Val suddenly stumbled, clutching her temples in pain. She had to sit down and take her time to recover. "I'm alright, these headaches started ever since the torch went out... a few other townsfolk got them as well, just one more problem on top of everything else I guess." She put on a strong face, "Don't worry about me, go find father first and get to the bottom of all this. I'd go with you if I could but these headaches always seem to come at the worst times."<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The Weeping Pond sat at the base of Black Hill. No fish swam in its waters nor vegetation grew on its banks, for the waters carried a bitter stink of sulfur and other poisonous chemicals strong enough to make the eyes water. Local priest Joram Kyte arrived, fidgeting with his<em>lesser rod of extend metamagic</em>. "I can cast<em>water breathing</em>, that'll last the two of you... twelve hours each. As the name suggests, it'll let you breathe underwater, so you can swim through the tunnel without any problems. Just don't swallow any of the water, it's not good for you. You'll have to come back before the spell expires too."<br/><br/>The spell cast, upon diving into the polluted waters the submerged waterway was there as promised. The underground stream was fairly placid and easy to navigate, though the tainted water induced feelings of nausea while immersed in it. After swimming around fifty feet in, the surface opened up overhead and the water bottomed out a shallow two feet deep, allowing them to wade into the first cavern of the Black Hill caves.<br/><br/>It was currently pitch black in the darkness, and all their gear was probably soaking wet unless countermeasures were taken.