[Child of the 7th Age]

The first rays of the morning sun were still below the horizon when Luindal wearily stood up from his papers and charts to put on a fresh change of clothes. He heard a knock on the door and found the Lossoth Gallhardir waiting to speak with him. They had both agreed that his young nephew would be better off staying on board the ship.

Although most Elves require little if any sleep, Luindal found that he usually did much better if he had at least a few hours to rest and relax his mind. However, that was a luxury he could ill afford at the moment. After his conversation with Rôg, he had stubbornly sat up all night working on a series of his own notes on how and where to search for the Stones at the bottom of the Bay. There were still so many problems he couldn't figure out. He'd need to have another long talk with Rôg and see if the shapechanger had any more good ideas.

If the palantiri did not show up in the Caverns of the Dead, they would have little choice but to shift the focus of their search. Alahseey had made it clear that all the other likely spots along the fringes of the Bay had been thoroughly searched by the Corsairs. It made little sense to redo what was already done.

Luindal felt his hours of work had barely scratched the surface of the many complications they would have to deal with if the Stones failed to turn up in the Caverns. But at least a start had been made. He went over, scooped up his papers, and placed them inside a locked chest that he always carried along on voyages. As he was about to leave the room, Hilde came in and graciously offered him heated cider, which he took. He listened absentmindedly as the serving woman explained how she had stowed the new supplies away and would straighten out his room and prepare the evening meal while he and his men were away on their search. At leaat there was one less thing to worry about.

Stopping to strap on his waist pack, retrieve his pick axe, and put on a metal helmet, Luindal went out on deck and saw that a number of Elves and Lossoth were already gathered there wearing similar gear. Soon they would climb down the ladders and enter the small boats that were to head towards the cave. The tide was low. Focusing on the shore, he glimpsed a wide expanse of beach spread out in front of the Cavern. They should have enough time to split up in small groups to make a preliminary survey of the tunnels and the main cavern before returning safely to the ship.

He had assigned almost thirty Snowmen and Elves to the survey party. The remaining ten were to stay behind on the Spirit to make sure that there was no mischief done to the ship during their absence.

Standing in front of his volunteers, Luindal beckoned for them to move closer so they could hear what he was saying,. He spoke quietly trying to address the unspoken fears that he could see in many of their eyes. "Today, we begin our search for the missing Stones. There are two words I want everyone to engrave upon their hearts: caution and swiftness. At this early point in our hunt, no one is to take any unnecessary risks. If we have any doubts about the safety of a particular path or tunnel, we will hold back from going that way. Secondly, we must work with all due haste. Our great enemy is time. As long as the tide stays low, we will be able to make our way back out of the tunnel. When the waters come rushing onto the beach and seeping up from underneath into the tunnels, then we are in great danger. So we will be very careful about when we leave the tunnels. There must be no stragglers."

"Split up in small groups: at least two or three in each group. No one is to search alone. Respect this cave as a dangerous place and you will come out alive. Let us move quietly now while it is still dark for the Corsairs have no idea where we go or what we do. "

"We also have another advantage of which the Corsairs are yet unaware. As some of you know, Rôg has some unusual abilities in shape shifting. While we are inside the cave, he has agreed to shift into a small winged form and keep the different groups in touch with each other. So please, if you note a large insect or bat buzzing at your ear, take due care not to injure it!"

With that final word of instruction, the men slipped into their boats and began paddling silently towards the shore. The vessels were left hidden in a side cove with fishing nets and gear prominently displayed so no one would suspect anything. Then they walked the final mile towards the cave. The Caverns of the Dead were set about a quarter mile from the spot where the Corsair ship was docked. As they approached the entrance of the cave, Luindal could see that the opening was small, too small for any Elf or man to stand. They would need to attach the ropes to their waists and crawl one-by-one into the first tunnel.