"Good Jaykae." Ruika says, there's a change in her stance; a subtle shift that shows her respect for the musician.
Going to one knee to look the pugwampi in the face; "What's your name? Do you have more friends, other than me, or a tribe around here?" she asks her gruff voice taking a strange lilting tone in the creatures language.
"Ποιο είναι το όνομά σας; Έχετε περισσότερους φίλους, εκτός από εμένα, ή μια φυλή γύρω από εδώ;"
Looking up at Ruika, the gremlin prisoner cocks its head to the side, evidently confused by her question about the figures on the mural. The creature offers the closest approximation to a shrug it could offer, slumping its tiny shoulders.
When she mentions its tribe however, the pugwampi curls its lip. Not keen on giving up its name, its barks take on a defiant tone. "Φυλή μου ζει σε αυτόν τον τόπο," it says in a growl, "Θα μας σκοτώσουν όλους!"
Ruika looks to the creature, her eyes flash with silver at his defiant tone. A slight sneer of respect at the pugwampi.
"I am strong, we are strong. We will protect you from your tribe. The Gnoll Lords are weak, as I will show you." Ruika says roughly, in the yapping manner of the gnolls.
"Είμαι δυνατός, είμαστε δυνατοί. Θα σας προστατεύσει από φυλή σας. Η Gnoll Λόρδων είναι αδύναμη, όπως θα σου δείξω."
The cowled figure turns to Jaykae; "His tribe is here. They have some strength."
Jaykae ponders this then kneels beside the knoll putting a hand out, "Please tell him we want to work together and live in peace alongside each other if possible. Will your people be up to a challenge of peace with us and trade? We also have healers who can help when needed. If we work together anything is possible."
She looks at the pugwampi pleadingly so that he would realize that she meant what she said then up to Ruika as she does not want to annihilate another culture. The pugwampis seemed odd and ugly to them but they were just different.
Ruika relates these words of compassion to the creature. She knows how harsh the desert is and that they may not have a choice but to fight.
|
Garruth nods at Keiko "Yes, it's terrible... I can't even begin to describe, just be glad you don't have a snuffler like mine."
The catman smiles towards Jaykae when she comes near "Thank you Jaykae, I think I may have to take you up on that. It is better the further away we get from that room though." Not one to pass up such an offer from a beautiful lady Garruth rubs his nose into Jaykae's hair, and purrs softly "That is much better."
He moves along with the others.
The pugwampi simply blinks at first, seemingly oblivious to the kindness in Ruika's words. The creature cocks its head again, genuinely confused by the offer of peace and assistance. The witch's claim that the gnolls are weak is the only thing that seems to sink into its tiny head. In response it simply barks with laughter, flecks of spittle flying from its mouth.
"You see. You see." she says with a hint of bitterness. She looks around the area and continues onwards. There's a nod to her companions as she advances trying to explore the area.
"Well, I seem to have gotten turned around here somewhere." Corneilious says with some confusion.
He continues to try and make it to CA,8
With the warm crinkle of honied leather; Ruika produces a shining marble from the soft matt pouch. She looks back to the plant foliage, suspicious of it and what could be lurking there.
Quickly drawing back her arm she launches the bead of glass sending it upon a sharp trajectory across the vaulted room. Tearing into the leaves.
"You are like the toms I used to play with." Jaykae chuckles as Garruth continues to snuffle her hair. She seems quite amused with his attentions, "This one orange tom would run after one girl then another and never know where to go and never got anything because he couldn't figure out what he wanted." She laughs like a school girl, "Remember Scamper, Keiko?
Her moood sours though as the pugwampi scoffs after Ruika mentions the thought of working together and looks up pleadingly as she moves along, "Is it because he doesn't want to work together or he doesn't believe peace can be had? Or does he not believe ..." Her eyes become wet as she thinks that they may have to cull a whole society of beings, "Maybe it's a mistake? I don't want to commit genocide!"
The marble hurtles into bushes, rattling the foliage as it passes through. Unable to pass through the obstruction entirely, it falls to the ground and is lost. Asides from barest thump of the glass orb against the hard dirt, there is no other sound.
--------------------
The archway opens into a small antechamber, with walls lined with carvings bearing imagery of a winged woman, the sun, and various other figures of religious significance. The archway at the opposite end of the vestibule seems opens into another, larger chamber. There appear to be several objects scattered across its floor.
Ruika looks in awe upon the religious site before her; tearing her eyes away as the decay and damage appalls the sensibilities. 'So ancient, yet now it is but a shade of the past. Is that what will happen to us, lots to memories.' she thinks melancholically; 'NO! I am legend. I will be remembered through history, no snivelling coward am I.'
Realising the kindness and heart-felt words of the musician, Ruika raises a hand to beckon her. "No fretting young one. We help his tribe if can - though desert is harsh. Many tribes fail and fall... like the gnolls will." the last words are spat out with venom.
"Now these angels? These spirits? Know of them?" she asks as the spiritual training Ruika learnt from the Shaman was rudimentary at best.
|
|
Garruth blinks, and looks at Jaykae curiously and chuckles "Interesting, you didn't seem to me as one who'd been playing with all the toms, especially with Keiko about, she seems rather protective." He smirks towards the woman in question in her vulpine form "Or maybe it really is that she just doesn't want to share."
Looking towards the little pugwampi Garruth nods at Jaykae and Ruika's words "We only need them out of here, and to not cause trouble. We don't want to hurt them"
"Scamper was an actual cat, though. A meowy little fellow who crawled about on four legs. Not much of a pickup artist!" says Keiko, lightheartedly. "And I'm just making sure a certain fuzzy pickup artist doesn't enjoy himself too much! We've gotta keep focused here."
She glances to the Pugwampi and says, "I'm not gonna hold back against anything that tries to harm me or any of you, though. If they strike first, I'm not just gonna bleed."
Inside the darkness of her cowl she is amused by the interplay of the others, deep inside she wishes to jest with them. However her training and teachings endured during her decades of youth in the orc camp taught her not to.
Calmly she walks forward into the anti-chamber to gaze at the austere beauty of the temple. Weathered by the ages, the symbol of religion intrigues her. The others have spread out but she's confident in her ability to survive.
Alik moves to another opening and eyes the foliage.
Ruika moves through the other open archway and finds herself in a small chapel with brightly painted walls. The garishly decorated walls are in stark contrast with the rest of the monastery. Numerous rectangular wooden plates traced in gold filigree line the walls, depicting images of a strapping warrior battling creatures of fire, riding a chariot on the wind, and engaging in other acts of noble heroism. He is recognizable as one of the warriors from the mural in the cloister. Perhaps a quarter of the gold plating in the room has been scraped away, destroying some of the iconography.
One wall in particular () bears a man-sized sculpture of the same hero, emerging from its stone surface. It holds both hands in front of itself, its arms bent at the elbow, with its palms facing up. The statue is heavily marred, as though someone had taken an axe to it.
--------------------
The path that Alik takes leads through yet another cloister, nearly identical to the one before it. The open archway at the opposite end seems to lead right back into the massive nave that you all started in. As before, the expanse of wall to the north is covered from end to end with a mural.
The marred sculpture depicts the five figures from the east cloister mural in battle against several strange creatures. Some appear to be composed of fire, whilst others are more abstract, some having unusual weapons grafted onto their bodies. In the background Pale Mountain looms large, and over it two titanic figures lock in a deadly wrestler's embrace, one male and one female. The massive figures resemble humans, but appear to be something more.
Corneilious moves along the wall up to (BQ,8) to look for any additional doors or rooms.
Leaving the pugwampi in the hallway, Ruika looks around the beautiful cloister. 'Trust me to find the beauty.' she thinks to herself with a smile. The garish colours warming her unsophisticated palate, approaching the statue with a certain caution, or reverence.
"Heathens." she states at the desecration of the carvings and statue. 'Though there may be reason for it? Retribution, or a hidden item?' Lyssa rubs against Ruika's pale and equine legs, whilst she looks at the man with the upturned hands.
Then she gets out a gold coin and places it in the statues open, pleading hands and turns around. After a second spin, if the coin is still there, she will push down gently upon the arms. To see if they are a mechanism for opening a secret door.
Examining the plinth is next and seeing if the statue rotates, pivots or otherwise moves away from the walls.
'We haven't see anyone with an axe? Is it a gnoll? Do these wounds look fresh.' she wonders. 'Who was this man, a hero, or a God. To be revered is good, as the others will demonstrate to me.
Jaykae moves along to JK8 during the time the others are investigating and looks about curiously but does not leave the hallway as she wishes to be available if anyone needs a hand. She looks at the pugwampi and gives him a timid smile hoping that their way of facial expressions and body movements say the same as they do for her.
"He's just being saucy." Jaykae says to her sister as she kneels down by the pugwampi. She takes out some meat jerky and takes a bite then offers the rest to the little creature as she eats the food. There is no way to know how the other would react but she hopes that he would understand that it is an offer of friendship and not view it as something else.
The statue is completely passive to Ruika's initial efforts, doing nothing when she places the coin onto its hand. When she pulls on its arms however, the entire section of the wall abruptly pulls away, pivoting as a door would. The stone segment is rather heavy, but it takes little effort for her to move it all the way. Behind the door is a narrow staircase, leading down into the depths of the monastery. The smell of dust lingers in the air, but the stairway proves devoid of the fungus that coated the one before it.
The pugwampi stares at the open portal curiously, ignoring Jaykae's attempts to be friendly.
The discovery of the staircase does nothing to deflate her towering ego and she gives a self-satisfied smile. 'Why would they worship Djinn & Shaitan?' she wonders for a moment as she spins towards Jaykae.
"We go down. Finish looking, first." she point's towards the gaping void of the stairway. There is a rich pride to her usual rough voice.
Keiko moves up to get closer to her twin, peering past her to see what Ruika has discovered.
"What have you found?"
"Stairs down, concealed by Genie statue. Whole palace devoted to Genies!" she adds slightly shocked as she hasn't had an extensive education in them.
"Finish looking around, then go down." is her suggestion, though how extnsive the looking around she doesn't quantify.
|
|
Garruth comes over to join the ladies looking into the opening behind the statue. "Oh? Genies are fun, did I tell you ladies that I'm part Genie? At least that's what my parents say. 'Raise your head, be proud and confident, you've got the blood of Djinn nobles in your veins' they'd tell me." He carefully sniffs at the air "Seems a bit dusty, but not full of rot like the other door" he makes a disgusted face remember the horrid smell. "Let's see if I smell anything else in there..."
"Make Ladies wishes come true?" she says sardonically to the Catman, as he sniffs around them.
Corneilious casually waltzes out the door at (BN,7) and heads on to (BN,10) to see what's happening out there.
Jaykae stands, disappointed that the pugwampi was acting so ignorant to her attempts to avoid what would surely become a slaughter. She looks to her sister trying to gulp down her distaste for what they were going to have to do then turns sharply when Ruika speaks, telling them to search the rest of the area.
The twin dejectedly goes to CA8 and then CA9 to check out the room beside the one Ruika is in as she does not remember where the other lady had gone, her mind not quite in the now. She sighs as she looks about then starts playing a melancholy tune on her flute.
The archway opens into a small antechamber, with walls lined with carvings bearing imagery of a winged woman, the sun, and various other figures of religious significance. The archway at the opposite end of the vestibule seems opens into another, larger chamber. There appear to be several objects scattered across its floor.
The lilting tune drifts through the temple, Ruika's head bobs up instinctively as she looks around at the emotive music. The temples fine acoustics hold the notes perfectly, despite the buildings damage.
"In here." she hisses softly."I think that's this floor explored?" she wonders, conjuring more dancing lights ready for the descent.
|
|
Garruth laughs softly at Ruika's comment about making ladies' wishes comes true "I hadn't thought of it that way." He grins and winks towards her "we'll make some wishes come true later." He follows the cloaked lady into the room where since she seems to be calling for someone. "So if we're done here should we continue down the stairs? I'll go down behind the statue, but not in the other room."
'What he laugh at, not me surely. If so he's in more trouble than Alik.' There's a throaty rumble as the cat-man continues. "Not handle me!" Ruika growls in a low tone, whether Garruth takes this as a challenge or a warning is not obvious.
"We go down." She states, not trusting the Garruth to cover her rear, hence she lets him descend first.
Stepping into the ruined nave once more, Corneilious sees yet another open archway, fairly large compared to the rest. Accompanied by a few short steps down, it leads directly into the main chapel of the monastery. As evidenced by the broken pews and shattered stained glass along the northernmost wall, the chapel was not spared from desecration.
Extensions of the nave open out on either side of the chapel's entrance, forming a pair of separate chambers. Looking around the corner, the inquisitor is able to peer into the room to the east. Standing against the wall is a massive bas-relief statue of a bald, muscular man with a pointed beard - much like the ones featured on the cloister murals. The statue holds its hands to its side in what seems to be a gesture of peace.
Standing separate from the statue is a small monument, considerably newer-looking than everything else in the monastery. On it is a plaque that reads:
A ghost of unholy mien was purged from this place by Theodephus Estrovan, servant of Aroden, 4691 AR
|
|
Garruth smiles brightly towards Ruika despite her growling possible warnings "Don't worry my dear, ladies shouldn't be handled they should be loved."
He peers down the stairs as the cloaked woman indicates they should go down "Does that mean you want me to go first? Very well, I'll brave the dangers and possible horrible smells for you." the catman starts on down the stairs behind the statue.
Alik decides he has stared at the overgrowth long enough. For some reason a need to be sure there was nothing being overlooked amongst the vegetation has filled his thoughts. With a sure grip on Freaksfire, Alik wades into the courtyard and begins to tramp through. When it seems necessary, Alik swings his bladed weapon broadly in order to clear some of the growth to increase visibility and traversability.
Corneilious will investigate the area surrounding the statue.
"Once Alik is finished chopping, we go down...." Ruika states firmly, with a nod to Corneilious and the others.
Corneilious performs his Perception Check and then races to catch up with everybody.
Jaykae shuffles her feet as she looks at them, clearly downcast as she sighs then looks up as Corneilious gets there, "We're all ready, right?" She gulps then takes a deep breath, "Might as well get it over with."
The younger twin moves to just behind Garruth as she wants to be ready to play her music as soon as anything starts and she really does not want to see everything too clearly. The cat man is big enough to hide behind for avoiding whatever she feels is not pleasant.
The branches are a nuisance, but with a little persuasion from his naginata, Alik is able to clear a way through the thicket with ease. He notes that the branches seem to be arranged in such a way that they encircle the center of the courtyard. At the center the ifrit finds a small clutch of three white eggs, each the size of a watermelon and covered irregularly by bright red speckles.
Upon seeing the eggs, Alik becomes very still. He crouches lower and begins to make slow movements to look around the area. He will begin to retreat back the way he came and try to keep watch as well as he can in the tall vegetation.
Keiko follows after the others, drawing her rapier to keep it at the ready for the time being, just in case a fight breaks out.
Ruika strokes the cute little fox, a slight nervous tension at the unexpected that liees below. Waiting for some of the others to go first, she looks around the room on more time.
Still looking out for anything in the plants which might attack, Alik makes his way to the others. Looking at the religious effigies, Alik mumbles some sacred chants to Sarenrae.
"What's this you have found, cloaked one?" Alik says in surprise at the secret opening Ruika had triggered. "So the temple holds secrets for us. May blessed Sarenrae deem us worthy to know them."
Alik stops to pray to his goddess and then proceeds down the stairs cautiously In the confines of the stair, he stows his naginata, and balls his fists for a fight.
With a slow nod at the warrior and his proper veneration for the Gods, as well as the respect he shows her; "Temple of Ancient Djinn heroes."
She nods towards the statue, knowing that the man is intelligent and perceptive enough to see that she had opened it to below. Walking down into the depths, lit by her dancing lights. They bob as if held aloft by an invisible wind.