There has been time enough to fetch lanterns and a Tanya - a bad-tempered, slightly drunken Tanya who is probably also hung over. At least down here it is not too light for her.

The storage room had many lamps, the oil ancient and goopy and dry, but at least they could be refilled. The second room, once there is light to see, turns out to have a crridor going left and another going right, and a far wall that looks like bedrock. The corridor on the left has a single left turn at the far end. The one on the right is a T-junction.

Danielle nods to tanya,"Thanks for the light. Someone or something was running around down here. last visit" trying decide which way to go on the return trip to the catcomes. she shines the light of the latern along the floor looking for footprint-handprint- trails as well as listing for noises peering down both corridorss

Dirk pads up in cat form. He's dark in the dark.

The Colonel jumps a bit on seeing Dirk. "Ack!! COming around here like a tom-cat... Hey, cat. Do we want to see where the weird thing came from, or where it went? The trail's cold." She sounds, and smells, slightly drunk. Brandy, probably.

Dirk purrs "where it went so I can kill it. It's been a while since I have killed anything."

The trail of footprints is more of a cleared path in the cobwebs and old dust than a trail - it has been trodden back and forth for a long time. There are no noises save for the movement of water from the left - they are close to the pump.

Danielle hms " Hey dirk. something's down her. not quite human. maybe a shifte like you and amy that had a magic hiccup...hold on their chief. not sure it poses a threat yet. find and identify first yeah. Which way should we go. right or le let

Tanya says, "I don't give a flying ... that is, don't much care. I could do with fnding something dangerous and getting into trouble, and I don't have a commanding officer to tell me not to."

*left

Dirk runs ahead to stay in the dark. He's long and full of muscle.

Not just dark, but full dark. Once out of the second room, there are only two sources of light - a lantern held by Tanya, and one that is free for Danielle to use if she wishes. There's a T-junction at the end of the first corridor, where Dirk can turn left, and then there's another room not far from there. His cat eyes can make out a few outlines - chiefly what seem to be dried bodies that are not quite human.

Dirk sniffs and says "hurry up it's got dead things."

Danielle takes the second lantern shiing it round, as she follows dirk assuming there is some kind of magic at work with the being their trailing, she concentrates and tries to sense any

Tanya bustles up, although she turns right at the T-junction and walks backwards briefly, letting Danielle and Dirk guard her before she turns and follows them. That is someone used to ambushes.

No more, no less magic than Danielle would imagine. It's a place, in Amber - that is what it should feel like, and that is what it does.

The bodies, now that it is light, can be seen to have long arms, short legs, and vestigial tails. They are curled up and tied into position, wearing masks made of mud and shell, dried out by long ages. Most still have their flesh, although it has peeled back to show long teeth, where the mud masks have slipped.

Dirk says "Let's go the other way?"

"Graveyard," mutters Tanya. "But... I think that's a door on that side. Someone must have carved this out." She is paying little attention to the walls, which are marked in what seems to be blood - it is in intricate geometric shapes, forming patterns that repeat or do not at apparently random intervals.

Even the decoration looks old. Spiders and age have damaged the rendering, and some has been replaced, patched up, and redecorated.

Danielle peers lietting a shiver run down her spine "This doesn't look to be the work of a beast. it looks like they've been restrained and the flesh is decayed some but not consumed or torn as someone seeking to eat them would.A mindless-beast would have-ah nothing like accidentally disturbing a secred resting place. did this place shift into a pumphouse or...

"This might have nothing to do with the pump house," Tanya says. "You get...strange things even in Amber. We used to have some ex-pat vampires, and sometimes we'd have to visit them. We had a house to invite them to which was empty the rest of the time. They lived in graveyards, pretty often. And Petty Carpania."

Dirk growls and sniffs around.

The place smells of dust and age, but the door, a small one in the far end, is bringing in a different smell. It is a little ajar, and beyond there is the scent of spices as well as dust.

Dirk paes at the door. "Here!"

Danielle sighs " Why do I feel where walking in to someone's bizarre ritual. So these vampires were typically non-hospital She follows Dirk and the scent to the doorway

"He could have opposable thumbs if he wants," Tanya grumps, but follows, still checking backwards. She gives a bow to the corpses she passes.

Dirk looks over. "ONLY for you ma'am. I used to live as a cat."

*non-hostile

Through the door is a workshop. It looks like a place for alchemy was created for someone very very neat. There is a black and white tile floor, and tiny black and white patterns inset into the walls. The entire room has the smell of spices, and there is very little dust. Work benches are to the left and right, along the walls. Bookshelves filled with identical notebooks in black fill up the rest of the edge spaces. A table in the middle of the room has several notebooks, a maze of glasswork in a magical circle, and a pen that is balanced over a pot of ink, like someone was interrupted partway through writing.

"I used to live as a colonel. Same-same, but less morals," Tanya replies.

Dirk says "I like your morals." He goes to look at the notebooks

Danielle goes straight for the notebooks like moth to flame examining their condition making certain first their safe to handle without crumbling

"The vampires were... interesting," Tanya tells Danielle. "They didn't much give us bother, but they had a King who was very sympathetic to Amber." She looks at the work benches, and lets the other two look at the notebooks. Danielle's investigation can make out one thing easily. The notebooks are safe to handle - they seem solid, in fact. The pages do not turn. Still, the one on top can be read. It is partway through being written.

'-have therefore elected to close this place. The inhabitants are sufficiently advanced that this is no ethical problem, and they eat only the dead. I note, as above, that this is to my regret, and against my wishes. The perfection of ghouls is not an issue that requires such meddling. I leave this sealed room to any alchemist who can loosen it. J.P.'

The writing is impressively regular.

Danielle blinks "Like the facades on the houses set pieces" she blinks reading the words "I wonder what the indivdual considered an ethical problem worthy of study, then, assuming any of this is genuine and not for my especial amusement

The Colonel sighs, like this is bringing back memories, or else like she is still half drunk. "The King of the Vampires was destined to end the world," she says idly.

Dirk yawns and sit on Tayna's feet.

Tanya looks down at Dirk. "So anyhow, it's true what they say about cats. I fed this once, and it keeps following me."

Dirk leans over and purrs. 'YOU fed me, I am yours."

Tanya gets one foot free. "At least he doesn't mind me bringing other young lovelies home," she tells Danielle, "But the shedding problem is HORRIBLE."

Danielle smirks "and the bloodline of amber was destined to rule it, so i was told.our supposed destiny. i'm not sure what to put stock when facsimile and reality seem to exist side by side. Am i dreaming..dead" She peers at Tanya "Too much information. let's backtrack to vampires shall we.

"What? Shedding? Yes, it's terrible. So, this seems to work differently, this entire world. There must be different ways of stating a world. But everything has a destiny, and that means every destiny has a something. It was King Vladimir's destiny to eat the moon and bring about the end. He was the Varcolac. The Lord of the Living Vampires and the Dead. I liked him, but then again, he never tried it on with me."

Dirk leave a large deposit of black fur behind as he keeps an eye out for d'angelo.

Tanya looks down at her black robes, now black furred. "I am not sober enough to deal with this," she tells Dirk, "Or drunk enough."

Dirk says "I 'm the cat got to love me. Even if you don't. "

Danielle hms "Well hen i supposn i suppose we out to keep a look out for a moon then. do your think said king of vampires is responsible for the current state of this place?

Dirk lifts a paw to lick it clean. "I just want to kill aonething."

Danielle says, "These particular creatures may not require such if i'm understanding our alchemist friend correctly"

Dirk does not seem a

Dirk does not seem a bit impresse.

"I'm pretty sure that King Vladimir isn't," says Tanya. "On account of there still being a world at all." She looks at the handwriting on the journal, and goes quiet, thoughtful.

Dirk says, "I remember him."

Dirk curls on on Tanya and weighs her down to take a nap.

Filinia, trapped, just sits down and reaches for her hip flask.

*Tanya