Tink manages to save the book before it catches fire, Wendaug hands over her bow shoulders still slumped and looks up at Lann.
"Do.. as .... you.. wish... with .. me.. the ..surface will... be your undoing or... so I... am Told."
Don points at the lockbox. Anyone good with locks? I don't want to have to bash unless I need to.
Lynn gives Tink a glare. "You don't care about evil if there's some bling on it." she accuses him. Opportunistic rat.
Turning to Don she replies "I'm great with locks. Since I learned how to use keys." she tells holding up the key from the dead clerics possessions. Having Don's attention she throws it over to him.
Don unlocks the box
"You didn't even give me chance to look at it before tossing it into the fire. How am I to know it is evil? Besides, who would not want to know what the other side thinks so you can fight them better?" Tink rebuts
Lann walks into the Meeting hall with the bound Wendaug and the rest of the group. He sits Wendaug down in a stone chair and Aniva and Aravashnial sit as well, Horgus stay standing looking back through the door they came in.
"So will you submit to my chieftain?" Lann asks wendaugh
Wendaug ponders his words for a few moments.
"What.. will.. he offer... me?"
Lann looks at her thoughtfully before speaking, "He will keep you close for a while, he could make you a runner in the tribe to keep the passages clear or whatever he decides."
Wendaug goes silent for a bit.
The lockbox holds a small leather pouch containing an assortment of
semiprecious gemstones (three chips of lapis lazuli worth
10 gp each, two bloodstones worth 50 gp each, a citrine
worth 50 gp, and a white pearl worth 100 gp) as well as a scroll
of bear’s endurance and a scroll of remove disease. The lockbox
also contains long, thin darkwood sword case worth 200 gp.
Lynn opens the box revealing the most intricate sword, the blade is a dark black drinking in the light form the candles and braziers in the room. A faint power eminates from it once you open the box.
Once you pick it up you can feel the hum of ancient power in the blade, the grip has been recently redone and the blade has small notches from use.
"So you think reading a prayer book of an evil Demon Lord gives you some hints? Then look for these hints and then you put it back in the fire." Lynn tells Tink.
She then takes her time to read the note. "Here are the hints about the plans of this evil group and this Hosilla person. And with her dead and that in our hands we might be able to spoil these plans. And if there is a sword in this lockbox then we also have the legendary sword of Yaniel."
So perhaps return the sword to the rulers of the city? Might boost morale.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. But we won't know unless we read it will we. Besides, it could be of use to someone fighting this specific evil, perhaps that person would pay for such a thing." Tink says as he inspects some of the weapons hanging on the wall. "Even if it is evil it is better to turn it to our advantage than to waste an opportunity."
Yaniel was a great hero from the first Crusade, she helped with driving the demons back and this is her blade. It doesn't feel as powerful as the legends claimed it to be. Might get better with time..
Horgus comes to look at the blade as well.
"The City uppers would like that sword, but it depends on who is still alive."
"So you're willing to spread evil for money?" Lynn inquires writing off the arguments as cheap excuses. "Who but a worshipper would pay serious money for that."
"Somebody with half a brain who wishes to fight said worshipers. Tell me when it is not a good idea to know what to expect from your enemies? Perhaps this text reveals practices that help fight them, that help identify them, that could help route them out. Know your enemy and you always have a better chance of victory."
"Did you start reading it already? Maybe then you realize how stupid your assumption is. It's a prayer book. You'll find praises of that demon and pleas to destroy and corrupt the world." Lynn rejects Tink's idea of logic. "We've seen that in action. No need to search in the book."
"We may find annotations or notes within. The text may reveal to be more than simply prayers under scrutiny. Where is the harm anyway? The best that can happen is we gain an upper hand, the worst is that we learn nothing and perhaps come out a few coins richer after selling it to some paladin or someone who we know to be good, and fighting against our enemies."
Lynn puts her hand on Tink's shoulder and turns him towards her to be sure to have his full attention "As you insist on keeping this evil book for your personal gain know this: If you start doing anything fishy with this book I'm going to burn it. Maybe even without taking it away from you."
"I fail to see how being interested in learning about who we are fighting and why is for my personal gain? If you want to remain ignorant that is your own choice. I however feel that more knowledge is never harmful." Tink says, "Now I would appreciate you letting go of me."
You can almost see the steam coming out of Lynns ears and Tink clearly feels that she is tense at his shoulder. She looks around at the others but they wouldn't approve of her rammin him into the ground. "Fine" she snorts and pushes him a bit as she takes her hand away and turns to the table again to check on the other stuff.
Tink dusts his shoulder and turns to continue looking at the weapons on the wall
Lynn casts detect magic and checks on the items what are their properties.
"Nice." Lynn says to herself and picks up the wand.
Everyone looks over at Lynn as she makes her final statement to Tink with force. Horgus goes back to the table and sits down as well.
"I wish to return Wendaug to my village, I can catch up with you in a days time on the surface." Lann addresses everyone.
"Even though we won this fight I don't think we're going anywhere in this condition. I've spent almost all of my powers already. Or do you want to press on beyond checking the remaining rooms of this - whatever it is called." Lynn replies.
"This might be a good place to rest if we need too, only 1 way in I can see." Avina looks at the passage they just came down.
"I would like to reach the surface quickly, my spells are lessened each time I use them." Aravashnial holds his staff tightly, fatigue playing on his face.
I believe we have healing potions. I have two of Cure Light Wounds and there was one we found that Cures Moderate Wounds.
"So we press on? Those of us who are injured can stay here, it seems the most defensible." Aniva looks pained.
Farewell Lann, safe journeys. A rest might be good, yes I agree. Don will agree to nap if the others are agreeable.
"I must ask for an escort to the entrance to this complex, from there I will be fine but I don't know how many are above us still who who is."
Lann takes Wendaug to the latter up.
Don goes as an escort.
Lynn takes a look around the remaining rooms on that level squeezing through the doors. Last she bags the potions and the wand and puts the rest of the stuff through the hole in the ceiling up where they came from. As she finally shrinks to her normal size she climbs the ladder and puts the stuff on the cart.
"Are we going to look into the other rooms? Also Don, how about your health? And are you going to wield the magical sword from the museum?"
Iko watches the exchange and the tempers flaring and says calmly.
"Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured."
Lynn rolls her eyes and closes them. Inner peace, inner peace, in-in-inner peace...
Aniva hobbles her way up to Lynn,
"I understand how you feel, my wife is a Paladin of Iomadae and it can be hard sometimes when she tells me the same such things." Aniva gives Lynn a wink.
I amj better with the Earthbreaker but if we have to fight a demon or something that needs a holy weapon I can swing it.
Lynn looks puzzled at Aniva. Shouldn't she then feel with Tink?
Everyone makes it back to the entry chamber with few difficulties, Aravashnial did slip while climbing the moving latter and almost feel, Aniva had to be pulled up because of fatigue. Horgus just grumbled a lot about all the climbing. Once back into the entry chamber, Lann leads a bound Wendaug back east telling you he will join up with you in a day if everything works out. The door to the north leads into a dimly lit room.
H10. Trophy Hall (CR 3)
The worked stone walls of this large room hold a number of
shelves, each of which display the preserved bodies of dire
rats, bats, rock vipers, cave lizards, and other creatures that
pose in eerie stillness. A pair of bedrolls have been laid out
to the southeast.
There is yet another ladder up but this one appears to be cut into the stone, to the right is a narrow hallway big enough for 1 person to go down.
Let us go right, I am sure it is perfectly safe. Did I ever speak about the time I wanted to retire with a big boat to sail on?
Aniva and Horgus are at a loss for words, when Don talk about boats.
"Hmm boats, I once sailed on a ship down in the shackles, met the meanest pirate captain ever. She was named after the Sea Goddess Besmara. This captain could throw a dagger through a mans eyes at 20 paces, nearly did it to me when I met her at a port." Aravashnial rubs his chin thinking more. "Had a temper too but her crew loved her. Maybe you should make your way down to the Shackles Don if you survive up here."
No doubt be a lot better than being hip deep in demons.
Don goes down the small hallway, H11. Sluice
A muted roar echoes down the walls of this hallway. Near the
eastern end, the worked stone give way to natural cave walls,
just before the hall ends at an open shaft. Hanging over the
edge of the shaft is a knotted rope—the other end tied to an
iron spike driven into the ground.
The opening drops down about 40 feet, the rope looks secure enough to climb down."[/b]
The entrance to this small chamber sits a foot above the water
level to the west. A thick layer of dust coats the rest of the
cavern. Near the far wall sits an old wooden chest covered with
dust and cobwebs.
DC 20 Reflex Save/DC 20 perception Check to notice/Spike Pit Trap 10' deep
"What did that note say that you found Lynn?" Aniva sits down while she waits for Don to return.
Lynn hands the note to Aniva. "It's an evil plot where some leader gave orders to that now dead cleric."
Lynn climbs down the rope halfway looking around.
"Hey, this leads directly into the water here. I'd say let's skip this, but there is some chamber across the water. What shall we do?"
Before Lynn moves off.
"Can I read it?"
"Sure" Lynn replies.
Aniva reads the letter over, her face going red as she does. Handing it over to Horgus who then scans the letter.
"We must get this to Irabeth, these Safe Houses need to be taken care of. I can't believe they existed in the city for so long." Aniva is shaking "SV can only stand for one Staunton Vhane, he betrayed us here, Irabeth fought him almost dying. He is currently in Charge of Dresnan out in the World Wound."
"The Tower of Estrod, that is a haven of information, a library that we use to research the Demons and the World Wound. It has some of the last writing from Sarkoiris, I would like to explore that to see what we can recover."
Horgus is surprised to find out that Nyserian Manor is a safe haven for the cultists
"Interesting, all these places are known to me but nothing that seems out of the ordinary"