"Well. I'm always thankful for back scrubs and I think I expressed this thankfulness adequately. So if someone would like some thanks..." Tauriell replies to no one in particular.
Niamh sighs and takes out her Journal and her pen. "I can not draw or paint!" She grouches but trys to draw it.
After her first try Niamh starts to draw her second try.
With more success.
"All this vanity..." a voice speaks out of the darkness.
Niamh starts up and stands up packing her things in her backpack. "Uhm, what do you mean exactly?"
"... life is too short for such quarreling - or too long to still care about such things..." The voice replies. Seemingly from somewhere in the water.
"How long did you think about so philosophical questions?" Niamh asks after she turned around to the water.
"...obviously longer than you do about your's ..." the voice replies. "... what are you seeking here..."
"Is this your home?"
"... why do you ask ..."
"When yes I am sorry to disturb your peace... If not, what are you doing here...?" Niamh starts taking it's way of speaking.
Only silence answers Niamh's question.
Niamh snorts and sends her lights into the water to see with whom she is talking.
The water is rather clear and the dancing lights have a nice effect underwater, but nonetheless the source of the voice can not be found as the ripples on the surface distort anything.
"What are you?" Niamh asks.
There is only the sound of breath bubbles emerging from the water.
"We are searching such a thing. It is a shard. But don't ask me from what. Did you see it?" Niamh asks forming a shard with her hand.
The source of the emerges again and answers "... your question doesn't make sense..."
"Not?" Niamh replies and swings her violin a bit forth and back. "Tauriell help me to describe the shard." She stops the swinging and adds. "Please."
Tauriell sighs. "It is one of seven pieces of a seven pointed star made of sky metal." Tauriell explains.
"... no. I haven't seen that..."
"Thank you, Tauriell!" Niamh says a bit disappointed from the answer of that voice. "Do you know which colours were used for this painting?"
"... yes I know. But I will only tell you if you do me a favor ..." the voice answers.
"What would that favour be?" Niamh asks carefully.
"... I lost a precious broach when my ship the Liza Jane sank. Find it and bring it to me and I'll tell you..." the voice offers.
"Tauriell, do you remember the name of that ship we found?" Niamh asks Tauriell.
"Yes I do." Tauriell replies. "That is a lot to ask for telling which colors were used to paint that picture, oh ominous voice from the dark."
"... I could offer knowledge about what awaits you here in the sewers..." the voice replies.
Niamh looks at Tauriell waiting for her decision.
Tauriell takes a golden broach out of her pocket and shows it towards the water. "I have the broach here. Tell what you know and I'll see if the information is worth giving you that thing back."
Something moves through the water and half a head looks out to see the broach. "... I don't wan't it back..." the voice states staring at the broach.
"... there are four derros in the rooms these sewers lead to. They are dragging people through the sewers for their experiments. They are dangerous enemies..."
"... will you bring this broach to my wife Liza Jane Brast and tell her you found it in the sunken ship? If she asks about Lockerbie Brast, tell her you didn't find him..."
"You lead us through the sewers so we get safe to those derros and I'll bring that to your wife. She lives in Magnimar right?" Tauriell replies.
"You wanted to tell me which sort of colours they are." Niamh remembers. "And could you describe how your wife looks like? And her surname is the same like Lockerbie's. Was he her brother?"
"... yes she does..."
"... yes I will ..." the voice answers. Then the creature moves to the side of the bridge to climb out of the water.
He leads the way through a room where a light shines. Two picked clean skeletons wearing the rags of laborer’s garb lie sprawled on the floor of this otherwise empty room. One of them has an everburning torch in it's hand.
Walking further along the sewer the Lockerbie stops. "... be aware that there are two creatures that lunge out at everything that passes..." A flight of stairs leads up to a wide stone crossing ten feet above the dark waters below in this large room.
Lockerbie then moves carefully along the western edge of the path then across the crossing and then along the eastern edge of the path.
Taurilell kneels down to bind her shoes.
As she get's up she grabs the torch and says "We spent our hard earned money to buy some light while it lies around here for free."
Niamh tries to set her feet in the same way the thing does and tries not to laugh or even look at Tauriell.
Gwenhwyfar follows exactly on the line Lockerbie leads.
"Oh yay! Next time I'm juggling I can try it with four torches!" Niamh says pleased.
"What are these things that lunge out?"
"... It's some kind of morays..." Lockerbie answers.
As Lockerbie leads the group through a tunnel and up a spiral stair he turns around and with his finger on his lips signals the group to be silent. The tunnel leads to a balcony 10 feet above a room.
Blue, glowing fungus grows in numerous patches across the walls of this large chamber. The shadowy balcony from which the group overlooks the room at a height of ten feet is at the east. In the center of the room a wide spiral stairwell descends into the darkness. A second flight of stairs descends along the western wall.
Three derros are in a heated argument in this room.
Lockerbie points to the right and whispers "...there I can bring you too..."
To the right is a hallway that enters the room on floor level.
Tauriell comes after Lockerbie and Gwenhwyfar and with her torch brightens up the whole balcony and part of the room. As she has the attention of everybody she says "Ooops" drops the torch and readies her bow.
The derros argument comes to an abrupt halt as they notice the intruders. After a short pause the argument continues even more heated wile they prepare an assault.
Abomentolor is not happy "How can you start a fight while the enemy is so far out of my reach? Do you expect me to fly over there?"
Abomentolor casts fire breath and jumps down from the balcony.
And falls on his behind.
While Abomentolor is jumping Niamh conjures splendor of the eagle with some eagle poo, her words and a gesture on Abomentolor.
Tauriell wants to shoot two arrows at one of the derros. But then she notices that she has no arrows anymore. Therefore she drops the bow and follows Abomentolor down the balcony to charge a derro with her elven curved blade.
One of the derros takes a step and casts something. All the light from Tauriell's tiara and the patches of fungus are dimmed in a large area and only a little dim light around Tauriell is left. the rest disappears in darkness.
The other two derros draw their short swords and shouting angrily at each other stab at Tauriell.
The second one moves into flanking position.
Gwenhwyfar jumps dowm from the balcony.
And she lands on her feet. She moves closer to the derros, her staff in hand.
Abomentolor curses as he gets up from the floor. "That is not how I planned that." he moves closer to the derros but keeps his fire to himself as he only would get one due to the distance and Tauriell is in the way.
"First you can't wait to start and then you don't deliver." Tauriell teases Abomentolor before she slashes at her preferred Derro again.
But this time she misses. She steps away to avoid being flanked.