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As the spider charged Ary, Li'an decided to work her way around to attack it. Eschewing her usual acrobatics, she swung wide to the left and worked her way around to its flank, not wanting to take a risk at this point. When she'd made it most of the way around, she took a swipe at one of the creature's hind legs, hoping to land a blow on it.
Li'an swipes a deep cut into the spider's abdomen that begins to bleed heavily as she maneuvers around it.
Ary is up.
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As the spider digs its fangs into Ary, and she goes light-headed, she giggles for a moment, "Hehe... first into battle..." then proceeds to shake her head, and refocus.
As her senses return, she shifts quickly past Anevia, in order to provide Li'an with some protection, and along the way attempts to cleave through one (or more!) of the other spider's legs. With any luck, she'll mar its ability to defend itself, and attack properly!
Ary manages to cleave off the tip of one of its many legs...
Ehren is up.
"Torag!?" Ehren volunteers, approaching the spider to thwack it with his club.
Ehren deals a fierce blow with his club, caving in its exoskeleton.
"Vile insect feel Torag's might!"
Hrut runs as far as he can towards the spider shield and new warhammer drawn and ready in his combat stance.
"By the beard of Torag that's a huge spider!"
Valaria is up.
Valaria rushes forward, trying to get past the spider and get behind it.
Her attack misses badly, but she manages to get into position.
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Markus doesn't really feel like he has much to contribute to any of the talk, so he sits down inside the temple to wait for Hrut to finish his obedience. He does comply when asked to light a stone and throw it, but he does so silently, and when he's done he returns to his sitting position within the pews.
He listens carefully to the talk about languages, and about flirting, and it surprises him somewhat when Ary mentions that she's saving herself. He hadn't figured her for such a traditionalist, especially when she'd been flirting with a tiefling woman for the past six hours.
If anyone were to ask him about what languages he knew, he could tell them. Markus isn't sure how he feels about mentioning that he knows Necril, though. It seems...like a black mark on the suspicious record that he already has.
When the spider arrives, his lethargy barely stirs enough for him to look. "Good luck, guys." he murmurs.
God, Markus feels so useless.
"I... uh. Right. Please enter the church if you wish to join us in prayer, spider. If not, continue biting me. Praise Torag." Ary said, as she realized she'd left off something important.
Anevia grins, taking up the side opposite Valaria.
She certainly seems energized after Valaria gave her a healing potion. She quickly sets up the flank and drives her sword through its side. It bleeds out swiftly through the wound it received from Li'an and perishes.
"Hurray! For the glory of Torag! Now what?"
Combat ends.
"Now, we rest. And praise be unto Torag." Ary suggests again, feeling odd praising the dwarf god. That was another good question for later; how did Hrut come to worship the dwarven god...
Li'an looks down at the dead spider, amazed at the swiftness with which they'd felled it. "Well, I think Torag was with us on that. The poor thing didn't even last long enough for Hrut to come apply his new warhammer to it. What's left to do?" she asked, turning towards Hrut.
Looking back towards the temple she saw Markus half-peeking out of the entrance. "Thanks for the light Markus! We'd not have spotted the spider as quickly otherwise." The ability to call upon arcane magic, even a spell as simple as light, was something she respected greatly. Despite her frustratingly slow progress learning it, it was still a skill she wanted to master some day.
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"Well that was easy," Valaria says as she sheaths her blades. "Let's finish up that ritual and get this temple consecrated then."
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Hrut returns to the temple stating the previous prayer and begins to polish his new warhammer next to the anvil at the front of the church,
"Torag I pray you find our dedication sufficient to bring your holiness back into this place."
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Anevia follows Hrut back into the temple as he continues his prayer. A few moments later the engravings on the altar glow faintly, revealing the shape of a hammer. The heroes suddenly feel a sense of calm wash over them. Hrut's armor and warhammer gains a supernatural sheen, suddenly appearing clean and like brand new. In addition, the motes outside of the temple change from a pale green to a pale gold.
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Valaria steps inside and freezes in place as the feeling washes over her. "Wow," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. "It feels... it feels... I think the gods are watching over us." She feels her spirits lift a bit as the gold light feels much more comforting than the eerie green glow.
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Li'an wasn't expecting an actual manifestation of Torag's blessing, but the feeling of calm that came over the area after Hrut went in to finish was immediate and unmistakable.
"Amazing..." she says as the sickly green motes change to a soft gold color. The idea that they'd attracted the attention of one of the gods was reassuring given the past day. "There's no doubt about it, Val... I never imagined I'd see a sign like this from one of the gods."
Li'an had always been a follower Desna, and went through the basic observances, but she'd never really felt that it had any impact. Much less did she think that there'd be some sign of divine interest in a follower. Yet here was a follower of Torag, a human no less, openly blessed by his god for the deed of reclaiming this temple.
Valaria reaches up and touches the butterfly mark on her cheek. "It's an amazing feeling."
She looks up at the golden motes and smiles. "They remind me of the stars," she comments softly, almost talking to herself. "Maybe Lady Desna is keeping an eye on us too." She can't be sure, but if Torag can send a blessing for one of his followers, then hopefully her goddess still has an eye on her.
Ehren wipes the spider's ichor off the end of his club, relieved that the fight had ended quickly. At the same time, he could not help but wonder if such a meager victory was worthy of drawing a god's attention. His worries are quickly abated however, literally washed away by Torag's blessing. The size of the victory is insignificant, he realizes, smiling softly at the golden motes of light.
"It's like magic... but somehow different," he murmurs, having never seen a direct manifestation of godly power.
Anevia's eyes light up, and even Horgus glances around curiously. The crusader woman smiles. "Oh, wow, that's amazing! Torag's a load of fun, isn't he? Prayin' and makin' a bunch of noise, and then gettin' into a brawl. Sounds like my kind of service."
Ary just stood where she was, rolling her shoulder for a moment, it still ached. Perhaps a bit more after Ehren had gotten a good look at it. "That... was a lot of devastating blows. Really clean hits." she said, grinning at her companions after having mentioned the opportunity to rest. She started to head back into the church as the ritual was completed... and everything changed. The sickly green glow that had born witness to Markus's near-death was gone.
"More... like forge embers, maybe?" she asked aloud.
She closed her eyes for a moment, in a silent prayer. 'Oh, Inheritor... I am so learning Celestial.'
She headed into the church, afterwards, doing her best not to offend Torag by praying to his ally in his temple. As she entered, she didn't really say anything, allowing the other's words to capture the feeling more thoroughly than she could describe.
In a good (and generous) mood, she heads back out of the church to dig through her bag. She comes out with a blanket and a bed roll. She moves over to Horgus and unrolls it beside him, with a smile, and without a word, then moves over to Avi. "Here, this should help to keep you comfy through the night." then looks over in Anevia's direction. "I'd offer to help keep you warm, but I don't think your wife would approve." she gave a helpless shrug.
She just seemed to stand a bit taller for a moment, before she moved into the corner beside the basin, placing her back to it, and uncinched her cloak, forming a makeshift pillow from it. She then unbuckled her sheathe from her side, resting her sword against the wall beside her. Finally, she reverently unbuckled the shield and placed it against her shins, the Inheritor facing outwards, before draping the cloak over her legs and crossing her arms to rest her head upon, gold on crimson.
"Goodnight, everyone. Wake me when it's my watch." she said aloud. 'Goodnight.'
Horgus seems surprised (and maybe a little suspicious) of Ary's generosity, but he accepts her bed roll without a complaint.
Aravashnial sighs, "Thanks, Ary." He sounds a little bitter.
Anevia moves over to the antechamber, where she sits on the stone bench next to the basin of water.
"I'll take first watch," she announces, brightly. "I'm used to this stuff and you guys did all the hard stuff today anyway. Get some rest!"
Ehren stifles a yawn, the reality of how long the day has been finally taking its toll. Nearly a full day has passed since he was able to get a decent night's rest. He had not even been in Kenabres, then.
Never have I slept in a place so close to the earth, he thinks to himself, finding amusement in the thought. Finding an empty space against the wall, Ehren carefully props up his club, where it would be easy to grab should yet another critter rear its head. He then proceeds to unclasp his cloak, as well as the numerous leather strips keeping his armor tied on. He pulls the tanned hide armor over his head and sets it on the ground with a sigh of relief - it felt good to have all of that weight off his shoulders. Now dressed only in rather plain, earthy-looking clothes, Ehren settles down on the ground, leaning in against the wall. In lieu of retrieving his blanket, he pulls his cloak over himself.
"I will be up early... in time for the last watch..." he announces, his eyes already drooping. He murmurs something unintelligible before closing his eyes completely, taken by sleep.
The hours pass uneventfully. Anevia passes off to Ary, who passes off to Hrut and Ehren. Who knows what time it is on the surface? In any case, everyone is now rested and refreshed.
Anevia wakes and performs her morning prayers, meditating while she rolls a small pendant of a silver longsword in between her fingers. Afterwards she stands up, noticeably faster on her feet than she was yesterday.
Aravashnial is sitting on one of the pews, holding his wand. "I can cast false life on each of us once before this wand is fully expended. However, time is precious, so we should wait until we are ready to leave before doing so," he announces, monotonously.
Horgus seems to be in a foul mood. "I barely got any rest at all," he grumbles to no one in particular.
Valaria sleeps soundly during the night, glad for a night calm of wild dreams for once. "Morning everyone," she says as she stretches and works out the kinks of sleeping on the stone floor. She quietly recites a poem under her breath as she gets her gear together. Anyone nearby can hear the names of stars and constellations whispered while she holds a small butterfly made of brass.
"Maybe we should conserve your wand if you only have enough charges left for one casting on each of us," she suggests at Aravashnial's offer. "We don't know how long we'll be down here and we might find a situation where it could do us more good in the future."
"Very well, then." Aravashnial responds, standing up carefully with the aid of his quarterstaff.
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Ehren performs his watch dutifully, fueled by a good night's rest. Evidently, sleeping on solid rock had suited him just fine. He waits until the others start to wake before performing his own morning routine. With a branch of holly in one hand and mistletoe in the other, he sits on the ground with his eyes closed, as though to sleep once more. As still as a stone, he silently communes with nature, contemplating its vastness, its complexity, and the role it would play in their near future. And of course, he borrows just a modicum of its incredible power, preparing more curative magic, just as he had promised.
Given the moment to meditate, he also reaches out with his senses, attempting to feel for the wardstone once more. He did not doubt what he felt before, but something about what Aravashnial said bothered him.
Ary, like the others, will pray, once she's been awakened for the second time. It's actually easy, given her position. She slides one knee beneath her, instead of in front of her, and leans over her shield, taking her sword in hand and holding it aloft... as she seemingly has a one-sided conversation of whispers, talking to the shield like an old friend.
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Li'an didn't feel the need to argue about the watch order, feeling at ease in the re-consecrated temple. Instead she headed back to the corner she'd placed her pack in and dug out her journal, spending a majority of Anevia's watch writing down the day's events.
Today's events have the makings of a story, although I couldn't have dreamt such a plot if I'd tried. Nor would I have wanted to, given the truly ghastly nature of the plot so far. It's too soon to tell if this is meant to be a tragedy or an epic, and at various points I'd have answered either today. I hope to be able to keep up with the events here, although I'm not sure if we'll have any more nights peaceful enough for me to write.
This year's Armasse, like the seemingly countless festivals before it, began as a day of excesses. A cacophony of sounds and sights, it appealed to me as much as it had in previous years, which is to say hardly at all. In reality that's an unfair assessment. I've always enjoyed watching the festival from a distance, taking in the sights from atop the city's walls. I'm not sure what made me head down into the crowds today, I seem to remember feeling I'd find something interesting if I went down there. And to be sure, the feeling was right. But after the things that I've seen today, I wonder if there wasn't more at work than simply a whim or desire to be entertained. If I'd remained atop the walls as I had in previous years, I wonder if I'd be here writing now. When I descended into the madness that is the festival, I went about finding something to drink and set myself down to watch the crowds go by.
I suppose that sitting under a tree watching the crowds walk by wasn't really any different than watching them from atop walls. It was there I met Valaria, a lithe, rose-skinned Tiefling with an air of mystery and an attire that somehow reminded me of autumn in Iadara. We talked, wandered around for a while, aided Anevia in her archery contest (with varying degrees of success), and eventually wound up at the stage watching the Prelate and High Priest give a speech.
It was there the day ceased to be memorable and became nightmarish instead. On this day Kenabres was invaded by demons. Standing there in the plaza, I saw the Prelate struck dead, and the high priest mortally wounded. Ground split, and battle erupted all around. In the end, six of us wound up fighting Dretches in the plaza with the hopes of buying the citizens time to flee and to save the High Priest. In the skies above, Terendelev, our city's guardian, faced off against the Storm King. A sight that the crusaders would no doubt have prefered to have witnessed at the Worldwound itself rather than within the walls of Kenabres. What followed was a blur: Terendelev was struck down, the ground gave way beneath us, and we fell to what should have been our deaths. Somehow Terendelev was able to save us in his dying moments, using magic to allow us to float down to the bottom of the chasm. There we collected ourselves and began our journey back to the surface.
The members of our group of survivors I'll detail briefly:
- Aravashnial and Anevia are both well known in the city and to myself. Desna's luck had to have guided them here to our side. Though both are wounded, they are still somewhat themselves, Aravashnial worrying incessantly and Anevia as optimistic as ever.
- Of Horgus I can say that he strikes me as a proper human noble: Unsatisfied with the food and accommodations available at the end of the world, and certain that his complaints will remedy the situation. Still, beyond the first impression, he seems knowledgable and capable of fighting in a pinch.
- Ary is, of course, herself and still calling me Fen'wen, despite my protests. She's done outstandingly as a crusader though, and truly seems to shine when protecting others. She also seems to have developed a rapport with Horgus, which certainly is beyond me and may end up being helpful.
- Valaria I mentioned earlier. Ary has taken to calling her 'Butterfly', which is fitting given the tattoo on her face and her devotion to Desna. Quite effective in combat and the two of us seem to function well as a pair for scouting. Anything else I might have to say on the subject I entrust to Lleuad.
- Ehren, a human priest? No, that's not it. One who speaks to magical stones? He's fairly quiet but has been of great aid to the group, being the only one who is able to wield divine magic in any respect. He also seems to be able to 'feel' the wardstone's presence, something that both I and Anevia found greatly reassuring. He also seems to have a knack for cooking, serving up our dinner in the form of grilled viper.
- Markus, a Dhampir as I've now learned, is rather withdrawn, to the point that Val refers to him as 'Gloomy'. I can't say that his demeanor surprises me given his heritage and his profession, necromancy. Few people would accept that, and Aravashnial himself had serious doubts about his presence. He seems to draw upon magic innately as a sorcerer, something I find quite interesting. Despite that, he's been quite useful and after some thought on the subject, I suspect (or at least hope) Aravashnial's concerns will be proven wrong.
- Hrut is a veritable mountain of a human, towering over the rest of us even without his armor. A crusader like Ary and myself, his fighting style is not something I've seen before. He's held back some in battles, mostly due to the tight spaces we've been in, but it's clear to me that his prowess might not be matched among us. In addition, he's apparently a devout follower of Torag, strange enough as is, but devout enough even to attract the forge god's blessing? If I'd written it in a story, some dwarf would've tracked me down, called the idea preposterous, and demanded the story be re-written.
Sleep calls, so I'll be brief in describing the remainder of the day. Our group has travelled through the caves down here, seeking a way up. We've fought all manner of over-sized insects, vipers and a pair of fallen dwarven priests guarding an abandoned temple of Torag. We've even somehow managed to re-consecrate the temple. We narrowly avoided Markus's death, though only with Ary's timely realization and Aravashnial's quick-thinking afterwards. Now we rest at ease in these sanctified ruins, watched over, at least on some level, by Torag himself. It is a hopeful ending to an otherwise disasterous day. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
She sat quietly in her corner for the majority of Anevia's watch, and only finished when she began to feel the call of sleep tugging at her. Carefully stowing her quill and ink, she closed the tome and set it aside. She then sat back against the wall, propped up by the corner, and proceeded to pass out sitting up.
When morning came, she stood up and headed outside the temple to stretch her legs and arms, completing a few circuits around the chamber as she did. Satisfied, she headed back in and packed her belongings carefully before heading back out to prepare for their departure.
After her morning ritual (which may well have coincided with virtually everyone else's), Ary moved to gather her stuff and stow it. "I'll be back in a few moments... after I figure out if Torag also blessed us with an outhouse."
She slipped out the door to find a way to handle nature's call.
Once she returned, she seemed cheery enough, rebuckling her cloak and swordbelt, then researching her shield.
"How did everyone sleep?" she asked, "All rested up and ready to have some refried snake?" she teased.
Ary actually opted to have a breakfast conversation with Horgus, of all people. "You really surprised me out there, yesterday... And I owe you an apology. You held your own really well with that rapier, and came through with some fairly important information. Have you ever thought of working more directly with the crusade? Not everyone who joins has to go off into the wilds and the like. So it's not as though you'd be risking much. You could likely provide a lot of information to us, and I'm sure there could be some compensation, you know? Every little bit helps, and someone with the right answer to a problem is quite distant from what I'd call a 'little bit'. Just for saying sake, what else have you had the chance to study?"
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Earlier:
"Thank you Forgefather, I am but a humble servant and hope I can prove my worth to you through my deeds."
Looking down at himself in awe, Hrut feels Torag's blessing wash over him like a relaxing warm bath, seeing his weapon sheen become more bright. Moving his gaze to his armor the rivets and metal become more clean, gaining their own glisten in the now warm brazier light. Holding out his hands turning them front to back flexing his hands in his armor.
"Truly a good deed." Hrut says finally and simply.
-------------------
Observing the women flirting with cuddling one another,
I wonder how any species continues to flourish when all the women prefer each other, interesting..."
-------------------
During his watch in the temple Hrut examines the carvings on the walls and the craftsmanship inside.
"These dwarves had such a passion for crafting..."
-------------------
Observing Ehren's meditation ritual,
I wonder if nature communicates to him and if it does how it chooses to communicate...
Moving on to Aravashnial,
"Did you sleep well last night? You seem to be recovering well from your wounds, do you need me to get you anything this morning?"
After helping Aravashnial Hrut moves onto Anevia,
"How was your sleep? Thank you for helping rededicate the temple, it means a lot to me. It looks like you continue to walk better on that ankle of yours, that is excellent!"
Walking over now to see Horgus fared in the "evening",
"Well we survived one more day, you fight well when pressed, clearly you have experience using that weapon."
The words feel and taste dirty buttering such a terrible piece of toast...
That may be the hardest thing I do today... I need to keep him happy and cooperative so we may all make it out of here alive
Nope!
"Also, I have a question for you in private, later! she said to Anevia, after Hrut drew her attention to her. It didn't really fit with the conversation, but hopefully it didn't detract too much.
Yup!
"I'm Sorry you couldn't see what went on last night... but once we get your eyes fixed up, we'll find a way back down here. It's absolutely beautiful, and everyone should get to see it. Promise."
"Oh, right! I meant to ask, Hrut! Why'd you wind up running in Torag's crowd, exactly?"
"Well for my people it is quite common to worship Torag, obviously among dwarves it is the most common, but for me it is all I have known, as far as I know I do not think he is popular with other human races, but I am by no means a religion expert and I would not want to offend anyone. Thank you for your efforts last night, this place has meant a lot to me, it is like a beacon of hope in such a terrible time, hopefully if we make it back to the surface we can perhaps get this to be a permanent temple for the city. Do you worship Iomadae? That is her symbol on your shield is it not?"
Valaria smiles as she watches Anevia's energetic attitude. "Well, you look great this morning. You're leg feeling better today? I bet you'll be back in top form in no time."
She inclines her head toward the wizard, seemingly a reflexive sign of respect for her. "Thank you. You saved both me and Markus with your magic yesterday. I simply wish to use your powers wisely until we can find a way to help your eyes. You're skills have been invaluable so far."
She even smiles slightly at the nobleman, though only slightly. "Horgus, feel free to keep my rapier as long as you like. I admit, I was a little unsure lending it out yesterday, but you've more than proved me wrong. You're a fair hand with a blade and I'm more than happy to ensure you're ready to defend yourself. You must have had excellent teachers."
"It is, and I do." she smiles, "It felt really strange calling to Torag while I was helping out. I didn't do a particularly good job there. Besides, you can return the favor by helping me consecrate a shrine to Iomedae at some point, by half-heartedly praying with a mock-bow." she grins. "But yeah. A beacon it most assuredly was. We... we really needed that, I think."
Then she turned her attention to Marcus, moving over to join him. She didn't seem to know what to say at first so, she just opened with perhaps the worst ice breaker ever. "So... you nearly died yesterday, huh?" It was clearly rhetorical, but she looked somewhat uncomfortable, not knowing exactly what to say, she kept her voice low as she spoke. "I'm really glad you didn't." she finally said.
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Anevia gives Ary, Valaria and Hrut a small smile, moving around experimentally with her crutch. ”My leg feels great! Thank you so much for fixing me up, Ehren,” she adds to the druid, before turning back to the two Ulfens. ”I hope that my lady Desna blessed you with pleasant dreams to make up for having watch duty!” She grins at Hrut. ”The Hammers of Heaven would definitely be interested in learning about this place! They’re a dwarven crusader band dedicated to Torag.” Finally, she nods at Ary’s request. ”All right. Maybe before we leave, then?”
Horgus stands up, not bothering to help Ary with rerolling her bedroll. ”Apology accepted. I do not blame you, for if you were more worldly you would have recognized me, and then you would have heard of my many talents. I am a well educated man, who has read a number of books in my day,” he says, in a dignified sort of way. ”I assure you I have donated to the crusades often. You do provide a service that I benefit from, after all, so it is only right.”
The fat man nods and agrees with Hrut and Valaria, puffing up with all the attention focused on him, ”Indeed, I was top of my class in fencing in my youth.”
Aravashnial shakes his head at Hrut, his voice cool. ”Thank you, but I am fine.” He does not have the energy to address Ary’s remark. He turns towards Valaria’s voice, and nods. ”I’m happy to be of service,” he replies to her, sounding considerably more pleasant towards her.
Valaria smiles slightly at Aravashnial's reply. He seems to be getting more tolerable the more they work together. "Maybe he's just the kind of person that you need to get to know to like," she reasons. "Well, you do have more experience with this kind of thing than me. I'm glad to accept any help you can provide."
She bites her lip, realizing that actually getting help for him might be quite difficult, but she says nothing, not wanting to upset or make him depressed while they're still trapped underground. Surely there's someone else in Mendev that could help them somewhere.
"You are very welcome," Ehren replies, a single eye cracking open to look at Anevia. He lowers his hands and returns his divine foci to his belt pouch, where they could be easily reached. His morning ritual finished, he uncrosses his legs and pulls his armor back over his head, before finally lifting himself off the ground. After wiping the dust off himself, he turns his attention to Aravashnial, still the most heavily wounded one in their group.
When the subject of restoring his sight briefly arises, Ehren frowns. Would anyone in Kenabres even be capable of such a feat? He had raised the possibility himself, but in truth he knew precious little about what the crusaders were capable of.
Markus sleeps in a little late, trying to regenerate his magical reservoirs of energy - for whatever good it'll do. When he wakes, he silently rolls up his bedroll and sticks it back onto his backpack.
"I suppose I did," replies Markus, when Ary comes to talk to him about his near-death experience the previous day. "I... Haven't decided how I feel yet. But thank you for your esteem, it really does mean a lot."
Ary somehow manages to not know precisely how difficult it will be to get Aravashnial fixed up... but that also doesn't overly matter to her; a promise is a promise. And she made that promise fully aware that it would be difficult to do so.
She nods to Anevia as the woman suggests they speak before they leave, but the majority of her attention seems focused on Markus; they'd all nearly died a few times... but he was the only one who talked like he was looking forward to the prospect.
She slowly nods along with Markus. "Well, I haven't actually lost any friends in the better part of a decade. So you'd best not become my first, yeah?" she does her best to give him a reassuring smile, but there's real fear there.
Li'an sat back and let the others talk this morning. She watched as they interacted, but otherwise kept quiet. She could see that Aravashnial was starting to get annoyed by the constant attention he was recieving, and she'd probably need to talk to the others about it at some point, but for now she'd let it rest. Especially since Val seemed to elicit a better response from him.
She wondered if Aravashnial knew about Nestrin's death or not. She couldn't remember if they'd mentioned it when they first gathered everyone in the cavern after falling. If not it might come as a big blow to him later on, but for now it was probably best not to broach the subject.
Being packed and ready, she used what time she had alone to pull out Lleuad-a'r-Sêr and begin cleaning it carefully, pulling out a rag and some oil to ensure the blade was pristine. She spent some time tracing her finger along the magical runes inlaid on the side, admiring the craftsmanship of the weapon. "There we go Lleuad, all clean for now. she thought as she focused on the weapon.
Valaria checks her belt one more time to ensure she didn't drop anything important. "Well, with everyone up and about, perhaps we should get a move on," she suggests. "As nice as this place is, we're not going to get anywhere if we just hang around."
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"A friend?" says Markus, raising an eyebrow. "Right."
He grips his quarterstaff tighter. She called him her friend - but Markus can't even believe that he was his own friend. He no longer trusts himself, so it was strange that somebody so Good trusted him.
He hopes he can make it worth it for her.
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Li'an nods at Valaria and grabs her pack. "May Desna bring us less giant insects and more passages upwards," she said half-jokingly.
"Shall we continue as we were yesterday, with Val and I on point?" she asked the group.
"Sounds good to me." she said as she slipped over to Anevia. "We'll be right behind you in a moment."
Once they're out of relative earshot, she'll start.
"I've... actually got a few questions. And please don't spook... I'm gonna start with the biggest one. You aren't from the Stolen Lands; your accent's all wrong, unless you lived somewhere else for a very long time... so your story skipped it. I don't want to cause any friction... but if I didn't ask you, I'd be doing everyone a disservice. Why'd you lie about being from where I'm from?"
"Given how fickle the lady's favor seems to have been the last day or so, I can only hope she's in a better mood this morning," Valaria replies at Li'an's jest. "But either way, I'm fine with staying up front with you. We did well yesterday, despite the abundance of large angry wildlife."
Slinging his pack onto his shoulder with a grunt of effort, Ehren approaches Aravashnial. For the time being, his place was by the wounded. There was no shame in knowing that everybody else fared better in combat than he.
"If you do not mind my asking," he starts softly, his voice directed at the wizard, "That potion you nearly gave Markus... why have you not used it on yourself?" He could guess at the elf's reasons, but he was curious enough to ask outright.
While everyone else packs their things up and gets ready to move on, Anevia lingers inside the temple with Ary just before they leave, supporting herself on her crutch.
She exhales and sits back down on a stone bench, turning away from Ary to examine the intricate altar.
"Sorry guys, my leg is aching a bit, I think I've been overworking it. Just give me a second, okay?" Anevia says grimacing slightly.
Horgus Gwerm moves over to Ary and Anevia, scowling. "Seriously, now of all times? You've been slowing us down this entire time! We've been here long enough, let's get moving."
Something inside of the crusader woman snaps and she snarls back at him, "And you've been a damned overstuffed a!*%#%% this entire time! What in the Abyss is wrong with you? Has nothing that has happened here, in this place, move you? I shouldn't be surprised that a man afraid to acknowledge his own faith wouldn't be moved by a forgotten temple like this. Being ashamed of faith is as bad as worshipping demons," she concludes, seething.
Horgus is a bit taken aback by her outburst. "That's rich coming from you, ironic really, chiding me when you've been known to consort with thieves!" he contemptuously remarks back.
Anevia falls into black, silent anger, slumping on her seat gripping its edges tightly, eyes shut. She starts to visibly control her breathing.
Horgus isn't stopping this argument any time soon, however! "I remember when you arrived in this city, crusader," he sneers. "A prisoner, brought in by your orc lover. Yet your nosy little crusader team accused me of treachery when clearly the spy is in bed with them."