Quest #23 "Even The Jungle Wanted Them Dead"

[ChubbyPixie]

Mr. Wrenly, sitting atop his associate Chauncey's shoulder as the latter goes through the process of checking the wardrobe, goes suddenly wide-eyed, his head turning slowly in Wes's direction. Chauncey stops, looking up from his investigation, a look of mild concentration on his face. The simian familiar leaps down and in a few bounds closes with the druid, whom he proceeds to unceremoniously climb until he hangs perched, feet on Wes's chest, inches away from the druid's face, holding on by a clump of hair clenched in his tiny blue paw. He examines Wes's mouth with puzzlement, going so far as to tweak his lips and mustache with his free paw. After a moment of these monkey shines he speaks:

For Wes:

"Good day to you, sir! I must admit to a profound shock upon hearing you speak thusly in my native tongue. You simply cannot imagine my surprise. It gives me no small amount of pleasure, this opportunity to exercise a new avenue of expression! Let us take full advantage.

I will admit to some confusion regarding your query concerning my "true name." It is, of course, simply, Mr. Wrenly. Perhaps you were expecting a series of primitive screeches and howls? I am sorry to disappoint, though I do understand the assumption and, truth be told, find the idea thematically appealing, if perhaps a bit quaint.

You may rest assured that my associate, Chauncey, is only too aware of your concerns as we share, after the nature of our arrangement, a certain mentis nexum, as it were. I assume by your tone you would prefer, as any prudent gentleman might, to preserve a measure of discretion in revealing our intentions, given the uncertain motivations of this Krystal. I do not presume to know your feelings on the matter, but I for one find her behavior, and indeed her her entire aspect, disagreeable.

If I may, what exactly do you mean, sir, that you can hear Jaxson? "

Chauncey exits the poltergeist room and approaches the pair, eyeing the druid meaningfully. "There now Mr. Wrenly. Do not antagonize our friend, Wesley. I'm sure he has more important matters to attend to than idle chit-chat in the deserted nave of a temple ruin... ah, look... Avaala's given Jaxson a potion. Feeling better, Jaxson?" he says. He glances at Wes.

[Bluehorse]

Luther
Ignoring Monocar's attempts at being clever, Luther says That room with the fancy candle- did anyone check the chest for a false bottom? If the answer is no, he'll do that.

Monocar

Why are we so sure there is a way down into a basement? or that there is one? Wouldn't you build a temple to a sun god up instead of down? What about the stairs?

[Jernau35]

Wes

Wes grits his teeth as Mr Wrenly holds on to his hair, but remains pleasant. He holds Chauncey's gaze for a moment. "Not a problem at all Chauncey. He's a chatty little fella isn't he?" Wes returns to conversing with the monkey.

For Chauncey

"Jaxsen sounds as if he is in extreme pain. Deep, labored breaths through gritted teeth. Shuffling on his feet as if it hurts no matter which way he stands. It's as if his brain thinks he's fine and he's over-ruling his body. I know he's an extremely disciplined young fella, but it doesn't sound right at all. Whatever that potion was that Galanthas gave him, I don't think it made him better. It just made him think he was better."

"Let's hope that this one from Avalaa actually does some good".

"I was afraid Jaxsen was brought out here by Krystal while was still ill, for some crooked reason. Perhaps not. She may have thought he was fine. Though he was breathing like a deer that just outran the hounds."

"Krystal seems to do just enough to seem trustworthy. She says she doesn't trust us. Though she freely joined us and can leave whenever she wants".

[OGRE MAGE]

Seeking Out The Jungle Priest
Sunday, the 14th of Goodmonth
Mid Morning, Hot, Humid, Damp, Dim

Checking out the robes after dismantling his makeshift grappling hook, Galanthas doesn't find anything in pockets or hidden flaps. The robes look old but are well made and still look nice. Their only value might lie with a collector of old religious garments, however. The rest of the room appears to have been thoroughly searched when the elf offers the useless magic rope to any takers. Once Chauncey leaves again, only brother Gilbert remains, still holding the unseen monster in the corner at bay, for now.

Avaala give his mini dragon a long forgotten potion bottle from his pack to hand over to Jaxsen. The green goo slowly disappears as the invisible monk of Bralm drinks it down in its entirety. The young man is elated to feel his burnt skin begin to knit back together and heal almost immediately. He doesn't gain a lot of his health back from the elixir, but the potion does make him feel whole again somehow. After a few seconds of analyzing the situation in his weakened state, Jaxsen still feels filled with vim and vigor.........heroic even.

Mr. Wrenly hops across the floor and leaps up onto the druid's chest rather aggressively. Their strange communication of screeches and grunts is both amusing and confusing to the others. Luther moves across the room to check the chest for any false bottoms or entrances to a floor below. He finds human sized soiled clothing and a few personal items inside the chest, but no secret compartments.

Monocar questions the idea of a lower level in a temple to a sun god, still not convinced that there even is a basement to this place. That's when Krystal suddenly appears again, right next to the altar with the spiral groove cut into its surface. She seems to be searching around the huge stone structure for any secrets it might hide when she suddenly speaks up. "There is a secret compartment here. It has been opened recently." She pops the small alcove open without incident and peers inside. "And whoever opened it last must have taken any contents, because it is now empty." She holds her hands up, palms out, towards the druid before he can accuse her of anything nefarious. "Come see for yourself, if you wish."

Actions?

map:

62BC8095-FA12-49A0-A9D7-74BEE473B266.jpeg (568.51 KiB) Viewed 537 times

Wes 25/34 4/6 first 0/4 second 3/3 third SWA: 7
Galanthas 5/13 CL, DM, RM 2/2 first
Luther 18/26
Avaala 12/12 CL, DM, RM 2/2 first 0/1 second
Treasure AC:2 12/12 Mv:6"/24"
Chauncey 18/20 CL, DM, RM 1/2 first 1/1 second
Mr. Wrenly 4/4
Brother Gilbert 19/22 0/4 first 3/3 second
Monocar 15/31
Jaxsen 3/14 (10 6.4T) (Invisible)

[SirOwen]

Avaala the Grey

"Why?" Avaala asks Krystal."You looked and you said it was empty. Why would we need to look further?" His face is an open book, easy to see that he is trying to build trust, by showing trust. "But did you feel around inside of it?" he adds with a grin. "There seems to be a lot of invisibility going on around here. We don't want to miss anything."

[Bluehorse]

Monocar

Walked out of the dining room and looks at Krystal and the others. He shakes his head and looks at his sword. This place is weird... Do you think it is weird? Cause I do...

[ChubbyPixie]

"I agree wholeheartedly - it is indeed weird, Monocar" says Chauncey, "Come, Galanthas, I'll take the rope for safe-keeping, if you wish, until I am able to properly identify its properties. Unless, of course, you wish to carry it until such time. It is all the same to me."

Mr. Wrenly replies to Wes:

"It is precisely as you say, sir. We must, with the aid of our pathetically stunted dragon friend, keep an eye on her, as they say."

He scampers up to the druid's shoulder and begins picking through his hair, looking for nits.

[SirOwen]

Jaxsen Reiter

"Ooooh, that is much better," says the invisible Monk."Thank you Avaala, thank you Treasure." Feeling his skin return to it's normal, if still a little blistered, condition, he adds, "Now.... Let's find Gorman. I've a mind to treat him like a hornet would."

As he walks past them, he leans in near Mr. Wrenly and Wes. He says, softly, "Please keep talking to one another. I can almost understand it now."

[Karaunios]

Galanthas

The elf looks askance at Wes: "Someday you'll have to tell us what are you discussing about... Sound funny." He adds with a smile. He then hands the rope to Chauncey: "Yes, take it, by all means. I'm already cumbered enough with all the things I carry and maybe two ropes aren't necessary."

After his fruitless search in the wardrove he sighs: "Dammit. There's nothing of val..." He looks sideways at Brother Gilbert and clears his throat. "Ahem. No clue that would give us any sign as to what has happened here." He decides to leave the robes alone not wanting to offend the cleric what also reminds him that these pieces of clothing belonged to a now disapeared order of priests that still deserve respect.

Nevertheless. the spellsword starts searching thoroughly through the room, to see if there's anything that they could find of importance. A book, a diary or even a missal. He tries to avoid the corner where the sour spirit stands.

[Urson]

Luther

Brother Gilbert- that spiral carving on the altar. Is that a symbol you recognize from your order? Or not?

Luther traces the spiral with his finger- from the outside in, then from the inside out.

[OGRE MAGE]

Moving this one along too.....

Seeking Out The Jungle Priest
Sunday, the 14th of Goodmonth
Mid Morning, Hot, Humid, Damp, Dim

The ever arrogant Krystal nods at Avaala's request to check around inside the empty alcove. She reaches in and moves her hand around before a wild-eyed look crosses her face that quickly turns to one of extreme pain. She sucks in air heavily, making a loud and painful hissing noise. She starts to hop around from foot to foot as if she cant remove her hand from the alcove......before smiling again and replying. "Nope, nothing invisible inside either." She winks and giggles at her little trick, still hoping to ease the obvious tension in the room. When Luther moves to the spiral groove in the altar, she joins him there. "I think this is what we need to look at too. And I have already tried the finger tracing in the groove. It didn't do anything for me either."

Once Galanthas is sure that he hasn't missed anything in the smaller room, he and Brother Gilbert exit it as well, joining the others in the main area again. Gilbert tells Luther that the sun is the favored symbol of worshipers of Pelor, though he has seen the spiral used before too, long ago.

Jaxsen thanks Avaala and his tiny dragon for the assist, feeling a bit better and able to function normally now after being healed. The magic elixir running through him makes him wish to find this Gorman all the more so he can be dealt with accordingly. He continues studying the conversation between Wes and Mr. Wrenly with great interest.

Chauncey secures the short, useless, but fancy rope inside of his robes until he has time to study its use magically at a later date. He watches as the pair at the altar trace the groove cut into its surface, still unsure how to find the stairway down that he is absolutely sure exists......somewhere.

Actions?

map:

4E56FA5A-F6C0-4874-9BE6-11E03F58AC68.jpeg (742.93 KiB) Viewed 493 times

Wes 25/34 4/6 first 0/4 second 3/3 third SWA: 7
Galanthas 5/13 CL, DM, RM 2/2 first
Luther 18/26
Avaala 12/12 CL, DM, RM 2/2 first 0/1 second
Treasure AC:2 12/12 Mv:6"/24"
Chauncey 18/20 CL, DM, RM 1/2 first 1/1 second
Mr. Wrenly 4/4
Brother Gilbert 19/22 0/4 first 3/3 second
Monocar 15/31
Jaxsen 3/14 (10 6.3T) (Invisible)

[Urson]

Luther

Luther makes a mock scowl at Krystal when she does her joke. We get enough of that from Monocar.

He studies the spiral carving closely, his nose only inches from the stone. He sniffs, hoping to pick up a clue.

He suddenly stands upright. Give me that rope a second... He takes the rope and lays it in the carved groove, following the curves with the rope.

[OGRE MAGE]

Seeking Out The Jungle Priest
Sunday, the 14th of Goodmonth
Mid Morning, Hot, Humid, Damp, Dim

Krystal is just about to ask for the rope when Luther beats her to it.

Laying the short decretive rope into the groove carved into the altar seems to be exactly the key needed to find the missing staircase. The lower end of the altar begins to rise off of the floor, revealing a dark stone stairway the descends into the floor of the temple. There is no noise or light coming up from below.

Actions?

map:

1F3F3382-76AA-4945-AE36-1C20EEFBA079.jpeg (733.68 KiB) Viewed 489 times

Wes 25/34 4/6 first 0/4 second 3/3 third SWA: 6
Galanthas 5/13 CL, DM, RM 2/2 first
Luther 18/26
Avaala 12/12 CL, DM, RM 2/2 first 0/1 second
Treasure AC:2 12/12 Mv:6"/24"
Chauncey 18/20 CL, DM, RM 1/2 first 1/1 second
Mr. Wrenly 4/4
Brother Gilbert 19/22 0/4 first 3/3 second
Monocar 15/31
Jaxsen 3/14 (10 6.3T) (Invisible)

[Jernau35]

Wes

The druid breaks into a broad smile as the altar begins to shift. "Well done everybody! Great teamwork!" He even smiles at Krystal. "It's a good thing nobody lost or stole that rope over the last few hundred years. Or nobody would ever get down there. Or does Pelor command his clergy to keep a spare rope under the plantpot beside the front door?" Wes winks at Gilbert.

Then his face turns serious. "Now, before we go down there...We need to consider our current state. Almost all of us are injured to some degree. And we have absolutely no healing left."

"It's also possible that the altar could close behind us and trap us down there with no way to retreat. This may be our last chance to rest in relative safety. I think we should do it."

Wes tries to be as serious as one can whilst receiving personal grooming from a monkey.

[OGRE MAGE]

Krystal pipes up again, arrogantly.

"Good idea. I do see a problem with that though........ maybe you forget about ding dong ringing that bell earlier?"

"If someone down there already knows we are in here. don't you think they will come to see who it is eventually?"

"Were you planning on spending the next day and a half sitting around out in the jungle? Because I would rather take my chances down there."

She points down the dark stairway.

[SirOwen]

Avaala the Grey

Avaala adds to the conversation. "There is a third choice," he says to Krystal. "The storage room in which you and Jax took refuge. It keeps us out of the jungle, and gives us a defensible position. Not a lot of room, to be sure, but no bugs, no sticky mummy things, no hostile dwarves and no cannibals. And if we make a show of leaving, and then keep quiet, we might pass some time undisturbed." He looks more directly at Krystal. "I know you said you had only been here once before. But that is once more than any of us. If you see a flaw in my reasoning, now is the time to say so."

[Jernau35]

Wes

"So your plan is to charge straight down the bottleneck, into unknown danger, right after we've raised the alarm, are all injured, have no healing, and no guarantee we can get out once we go down there"?

"Still, if you are volunteering to be our arrow-catcher, then by all means, after you. Oh, wait! You're invisible. It's just the rest of us they'll be targeting".

"They probably will be waiting for us in a day and a half. They are certainly waiting for us right now".

To Mr Wrenly

"It's almost as if she's trying to get us killed..."

[SpinwardMarch]

Brother Gilbert

As he leaves the room,I hope the spirit will find peace. The rope in the spiral is new to him, but this temple is old, and may have seen rituals no longer used.

A rest would be nice, so I may gain back energy enough to be able to heal the injured. He looks somewhat tired.

[Karaunios]

Galanthas agrees with what his companions say, not hiding his disgust at Krystal's behaviour and tone when she makes her suggestion. "We better stay here. We can barricade in two different rooms. Yes, we split the group in two. If something happens to one group, the others will be right in front of them and be able to help. I say this because, if we're all in one room, it's easy to ambush us and throw burning oil or whatever inside." After a short pause. "The mystery of the candle still remains to be revealed though."

Ogre, which is Krystal's race? Elf, human or something in between?

[OGRE MAGE]

Krystal is an attractive human female.

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