Signe yells out in surprise as her shoulder splits with serious pain.
"Ow!" Signe bellows and her head snaps to the harpy. "What in the name of all that is holy?! We had no quarrel!" She exclaims, now furious.
She pulls out her shortbow ready to return the favour.
I should have done that... thinks Lor-Sinn as they watch the Ulfen woman tend to Samton. The paladin feels guilty for letting the hurt and anger of Zaiobe's betrayal drive them into neglecting the duty that Erastil had placed on them - see to the safety of the weak and innocent first before dealing with a threat. They will need to atone for this later, but for now...
"Oooh, she's just angry at all of us because we're heroes and she's just a spiteful two-faced hypocrite!" Lor-Sinn taunts the harpy as another arrow flies towards her.
Kajiwara grimaces as his shots miss. Emotion is the enemy of success. Clear your mind. Become the arrow. Kajiwara hears his grandfather's voice in his head as he tries to calm himself and launches another pair of arrows at the harpy.
Asuka is too confused by what is going on to have much clever to say at the moment. She doesn't want to be fighting Zaiobe, but with how much she is hurting her friends, there's not much choice. She grabs her last Acid Flask and chucks it.
Ruka snarls when Zaiobe attacks Signe. "She's done nothing to you!"
Her hands shake slightly as she continues aiming her bow. She hadn't realized just how comforting Murasamemaru's weight was. Not until she had to fight with a different weapon, one that felt dead in her hands.
Undeterred by the attacks struck upon her by both Kajiwara and Asuka, the harpy now seems intent on bringing Signe down to the ground with Samton. She draws two arrows of a different type now, firing both at the bard. When she draws them this time, she pulls the bow back incredibly far and puts as much power into her shot as possible. Fortunately for Signe, only the first one hits, but when it does it erupts in flames and burns her badly.
Flaming arrows. They must be magic, since she didn't need to light them, Kajiwara thinks, drawing forth two more arrows. Once again, controlling his breathing, focusing on Zaiobe, he tries to become one with each arrow as they fly from his bow.
"NO! You will not take another one!"
Lor-Sinn stomps with one foot, and from the point of impact a near-invisible ripple spreads out, disturbing some of the dust on the floor.
Signe lets out a scream as her clothes and hair singe.
"S**t. F**k that HURTS" Clearly this Ulfen woman has no filter.
She gestures with her right hand in circles around the affected area, to relieve some of the pain.
In short order, she legs it as fas as she can.
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Was it possible to be roused from the dead by sheer foul language? Samton wouldn't have thought so, and yet that was all his newly revivified and thoroughly confused mind could conclude as he woke up one cheek squashed against the stone floor. Sensitive ears still burning, he threw a swimming gaze around. Well, he was alive. This was good. But so was Zaiobe, which was less good. Another errant arrow landed inches from his nose and he jumped. No, not good at all. It was only when Ruka's foot came into his view in evading the harpy's missiles that inspiration struck him, however.
Reaching for his spell pouch, lying on the floor where he'd dropped it, he began intoning the last bit of magic he could manage for the day. Then he brushed the woman's heel.
"Give her hell, Ms Kaijitsu..." the wizard mumbled as Ruka suddenly grew to reach the room's ceiling, and Zaiobe with it.
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Ruka had already dropped her bow, biting her lip as she eyes the bookshelves on the wall. It's a risky plan. She might end up doing nothing but break her own neck. But one sentence keeps echoing in her mind.
"You will not take another one!"
She hadn't turned around since Sam fell, focused entirely on the harpy. Lor-Sinn was closer. Did she know something Ruka didn't? Was Sam...
Just as she tenses her muscles to run for the wall, she feels a brush against her leg. Seconds later the room becomes much, much smaller.
She looks down at herself. She looks up at the harpy, now within reach. And for perhaps the first time, the party gets to hear her swear.
"F%#~. You."
Enlarged and angry Ruka are enough to put an end to Zaiobe's archery. Swatting her from the air, the harpy falls to the ground and lands at an awkward angle that surely hits at numerous broken bones. Nearly dead, she has a few breaths before she perishes completely.
Asuka reached for another flask, only to realize that she had used her last one. Thankfully, Ruka smashed into Zaiobe with a blisteringly powerful strike and she didn't need any more.
This betrayal has deeply disturbed Asuka. It just didn't make any sense to her. The story didn't add up to her, and fighting only made sense if there was a story to it. It's art if there is a story, but if there isn't, it's just senseless violence and butchery.
"Why did you attack us! What the hells??? That's just...it's not...we were helping you and you almost kill one of us!"
She realizes that Zaiobe is far beyond hearing her at this point. She hamemrs a clenched talon against the wall. She holds herself there for a few moments while she tries to calm herself now.
"Well, what do we do now?"
"Where did the new one go?" Lor-Sinn looks around for Signe. Now that Zaiobe was dead, the tiefling wanted to make sure that everyone was alright. Once the bard rejoins them, a few more applications of Erastil's power heal some of their wounds.
That done, Lor-Sinn leans against a wall and sinks in a sitting position, Zaiobe's bow on their lap. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm really tired. And angry. And sad. But mostly tired."
Ruka blinks in surprise as a single hit takes Zaiobe down. Perhaps they'd been doing more damage with their arrows than she'd thought? "Thanks Sam. That was..." She trails off as she remembers what she'd been thinking right before she'd grown. "Sam! Are you alright? I thought...I was worried..." She doesn't finish her sentence. Best not to say it aloud.
She shifts uncomfortably, waiting for the spell to wear off. Right now she's half afraid she might step on someone if she moves. "She probably wanted the castle for herself. Once we fought Kikonu, whomever won would be weakened from the battle. She thought that was a fight she could win." Unfortunately for her she'd been wrong.
As for the 'new one'... "She probably didn't get far. No doubt she'll hear us talking and realize the battle's over. Then she either comes back or she doesn't." Ruka doesn't blame her for running. It hadn't been her fight, and she'd helped them anyway.
Kajiwara lowers his bow and stares at Zaiobe. "Her want of the castle is the only explanation I can think of - that, or she wants whatever is in the vaults and thought to kill us and possibly take the key we took from Kikonu. Perhaps she has another?"
Kajiwara sets about the grisly task of searching Zaiobe.
Signe hears the end of hostilities and starts to head back up the stairs.
Reappearing and clearing her throat, she looks a little sheepish.
"Now, that was not what I was expecting when I said I would come yelp you all." She says, trying to excuse her actions and watching Katjiwara search for the key.
"Is there anything or anyone else you need to warn me of? Perhaps a love you have two-timed or an ally you have crossed?"
"NO! It's not like that! She crossed us! She tols us... well, she told Sam, and Sam told us, which in itself was a pretty strange process, especially as we were all surprised that she didn't attack us as soon as we stepped into the room, but no, she was cool as you please, reading a book of all things... I think it was a romance book, but not a very good one." Lor-Sinn's eyes start searching the room for said book before the paladin gets their thoughts back on track. "Anyway, she told us that she used to be Kikonu's lover - um, Kikonu is a demon bird that used to rule this castle until about a quarter of an hour ago, when we killed him, but he was really evil and killed lots of people, so like I said him and Zaiobe used to be together, but then he stole her voice and she got really angry at him, so when we came in she asked us to kill him."
The tiefling is standing now, gesturing animatedly as the disjointed story attempts to take shape. "So we did! I mean, not because she asked us, but because he was evil. And instead of being grateful, she attacked us! I don't understand why!"
"Imma fine..." the wizard replied to the giant Ruka's concern, still mumbling into the floor he couldn't quite envisage rising from just yet. "Just hurts when I... breathe." Man, getting shot in the lung sucked. Literally.
Except then it suddenly didn't. With Lor-Sinn lighting up as a beacon in channeling the awesome power of the Positive Energy Plane into this one innocuous chamber of the castle, Sam immediately felt every wound accumulated on their trek vanish like shadow before so much light. Zaiobe's arrow gave a clatter in falling to the floor as rapidly healing flesh simply pushed it out. "Aw nice," he said appreciatively, voice much stronger, and jumped to his feet. "Thanks, Ms Imass."
As for the puzzlement on the harpy's motives, Samton had little to add. Nothing but that his punctilious little mind couldn't help but remark on. "Technically not a demon," he remarked to Signe on the tiefling's thorough summary, "but a planar-native evil spirit given flesh almo..." He stopped himself. He really needed to learn to restrain his supposed enlightenment to where it was actually helpful. This constant rectifying was just kinda rude. "N-never mind. That covers it all, yeah."
All that said, the young man was very disappointed at Zaiobe's betrayal. And with himself for not seeing it coming, having practically acted as her liaison to the group. He guessed... he'd just have to be more careful in the future. No more trusting monsters. "So, uh," he said in distracting himself from the guilt, "where to from here? Gotta admit, I'm sorta running out of steam myself. Don't have much left in the way of magic."
It felt bad admitting it, especially given that their quest to restore Ameiko was back at square one with Kikonu apparently not being behind whatever ailed her, but his rational mind knew it had to be said; none of them could save her if they ran themselves ragged and died in the process themselves.
As Lor-Sinn tries to tell the story, Signe nods along, but find it incredibly difficult to follow. Wow, this woman can talk for the whole party! Does she ever slow down?
"Right, thank you Lor-Sinn, I think I followed that unusual chain of events."
Signe sits on the floor resting her back to the wall internally relieved that Sam suggests that they slow down. "Look, if you all need to slow down, I understand. I could keep going for hours, but if you can't all keep up, that's okay."
She starts inspecting her dirty, and now singed clothing, considering that if she sticks with this group, then someone might have another solution to this mess. She habitually begins humming a relaxing ditty to herself without realising she is making a sound.
Ruka opens her mouth to protest, (we haven’t found the vaults, we still don’t know what happened to Ameiko, she could be dying), then, reluctantly, closes it again. Sam’s out of magic and nearly died himself, Lor-Sinn had just expended tons of healing energy trying to keep them alive, and even Asuka seemed less energetic than usual.
And, although she doesn’t want to admit it...she’s tired too.
”A rest is probably a good idea.” Her shoulders slump at this admission of defeat, but she forces herself to start thinking of the logistics instead. ”Maybe downstairs, in one of those secret rooms we found? The entrances were hard to find, and we could barricade the doors. It should be safe enough.”
Asuka claps for Lor-Sinn's storytelling. Nothing brings her out of a bad place like a good story or a good telling or both. "Good explanation, Lor-Sinn! And yes, I agree that a rest might be a good idea. We have been going for quite a while already to be honest. And a secret room sounds like the best place."
Asuka tries her best to smile for Ruka. She knows that delay will probably affect Ruka's spirits the best. Ruka is demonstrative enough that even Asuka can pick up on her moods.
"Ameiko will be okay, Ruka! She's in good hands back with the caravan and we are making great progress. This place is a whole big fortress and we have cleared through so much of it already!"
Signe leads the way downstairs and helps to bar the doors in case anything comes to hunt them in their rest. She also suggests that they take it in turns to watch out for any danger, volunteering to go first to show goodwill.
When the group are rested, she is keen to continue, as clearly her saviours are on a perilous time-limit.
Zaiobe does not possess the key for which you search. She does have 3 +1 flaming arrows, potions of cure moderate wounds (2), chain shirt, +1 composite longbow with 15 arrows.
The group heads off for a long deserved rest, securing themselves in one of the bedroom sections of the first floor. Truth be told, it had some time since they last slept in a bed and they didn't know when the next time would be, so every moment was cherished.
A watch is established and though they are interrupted numerous times throughout the night by noisy corbies roaming the castle, no one attempts to enter their barricaded room.
The following morning, the group sets about attempting to locate the other key that matched what Kikonu possessed. After spending the entire day ridding the rest of the castle of more trologydtes and other creatures, they come up empty, unable to find it. It would make sense then, that Kikonu hadn't found it in all of his years here that it wouldn't just be laying about.
Determined to find the item, they once more set about scouring the castle grounds to try and come up with the key that would allow them to continue down into the vaults. As evening approaches without success, the group once more beds down for the night as worry sets in that Ameiko has now been unconscious and the group has been away from the caravan for a day and a half. Exhaustion sets in and they once more bed down for the evening.
During the preparation of the evening meal, Samton is discussing with Signe about her arriving to Brinewall. She mentions that they used a secret entrance outside of the castle that was outlined in the blueprints her group had discovered. When entered through this tunnel, they encountered a large, abomination of a creature that slaughtered her whole crew.
"...so they dragged me whilst I was still bleeding out my guts through this secret entrance on the eastern wall. That could've just about killed me, but NO, they didn't care." She exclaims, frustrated with her poor treatment.
"Just because I was held prisoner, didn't mean they have to treat me like cattle! Either way, I think it was on the Eastern wall, no one has used it since, so it might be worthwhile going to check it out? Just ignore my blood stains, you know?"
Extremely frustrated by their lack of progress, Ruka is sulking a little ways off from the people cooking the evening meal. (She had long since been relegated to cleaning duty after an unfortunate incident involving an hot peppers and an apple pie.)
As such, it takes her a minute to understand what Signe is saying.
"Wait. Back up a second." She fixes Signe with a glare. "There's a secret entrance that you're just now mentioning? And this abomination...what did it look like? The only monsters we've seen around here are troglodytes and a bunch of bird creatures." She belatedly realizes this might be offensive and sends an apologetic glance towards Asuka.
Her embarrassment leads her to sound much more agreeable as she adds, "I definitely think it's worth checking out. Maybe it's something Kikonu didn't know about."
Lor-Sinn is almost as frustrated as Ruka by the lack of progress and another day wasted in this horrible castle. "I used to think castles were cool. They're too big, is what they are," the paladin can be heard muttering throughout the day, together with frequent comments about how this story makes no sense - they defeated the big evil, defeated another big evil and they're still not getting their just rewards! It would appear that quite a bit of Asuka's views on narrative structure have rubbed off on the tiefling.
"A secret entrance? Of course! We should have thought of that! Is the creature the sea drake you mentioned before? Also, Ruka, we didn't just see troglodytes and corbies, remember those big, biiiig brothers in the courtyard, the cursed ones? I wonder if they're still fighting..."
"I used to think castles were cool. They're too big, is what they are,"
"Oh, I dunno," Sam replied absentmindedly, almost automatically given how his mind was a million miles away. "I'm quite appreciating the view."
Sitting cross-legged in an oversized windowsill amidst a heap of paper, maps, spanners, planimeters and more obscure tools, the cartographer was utilizing the high vantage point to better calculate points of reference in the surrounding area for his own map. And technically he was 3.17 miles away, thank you very much, in surveying a helpfully funny shaped hillock through a small monocular. Why waste the opportunity? Wasn't like they were accomplishing much else.
Almost as soon as they were spoken, Samton regretted the words. He didn't want to to come off as indifferent or uncaring of the entire reason they were here: to help Ameiko. He especially didn't want to give this impression in front of Ruka, who he knew was both worried sick about her sister and very frustrated at their failure to find any leads, visibly so. It was just that he was starting to harbor a fear he didn't dare voice: namely that the group's assumption of something within Brinewall Castle being responsible for the elder Kaijitsu's condition (a reasonable enough supposition given that there was bugger all else in the region) was simply wrong. Fretful by nature, he feared that not only were they wasting their time, but that it was already too late.
For all these reasons and more, hearing Signe describe a secret area in the castle was very intriguing indeed. "Y-yeah," he agreed. "We should definitely go."
The news of some sort of monstrosity awaiting them there was less welcome, of course. Listening intently to the Ulfen's description of the creature, he wondered whether he'd read of something similar before.
Somewhere off in the distance the sounds of two ogrekin can be heard wrestling in the courtyard...
Sam wracks his brain for what Signe is describing and reaches the conclusion she's speaking about a ten-armed octopus half-fiend called a decapus.
The decapus is a fairly intelligent creature—an ambush predator that makes excellent use of its ability to weave magical visual illusions and to imitate the voices of other creatures it has heard speaking. Typical decapuses know only the Aklo tongue, but when they use their sound mimicry ability to imitate creatures speaking in other languages, they can typically form short (up to three words long) sentences even when imitating a language they don’t actually know.
The decapus’s physical structure most resembles that of a bloated octopus with 10 tentacles. It lacks bones and takes its shape from its rubbery, muscular flesh. Most have sickly, olive skin patched with scraggly tangles of hair, with darker blue or purple coloration around their faces and crimson or orange tips to their tentacles. These tentacles are covered with tiny suction cups and hooks, affording them great skill at climbing or clutching prey. On the ground, though, they are slow, plodding creatures that flop and wriggle relatively inefficiently. As a result, they prefer regions like forest canopies, narrow fissures, stalactite forests, or other regions where they can use their climb speed.
The decapus favors humanoid flesh over all other food; most are quite fond of gnome flesh in particular. This creature has an enormous appetite that often drives it to consume whatever food is available—the decapus is not above cannibalism when other food sources are scarce. For this reason, these monsters are largely solitary creatures, except when the urge to mate overwhelms their urge to feed. Females give birth to small litters of 2–4 live offspring. The females often need to defend them from the males, which, if left unsupervised, typically eat the newborn decapuses. The young mature rapidly, growing to full size after a mere 7 to 11 months, after which they depart to claim their own territories. Once a decapus reaches maturity, it can live to 100 years old—although their violent natures usually result in much shorter lifespans.
A typical decapus has a legspan of 8 feet and weighs 200 pounds
Kajiwara thinks a moment, then says, "I am surprised we did not encounter the other end of the secret passageway. I believe you it is there, but I wonder what part of the castle the other end comes out in. We should investigate tomorrow."
Kajiwara had been getting frustrated at their lack of progress, as well, but his grandfather had taught him that such frustration only resulted in failure, and it should be blown away like leaves in the breeze. He hadn't quite mastered that ability, but he was at least able to mitigate it enough that he didn't show such frustration outwardly.
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"Huh. Almost sounds like a, uh... whatchamacallit? A decapus?"
Samton scratched at his brown hair in thinking. It was a bit difficult to parse naked fact from embellished detail in Signe's description of the beast, bards and storytellers being so fanciful in their narration. Still, he wasn't sure what else it could be. "A decapus is a sort of ten-armed octopus-like monstrosity," he explained to whomever would listen. "Get it? 'Cause 'octo' means, uh, eight? And octopuses have eight arms, I mean, um, tentacles? A-and 'octo-' is a, uh, numeral prefix meaning eight? From, like, Ancient Azlanti? I think? And so... so this octopus-like monster gets called decapus. 'Cause it has ten ar... tentacles. And 'deca-' is another prefix meaning ten. I think. From Azlanti. So 'octopus' turns into 'decapus'. It's, uh... clever."
Never mind. Whatever the faults of bards and storytellers, they were a heck of a lot better at explaining things than him. "A-anyway, they're nothing like any mere squid," the wizard went on, trying to salvage his little lecture. "They live on land, for one. Supposedly great climbers; trees, cave ceilings - they like ambushing prey like that. They're also pretty intelligent. Can talk and everything, though they typically don't speak our Common. Can even use some magic, mostly illusions. S-so be aware if you see something out of place. Oh yeah, they can't just talk, they're said to be really good at mimicking voices too. Real sneaky like that. I think they use that to lure people."
He looked to the Ulfen apologetically. "Right. Decapuses... They, um, eat people. C-condolences for your friends."
2nd: Alter Self, Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace + Steal Breath
The following morning everyone returns to the cells where you found Signe. She indicates the wall on the eastern side of the room that looks quite ordinary. It takes some searching, but eventually Kajiwara uncovers a loose stone on the northern side of the room which triggers a section of rock that slides down to the floor and reveals a passage to the east.
The floor of this vast cavern descends in two twenty-foot drops into a large, eerie grotto. The walls drip with moisture and bear strange and disturbing cave paintings of towering four-winged humanoid shapes. Tiny motes of glowing light drift and bob in the air, giving the place an almost nauseating feeling, as if the cavern is viewed through a dreamlike haze.
"Behold, I am Pharasma." a woman's voice says, echoing throughout the cavern without a visible source. "Beyond this place lies a sacred burial grounds. Discard your weapons and enter peacefully, and I will give you my blessings. Keep them... and face my wrath.". The voice fades away.
"They weren't my friends Sam, but sure, if apologising makes you feel better, go ahead." Signe says, unaware of the usual sympathies people offer to each other.
----
Signe's musical mind has always naturally understood the use of tone and voice to play with anothers' emotions and she focusses more on the tone than the words. That being said, this is a dire warning indeed by Pharasma.
"So, what kind of wrath can Pharasma put upon us anyway?" The Ulfen asks, unsure of what the actual consequences will be. "Do you think she is serious?"
"Don't know much about Pharasma, to be honest, but angering the gods is never a good idea." offers Lor-Sinn.
Kajiwara frowns. "I didn't think the gods took such an active interest in the mortal world. Sam, those paintings of 4-wigned humanoids - can you tell what creature they are?"
Ruka frowns, clinging a little tighter to Murasamemaru. "I don't know much about the gods either, but I'm not leaving Murasamemaru behind. Not when we're on the hunt for a monster capable of killing an entire crew." She peers around the grotto. "Is there a way we can go that doesn't require us to go through the sacred burial ground?"
There would not be another way forward from where you are currently. After a brief discussion with Signe, she explains that this is not the tunnel that she entered from, this is the one she likely exited from. Her crew entered the cavern from a concealed entrance on the seaside, outside of the castle proper.
"Uuuum..."
Beyond being startled terribly at the sudden disembodied voice, young Sam appeared cautiously skeptical as what supposed to be the Lady of Graves herself deigned to delve some dank cave in order to address them. Was this right? Did the gods, any god, reach into the mortal world so directly under any but the direst of circumstances? Or was there a more likely explanation at hand?
"Uh, gang?" he whispered insistently. "Could this not be the, um, decapus Ms Valland described? You know, that thing that lures prey in by mimicking voices?"
Kajiwara frowns. "Sam, those paintings of 4-wigned humanoids - can you tell what creature they are?"
"W-well, I can take a look..." the wizard said in approaching the strange drawings.
"If there aren't any other ways through, then presumably you were taken through here. Right, Signe?" Ruka looks skeptical. "And presumably the people who kidnapped you also have weapons. Why wouldn't Pharasma have cared about them?"
"This isn't exactly mimicking a voice, but..." Ruka struggles for a moment, then shrugs. She's more suited to action anyway. "I can go ahead. If Pharasma smites me or whatever, then you all will know not to follow without disarming first. If she doesn't and I start yelling about a monster, you'll know it was a trick and can come help." She's more flippant about possibly being smote than she might otherwise be. However, if Pharasma can't tell the difference between someone cautiously (and respectfully) going through an area, armed or no, and someone seeking to desecrate the place, well, what kind of a god is she?
While everyone else deliberates the pros and cons of complying, Asuka immediately kneels and unstraps her katana, holding it up in supplication. The thought of a god directly talking to people didn't seem that strange to her, especially since it happens in plays and stories all the time. This is clearly some kind of test thing, and she's great at test things!
"Oh Great Goddess of Death and Fate! I, Asuka Narukami, will comply with your wishes as best I can. My sword is an honored heirloom of my family and it would be a strike to our honor should I discard it. Would stowing it away in my bag be a sufficient show of deference?"
Kaji smiles slightly, and holds up a fist. "Perhaps, Ruka, I should be the one to test it without weapons. If it is real, then nothing will happen to me. If it doesn't, then I think I have the best chance of either getting out or defending myself."
As Asuka kneels and speaks out to the voice, Kajiwara's face grows considerate as he recalls her beak and talons and he says, "Actually, Asuka might do well with this test, too."
Signe hangs back, letting those foolish-heroic-sorts all debate over who can be the fool-hardy hero to test out the voice's wrath.
The implications of what the others are discussing being to slowly filter through Lor-Sinn's thoughts. "Wait, you think this is not... not Pharasma? But you heard the voice!"
Confused, the young paladin tries to focus Erastil's power into discerning the truth.
The voice does not respond to Asuka and whatever was previously here appears to have vanished. Lor-Sinn does not detect evil, but that could simply be to the thick, rocky caverns that line the cavern tunnels ahead.
Signe holds back and waits for everyone else to enter the cavern, before following closely, but not too closely, behind doing her best to keep quiet.
"I mean, think about it, Ms Imass," Sam replied to the good-natured paladin, absently twirling a finger and conjuring translucent bands of force to form an armor about his meager frame in preparation for entering what he was convinced was the beast's lair. "Has Erastil ever spoken to you?"
Too late he realized that the query sounded too much like a challenge, even a reproach, and immediately scrambled to clarify. "W-which is to say, of course he has! Like, spiritually and... stuff. But not in the sense of directly addressing you like this, right? Disembodied voice and all? A-and you're a holy warrior of his! The gods don't usually interpose themselves so openly in mortal affairs. Do they?"
The young man ruffled his own hair awkwardly. He'd read that the gods typically only acted through their mortal agents on the Material Plane for fear of engendering a divine arms race if every power simply did whatever it wanted. But then what did he know, really? While he respected the higher powers and attended church services back home in Sandpoint, Samton practically lived his life as an atheist. Magic was what he put his faith in. It was so much more tangible, reliable, even independent than faith, after all. Why bargain for borrowed power when you could make your own? Why, it was almost belittling...
He stopped himself. Where were these thoughts coming from? This wasn't what he really believed. Was it? No, of course not! He had nothing but respect for goodly Lor-Sinn and the sacrifices every paladin made. Yes. And besides, he was a massive hypocrite, he chided himself. It hadn't been so long ago that he had reached out to an otherworldly entity himself in desperation. It was the entire reason behind his supposed talent. Scoffing at those with faith? Ludicrous. He was little but an inept fraud.
But none of this shook his conviction that something dangerous lay ahead, and so insisted on providing some protection to those who offered to enter first.
"Well, I suppose you're right," concedes Lor-Sinn, although the paladin still looks very doubtful about the prospect of heading deeper into the cavern. "And if everyone else wants to chance it, I'll be there and I won't let monster or god harm you." There, that was somewhat firmer ground. It was their duty to protect the rest, so if Pharasma wanted to mess with them then she had to do better than a disembodied voice, as Sam had put it.
Ruka isn't at all eager to let anyone go forward without her, but she has to admit it makes sense for those who don't rely entirely on weapons to test out the voice's threat. "Alright. I'll stay back here, and can hold weapons for anyone who doesn't want to risk bringing them in. If it turns out to be a trap, I'll run forward and get them to you right away."