Luca busied herself with tying the lower end of the rope around one of the lowest pitons. Given that little weight would be there, it ought to be reasonably secure. <"Keep hold of your end just to be sure."> she told the creature firmly. With both a rope and a wall, it shouldn't be too hard to ascend, even for her... and she was definitely lighter than anyone else, so she quietly began making her way up to see what was there.
The vilstrak obligingly tugs its end of the rope as Luca attempts to make the ascent. As she puts her full weight on the rope, there is a moment of slippage as it slithers around whatever anchor the vilstrak had found - but then it goes taut again as the creature keeps hold. With a great deal of shimmying and struggling, she manages to make it up to the top, hauled over by the vilstrak just before her power over it unwinds and it fades away from the Material Plane.
The flickering light from down below reveals that another tunnel continues from this point. It is tighter, but still wide enough for the party.
A very weak and indistinct magical aura seems to begin just at the edges of your detection.
Just as Luca grabs the rope, something touches on the edge of his magical vision. He reaches a hand out to grab her arm. "Hang on. Have your rock man look around first." To aid it he sends his dancing lights up and over the edge of the cliff.
Luca managed to climb up anyway and considered for a moment. "Give me a minute!" she said, focusing on her companion down below. It vanished, and she reached through her powers, calling it back to the mortal world... this time at the top of the small cliff, next to her. Once it arrived, she pointed forward so it could go examine things.
Tyrus looks on anxiously as Luca ascends, ready to catch her if she falls
At least my bulk should soften the fall...
Smacking himself on the head he puts Torble on the wall
"Go on. Up you go."
Torble slimes up the wall to Luca.
Fluffy explores a short ways down the upper tunnel and detects nothing amiss.
"Things seem to be fine up here so far." Luca called down to the others, unaware of how the search had actually gone. Well, her Eidolon wasn't hurt, so that was probably the important thing.
...Now what?
Tyrus sighs
"Dante, if it will fail, it'll fail with me. Perhaps the rest of you could ascend, then help pull me up."
"Said to say I am not as strong as I look either," he says looking at the 30ft climb. [b]"But I'll be damned if I let her show me up.
Its a rough start. Dante's hands slip off the rope just before his feet touch it and he avoids an embarrassing tumble. He wipes them on his thighs before trying again. And once he sets his mind to it he moves at a steady pace all the way to the top. Winded as he was he doesn't neglect to look around first to find the source of aura from earlier.
Assuming it isn't pressing he waits for Lara and Yllaine before aiding them in hauling their overweight wizard.
Some of the moss must have rubbed off on the rope when Luca ascended, and Dante slips down the rope and lands awkwardly, twisting his ankle. Shaking it off, he wipes the rope clean before trying again - and again slipping. This time however he is able to recover, and on the third try he ascends to the top.
A weak magical aura begins a few paces down the tunnel. It grows stronger the further you go, but only barely. It is too slight to tell what magical schools it might belong to.
Yllaine and Lara make the climb without difficult, and finally Tyrus comes up with a bit of help from the others.
Dante squints into the darkness as if that would help either his physical sight or magical one. It doesn't so he corrects that, sending his dancing lights down the tunnel as far as they will go. "There's an aura down there that I can't place. Too faint." Once the others are ready he leads the way, albeit at a slight limp.
Luca's Eidolon kept ahead of Dante, while the girl herself stayed close to Tyrus as they began to move down the tunnel.
This time, her Eidolon seemed rather more perceptive - perhaps because its caller was close by, and its main interest was protecting her.
Tyrus looked over at Dante
"Are you alright Dante? Are you sure you're able to walk?"
"Alright... Luca, Torble, let's stay together - for safety." Whose safety is in Tyrus' mind is left unanswered.
As you enter the area where Dante had warned of a magical aura, Fluffy pauses, appears to sniff at the air, and then begins to move again at a quicker pace.
The tunnel slopes upward again, and you can see the faint glimmer of natural light. Finally you reach an opening into another natural cavern - the tunnel has led you to a shallow rock shelf high up on the wall of it.
As the first person to reach the opening, you see that there is a large pool of stagnant water almost twenty feet below you. Sunlight shines through an opening on the far side of the cave.
Luca's Eidolon casually walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked down, curious about what might be visible there. Water, perhaps? Or something drier, but potentially less interesting? Luca herself was staying well back in case the shelf was loose or otherwise dangerous.
Dante continues to sweep with magically enhanced vision for the source.
The pool is definitely the focal point of the magical aura. As you scrutinize it, you recognize indicators of multiple magical schools - conjuration and divination the most prevalent.
The complex magical aura is indicative of divine magic.
"Well, there's the source. Anyone know what it is?" Dante sends the dancing lights out over the water and then into their depths. If nothing happens he will repel down to collect a sample. "Care to do the honors?" he asks handing the rope to Lara, who is probably quite stronger than he is.
Tyrus summons his own second sight, the world slipping into grey-on black, only the magical auras of the extant spells providing any hints of colour in the drab landscape. He squinted at the area under Dante's dancing motes of fire.
"I don't see it" he confesses.
As Tyrus shoulders his way forward to join Dante at the mouth of the tunnel - actually forcing Fluffy to move back to give him room - a shape begins to coalesce in the pool. Dante sees the aura pull back and focus as the water rises into the shimmering form of a woman.
As her head takes complete shape, she looks up to the ledge, directly at Tyrus, and says: "Are you back to visit me again, Tyrus Regulus Veneficius?
Tyrus is shocked at this unexpected greeting.
"Lianna?"
He looks furtively at his party, then sighs.
"Hello Lianna. Uh, these are my..."
Sighing he names the party members in order "Luca, Dante, Ylllain, Dara... Lianna."
Fluffy nudged Tyrus, almost - but not quite - hard enough to make him lose his balance. It sat down a moment later and stared at him, blinking far less often than usual.
Luca herself let out an 'Eep!' and scrambled backwards a moment later, though, getting away from the ledge and seeming almost panicked as she crouched down and started shaking. They were interested.
"I guess this is her," he says rather stupidly. He was a little shocked at the moment that they had found her so soon. Did Norren now about this? This was...something. "Good day ma'am," he says with a nervous hand wave. "Tyrus informed us of your predicament. Do you think the notes of the one that put you here might be able to break his hold?"
Tyrus took a careful step back after being nudged, then turned to Yllaine.
"I suppose confidentiality is out the window now. Lianna was trapped here by a dwarven wizard - the one we found I believe - some time ago. She's not doing well. I was hoping to find a way to free her to return to the sea."
He sighs
"In this my allies include the Captain."
"Obviously this is not why you agreed to come, and remains peripheral to our mission from your perspective. In all honesty I had not anticipated that the trap might be attached to the laboratory, though in hindsight the deduction should have been obvious."
Sadly, Tyrus had not paid enough attention to the features, distances, and directions of the tunnel to get a good sense on whether they might offer a "short-cut" to the digging.
Lianna nods as Tyrus introduces her to the others. "My greetings to you all," she says. Her gaze lingers for a brief moment upon Yllaine before Dante speaks.
"Do you think the notes of the one that put you here might be able to break his hold?"
"Knowledge will always serve the wise well," she answers. "But as to his hold, that is already broken. I felt the last vestiges of his spells wear away a long time ago. My inability to leave this place without aid is due to my own nature, I'm afraid."
Yllaine and Lara barely seem to hear Tyrus' acknowledgement of deceit - they are enthralled by the scintillating water-creature before them. "Lianna..." Yllaine says, slowly. "Lianna, Arienna, Fresa, Muriel."
Lianna smiles weakly. "I see you know the names of my sisters, child."
Yllaine smiles back, almost nervously. "My family has always worshipped Arrond. My grandfather... was very devout. He made offerings to the Goddess and all her spirits, but you four most of all."
That explains some things about Yllaine's blood, Dante thinks to himself. He refrains from pointing out that honesty would have been the better policy in this case to Tyrus. Had he mentioned to Yllaine who it was that they were helping, they would have offered their help far more readily. "Pleasure meeting you. But we should get back to it I believe."
Once they are back away from the pool: "You're right. She doesn't look good. We should get back to that cave in and see what we can do. Maybe we can find a map and better direct the water or a safe way to get her out."
"Well, then, we have good news. We seem to have found your captor's laboratory, and body. We've also found a way that might lead you to the ocean more directly, though there'd still be tunnelling involved."
"Dante's right though - our time here is limited. We can chat after you're saved."
"Yllaine - I'm sorry." he sighs, looks at Dante, then looks back "Had I realised Lianna was there I would never have taken you so close. You see..." he trails off, looks again, then nods and continues "The only thing that has helped her so far is your blood. The pirates seem to think they could use that to keep her alive. In all honesty they might well be right. I've said I won't be part of it... but I'm not sure how well I'd resist coercion. That's why we need to get Lianna free. Right now."
He looks into the distance "Approaching death changes people - those who are dying, and those who don't want them to die."
His vision snaps back to Dara "You're thinking - or you will - that if you kill me she's safe. But there are others who can do the required transmutation."
Luca, a little ways further down the tunnel, just clutched her head as she shook. Sweat was soaking her clothing now, though it wasn't especially hot here. She'd never felt such intense interest in something before. She didn't know what it meant, what they wanted... or what they might force her to do next.
Her Eidolon simply moved closer to her and smiled. Whatever thoughts it had, it was keeping them to itself.
This conversation was headed in a very dangerous direction. "Right, so let's turn all of our energy towards a solution in which no one dies. Alright? Of course. Onward's." He intercede's between Tyrus and the others and then continues on down the tunnel with feigned enthusiasm.
He stops when he comes upon Luca. She was clutching her head like she was having some sort of intense headache. Then he noticed her so called companion just watching. Was it doing this to her? He stands behind it, arms crossed, and an angry look in his eye. "Feeling okay Luca?" He addresses the girl but he never looks away from the eidolon.
"Bad." the girl whispered, her mouth so dry it felt like it would crack and bleed at any moment. "It watched her, it knows about her, and I don't know what it's going to do next!" her breath was starting to come faster and faster as panic took over. "It sees what I see, it feels what I feel, but it's never cared about others before - only for me, to keep me from harm, but that's not what this was! I'm a danger, a threat, I have to g-go before it's too late, but it might not even let me and I don't know what to do!"
"You tell it you can handle yourself and don't need its protection. And that should anything happen the rest of us will be there if you need help. You tell it, it needs you, not the other way around. And you will dismiss it if it gets upity." As he speaks his stance is loose but his hand stays near his blade and the other near his component pouch.
"I mean what has it done so far? Not very perceptive. Not particularly strong. No useful means of movement like the wall back there. Okay in combat but it isn't too resilient either. In other words. Not. Particularly. Frightening." He lays some emphasis on the last three to drive home his point. To distract its ire.
He turns to Luca then. "It didn't stop the goblin attack. You did. You did more than all of us combined in that fight. You probably saved more lives in there initial assault too. You're strong Luca. Don't let anyone, or anything, tell you otherwise." Though he gives the creature a pointed look when he says "anything", he is honest and sincere.
"Not the creature." the girl whispered. "What's behind the creature. What commands the stone warriors, sends them to aid me, uses the powers I don't want against my will. What killed the goblins wasn't me, it was what was using me. I can't stop it no matter how hard I try, even when I want to. I can't control it! I don't even understand it! It just happens, and it's not supposed to!"
"That's why we need to get Lianna free. Right now." He looks into the distance "Approaching death changes people - those who are dying, and those who don't want them to die."
Yllaine looks subdued as the group return back down the tunnel, looking behind often. "I cannot tell you that I forgive you, Tyrus, but I think... I think the situation is rather more complicated than I knew."
"His vision snaps back to Dara "You're thinking - or you will - that if you kill me she's safe. But there are others who can do the required transmutation."
Lara's expression flits between annoyed and bemused as Tyrus speaks, but settles on the latter. "You need practice at mind reading, old man. In case you hadn't noticed, you're getting in pretty close with the bossman around here. If I kill you, what do you think he'd do to me? Where I grew up they called it the sycophant's shield, and you're holding it nice and tight."
Right, so let's turn all of our energy towards a solution in which no one dies. Alright? Of course. Onward's.
Lara smirks at Tyrus. "I'm with Dante," she says. She urges Yllaine on in front of her and follows the younger man.
"I've tried to keep my word as best I can, Yllaine. I know it's been a mess." Tyrus calls ahead plaintively.
"Sycophant? I was always a 'little person'. No-one took me seriously, no-one would care if I was killed. Here I matter. Here they respect me. They care what I say, what I do. I'd never even considered I might be too important to be disposed of."
"It's not sycophancy you're seeing. It's loyalty."
I've killed for these people. I'm trying to save Lianna to save you Yllaine. To stop evil done in the name of the greater good. I've always assumed they'd make me do it anyway - I can't stand up to torture. But I think you're right. I think they'd listen to me... but I just can't bring myself to believe it!"
Lara shrugs at Tyrus's correction. "Let's go find out what's on that dead guy. Beats plotting to kill each other, eh Dante?"
"Don't want it? Look at it from our perspective. If you didn't have it you'd be dead. We'd all probably be dead. You stopped the goblin assault. Don't fool yourself. Whatever is...on the other side, it can't act without you. That gives you power over it." Dante reaches out to put a hand on the girls shoulder. Girl? Ha. I am barely older than her. All those heroic novels are coming in handy.
"It okay to be scared. Its not okay to let it rule you. If you really can't control it then stop fighting it. Give it a useful outlet like you've been doing already. You can't block a river and not expect to drown. You can redirect it though. Make it work for you with a nudge in the right direction."
The group retraces their steps until they come once again to the caved-in passage. The old bones peek out from the stones just as before.
And they begin to dig.
Luca quietly stood back and watched. All things considered, her stone men could have easily recovered the body... but the others seemed intent on digging, and she might need them for combat later.
...
"Need", was it? The only thing of value she had was what she most wanted to get rid of. Not the most helpful place to be. Well, she didn't have the physical strength necessary to contribute, so she sighed slightly and simply waited.
Tyrus does his best to help. While his strength is limited, he does have some theoretical knowledge of geology to help ensure the rockfall is not repeated.
Dante and Lara take up the bulk of the work, shifting the larger stones and letting the others haul most of the detritus further down the tunnel to clear the space. Making sure to do the work safely makes it take a bit longer, but three hours later they have finally moved the final rocks and uncovered the skeleton.
The rotted remnants of clothing cling to the skeleton in places - a leather belt and sturdy linen tunic, by the looks of it. A dagger sits in a somewhat-intact sheathe, but when Lara pulls it out it is so heaviliy corroded as to be useless.
Two items catch the groups' eyes: A crumbling tome with cracked leather binding that looks to Dante and Tyrus very much like a spellbook; and an amulet still around the skeleton's neck, made at least partially of gold. It seems to have a vial of blood embedded within it.
The blood within the vial almost certainly ties the magical effects of the amulet to a certain creature. It either only benefits a certain wearer, or only works against a certain creature.
This amulet appears to grant immunity to the mind-affecting abilities of whichever creature's blood is in the vial.
Luca quietly examined the amulet. She didn't know too many things, but the arcane arts were one of the few areas of knowledge she had a minimal bit of expertise in - mostly because they had kind of pushed it into her mind. "Is that a... Phylactery?" she wondered, sounding faintly alarmed. At least, that was the usual guess for a magical vial filled with blood and focused on one creature.
"It looks that way," he says examining the amulet next. "But there is Enchantment magic within the amulet. If I had to guess...it uses the blood as a focus to project a mental block against whatever the blood came from. Think you can identify what its from?" He asks Tyrus, moving on to the book.
"I've had a chance to study magical items before, but this... Nothing like this."
Tyrus reverently moves the amulet, carefully setting up symbols and devices like an apprentice first using his spells. When he is sure everything is right he starts his investigation.
"A phylactery is a good guess, Luca, but I do not think so. I think Dante is right, I believe this provides protection from mental alteration. Well done Dante - were I your tutor I'd be giving you top makrs! Hmmm... definitely linked to the blood, and I'd posit that the blood is Lianna's."
He looks troubled
"I had worried at the... enthusiasm people seem to have for helping Lianna. I had become convinced it was enlightened self interest, but this suggests that she possesses some form of heightened psychic power. If this is indeed her blood, of course..."
Tyrus concentrates on trying to identify any characteristics of the blood. Yllaine's vitae was unusual, and possibly the blood in the vial shared some of those characteristics. He was so distracted, in fact, that he didn't notice Dante moving on to the book.
he yelled as he saw what Dante was doing sadly his warning was too late to do anything other than startle the poor lad.
As you study the blood within the vial, you become certain that it is, in fact, Lianna's. No doubt it was taken from her while she was still actually "alive" in the mortal sense.
As Dante grabs hold of the tome, the crumbling remnants of old parchment spill out from beneath the covers. Whatever spells or knowledge were once upon them will be all but impossible to discover, now. Fortunately, there are still some pages left within.
Luca watched as the book of lore crumbled in Dante's grasp, then quietly shuffled over to him and put her small hands on top of his own. "Um... i-if you're tired to work, I'll help." she said, swallowing nervously.
Tyrus stares mournfully at the spilt pages.
"I'm sorry if I startled you Dante. I've read something of the methods used by some of the darker wizards. Terrible, terrible things. We need to treat each page as potentially just as dangerous as a cracked vial of Aqua Ignis. There's no hurry in this - I'm glad you weren't hurt, but I'd never forgive myself if you were maimed or killed helping to find answers."
"Here, let's do this together. Does anyone have the tweezers?"
Tyrus spreads his blanket over a clear patch of floor, then carefully transports the book to this clean spot. He spends some time casting spells of repair.
Finally, satisfied it has more strength he carefully pulls a pair of tweezers from the healing kit and opens the book.
Each page is carefully cut out with a scalpel, placed on the blanket in order and scrutinised carefully for sigils, symbols and spells. Only when the book is declared safe is it carefully reassembled () and read.
Tyrus is meticulous, but even so the book all but falls apart under his care, and his hands are shaking as he works.
"Luca, would you mind reassembling the book? It seems safe, and I'm exhausted."
Dante can only stare in horror as the book falls apart before him. As careful as he was with the precious tome, it seemed it wasn't enough. He stands in stunned silence as he watches the last brittle page float to the ground. Only the rictus-like grip caused by fear prevented the rest of the book from hitting the ground too. There was so little left. He gently puts the book back and goes back to the cave in...and proceeds to dismantle it with his head.
The Mending spell is powerless to recreate pages that have already crumbled to dust, but each casting manages to reinforce part of the book. First the cover, then page after page. After nearly an hour and a half of work Tyrus has restored the tome to, while not like-new status, at least not-in-imminent-danger-of-obliteration. It is still cracked and worn with innumerable years, but can be handled normally without danger.
And then he sets about the task of actually discerning what knowledge it contains...
Lara and Yllaine break out some of the food the group had brought with them while they wait for the elder to do his work.