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"Well then I'm sure you're glad that the life of the party is back!" "A round of drinks for everyone whilst I regale you with the tales of our latest exploits... the reclamation of Abbey Isle!" As Silvio works the crowd with a moderately exaggerated version of their latest adventure, he keeps an eye out for any new faces in the crowd, hoping to catch the eye of someone to cure his loneliness.
"Well done, boys! Keep up the good work!" Silvio encourages the workers with a pat on the ass. With business out of the way, Silvio moves onto pleasure, visiting The Tavern of the West Wind. "Haki, my good man, how I've missed your sunny disposition! Tell me, what's the latest gossip!"
"Well, my loves, I don't know about you, but I am curious to see how our new keep is looking!" Silvio says as he skips excitedly toward the construction site.
On the journey back, Silvio strikes up a conversation with Odie and the other rescued monks, "So what do you think you'll do now? I don't mean to criticize but being a devotee of Syrul seems to leave a bit to be desired in the job satisfaction department. Would you ever consider something new? In case you missed the curvy gal around my neck , I am a member of Big Momma's House. Our mandate is a bit more palatable. We plant the seeds of faith in fertile ground far and wide." he says as he gently rests his hand on Odie's knee.
"You'll get no argument from me! I think it would take all three of us to swing it."
"Whew! Well I wasn't sure there for a while but this looks worth the effort! Although I'm not the one who took the brunt of those traps. Loci, darling, how are you feeling? I think you are in for a nice bonus." "Walrus, can you identify any of these goodies today or will that have to wait until morning? Speaking of which, I think we could all use a good night's rest before we set out after that spider.
Silvio is quick to lay his hands on Locinda, apply salve and bandages to her new wound.
Silvio whistles a brief tune and twinkling fae creatures materialize in a swarm around the giant metallic monstrosity.
Silvio sighs again. "Well we definitely need to remain cautious. Loci, you had better continue to lead the way." Silvio follows behind the rogue.
"Wait... look at this masonry. Does this look right to you?" Silvio presses on the wall to find a mechanism to open it.
Silvio lets out a heavy sigh. "Well then. That's a thing that happened." "Shall we find some space among the survivors to settle down for the night? Or should we venture out to find that spider?"
"Well that certainly could have gone worse. Let's smash this thing fast." he encourages his allies as he hurls a javelin.
"Well then. The Syrulians are an odd bunch. So that room we passed through to find this hidden area contained a half-melted statue and scorch marks on a table. I am wary that this statue could be similarly designed. That warding I blessed you with, Loci, should still be in effect, but just in case, I think you should take the high priest's medallion before you enter the room to disable any traps." "Have I ever mentioned how brave you are?"
"Well done! Those were some mighty swings, Hodd! Let's see what it was that the minotaur was guarding." he says symbolically clapping the dust from his hands and retrieving his javelins. He begins to move toward the doorway previously blocked by the minotaur when he suddenly freezes and sheepishly turns towards their trapspotter. "...Err, umm, Loci, would you mind taking a quick peak first?"
"Perhaps now would be a good time to test out those magical weapons we've found."
"Uh oh." Silvio hurls another javelin and then tries to take cover behind the motionless dead.
Alright, let's deal with them before they wake. Three... two... one!
They do know how to make things ominous here.
let's try that again.
Ouch. Sorry about that. Let me help. Wow. That looks like bait to me. Let's check the other rooms before we mess with that.
"Good eye and fully agreed! We'll step back and stay put of your way while you disable that. Then we'll all have to be on high alert for more shananigans courtesy of paranoid devotees of a trickster."
Silvio shrugs, Ah well. Worth a shot. He follows behind Damian as he moves past the skeletons, making sure to take Loci's hand and bring the transpotter along.
"Ugh, this priesthood is overly fond of skeletal minions. These are likely triggered by some event. That, or this medallion could be identifying me as an ally. It was worn by their head priest... Let me try something." Silvio clears his throat and states in his most commanding voice, "Drop your weapons!"
"Yikes. Ominous. Give me a moment to consult Mother Dear before you start tinkering."
Silvio shrugs. "It seems that the monks here had themselves one fancy cook. Either way I am not seeing the curtains that Odie mentioned, so let's check door number 3." He rest his hand on Locinda's shoulder and gives her a requesting smile, then gestures to the NW door.
"Oof. It seems they've been hitting the sauce pretty hard. Well this looks interesting and out of place" Silvio comments as he picks up the ornate tube and examines the contents.
Silvio gives an approving nod to Odium. "I'm not seeing any curtains, so it must be beyond one of these doors. Let's try the Eastern door first. We were warned of traps, so, Loci, if you would be so kind as to lead the way?"
"Treasure room you say?" he says barely containing his excitement. "By the way, what can you tell us about the magical gear you and these men carried?"
"Shall we?" he says with a meaningful look at his allies, lingering on the trapspringer in the group.
"So what awaits us down that way?" Silvio asks with a gesture at the southern door. "Are there more of the Syrul faithful that we'll need to convince that we aren't hostile?"
Silvio finds himself smiling as Odium gives his frank assessment of the island. He chuckles as Odium points out his meager bed. "That doesn't look too cozy. You must need someone to cuddle up to for warmth at night... I get chilly at night myself." The talk of spiders rapidly changes the mood. "Ugh. That doesn't sound pleasant at all," he heaves a sigh, "Well I can't have you running off to battle giant spiders without me. Someone has to suck out the venom." "Before we go," he says, turning to Odium, "Do you know who that fancy pair of boots belong to? Those look useful. Also any idea which direction to head to find this spider?"
Not bandits, sorry. To adventurers like us, every threat starts to sound like bandits. Truth be told, our quest here was a simple one. The Mariner's Guild is interested in constructing a lighthouse on this island. They heard about you and the other devotees being attacked by pirates those many months ago, and arrived to claim the island, but were driven back by the skeletons. Have you encountered these guildsmen? I wonder if our Mariner's Guild were the original pirates and are simply trying to steal the island from the cultists. I should mention this to the others later. Anyway, they tasked us with clearing the island of any "hazards." Given your stab first, ask questions later approach with us, I imagine that would have included you lot, but hopefully that is no longer the case." his voice rises at the end, hinting at that last statement being a question. While talking, Silvio leads Odium and the others along with him, so the dialogue takes place as the adventurers begin a search of the area, beginning with the closed NE door.
"It does seem to be quite the library, especially considering the devastation. Hodd, you should take a look. I imagine it could be quite the boon for your arcane studies!" "Do you mind if we have a look around?"
"Interesting. Well it's good that the pirates haven't returned. Hopefully their lust for violence and treasure has been sated. Even better news is that I do believe that you'll be marooned here no longer; we can offer you and the other surviving monks safe transport off of the island. Do you think they'll be willing to leave their home behind? It is clearly a daunting task to rebuild." "In the meantime, tell me, Odie, what brought you out here? Pilgrimage?" Silvio watches Odium closely during their conversation, still hesitant to trust the fellow.
"That is a true shame. What do you think provoked the raid? Obviously you folks have been bracing for further attacks. Have they continued to raid you?" "By the way, what do you know of the skeletons lurking beneath the sands on the beach? Was that your doing? It is mighty intimidating magic."
"Hmm, let's check on that. I am a medicus by trade so I swore an oath to treat the injured, but it seems like your men we weren't able to subdue with magic are beyond saving..." he trails off awkwardly before eventually clearing his throat. "So what does Ozzie look like?"
"Finally! I thought you'd never listen to reason. Now then, why don't you tell us what happened to you here?"
Seeing that his paralytic prayers are still in effect, Silvio focuses on his own wounds.
"My spell will keep those men tied up for several more minutes. Focus on that caster. He's only blinded, and not for much longer."
"Okay, this is rapidly getting out of hand. Hodd, unleash the beast!"
"Did any of you ever stop to think that the God of deceit that maybe he deceives his disciples? Meanwhile I just wanted to help you see your god." he offers while falling back behind the party and touching himself.
"Ow! Ya know this is no way to start an interfaith discussion."
The largely pacifistic priest sighs and tries to defuse the situation.
Silvio leads the group down the stairs, still hopeful to have a conversation with the skittish priests.
Silvio spends a little time sifting through the debris, mostly out of curiosity.
"Hey! Don't run! We're nice!" He sighs and moves up closer with the group.
Silvio strokes his chin ponderously at the descriptions that Walrus relays. "I am certainly getting less and less of a death cult vibe from the inhabitants of this island. Hells, they sound more like the people I grew up with. I wonder if our benefactor lied, or was simply mistaken about their faith. Either way, let's approach them peacefully and see if we can talk things out with them. Afterall Lurrus's instructions were to clear the island of any hazards. If the monks here are harmless, then there's no need to quarrel with them. Lead on, Damian." As the group gets within shouting distance of the ruins Silvio calls out,
"Well, you should steer clear of the shore. There are evil creatures hiding in the sand. Soon we'll leave the island for supplies and we can bring you with us if you'd like." He pats the neck of the mules then sends them on their way before relaying what he learned to his allies, "Well it sounds like the pirates are long gone with their boots. The cultists are apparently holed up in the remnants of the building. 'Smelling of fear and desperation' they say. An animal is at its most dangerous when it's cornered so we should be careful. Who wants a pep talk?"
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