard a rumor, and such rumors were typically not something she chased down foolishly. However, the days before the birth of her spawn were drawing near, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity. If there were treasures to be found here, in this far off-cave, reshaped and recreated-- (how chaotic)-- then perhaps she would find something here of value for her new position in Cassiopea.

The air here was particularly sweltering, the oil on her body like tar as she walked through the strange landscape. A rolling endless blue hung over head, only the sparsest cloud to offer any sign of shade. She did not mind it, however. Discomfort was not something that she paid particular attention to.

At least, not when she had something more important on her mind. She stalked the strange, alien landscape with searching, golden eyes. What treasures had been hidden here?

It did not seem like a place where something could be hidden. The ground was hard underfoot, dry. The mist that had offered some moisture from the early morning was long gone, and so her inky silhouette was the only striking mark on the landscape.

If there was life here, it hid from her. Wise, really. She could do with a snack.

She paused to investigate a bit of brush that tangled its way up from the stony earth. Perhaps someone had missed something hidden among the foliage? She didn't like the idea of searching every damn bush, but... Well, she had time to kill, and she was going to eviscerate it.

Nothing. Not even a cave mouse. The bush itself was perfectly sturdy, and if she was desperate (she was not.), she could chew on it. With a huff, she turned her gaze toward the horizon. A distant shape broke up the terrain, the bright blue sky reflecting off of what she presumed was water.

Continuing her lovely stroll, she made her way toward the lake or pond or whatever it was. As long as it was a real source of water and not an apparition, she would be glad to stop for a moment. There was a whole cave to search, after all, and she wasn't going to rush though it.

(Many of these thoughts, she considered, would be good lessons for her spawn.)

She had been correct. Her pawsteps brought her to the edge of a small water source. A few plants skirted the edges of the lagoon, and she heard a rustle of what she presumed was a lesser scurrying for shelter.

Lucky for it, she had no interest in hunting for meat at the moment. She bowed her head, and took a long drink from the water, making no attempt to stop the oil the leaked from her body from dripping into what was otherwise a perfectly clean watering hole.

That was a problem for the locals, not her. After her thirst was quenched, she stepped into the water-- it was somewhat cool compared to the stifling heat, but she had no intention of lounging about for too long. No need to get used to it, that would only make the rest of her trip all the more unbearable.

She did want to see if there was anything within the depths of the water, however. If more of her oil seeped into the water, that sure was a shame. (Not.) Hopefully the poor lizard or whatever lived here didn't mind the taste. (Choke.)

There were some fish that lived in the lagoon, it seemed. Her eyes caught one that drew too close, and with a burst of chaotic magic, a tendril burst from her flesh and through the water, lancing through the poor thing. She drifted, floating lazily in the pool, as her tendril pulled the thrashing, dying thing toward her front paws.

She gripped it with her claws, and brought it up to her small, humanoid mouth. There was no delicate nature to the way she tore into the flesh. Fragile bones snapped between sharp teeth as she ate the fish, scales and meat and organs and all.

She made short work of it.

Elayne's thirst quenched and her stomach filled, she paddled her way to the other side of the lagoon and dragged herself back to the short. She left behind a streak of oil as she stood. The water slipped easily from her sleek form-- oil and water didn't play nice, after all-- and soon the heat began to set in once more.

It was time to continue her hunt for the treasures that lay in wait among the Dreamer's cavern. She would turn over every rock if she had to.

Speaking of rocks... Perhaps there were some gemstones here. Fragments of life... Elayne herself did not possess the capability of determining which stones held life and which did not, but... Could it be that the treasures to be found here included some lost stones? The last remains of bygone corpses... It seemed possible, certainly.

It seemed like as good an opportunity as any to-- while looking for the real treasures-- try and find some stones that were viable. She wouldn't be able to make use of them personally for a while, especially given Uvie's temper, but they did make good... bargaining chips.

Her keen eyes immediately caught a glimmer of something in the artificial cave-light. Prowling over to an outcropping of rocks, she reached a delicate claw out to dislodge the gemstone. It seemed almost... Unnatural in its shape: a sphere with a dark green core that grew transparent crystals outward in cubical formations, like a rounded die with its faces extruded.

It was beautiful. If it held no life, it was still precious: it was beautiful, and it would make a good gift for one of her future spawn.

stone found: fluorapophyllite
this specimen but removed from the stilbite and in a general "sphere" shape.

One of the tendrils stretched out from her body and wrapped itself around the stone, drawing it in close where it would be safe. She searched the rest of the outcropping thoroughly for any more stones or objects of interest before moving on.

The walk was good for clearing her mind, as well. There were about to be several moving pieces put into play that she needed to assert control over in one way or another. Uvie was less stable now, though certainly more reliable. She just had to keep a tight leash on him.

Theoretically, it would be easier to start with the fresh slates. They would be full of possibilities, and without a careful guiding hand, they could spiral immediately out of her realm of influence.

... At least they would be limited, somewhat, by their reliance on the altar. Emphasizing that... Would perhaps kill two birds with one stone. Assuring their proximity to her.

Her journey brought her to the center of Centarus. It was the first time she had stepped foot in this cave, so the Breach came as a welcome surprise. The ravine stretched before her, its bottom glimmering with oilstone under a faint trickle of a nearly-dried up stream.

She made her way down the Breach, and examined the oilstone floor closer. If there was something special here, she didn't find it immediately... But... What a curious landmark. It was like a scar had been traced across the wide, open landscape.

There was a certain satisfaction that warmed her inside and out upon standing at the bottom of the ravine, cool water barely licking past her feet.

Perhaps she would follow it for a while, just to see...

She followed the stream toward its source, the shade of the ravine cool and comfortable after walking around in the unrelenting blue skylight. There was something... humorous, to her, in the journey. it felt as though she was walking toward the source of her own lineage, in a way.

Maybe it was just because she was created by a giant crab, and water and the oilstone were something like a creation mythology for her existence as a result. That was nothing more than a funny thought-- maybe a silly story to tell the spawn when they hatched.

They would be like the end of the stream, branching off into new paths.

But the beginning... Where did the beginning lead?