Quince smirks and looks to Lykan, "Skull in the mountains . . . less than wholesome. I guess we should check the gullet." Quince dismounts and speaks with Scram and the elk mounts, instructing the horse to protect the others.
Quince looks about the area before the cave to see if there are signs of other folk passing through. "Before we start throat spelunking lets check for trail signs."
The elf too sniffs the air and proceeds to check for tracks.
You can see some pretty big feet shod in boots. Also there are drag marks. The tracks lead out, you don't think any of them lead into the cave.
"Big. Boots."
"Big like some of your men? Big like an Ogre? Bigger?"
The elf compares the prints.
Quince looks at Dinenen and has trouble not laughing, "You all didn't meet Munguk did you?" He looks toward Cleo and Jorne chuckling. He squints and looks back at the monk. "One of our Reeves is a hill giant soo."
"Oh don't start." Cleonora said with a half smirk to Quince. "One of many things I can say we didn't expect."
Bigger than Munguk by not by much. About 2 feet long and about a 1/2 foot wide.
"These are big, more than Munguk. He's a Hill Giant. These are some kind of giant. Shuffling along."
"Shuffling? Injured or lame by birth?" Lykàn questions.
"Perhaps burdened . . . but big heave shoes no doubt."
"Okay, so we know to be prepared for giants of some kind. Generally, they have difficulty hiding, don't they?"
"It's rare to find one that proficient in camouflage unless magically assisted."
"I would think that about whole towns too." He shrugs at the conundrum the entire situation is.
"Shuffling? Injured or lame by birth?" Lykàn questions.
"Well there is one way to find out for sure." Cleonora pointed out as she look to the cave.
"I can scout with my magic if you wish Quin." She looked to him with arms crossed.
Quince nods, "That's a great first step."
"What do you have in mind for advance scouting?" He asks as he readies to move in before her.
"Invisibility." Cleonora answered as she got her book out. "Sorry love but I can't do more than one person yet." She explained. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."
With that Cleonora vanished and made her way into the cave.
Cleonora returns to the group still under the invisibility, only a few minutes has passed. She states, "The tunnel goes down and splits into three ways. The left leads to a cave in, the forward goes forward a great distance, the way left goes to a pool with a glowing tree within the waters. The branches spread all along the ceiling of the cavern. No threats seen."
"I have a bit longer in this invisibility spell. Anything you want me to look for while it lasts?"
"Let's go check out the tree." He states as he moves into the tunnel.
"Sounds interesting." He stands up gives some instructions to Scram his horse and to the elk in their strange animal languages.
Dinenen says nothing, clumping up with the others as they go to move into the more restricted space.
The red haired elf stays silent and picks up the rear of the group.
Walking into the cavern you see the domineering tree. It is in the middle of the room and a pool of milky liquid surrounds it which is 40 feet across. The branches do indeed seem to hold up the cavern, the branches snake like vines between cracks in the ceiling. Not many leaves are upon the tree but the few that remain glow like dancing lights.
"A voice in my head, a warning, leave or be cursed.
"It likes me, though. Interesting."
"It offers blessing to me though. Who else?" Lykàn asks he finds that Dinenen seems to have had a positive approach from the voice.
"Is it all of us or some of us It offers blessings?"
"Curse here, I was also told I'd be cursed." Cleonora said. "Though honestly that isn't uncommon after my life..."
"It says I will be cursed too," he hesitantly says and lets the others into the room as he stays to the side and in front of Cleo and Quince still. Then he continues, "At least it is warning us..."
"Or separating us." He adds with a shrug. "Trusting strange occurrences has worked out well for us . . ." he looks around realizing he is with newer friends, "Well for me. Strange but fortuitous things. But not every trend holds forever."
"If you take no risks, you never stretch beyond your current development, never grow into a better you. Sometimes that growth comes from good things. Sometimes not. But risk is always required. That's why we are sent into the world, to find risks to help ourselves grow."
"We can hang back. If things get bad we can follow. If you end up blessed we can likely trust that those who were promised a curse would get one."
"Seems a reasonable gamble."
"Hmmm Seems like the ones getting a blessing is us elves or elf blooded?" Lykàn asks.
He looks around trying to see if he can sense its motive and also where the voice may have originated from.
Quince looks at Lykan nodding impressed at the insight. "True enough. Now we just have to figure if its a trap or not."
Are you perhaps a Dryad? The red haired elf thinks, wondering if this message would be picked up on.
He glances around to see which of his companions might have any further clues.
Out aloud, he tells them.
"Hard to describe this voice other then being in my head but I feel no malice from her."
He keeps back speaking quietly with the others. "I don't want to anger the entity by approaching myself. I think I can see runes of some kind on the leaves see how they glow. I think I remember an elven goddess, whose name escapes, this fits with her iconography. Though in truth the only proof of theory is in the testing. I have never heard of a treant that could speak with their mind but a dryad perhaps."
The feminine voice resounds throughout the cave, though the stern tone is gone, "You are all welcome to this temple. The warning is for those who don't line up with my divine essence well. If you want a blessing you may take of the fruit, drink of the lake, or take a nap in my warm embrace."
Quince looks up puzzled a moment.
The red hair elf bows.
"Then with thanks, let me the first to partake of your blessings." as he moves forward to take a sip of the water
"I would be appreciate of the name of your divine nature as we have stumbled upon your temple. It would not be right to take of your blessing without knowing the name of one giving it."
St. John moves up and takes a piece of fruit and eats it.
Quince tentatively responds to the voice in celestial, "Your welcome is gracious. Those who have heard your words will heed your warnings."
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"I am known to many as Erecura. Though I may have been harsh with my words, I only wish that none of you be cursed." The feminine voice continues echoing throughout the cavern.
Her worship is virtually unknown on Golarion, and is, for obvious reasons, strongly tied to the veneration of Dispater.
Her areas of concern are Deduction, Mind reading, and Subtlety. As most of her worshipers are soothsayers.
Favored Weapon: Light mace
Symbol: Halo of runes
Sacred Animal: Deer
Sacred Colors: Green, tan
As Lykan drinks from the water all of the leaves grow brighter and then dim. Lykan still glows for several seconds after it dims.