"If you do not want to sleep you don't have to. you could stay up and talk to me. The magic keeps me from sleeping, maybe I could teach you to do the same."
"I don't wanna stay down here, it's dusty and stuff. It's only like two minutes back to Sandpoint, which has probably burned down by now."
Rumal looks around groggy-eyed, "Ahm nodda fan of this plase too." He takes a swig from one of his flasks as he sits on one of the steps and leans his elbows on the one above it. "Ah don blame tha human fer not wan... SNNNNZZZ." He passes out mid speech, snoring and drooling beginning almost simultaneously.
Nover catches the gnome before he hits his head on anything.
"I'll count that as one vote for resting here. It hasn't been terribly long, we could all sit, learn a bit about each other, maybe take a quick catnap and continue on our adventure."
"I'm not adverse to harsh conditions in Angradd's service, but an army fights best if rested. We've travelled less than an hour from the town, and we should return there to rest properly. I'll need at least eight hours to sleep and pray, that our expedition is favoured in Angradd's name."
The group returns through the twisting smuggler's tunnel, emerging from the Sandpoint Glassworks. Perhaps to their amazement, the sun is shining brightly in the sky, the hour not even noon. The group makes its way to the Rusty Dragon, relaxing and getting some food and rest on comfortable beds.
"See? Trogog knows. What would we eat if we stayed down there? Is anyone else super hungry?" Elaina is surprised Sandpoint is still standing. She takes her armor off outside the glassworks, wishing she had some of that magical light-as-paper armor you hear about in stories. Hers was so heavy.
She eats her fill at the Rusty Dragon. "Is it true dwarves are made of rocks?"
She does her best to repair and clean her clothing, and heads to her big bed at the White Deer.
Despite his instant sleep, Rumal just as quickly snorts and comes out of it when roused. He rubs his eyes, takes a swig, and looks just as... well whatever he was before he went to sleep. Maybe cognizant or aware isn't the right word. Present, he's just as present.
Returning back to the town, he is glad to be there. Once he discovers when the rest of them plan to meet and return to the depths, he agrees to meet them there, regardless of whether they invited him or tried to convince him not to go. That settled he makes his way to the Hagfish. It's been a while since he got totally drunk, like a couple hours at least, and he's off to regain his senses with some hair of the dog.
Nover returns to the Rusty Dragon and asks for a bucket. He spends some time behind the building cleaning and polishing his armor. Examining the dents he's put into it over the past few days. Finishing his task he begins on his weapons.
"The sword doesn't even look like it's been damaged, we don't even know how long it's been down there. Just look at it. I wonder if there's anything to it?"
He goes back in, knowing that Ameiko knew a little bit of magic he asked her about it.
"Hey boss, I found a couple of things in the tunnels beneath the town, would you be able to see if anything is, you know, special? I have this here ranseur, and a sword that seems to be in excellent condition. Both seem to be well balanced, almost unusually so."
Taking a look at both weapons, the woman sings a few short notes, and nods. "The sword is magical, good Nover. It is a light enchantment that basically just helps guide it better, but it is a wonderful treasure. The ranseur is just what it seems, a well-crafted weapon."
Elaina has a long nap and wakes, a little sore, but feeling pretty good otherwise. Maybe Angrarb wasn't so bad. She hides the mysterious tomb she found in her pillow and meets with the others at the Rust Dragon. She would rather celebrate something instead of going back underground, but the goblin menace and naked lady were still out there somewhere. The sooner they were dealt with the sooner she could start looking for her lost friend.
"Angradd's guidance came to me in my rest," I reply, "I believe," I lean on the word, "we must pass through the disturbing red room of the floating objects."
"We are just going to have to look through the whole of the place again. We obviously missed something."
"Well, we did have the one door to look through, I get the feeling I'm not going to enjoy this. This armor is helping me quite a bit though, I might need to get something a bit better."
"There has to be more. The journal says the tunnel was used for smugglin' so it must come out on the water somewhere. If we hurry we can be done and back in time for dinner probably." Elaina gets a snack and bounces off to the tunnel.
[/ooc]
"We should hurry," I gravel. "Our rest was necessary, but there is still an innocent to rescue, by Angradd's grace."[/b]
"Angradd guide my footsteps," I mutter, feeling his divine power flow through me. With all appropriate caution, I begin to advance down the unexplored corridor.
Moments later, I pause and sniff the air. "Smells funny," I mutter, wondering what it might be. Just the musty scent of too-long abandoned and uncleaned tunnels? Or something more?
Elaina follows Togog, lighting the way for herself with her dancing lights. "Does that really work, Togog? Has Anbrab ever come out of the rocks and save you from...fallin' rocks? What if Angrab was the one who makes the rocks fall?"
Nover sighs.
"The gods don't just reveal themselves to save everybody from a fate they cannot begin to understand. But we can always wonder why."
Nover was taking the rear, his blade at the ready in case he needed to rush forward.
"Smells like dungeon to me, it's good to be back underground after a while. Sometimes I miss being in the tunnels."
"It is nice to have a proper structure over our heads. Could almost clean this out and make a proper home."
[Ooc]Sorry guys, preparation for Pesach has me kinda frazzled.[/b]
"Angradd protects us as we protect ourselves," I smile at Elaina. Doubtless, the human woman is a little... odd... which only means she'll benefit more from a fuller expounding upon Angradd's divinity. One which she seems all to eager to receive, a sad rarity in my clerical career... "Many times, my eyes have fallen on some cleft of rock or loose scree, and I know Angradd is within me, guiding my sight. Many times, his axe has bounced just so in my hands, finding a crevice in the foe's armor," I smile, "and naturally, should we be wounded, his healing energy flows through me to aid us all, as you have felt," I nod, "and t'were we to be overcome, our souls would be welcomed into his great feasting hall, where mead flows freely and meat roasts over the great fires, and battle is done each day in honour of his name."
After getting prepped and ready, the group finally descends back into the previously unknown dungeon beneath Sandpoint. Taking the only unexplored passage remaining to them, the group quickly comes upon a small shrine of some sort.
The tunnel widens at this point. To the northeast, steps lead up to a platform of gray stone. Sitting atop the platform is an ancient altar, little more than a jagged block of black marble with a shallow concavity on top of it. This basin is filled with what appears to be filthy water.
Elaina angles the flat of her blade in the dim light, examining the lightly etched angelic ankh of Sarenrae just above the hilt. "I think that's just experience cuz you're old and stuff, magic people don't sit around waiting to help normal people all day..." she mutters bitterly to herself.
She gasps when she sees the alter and rushes to it. "Look at this pretty rock! I bet we could sell it for a lot, let's take it!" She tries tilting it up on one end to dump the water out.
"Stop!" Togog snaps. "That could be very dangerous. Or disrespectful - which, to a certain kind of god, would be worse."
Elaina starts at Togog's yelling and jumps away from the alter. "What?! There's nothing good down here! Nobody cares if we take a stupid rock. I need better armor, and for that I need money."
"Cousin Togog speaks words of wisdom that you would do well to listen to. Impulsiveness can be a good thing sometimes, but when something seems too good to be true chances are it's not. Or at least you should think that way Elaina. If the bowl was cursed or trapped you could be lying in a puddle of your own blood right now. A bit grim, but I've seen it in the tunnels fighting goblins."
Rumal just nods, one eyebrow lifted as Togog goes on about all the things his grandad can do. Despite everyone having a decent chunk of sleep, the gnome appears to already be drunk again... or still drunk, it's tough to tell. As they discover the liquid-filled basin, Rumal's interest is piqued, "Lemme see. Ahve godda nose fer these things." He eyes the liquid, takes a whiff, and generally gives it an inspection with the well-trained eye of a master of liquids (albeit primarily alcoholic in nature).
Elaina stomps to the wall and pouts, vowing to one day discover why all dwarves are so mean.
Rumal scrunches his nose in disgust, "This ane nuthin dringable, thas fer certain. Ah heard tha it'll turn ya into a downrigh monster, and not the way too mush whiskey does to some folk. I mean like tha three-limbed goblin thing what threw up on us. I say leave it alone, you don wan none of it." He wipes his hands off on his brewer's apron, as if he is dirty for just discussing the liquid.
"All the more reason to dump it out and not tell whoever buys the pretty rock." Elaina tries again to tip the alter.
"A moment, please, Lady Elaina." I say, as I step forward to study the altar with greater intensity. "If this altar stands to some deity of goodwill, we should clean and honour it, so some true-ordained cleric of their faith can reconsecrate it. If it stands to some dark power, we should wipe its filth from the material plain."
Rumal scrunches his eyebrows, "Iffit helbs, the nassy stuff inside is called Wadders of Lam ash.. lumutsh, lama shtew...yunno whud ahm sayn."