Wha...? Galenus wipes his nose and sees the blood.
Aaaahhhh-- but when Idril mentions throwing away the pearls, he abruptly shuts up.
Pearls don't cause this, you fool! I've never once seen a pearl or any other valuable stone make someone bleed! It's probably from that Water Weird, or maybe the Gnolls - I've heard they carry disease. But it ain't the pearls! Now one of you fix this!
Dwarven stubbornness combined with Galenus' weakness for treasure and money prevent him from seeing the connection, and he will absolutely refuse to give up the pearls.
Galenus then starts washing the blood off his face with the waters from the Darklake.
He also releases his Quipper back into the waters, instructing it to keep an eye out for dangers.
Cyrus keeps his distance from Galenus. "Ain't nothing I an' do for you, just keep your distance. I want none of what you've got!"
Kanzen's jaw drops slightly as the dwarf's greed blinds him to the probable cause of his misfortune. My drow instructors didn't lie about everything, it seems, he thinks to himself. If Galenus is representative of his people, dwarves are indeed a covetous and grasping race, just as I was taught. If he chooses to let his avarice be the cause of his death, how can I do anything to stop him?
Kanzen resigns himself to watching on with a concerned look, but as he does his thoughts continue to whirl. He had decided as a general rule to disregard the hateful teachings of his kin regarding other races and their evil flaws as propaganda, just another example of the lengths drow would go to justify their superiority, and thus their harsh policies concerning other races. But if Galenus, someone that Kanzen was coming to like and respect as a good person, was actually as fatally flawed as his teachers had painted all dwarves, could Kanzen afford to completely distrust what he'd been taught?
If the pearls are causing his malaise, and he refuses to give them up, how many spells and other resources must we use to keep him alive, when maybe simply relinquishing the stones could achieve the same thing? Spells that we may need later on, to save others. The dwarf's greed could cost lives, and not just his own... He frowns, truly surprised and saddened, and a little angered, by Galenus's display of selfishness. In the end, he turns away, unwilling to watch whatever sorry conclusion this situation runs to.
Galenus washes the blood off of his face but wihtin a few seconds it is replaced by more as the steady trickle continues.
Galinndan says nothing more for now. He is unwilling to press Galenus further, in little mood for argument.
He attempts to fish.
Shuushar? How far are we to your people? Galenus inquires.
Obviously he is letting his greed get the better of him.
Towards Galenus..
"Your love for objects of value has obviously clouded your decision making skills Galenus. You just took a pair of pearls charged with necromantic enegies from an altar of a demon lord.. You seem like a smart individual, do you honestly think your curse has nothing to do with them? Are you that moronic?"
She pauses.
"You are putting everyone on the raft in potential danger by keeping those things. I demand you pitch them overboard before they infect someone else with that curse! They are not worth your or others lives.."
she is attempting to make him understand..
Shuushar keeps paddling along and turns to Galenus. "The currents are normally slow but we have found a faster one. I believe we can reach my people after one more rest." He shuts up very wisely and firmly at the discussion between Irdril and Galenus, wanting no part of it.
Kanzen makes no effort to hide his interest in the conversation Irdril has just started with Galenus. He stares at the dwarf, his expression unreadable, but he seems to be holding his breath as he awaits Galenus's response.
Galenus looks at the pearls he took.
You don't know that. You don't know if the pearls caused this. I was the only one who actually touched the alter itself. The only one who dug in deep and explored its mysteries and examined the magics therein. Perhaps that caused it, if it was the alter at all.
Galenus pauses in thought.
You're probably right that it was the alter. It's the sort of thing Dagon would do, isn't it? But we don't know if it's the pearls themselves or the alter. And even if it was the pearls, we don't know if it was a one time thing or if it will continue. It's something we'll need to test. Let me examine them some more. If it turns out that others are in danger be aysr of this curse, then so be it, I'll toss them overboard.
And if not, then we keep them. These things liike valuable, and they can help us purchase the necessary equipment we need to get out of the underdark. Maybe even purchase passage out of here once we get to a proper settlement.
Galenus then starts to examine the pearls, casting Detect Magic as a ritual (if that's needed).
Arcana: You have heard of pearls containing magical properties before, though it is difficult as they are, by definition, made by mollusks. As far as you know, no one has ever been able to imbue magic into saltwater pearls, only freshwater. It's much harder to grow the saltwater pearls in the mage's tower and it's already so hard to imbue magic into them while they grow that the combination of factors has made magical, saltwater pearls impossible to your knowledge.
Investigation: Black pearls are always grown from a saltwater clam. These look to be worth about 500 gp each.
"I'll succeed the point for now, as you have a point on monetary value of them helping us. I don't like it though."
After spending some time studying the pearls, Galenus says, I find it unlikely that the curse came from the pearls, so much as it did from the removal of the pearls from the alter. I probably pissed of the god or some such. Whatever.
These pearls are black saltwater pearls. Difficult to make; can't reproduce them outside of the mollusks naturally making them, and they're highly resistant to accepting enchantment. Freshwater pearls, on the other hand, are easier to work with. But these types here, very challenging. Much more likely that the alter itself was enchanted to cast a disease spell to whomever ruins the alter. I'm surprised that extinguishing the flame didn't do it as well - or perhaps it did an I'm the recipient of it.
But all in all, I think the rest of you are safe, and I think this haul will benefit us all.
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"We were always taught, in Melee Magthere, that the key to defeating an enemy was to exploit their weaknesses," Kanzen murmurs. "With surface elves, we were told that weakness was blind hatred. With gnomes, curiosity and stupidity. And to defeat a dwarf? You exploit his greed." Kanzen looks at Galenus in disappointment. "Most of people I've met so far have proven my drow instructors wrong." He turns away from the dwarf and prepares himself for rest.
Suddenly, the passage's ceiling gets very, very low. You try to throw yourselves prone to avoid hittitng the newly lowered ceiling.
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Galenus gets angry at Kanzen, fairly proving the drow correct in doing so, but he's angry nonetheless.
Ain't nothing wrong with greed! he says. It's about to get us all rich. These damn pearls are worth a thousand gold! A thousand! Split 16 ways, that's over 60 gold a piece for all of us! You think I'm doing this just for me? For myself? That's f*+$ing greed! I ain't doing this for me! I ain't suffering here bleed out my ears just for me!
I did this for you! For every last one of you! Who's the one who brought us all together! Who created a team! Who said that it don't matter what our prejudices were or who we were in the past or what we've done - that we all have to work together as a team to get out of being slaves? Me! That's who!
As he goes on the tirade, his voice gets louder and louder.
Who's the one who figured out how to get a magic sword! Me! And did I take it for myself? No! I gave it to you! Did I take these pearls? Yes, but who did I do it for? You! All of you!
His breath is deep and ragged as he continues to let it all out.
All of you looking at me, judging me, hating me for trying to bring us all together, trying to get us all out, and trying to find the funds for our expedition to the surface!
He takes a breath and calms his voice.
We shouldn't be judging each othet, we should be looking to keep the team together. Because we depend on each other to survive. It's the only way out.
I ain't perfect. I know. And going after treasure has gotten me into trouble before. Hell, its how I was caught by the drow! But it's also what's going to keep us fed, get us equipment, and hopefully keep us out of the slavers hands.
It's how we're-
But Galenus' words are cut off as a ceiling hits him in the head.
Kanzen's jaw drops as Galenus is brained by the ceiling... then he realises he's about to get a rock ceiling in the face as well.
Galenus gets smacked in the head and stunned. Limp, he falls off the craft into the water with a loud splash.
"Someone grab him!"
She attempts to do so but is not very stout..
Galinndan is roused from his silent musings by the pointed arguments of the others. He begins to rise, so as to speak, but he unconsciously ducks. And then sees Galenus has been struck.
"I will grab him! Others grab me!", Galinndan yells as he sprints across the raft and dives for the water, adrenalin temporarily flooding his body,
Cyrus dives after Galenus and Galinndan.
S!&%e!!, Eddrikk scrambles for the rope as Cyrus dives in after Galenus.
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Gurgle
Cyrus manages to hold onto the two struggling swimmers long enough for Eddrikk to throw them a rope. Everyone gets pulled back up onto the raft with great difficulty due to the low ceiling. You float on a ways farther in extremely cramped quarters. Shuushar flares his gills and turns his head back and forth constantly. "I fear the waters might be too high when we come to a narrow passage up ahead." You reach said passage and the water looks barely low enough for you to get through. You near the opening.
You hear gurgling noises that sound like water at first but then they resolve into voices. They are speaking Undercommon on the other side of the opening, conversing of mundane matters of fishing.
Galenus gasps a series of heavy breaths. Thank you..
He just lays there, breathing heavy and occasionally coughing up water.
Panting, Galinndan, speaks:
"There are voices on the other side of the opening! Talking about fishing!"
He presses himself flat against the raft.
Irdril lays flat as possible and readies herself for the possiblility of combat.
Kanzen breathes a sigh of relief as Galenus is pulled back on board, seemingly not seriously injured. However, he also ducks down and draws his daggers at Galinndan's words. "Fishing...? he hisses back.
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"Just hold a moment," Kanzen says, and motions to halt the raft's progress. As it comes to a stop, he moves to the front. "I'll go forward and see what I can see. If I'm not back in the count of 100, I'm not coming back." He sheathes ones dagger, puts the other between his teeth, takes a breath, and slips under the water.
Kanzen swims forward under the low ceiling, just his eyes and the top of his head above the water as he exits into whatever chamber is beyond.
Kanzen slides silently through the water like a deadly assassin, blade in teeth. When he comes out on the other side of the opening, his head barely above water, his keen vision picks out a flatboat with a dozen fishy shapes moving about on it. They seem to be fishing peacefully but they do have spears lying about on the boat.
In bubbly Undercommon, one comments to another "If only we could find some folk to take back and sacrifice to the Deep Father. Urgul's group got the Duergar but we have nothing to show the priestess..."
Kanzen takes in the scene, watching and listening.
Once he has a good sense of the area, Kanzen ducks back under the water and heads back to relate to the rest of the party what he has seen.
Kanzen reappears at the side of the raft. "Fisherman... that seem to be rather fish-like themselves, fifteen feet out the other side of the low tunnel. They have spears, but don't appear too warlike. They were, however, discussing taking other creatures as sacrifice to the 'Deep Father'. I have no idea what that means."
Shuushar looks very concerned. "The Deep Father? No that can't be right. My people worship the Deep Mother... And unwilling sacrifices! It seems my people gravely need to learn the wisdom I've gained from my meditations!! We must speak to them at once."
That sounds grave indeed, Galenus says as he offers a hand to help Kanzen get back on the raft.
Should be safe to.move forward; Shuushar can talk some sense into his people.
"We should attempt to sneak past, at least until we can all reach land. Then we will be at less of a disadvantage."
"I wonder if there's been some sort of coup since you were last here. Who is the Deep Father btw? And mother since we are on the subject?
Shuushar shrugs with concern and replies in his gargly tone "The Deep Mother is our goddess. She is primarily a goddess of scavenging. I have never heard of this 'Deep Father'."
"Do you think you will be safe to approach them?" Kanzen asks Shuushar. "I think it probable that they will look upon us all as likely candidates for sacrifice. Probably you included, if you don't accept their Deep Father. I hope that we can treat with them, but I will expect battle."
"This is the underdark. We would be foolish *not* to expect battle."