As it were, Gia spied a cellar door, and gave a sniff. There was a far different smell coming from down there, and when she stepped near it, her nose wrinkled. "It smells like burning metal," she said to Michael.<br/><br/>Gia called out to Etheda, "Have you a forge down there?"<br/><br/>The elf's attention snapped towards the spiderfolk woman. "Eh? Oh! No, not a forge, but a series of smelters." He excitedly hustled in the direction of the cellar. "I've discovered three new white metals, two of them about as heavy as iron, one of them less than a third of the weight of steel, and I've been trying to determine their properties," explained the alchemist. "The process for refining them from the ore is very time-consuming, although I'm trying to figure out how to speed that up as well."<br/><br/>Digging through a pile of parchment and pulling out a closed box, he opened it up to reveal three one-inch balls. They were, as he said, white, or at least nearly there. The coloration of two of them was lighter even than silver. "Here they are," he said. "I haven't decided what to name them yet, but this here is the important one."<br/><br/>Etheda's fingertips plucked up the palest ball, and he placed it in Michael's hand; it was indeed very light. It honestly felt like the sphere would float if placed in water. "I'm trying to figure out how to mix it with iron, but the alloy it makes tends to shatter very easily, and simply wouldn't do for a weapon or piece of armor." His face wore a frown at that.<br/><br/>After taking the ball back and putting the box away, the alchemist spoke again. "Back to the matter at hand," he said in a much more serious tone. "I've confirmed that the water is being polluted with arsenic, but I'm not sure what else is in it that could be making these other crystals. My advice is to investigate the mine, though any of you with some skill in alchemy could probably do with a stop at the river on the way there. You'd best be careful though, there's a coven of witches that inhabits the forest nearby. Someone said they found the mutilated corpse of a dwarf near their territory. I can't imagine what they'd do to you if they got a hold of you, especially those of you who practice magic."<br/><br/>Etheda then escorted them to the door. "I have some research to conduct, but if you find anything strange, be sure to tell me if and when you get back, yes?" he said before shutting the four of them out.<br/><br/>Claramond, her sword back in its sheath, patted her thighs and pursed her lips. "If there's anything I can tell you about this one, he's a genius, and completely nutters. I do wonder what those metals are, though. He seemed awfully intrigued by them."<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>