March 24th, 1205
The next day, Julius joins Clusius and Wolfgang to give them a tour of the caves. Wolfgang notices that the steward has a strange gait, his strides stiff though swift, and his movements a little too sharp. His features, when he lowers his hood are without emotions no matter how his voice becomes animated when he describes the various features of the covenant and caves.
After leading them generally southeastward through the compound, taking several corridors and flights of stairs, he stops before a thick wooden door reinforced with two bands of black iron. Selecting a large key from a ring with several others, he unlocks the door, which makes a loud screech when he pushes it open. He waits for the magi and Clusius, forewarned about what was coming, lights a lantern to light the way.
The somewhat flickering light reveals a tunnel into the mountainside, which was probably a crack into the cliff before the building was put up. The passage is fairly narrow, but not so much that a man cannot pass without brushing the sides. as you pass the door, you hear the faint sound of water flowing nearby. You remember that one of the smaller stream cascades down from the mountain right beside the covenant. This must be the source of this sound.
Julius takes point, while Clusius closes the march. The passage soon meets another, of a completely different appearance. Where the first was a sharp crack filled in with sand and gravel underfoot, this one is much smoother and the ground is mostly bare. Wider than it was high, it's cross-section shaped like a flattened tube. There is a bit of moisture on the rock and the air is cool. The two magi can now easily walk side by side, Clusius joining Wolfgang to share the light from his lantern.
Julius speaks, "When Master Leonardus first discovered the caves, he was exploring the aura in the valley, because of the villagers' stories about the oak. He found it strange that the aura wasn't at its strongest near the oak, but rather here near the mountain. The entrance was hidden behind brush trees and small rocks, so none of them at the village were aware of its existence."
They turn left and follow the wandering tunnel for some time. It splits a few times to side caves, one of which is barred by a masonry wall with a door. "We have configured this cave to be used as a sanctum," explains Julius, "as requested by master Clusius. We could do the same with a number of others, should other magi wish undergroung laboratories. One could certainly be used by your serpentine companion as a lair. There are a few tunnels that end back within the covenant as well."
"Note that some of the tunnels wander off into dead ends, while others are prone to simply disappearing or forming anew." They show Wolfgang what work as been done in his potential sanctum. (OCC: Leaving the details to be determined later.)
After this, they show Wolfgang the main cave, with its incongruous vis source -- a Roman galley, broken in half. Wrapped around it is a petrified sea serpent, its body as thick as a man is tall and its head raised in a soundless roar.
(OOC: Note that I will not repeat this description with the other magi, but they will all each be given a similar tour of the caves except for Wolfgang's sanctum.)