"Stay here," Jokum murmurs to the person immediately behind him, and then creeps forward to the 5'-wide gap. Peering, trying to remain as concealed as possible himself, he looks for the source of the light...
Karthak finds himself surprised by Jokum's request:"Fine" he whispers back, clearly unconvinced by the request
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Grinning slightly, "You going to be ok Pollux? Can't have you falling down the next time I need a toss in the air!"
"It'll take more than a scratch." he says with an easy smile, still using his spear as a walking stick. Though he starts to look better after a moment.
Pollux holds a hand up as he sees the taller of the two figures ahead of him start stalking off into the side cavern. His brow furrows slightly and he looks down to Tess, then her fox, then back to her. He makes the slightest of head gestures toward the side cavern Jokum made way into and then begins to prep his sling..
Why are we stopping? Xaivan asks while trying to peer up toward the cavern. Maybe I could go take a look! The halfling will make his way up to the front and would also go in unless stopped by Pollux or another.
"Because he asked us to..." says Karthak putting an hand before Xavian trying to stop him from going any further.
Jokum comes loping back to the group. "There's a building of some kind in there--worked stone with a big hammer carved onto it. Can't tell where that green light's coming from, though. What do you think? Could be a good place to hole up and defend ourselves if need be--but then again, something else may have had the same thought."
Well, if there is a light inside then its probably occupied. Maybe its the guy that had the backpack? Xaivan ponders. I suppose we can go and find out.
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Pollux hesitates for a moment and walks forward, peering into the room as it comes into view.
With alacrity he says"Stand Back!" and taking a good grip of his sling, he readies a battle stance, putting out a hand to warn the hurt to stand still. "Some kind of insect awaits us! Ready your arms and stay the wounded!"
His eyes cut forward and the slow whir of his sling begins to replace the silence of the cave. He approaches the fly slowly, ready to attack if it strikes out at them.
Karthak advances as he hears Pollux's warning shout, axe cluthed tightly in hand:"More insects?" he growls.
Looking at the wounded Ce-Eshna bites her lip trying to decide between protecting them and following the alarmed cry. Finally she looks at them and says, "Stay here." Rushing to block any attack from the chamber. She readies an arrow to intercept anything.
The girl slowly peeks into the room, stowing the mapmaking chalk and slate for now and raising her fox kit up to see as well.
"It's got a religious icon on it.... And it looks familiar but I can't remember where I've seen it before!"
Tess sighs, and carefully stows Sorua in her familiar satchel. She toys with a dagger in her hand. "Do you think he likes lights? Maybe I can distract him, like a moth flies to a candle."
She motions upward, and a new bout of dancing lights circles above the insect's head.
Xaivan will simply stay back but will ready his bow in case it might be needed. He'll try to work his way up behind the others if there is room for the halfling to do so.
Jokum mutters an oath as he sees the fly. How in the nine hells did I miss that? Must be going blind in my old age...
He readies an arrow in case the fly approaches them.
While advancing towards the fly Karthak notices the cravings on the walls:
"By the worldforger! It's the sign of Torag!" shouts the dwarf, seemingly overjoyed at the sight.
So? Where else would dwarves worship but in a cave? Xaivan remarks. I'm more interested in the light inside.
The light seems to emanate from the chamber itself. Small flecks of crystal in the ceiling are glowing. On their own they would provide little illumination but together they provide through out the chamber.
"So this is an altar to your god?" Tess muses, entering the cavern. She resists the urge to scribble more notes in her journal, but examines the cave closely, committing the iconography to memory as best she can.
"I don't know much about this... Torag fellow." The girl adjusts her glasses and peers at the dwarf solemnly. "Is this sort of thing normal for his worshippers? Consecrating a room in a cavern beneath the city, I mean."
Shel considers the glowing crystals carefully as well. "Sir Breakbones, what would cause the growth of minerals that emit their own light? What would the purpose be?"
She smiles craftily at the halfling. "....Do you think they're worth anything?"
Jokum, relaxing slightly now that the fly is gone, will also search the room in detail.
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A smile crosses Pollux's face as the bug dies. "Come along, there is no more danger here." he says as he hears Ce-Eshna's bowstring stretching behind him. He signals for the wounded to go in ahead of him and then nods to Ce-Eshna once they've all made it.
Entering the room himself, he listens in to the conversations going on around him while he approaches the building, letting others tell the story of this God to him. "Charming; to be lost in the dark under the earth and to find first light -- however dim -- in the yard of a holy place." He fingers the symbol on the wall (if its within reach) and with the slightest of smiles says in a lowered voice, almost a whisper, "Oh, but sometimes how we fall short."
Karthak cleanses his axe bladefrom the creature's ichor, at the same time wondering at the discovery of the subterranean temple:"Torag is the father of creation, he who shaped this world into existence. Be respectful here, and keep your hands to yourselves. This is a sacred place and we have enough on our plate without adding desecration to the list" so saying the dwarf advances inside the temple.
Herding the wounded into the lit area Ce-Eshna looks around, seeing the bug's corpse she makes a face and asks, "Will it be safe to leave the wounded here? We could come back for them after we've secure a way out." I don't WANT to leave them behind but if we keep moving this slow it will be next year before we make it to the surface...
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"And fall further still." Pollux says as the dwarf barks out orders. He takes another moment to marvel at the marker and as he turns away from it he finds Karthak moving inside of the temple. He smiles and shakes his head before turning his attention to Ce-Eshna. "I must disagree. Since finding ourselves here we have come across both a campsite and stray adventuring gear left by those who have braved this cave before us." he puts a hand to his chin and looks toward the room's exit.
"Have you ever set up camp only a few hours journey from home? Or prepared ten days worth of food if you expected to be quick?" a somber expression plays across his face as he weighs his words carefully. "I do not know how much longer this cavern will go, but I feel safe in saying at worst we know there may just be a ten day journey to the surface. Unless there is evidence to the contrary, I doubt you can stomach knowing your wounded countrymen might not escape this cavern for days, even weeks until we've returned for them."
Xaivan wanders inside the temple, not knowing much of gods and holy places. I don't see what the big deal is. I'm not sure anything here is even worth anything. Whether he was reacting to anyone's comment with that last statement is hard to tell. No wonder this place is underground.
Xaivan then asks aloud to no one in particular, So are we moving on then? I see nothing useful in here, at least not yet.
The halfling will continue to wander and examine anything interesting in the area, just in case.
An inspection of the surrounding area reveals only that the old stone door leading into the building is stuck.
Karthak stops in front of the blocked stone door and after realizing the only way to open the door is through force he starts to push on it:"I think we need to open this with the strength of our arms! The father of stone needs strong people to work his forge, after all!"
Ce-Eshna rolls her eyes as the stuffy dwarf struggles with the door, walking over she leans in to help.
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Pollux laughs openly and approaches the door. "Ha! Next time you can toss me, Ce-Eshna."
His laugh does not make it to his eyes however and he pauses just short of walking into the chapel. "So is it agreed that we are searching in here?" he asks, looking around at all of his comrades scattered in the yard.
Sure seems that way, Xaivan comments as he keeps looking around.
A stone bench lines the southern wall of this chamber. At the far side of the room, a basin of water sits a top a stone pedestal. A stone door engraved with an image of a hammer stands to the north.
Treasure: The basin contains a 2 doses of holy water.
She limps into the antechamber of the abandoned temple. Taking a seat on the bench her forehead beaded with sweat. ”Oh thank the gods a seat…” Practically collapsing onto the stone bench she sumps against the wall clearly exhausted. ”I’m not sure how much father I can walk like this. I need some time to rest and recover.”
Looking into the antechamber Ce-Eshna sniffs a bit, "Air is stale in here, I miss the wind in my hair."
Mutters loudly ”Anevia is slowing us down perhaps it’s time that we split up. A few of us could certainly move ahead and maybe even get some help.”
Anevia explodes, “I’m not surprised that a man afraid to acknowledge his own faith wouldn't be moved by a forgotten temple like this! Of course though, a man like you who’s too ashamed of of his faith is as bad as any demon worshiping cultist!”
Horgus is a bit taken aback by her outburst, but then contemptuously remarks “Oh the irony of being chided by someone who is known to consort with thieves. Perhaps I keep my faith more personal then you but I can’t believe your arrogance to compare me to th-those monsters!”
Anevia falls into black, silent anger at this, her eyes narrowing. Drawing upon some inner reserves to resist escalating the argument any further.
Annoyed with both, Ce-Eshna offhandedly looks at Xaivan and remarks, "Would be a lot easier if we left both here. We'd move a lot faster and wouldn't be half so noisy without him grumbling all the time and giving our position away. We might actually be able to AVOID trouble." It's clear to everyone she wouldn't actually abandon anyone but she's had quite enough of the pity party. She moves away from the door to the temple and continues watching for trouble, expecting the outburst to possibly have drawn yet another predator to the group.
After wandering through the temple curiously, Tess meets Anevia at her bench and sits beside her if the woman permits. "You look like you're feeling faint, ma'am. Would you like some food? I know it's not much, but I've got some toasted grain and dry fruit in my bag."
The girl looks over at the rest of the group apprehensively: the angry exchanges between so many of them leave her feeling timid and lost. "Um, perhaps we could all use a moment to sit and rest? It's... Um... been a long day already- and we might not be so grouchy if we put a little food in our bellies."
"Tess is right," Jokum says, entering the temple and gazing around suspiciously. "If this place is at all safe, it's worth pausing for a breather to take stock of ourselves. We have no guarantee of reaching the surface soon, and there's no point wearing ourselves out in a pointless chase."
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"Enough out of you!" Pollux says, approaching Hargus. Without breaking eye contact he reaches to the man's side to take back his mace. "You can't believe her arrogance? Well, mate, believe my arrogance..." he says, undoing the mace from Hargus's belt (or snatching it from his hand, either or). His lips curl into a taunting sneer as he takes the mace and begins to strap it back to his own belt, but he stops, daring Hargus to take it back from him. "Believe my arrogance to think that you, Hargus Gwerm, were ready to hold a weapon in your hand and use it to the benefit of your saviors... and their wards." he tilts his head in Anevia's direction as he says wards. "Yet here you are, threatening a crippled woman for no other reason than the fact that you were blessed enough to walk away from that fall with your own two legs intact. You are not deserving of a weapon, and you are no more deserving of leaving here alive than she is."
He continues staring Hargus in the eye to gauge if he'll try to take the mace back.
Sure, lets just leave all the wounded in here and close the door. They'll be fine, won't they Hargus? Xaivan simply shakes his head and looks at Ce-Eshna. That's what he would prefer. He only cares for himself. Stepping up next to Pollux, he continues. We should give the injured a little time to rest before moving on. Maybe we should split up. We'll go one way, this oaf can go whatever way he chooses.
I'm all for looking after oneself but not where it would leave others in harm's way! Picking one's pocket for a few coins or a bit of food is one thing, but to abandon lives just to move a bit faster is quite another.
Karthak nods at Jokum's words:"You are right... which place could be safer than the House of the Lord of Protection? And..." the dwarf turns towards Anevia and Hargus:"... you two! Please show some respect! This is not the place nor the time for quarrelling!"
Ce-Eshna moves back to the door and looks at both of them, feeling someone chastised by the dwarf and moved by his speech she looks at both the nobleman and the woman and gives a hesitant apology, "I'm sorry, this is not an ideal situation and I shouldn't take it out on you two."
Anevia glares at everyone in the room but seems to settle down.
"Fools the lot of ya. You're going to get us all killed down here!" He steps out to the courtyard.
Frustrated by the man reaction Karthak considers smashing him against a wall to teach him some humility but ultimately decides against it:"Very well, skulk like a child if it pleases you. In the meanwhile let's check the rest of this temple, who knows what wonderful secrets it may hide?" as he finishes his tirade the dwarf starts moving around the temple considering every detail of its structure.
Jokum shakes his head as Hargus exits the building. Must watch that one. He is not to be trusted.
He gazes around the interior of the temple, though he stays close to a door or window where he can keep an eye on Hargus.
In the antechamber there is the basin with water. There is also the door leading to the north and the bench next to it.
The blind elf sits next to Anevia on the stone bench resting from the difficult trek, near the door with Torag's hammer on it. Despite the place being an temple to a good god, you all have an uneasy feeling. Something feels wrong here...
A sudden chill runs down Karthak's spine:"The wonder of... something feels off! Be on your guard people, we might not be under the Father of Creation's protection here, after all!"