Talenta Palains
Rehil stands tall. He slips an arrow out of his quiver, and nocks it, but holds the bow pointed low.
"I've heard stories. The halflings wear masks when they're hunting."
The halfling hunters charge forwards before wheeling their mounts about forty feet from the adventurers. They loose a volley of arrows and charge away.
Rehil grunts as an arrow skims his thigh. He raises his bow to return fire.
"Kill the closest."
Teprin nods. "Let us depart."
He leads the group out of the barracks and along some street until they reach a staircase going down, built into the face of the chasm. It descends a few hundred feet, offering views of the waterfalls tumbling from the city above, before ending in a blocky fortress which clings to the cliff under an overhang of rock. As with the other gate, this one is manned by wardens and two statues loom either side. More wardens peer down from the battlements and the snouts of ballistas poke over the edges of the towers.
"We are here on the High Warden's business," says Teprin to the guards and hands over a roll of parchment. A warden scrutinses it, nods and calls out, "Open the ways." With a groan, the heavy stone doors begin to pivot open.
Once inside the fortress, it is clear that it is effectively a fortified tunnel blocked with gates and portcullises. They are opened one-by-one, and the one behind must be closed before the next is opened. Murder holes stud the roof at regular interval. It takes some minutes to make it all the way through, and Teprin simply endures the time in silent, expressionless stoicism.
Finally the last door opens and the adventurers are able to enter the Depths proper. In fact, it looks just like the stairs above, although darker as the lights of the city dim in the distance. Teprin nods to the guards. "Any problems?"
"No recent activity," comes the reply, "Although some strange noises reported from the Flower Cavern. Nothing found in any searches, though." Teprin nods thoughtfully. He then leads on silently for a few more minutes before halting.
"The way we need to take will take us through a series of passages. We will need to use our sunrods to light the way." He shows how to use them, striking one on the stone wall to make it glow. When he is satisfied, he continues at the same unrelenting pace into the tunnel.
"Are the caverns named by a particular purpose? Is the Flower Cavern full of flowers, or is a name but a name?"
Vaard strikes his sunrod waiting for Teprin's response as Nalverren took the words right out of the Lizardman's mouth.
As arrows fall around Tal he says mostly to himself, "I hoped they would be open to hearing us out." He turns his head to Rehil, "I have a spell that would make your arrows last longer if you plan on shooting back!"
Teprin cracks the briefest of smiles. "The Flower Cavern is so called because of the mineral formations. There are several types but the most striking are like flowers made of stone. They are formed by minerals in dripping water."
The passage slopes downwards, steeply in a few places. There are a few junctions with side passages, next to which are carved small plaques with sequences of dots in relief. Teprin consults these by running his fingers over them, then chooses a direction and moves on. He also pauses from time to time to listen intently, then continues once satisfied.
The passage ends at a wider cavern, high in the cave wall. A tumble of large boulders forms a rough staircase down and the group scramble down to floor level. A small stream meanders across the cavern floor through a low carpet of ankle-high mushrooms and puffballs.
"We can rest here for a few minutes," says Teprin.
Rehil looses two shots at the leader in quick succession.
" If we kill them, we'll have plenty of arrows."
....
....
Tal grasps his holy symbol as a wave of holy energy engulfs his allies, "May Dol Arrah guide us"
"Halflings! Surrender now and you may yet live!"
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Vaard nods to Teprin as he looks around the wonders of the cavern. He then breaks the silence of the trip by asking, "What can you or are you willing to tell me of the nature of your relationship with the Silver Flame Teprin?"
When Teprin looks over to answer Vaard's question, Nalverren will wave his hands in a strange manner, slowly, to see if Teprin seems to notice.
Rehil's target tumbles from his saddle.
Teprin looks a little taken aback by Vaard's question. "The Flame is what guides us. As a warden it is my duty to protect the city and the people within it. My superiors in the city divine the will of the Flame and it is for me to follow their orders, and thereby carry out that will." He shrugs. "I am just a warden in the Depths, it is not my place to question these things."
As Nalverren gestures obscurely Teprin frowns slightly in confusion, but says nothing.
"Back up to the tree. Don't let them surround us."
Vaard nods, "Before our... encounter with the Flame I was a Guardian of my people. Now I begin to see things differently, the Flame spared me for a reason, a higher calling to protect the many not just the few. I wish to be shown the way but have none to teach me. Tell me Warden, tell me is that something that you too have experienced?"
Cole follows along through the depths, keeping his own torches in reserve for the time being. He tries to take everything gin, but the plaques at the junctions particularly earn his interest.
“How do these work?” he rumbles, reaching out to touch the dots, “Is it a language? Or more of a code?”
The big warforged looks around at the stream and strange cavern foliage, "Also, what threats do you watch out for down here? Is there anything dangerous in here, for instance?"
Nalverren frowns as well, and in general appears to be (as he is) attempting to discern if the guard is blind or not.
The depths were like nothing that Ashshar had seen. The caverns reminded him of his home, like a stoney and mushroomy jungle.
And the same as when back at home, he was completely alert. "Tell me, Teprin... the dangers... were are they? Here? Or deeper? I feel observed, but I'm not used to having a roof over my head constantly... maybe I am only awkward here."
Teprin is clearly not used to discussing deeper matters of faith. "I simply do as my superiors bid me."
Replying to Cole he adds, "It is a code. The signs are simply way markers saying where we are in the caverns. They are tactile so they can be used in the dark, in case one has no means of providing light."
"Tactile..." says Ashshar as he mkves towards the plate with his hand stretched. "Can you teach us the code? Or is it too difficult?"
"We do not teach the code to outsiders," says Teprin firmly.
Ashshar smiles and nods "Understandable... but I hope not to be considered an outsider forever." he answers before touching the bow on his back "Should we be ready for trouble? I feel at home in the jungle, but here I'm a true outsider "
Teprin seems more comfortable talking about the dangers in the Depths. "There are many monsters, spawn of Khyber or the aberrant filth of the Daelkyr. And there are other dangerous creatures, such as purple worms, which also dwell underground. And there are physical dangers, such as floods and poison gas. So it is important to be prepared at all times."
Two of the dinosaur mounts immediately head away at high speed, their riders struggling vainly for control, as does the rider-less mount. Another bucks but the hunter keeps it more or less steady.
The remaining halflings release one more volley and then ride away at speed a short distance before regrouping.
"We do not teach the code to outsiders," says Teprin firmly.
Cole shoulders his big hammer, “But what if something happens to you?” His tone is genuine, “How should we get back? I would think it’d be in your best interest, too. We’re your best chance of getting back if something does happen.”
He looks around the cavern, “So, how far until we reach our goal?”
Vaard lapses into silence once more.
"That was my question, as well. If something were to happen to you, we'd have no guidance out of here. No one would know where to look for us."
Rehil nocks another arrow and lets it fly at the knot of halflings.
...
Satisfied, he sidesteps carefully backwards toward the tree.
Tal readies his bow and steps back towards the tree as the halflings retreat further away.
Rehil's arrow finds its mark, although the halfling is only slightly wounded, and Wultram's spell fails to take hold. But the halflings take the hint. After a final volley, they ride away.
Teprin shakes his head firmly. "We do not teach the code to outsiders. These tunnels provide a way into the city from below, and the way markers point the way. So it is important that understanding of them is restricted. If I am to perish underground, then my soul will join with the Flame to protect everyone from the spawn of Khyber. Whether you make it out of the Depths without me, that too is the will of the Flame."
He stands. "Shall we go? We have a few more hours of walking ahead of us."
"We will have to remain vigilant. It seems they do not take kindly to visitors to their lands."
Cole readiness is obvious, so he nods. "I understand your stance, Teprin. I guess it just becomes that much important that you don't die."
Regardless, the big warforged tries to begin paying much more attention to their route down into the darkness.
Nalverren makes notes of the symbols as they pass.