:Oh good! Hello! Do you need anything? We're doing a delivery to the temple right now, but you seem maybe a bit lost.:

:I am rather a bit lost, I'm afraid. I appeared rather suddenly in a cave back there just a while ago and I have no idea where here is.:

:This is the town of Cod Rocks. Nowhere important, far north of Noten. But we like our old tunnels! You just - appeared? That's weird. Maybe the priestesses would know what's up with that.:

Doesn't sound like anywhere she knows.

:Priestesses? Where can I fiind them?:

:There's usually one at the temple just up there. And they walk around town sometimes too, you know, helping people.:

:Guess I'll go to the temple. Is that where you were going? Do you need help carrying the thing?:

:Yep! And it's okay, we got this. There used to be a cable car going up to the temple, but they put it into storage years ago, it only comes out for festival days now. Not enough demand.:

He says something to the others and- Hup, they're carrying the platform again.

She will scoot out of their way and then follow them up to this temple.

The stairs are wide enough that the scooting is not strictly necessary but they appreciate it!

The temple turns out to be a series of buildings made mostly of wood, in a style that's actually quite reminiscent of Ecruteak City's bell tower. Red-painted pagoda style. Surrounding and between the buildings is an elaborate series of pools, with steam wafting out of some of them. There's a torii gate, and a woman sitting on a chair near one of the pools reading a book, wearing differently styled clothes (somewhat nicer ones), almost robe-like ones that show a bit of skin, including a stole with symbols of a crescent moon on it.  A different woman is doing laundry by hand in one of the pools near the back, and a third person - a man - is doing something with what looks like a notice board of some kind. They're both wearing the same general style of clothes.

The book reader stands and approaches them, a serene expression on her face.

:Oh, lucky. That's Priestess Kalin. If anyone would know what's up with weird magic, she would.:

:Does she have one of those magic rocks?:

:Rocks? -Oh, lots of people figure out a weird trick or two, mine are the rocks. Well, not lots, but some. Priestess Kalin does dances, I think?:

The group of four and the priestess exchange some words. Priestess Kalin looks slightly surprised. And indeed, starts doing a little ritual dance with hand signs, slow and steady.

:She said that when she's done she'll want to touch your hand, and then YOU will be telepathic for about a day, is that alright?:

:Sounds like fun.: Nadya is always up for some handholding.

The four platform-carriers go to a side building and set their load down there.

Priestess Kalin continues her ritual dance. It finishes with a fast spin, and then she offers her hand to Nadya. The telepathy this imparts is slightly different in character.

She tilts her head and gestures at the bench where she was reading, previously.

Sure, she can sit. :Hello?: she thinks at the priestess.

:Hello, traveler. You have found yourself, unexpectedly, in the tunnels below? Do you remember anything about the moment of change?:

:There was this sort of bright flash, some kind of energy burst or something?:

There is a faint hint of concern in the connection - not worry, exactly, but something close.

:Did the light linger for long? Would you be able to show me the place you arrived?:

:It was gone pretty quick, but I think I remember which cave it was.:

:I'm sorry to rush to things, but I think I should go with you there. There are some things it could be that it might be time sensitive I see the place.:

:No problem. Not like I really had other plans right now.: She will get up and start leading the way back to the first cave. :I'm Nadya, by the way.:

:I'm Kalin. Welcome to Cod Rocks.:

She starts following!

:There are many mysterious things in the world, and I have made sure to study some of them. You might have come through a Dream-Passage, or as some call them, a Spirit-Passage. The Spirit World is not entirely safe, and tangled and mysterious in many ways. They say the rare Kitsunes can navigate it as second nature. To most people, who are not escorted by one, it is often described as dream-like, and some lose their memories of the place. There are also old magics in some of these deep places. The tunnels are not necessarily entirely safe, be warned. And it could be a Rift, where the natural energy of the land builds up to a destructive peak and discharges. Long ago, these caused destruction and ruin, or even curdled into harmful cursed energy, but the nine [legendaries]* or some ancient being wove new rules into the world so that such energies act in slightly more predictable and less disastrous ways.:

They pass the lounging creature again, in that great room of pools just below the shrine. It gets out of its pool and starts slowly walking towards them, staring at Kalin.

*'gods', not 'legendaries', technically, but the nature of the psychic translation tries fairly hard to find understandable idioms for unfamiliar concepts

:I don't remember going through any Spirit World. But maybe I wouldn't, I guess? But I think I was in the same, like, position before and after?:

Nadya will let Kalin take point on handling the creature. Since she's from here, maybe she knows it?

She pets it, aggressively rubbing behind one of the layers of spikes, and says something friendly-ish.

:Lilac here is harmless, she just wants me to give her a fish. Slidrakes like her have probably been here longer than people have, anyway. And the other ones are mostly scared of people, not aggressive, as long as you don't bother them too much.:

:Good to know. Never seen one of these before. I scared one off in the tunnels when I got here.: