We pick up with our clutch reuniting after some time apart. They separated shortly after the events of the last story. They didn't really mean to, they just kind of got busy with their own interests. OB took on an apprenticeship with Vizali, the Forge Master, and has learned to work with precious metals and wood. Zeblek has started performing, bringing the classic plays of Dragonia to the Capital stages. Stars has remained in the Capital, never going far from the Library, except to occasionally visit the wilds to verify details about some creature or other. Toverinn stayed with Stars a while, but then went back to Woodsedge to run with the turferant herds.
But then a dragon that they met during their travels, a Bearded Dragon named Rollatha, approaches them all. The Searscale Springs - a group of hot springs in the archipelago northeast of the continent of Dragonia - has begun to lose its heat, and no one is sure why. The Springs are a place that elder dragons go to cleanse their scales (it's far too hot for drakes, but Long-Tooth Dragons can just about manage). Rollatha remembers that this clutch has some skill in dealing with mystical places that are changing or losing their magic (which is pretty niche as these things go), and rounds them up.
They all agree for their own reasons: Toverinn is in as soon as the location is mentioned. Zeblek is overjoyed to be back with the clutch. OB knows that dris mentor, Vizali, wants some samples of mineral deposits found around the Springs. Stars has heard of a local creature called the tardisnail that is somehow impervious to the heat.
The clutch gets back together, travel to the coast, and build a boat. Stars raises concerns about its buoyancy and what they'll do if it sinks (remember dre doesn't have wings), but OB patiently explains all this. Besides, it's not that long of a journey, it's just too long for them to fly (even those that can). They arrive at the docks of Searscale Island and disembark, heading up the hill to a plateau with a bunch of springs. Stars tells the others that dre has read in dris books that the springs' heat causes a chemical reaction in the rocks around the edges, turning them yellow. That being the case, it should be possible to tell where the springs' temperature has changed based on the rock color.
They only see two dragons: an elder with ruddy scales and scars relaxing in the largest pool, and a long-tooth moving around the area, pulling stuff out of pools, and generally maintaining the space. They head down to the plateau and dre comes up to meet them, introducing themself as Mxlar'nishka, the Springtender. Dre welcomes them, and confirms that the temperature has been screwy lately - dre points to the edges of one of the outer pools and shows them that the rocks are yellow, but not all the way around. Weirder still, earlier today the yellow formation was in a different place; it looks like the heat is "moving" diesel (clockwise) around the pools, and pretty quickly too. Mxlar'nishka also mentions that there are caverns beneath the pools, but that Zalor, the Cavetender, is who they should talk to about that. (Dre also notes that the elder dragon in the pool over there is called Daishi, and dre is an excavator back on the mainland and comes here to get clean after big jobs, but that's incidental and Daishi spends most of the day snoozing anyway.)
The dragons start looking about for information. Toverinn climbs into a pool and eases into the heat ("OW OW OW"), but then dris tail gets sucked into a hole in the bottom of the pool! Dre try to dislodge it, but can't.
Zeblek and OB aren't in the immediate area. Stars paces nervously up and down the bank, but realizing that no help is coming, puts dris bag down and plunges in! Dre reaches Toverinn and starts to pull them out, but looks back and realizes that one dris tomes is about to plunge into the water! Stars gives a little yelp, but doesn't abandon dris clutchmate. Dre pulls Toverinn out, but the book goes ploop, into the water.
OB tries to grab it, but misses, and paws some dirt backwards into Daishi's face! Zeblek jumps in and tosses the book out, but then dris hindquarters get pulled in (Zeblek is skinnier, so more of dris body fits). Zeblek's nostrils close and dre can hold dris breath a good long time, but the heat is uncomfortable and this hurts.
OB pulls a rope from dris saddlebag of potential and jumps in to get Zeblek out ("OW OW OW"), but the rope is too short and OB has to swim down to hand it to Zeblek. Dre manages to pull Zeblek out and onto the bank. Stars, meanwhile, has taken dris soaked book away from the pools and is desperately trying to dry it out. Once OB has finished with Zeblek, dre joins Stars and rigs up a drying fan, powered by tail-swishes, to help. The book is salvaged, though Stars isn't sure how much of it was lost.
The water continues to drain out, and Mxlar'nishka, by this point, has heard the ruckus and come over. Seeing the water draining away, dre asks if any of the dragons are skilled in the magic of the stone moon (dre has given up that particular moon). Toverinn is, and calls on the moon - but overdoes it. Crystals form on the edges of all the pools and cover them (the one that Daishi's in, too, but dre just flicks the crystals apart with dris claws and grumbles at the young'uns; dre also isn't happy to have gotten a snootful of dirt, but OB was apologetic).
Toverinn is pretty mortified, and not only are all the pools covered over but the one that dre was trying to plug empties out with a bathtub sort of sound. Mxlar'nishka groans ("ugh, this is gonna take all night"), and goes to get a hammer to start knocking the crystals in.
Zeblek pokes dris head into the empty pool and shoves it through the hole at the bottom. It's very dark, of course, but dre can see/feel a river rushing by. Dre pulls dris head back out and reports this, and Stars, having now rejoined the clutch, consults the Geographical Primer on Rivers, Mountains, and Magic Islands to see if this river is mentioned. The river is mentioned, but when the book talks about where it empties out, it gets into the realm of myth pretty quickly - something about a massive creature digging out the riverbeds with its talons. Probably not helpful.
OB asks Mxlar'niskha about the river. Dre says that dre is aware that there is water beneath the plateau, but always thought it emptied into the sea. Dre suggests talking to Zalor when dre comes up for the night (Zalor always warns against being in the caverns at night, but Mxlar'nishka isn't sure exactly why). OB also askes Mxlar'nishka if dre has some rope (for spelunking), and dre says to look in dris shack up the hill.
Meanwhile, Toverinn climbs into the now-empty pool and uses dris wild speech to talk to the land. Dre realizes that something below them, down in the caverns, is stuck, and by freeing it, the clutch can alleviate the problem with the temperature.
OB does so, and when dre opens the door, finds a dragon! The dragon is a winged drake, so a bit younger than OB and dris clutch. Dre has deep green, jade-like scales on dris back, but dris underbelly is jet black. OB asks the dragon who dre are, and dre responds "Lokken." OB asks if Mxlar'nishka knows that dre is here, and Lokken says "yes?", clearly lying. OB says that probably they should go talk to Mxlar'niskha about this, and Lokken nods, but then says "Look! A distraction!" and disappears in a puff of black smoke.
OB grabs a length of rope, shaking dris head, and goes back down to the pools. Dre ask Mxlar'niskha about Lokken, but dre doesn't know the name. Dre are, however, confused at OB's description, as dre has seen a dragon with a black underbelly and blue scales hanging around...
The clutch gathers together and discusses their next move. Clearly the need to go into the caverns. Stars advocates waiting until morning, but Zeblek points out that there's no light in the caverns anyway so why wait? That logic appeals - better to get going on this before it gets worse.
The clutch gathers their stuff, and prepares to head into the Searscale caverns!
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