To and through the heart

Discovery of an internal territory - Crescent Basin.

The Tarriut Lake flows underground towards one of the crescents of the mountain. If one looks hard enough in the Inukpakpok Forest, it is possible to find one of the natural caves which leads deep in to the mountain - and then spirals down in to an underground lake, which spreads beneath the mountain and connects back to the lake.

Having returned from her trip outside of the Spine, Salamander sought out the lake. It's mirrored surface was being pecked at by a light rain, and by the time the woman reached the edge of the lake, the rain had ceased. It left a strange smell in the air. Not an unpleasant one though. And after slaking her thirst with the cool water, Salamander set out to explore. She followed the edge of the lake in a circumference with the hope of studying its entire edge. The lake was an extensive section of the Spine territory and Salamander, being curious of its limits, wanted to figure out how many caches there were situated around it; how many small animal dens she could scout out; and maybe, even, find a good place for her own private den.

During the process of her exploration, Salamander discovered a small pulse of fluid leading out of the lake and down among the crags of the mountain. This would distract her from the mission she had set for herself - but, curious as she was, the woman chose to follow the thin creek line. It wound towards some cliffs of shale, and then seemed to descend among the hills - so she followed it's winding trail, only to stop when the light around her had dimmed. When she finally paused to look around, Salamander realized that the water flowed inside the mountain; the forest had vanished and been replaced by the damn cavern which now surrounded her.

Salamander sniffed the air, refusing to budge another step. There didn't appear to be any forms of life within this cavern - but she was cautious. Taking a few more steps, Salamander squinted in the darkness and tried to listen, using all of her faculties to figure out just where the hell she had ended up. She could hear the river's low thrum, but the darkness of the cavern had her wary.