Veltariel makes her way on into the passage, making room for the others, and tries to stealthily advance to cover their groups entry.
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When she sees that he's not buying it, she keeps going. "A-a-And. It was working! I had them totally willing to allow us to move through! I just..." she looks down at the ground and kicks at nothing in particular with her foot. "...I just screwed up the transfer of intelligence is all."
Esrisi heads over to the edge and looks down. A feeling of vertigo briefly comes over her and she staggers backwards a few steps. "Whoa. That's a long way down."
She takes a deep breath and grabs a hold of the rope. Taking her time, she plans her approach climbs across without any difficulty at all. Holding her breath the whole way, she blows it out on the other side facing away from the party. Turning to face them while still holding the rope she smiles and shouts "Piece of cake! You got this!" before swinging the rope back across to the party.
"This looks really, really dangerous . . . and I never did well on the Pathfinder school obstacle courses."
She decides to take off her armor which, while well-made, was still a little restrictive.
She watches as some of her more skilled companions swing or climb their way across. "Sapher, Mokhasi. I'll give you Calistria's favor so you can make your way across more safely. Sapher, you might want to take off your heavy armor and shield for this. Someone can help bring it over for you."
Drask stares at the obstacles for a few more moments, then takes out the climbing kit he recently acquired and sets it up to make a slower cross. In true Drask fashion he takes his time instead of jumping, making it over safely before going up into the tunnel. He takes out a length of rope, tying it around his waist and nailing it to the wall with pitons, then tosses the other end down. "Tie it around your waist as you come, in case you fall." He calls back.
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"'Join the Pathfinders' they said. 'Show you the world' they said. 'Explore, Report and Cooperate' they said."
She pushes off the wall and shakes her head. "What a bunch of b+~$*!**."
Caroliss is duly impressed as Mokhasi seems to not only swing but also make a graceful landing. "A perfect 10!" she says, duly impressed . . . and perhaps eager to pierce the awkward detachment that had come over the elf.
In the time it takes for the shard to return, Caroliss manages to finally squeeze out of her lamellar leather armor. She hands the armor to Esrisi, then takes hold of the Shard of Pride. She finds herself feeling stronger, more capable. "I hope it actually makes someone better at this, and doesn't just make them feel like they're better than they are."
"Please don't let me die, Calistria. Then you'll be short one less worshipper." After praying to/bargaining with her goddess, she grabs ahold of the rope and swings.
She too swings gracefully over. "Wow, it really works! Your turn, Sapher!" When Esrisi returns, she hands the shard over to Esrisi to deliver to the dwarf.
Sapher will mutter and complain about having to take off her armor, something about 'wait until we have to go down a short tunnel you long'... it gets too muddled after that. But she does and makes it across to the platform without falling to her death. With little to no grace at all, unlike EVERYONE else.
Then mutters and complains as she puts her armor back on. "Are we ready now or are we going to do tricks with the ropes now like some flipping circus performers." she doesn't expect an answer.
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Mokhasi smiles at Sapher, and gestures briefly, making the air reverberate quietly with the sound of congratulatory trumpets at a circus, before dying down and being replaced by the normal sounds of gulls and water ”You would be an excellent acrobat - are you certain that you will not run away to the circus with me? We could impress and amaze.” He smiles wryly at her.
Sapher's grunts turns into an amused chuckle and a thank you smile to Mok. "Okay off to fight more Tower Girls, that are expecting us. Did Vels scout ahead?"
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Caroliss resumes the laborious task of putting on her leather armor, trying to get it unstuck. "It's not fair, I don't eat anything and I still can't fit into this!" And by unfair, she was definitely comparing herself to Esrisi the hungry.
Eventually, after much fanfare, Caroliss gets her armor on. She then looks to Mokhasi, aghast. What are you doing--are you mocking me? It takes a moment before Caroliss realizes that the sound of trumpets was NOT directed at her, but rather in congratulation to Sapher's arrival and was done in all seriousness. The contrast with his treatment of her and Esrisi is stunning. As Esrisi returns, she leans in to whisper. "I don't get what's going on with Mokhasi. He either has a crush on Sapher or he really doesn't like us. Or both!"
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As Esrisi finishes helping Sapher across the pit she sees him cast a familiar spell. She thinks back and quite clearly places prestidigitation. She can't help herself and blurts out "SON OF A B+##~!" from the other side of the pit. She quickly climbs back up and makes her way over towards the party once more, her face reddened with anger.
When she gets back she bumps into Caroliss, frustrated. She points her finger at him, "Do you see that! He's mocking me!"
When Caroliss was working with her armor, Veltariel made her way over and said quietly ”I can help, if you’d like. The passage is too dark to scout anyway.”
She says to Vel quietly. "Sure, I could probably use the help," agrees Caroliss. Surprisingly, the process of putting on the armor becomes much easier with assistance. "Thank you for saving Esrisi. She doesn't believe it even happened, but I saw it and it meant a lot to me." She smiles, and adds "I still don't understand Elves. Or maybe I should say I don't understand what's happening with Mokhasi. He's acting so strange. Do you know what's happening?"
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Frustrated from the passive-aggressive response from Mokhasi, Esris pushes herself in front of Veltariel. "Why don't you go be an elf or something. I've got this." she says as she reaches out and grabs Caroliss's armor, causing a huge rip to tear through her leather armor. She pushes the ranger away and looks down the corridor. "Looks fine to me. Get your eyes checked."
Elves are useless!
"Ez--relax. She was just trying to help." Then, realizing Esrisi was in a volatile mood, she pulls her away. "Look, I know Vel is kinda crazy, but she really is not all bad. She really did try and protect you when those Tower Girls ambushed you."
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Mokhasi’s voice appears to have temporarily returned to it's previous cadence and tenor ”Nobody scouted yet, I think. You were the last to cross, so I believe we were waiting to ensure you and the other Pathfinders were safe, in case there was trouble. We can certainly scout, though, now that we are all accounted for - everyone did well crossing.” Mokhasi twitches slightly when he says ‘Pathfinders’ and ‘everyone.’
When Esrisi reacts with yelling about various things, and she and Caroliss begin whispering conspiratorially, Mokhasi’s temporarily sunny demeanor disappears again, a brief flash of anguish visible on his face, and is replaced by the mask that you have been familiar with for the last day. He stands away from the others, hands folded in front of him, looking out across the harbor, waiting dispassionately.
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Esrisi huffs, frustrated. "So you say! All I saw was you healing me. You're the one who healed me! You're the one who got me back on my feet! You're the only one here who is acting rationally."
She crosses her arms on her chest, trying to get her temper under control.
"Fine. I'll scout." she says as she slips away and begins to move down the corridor. In the dark.
Veltariel started to reply, but then Esrisi forced her way in and pushed Vel back. Everyone can see her stomach muscles tense, and for a moment she seems ready to lash out, but she clenchesnher teeth and gives Caroliss a knowing look before turning and moving to Sapher. ”May I help with your armor?”
Eventually once everyone gets across the hazardous gap and up into the tunnel, then puts all their gear back on the group climbs through the length of the tunnel which eventually drops out into another room. The walls along this passage bear murals showing strangely dressed Thassilonian priests placing bodies into crypts. Several niches in the walls may have once been burial crypts themselves, but today, the hall is strewn with bones and the niches lay empty.
Sapher accepts Vels help, though putting it on is second nature to a dwarf, like underwear just steel. But help is offered so help should be accepted, Bolka does say.
"Don't forget they know were coming. Keep an eye out for ambushes and traps." she doesn't think she really needs to tell anyone this, it is more like habit than anything.
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Esrisi walks forward down the corridor that the elf claimed she couldn't see in. She walks forward past three sets of outcoves, about a hundred feet down the corridor before turning back to the group. She approaches Drask who appears to be their tactical leader. "I scouted down the corridor. Every ten feet there is about a thirty foot alcove. There are three sets of those before the hallway continues down another forty or fifty feet before I turned around. They are just empty crypts and murals, no signs of trouble yet."
Esrisi huffs, frustrated. "So you say! All I saw was you healing me. You're the one who healed me! You're the one who got me back on my feet! You're the only one here who is acting rationally."
She crosses her arms on her chest, trying to get her temper under control.
"It wasn't the most effective saving, but maybe it's the thought that counts?" Caroliss decides this argument is probably not very convincing. She shrugs, and lets Esrisi take out her frustrations elsewhere. She proceeds onward with the group, helping to light the way.
"Fascinating, this looks like a Thassillonian crypt." Trying to distract herself from the drama, she turns her focus to the murals, reading any text aloud and trying to discern more about what she was seeing.
After Esrisi reports back her findings and the group decides to move forward, the passage way eventually leads to an open room with another hallway exiting to the north. You can see the light of a lantern further to the north in the proceeding room.
Veltariel creeps forward when light is spotted ahead. She moves up to get a look at the scene, hoping to appraise the situation better than last time...
Drask helps with the armor, showing dexterous hands when it comes to getting the various pieces strapped on. He lets Esrisi pass ahead to scout and sideeyes Mok, after a moment walking over to him. He stares out with him, then takes out a flask. He opens the top, takes a long draught, and offers it to the elf. "They're a f&&+ing handful, aren't they?" He says with a sympathetic look.
As Vel is about to slink off to scout ahead, seeing the light source, Sapher grabs a hold of her arm before she steps into the room and points down at a thin length of twine across the entrance, near the floor. Vel steps over it and moves into the room to get a better look.
A hooded lantern sits on the lip of a fountain in the west wall. A tinkling rill of water runs from a demon-shaped mouth on the wall into the fountain. A bedroll and several bags of rations sit on the floor just to the north of the fountain. However, as far as Vel can see there is no one in the room.
Veltariel holds a hand up to halt everyone before moving over along the line, at the end of which she finds a small bell. She kneels down as she draws her dagger and carefully cups the bell in her hands, pinning the hammer of it down so it can’t rig out. Once done, she carefully cuts the tripwire to fully take it out of commission.
Vel cuts the line and the keeps the bell hanging on the wall nearby from making a sound.
Veltariel returns and whispers ”All clear through the light, but beyond is unlit,” before moving back to rear guard.
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Mokhasi peers curiously at the murals as well.
When he has a moment with Drask, he takes a long draught of the alcohol as well, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. He nods at Drask and returns the flask, "the other Pathfinders? Yes... I have... it is hard for me to... I will explain later, when we have time if you are curious. It will not affect my duties now." He straightens himself up and smiles weakly, a look of relief on his face.
You detect no magical aura's
"Okay, forward then. Wait, where was the light coming from?" Sapher will ask Veltariel.
Drask arcs a brow. "You got some magic that lets you do that?"
"Almost as good as mine--" adds Caroliss. "But probably not so good that she can see without any light at all." She plays off Esrisi's statement as another boast by her overconfident friend.
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Esrisi looks to Caroliss's eyes and understands what she is doing, but knows her limitations of lying prevent her from actually saying anything further on the subject. "Ok, I'm taking a look then.
"Caroliss, guide my steps please."
The good-eyed oracle quietly makes her way up to take a peek at what lays ahead.
"But of course, my dear!" Caroliss obliges by giving Esrisi the favor of Calistria. Which was probably a lot better than the favor of whatever else Esrisi was relying on.
Sapher watches the young woman moving easily in the darkness, stepping over rubble as if she could see as good as a dwarf. Curiosity spikes in her, but unwanted prying... Sapher pauses mid-thought, and tries to remember if there are any holy rules against prying... and can't. Oh, wait, one can but it supposed to be done subtly... crap.
She'll simply wait and listen to hear if anything else is coming behind them or from unseen nooks in the wall.
Esrisi moves ahead of the others into the darkness, apparently unhampered by her vision. Eventually she comes to a t-intersection and looks around the corner to see a small room to the east. The eastern wall of this room is buried under an ancient pile of rubble. Sitting near the entrance is a wooden crate and a dull gray amphora.
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First Esrisi listens at the t-intersection for any signs of trouble or danger ahead, looking for traps or guards.
Next she takes a closer inspection of the amphora, detecting magic as well. If she doesn't find anything suspicious or dangerous, she picks it up and takes it with her back to the group.
Going back to her party she informs the group about the intersection and the crate, showing them the jug.