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Lug looks over at Orrin. "Heralds of the next age? Um...these guys don't like me. Would you ask them what the heck they're talking about—but, y'know, all nice like?"

Kieros smiles grimly, but offers little by way of explanation. "I am no Sun Speaker, to reveal the mysteries of the Ends of Ages. If you would learn more, travel to Kakar Horath and perhaps the Speakers there will open the books to you."

"No help at all," grumbles Lug.

"Okay, we ready to go?"

Okay, wow...I apparently missed a lot last night. Sorry, was busy with my girlfriend.

Galen listens to this is exchange, and it intrigued at this discovery of a new culture--albeit a rough one, perhaps--even further north then Vaul. Perhaps, he muses to himself, after this current quest is done, I should walk Koios's path a bit farther.

He does not interrupt the discourse between Lug and the tribesmen, with Orrin as translator, though he suppresses a grimace at some of Lug's diplomatic utterances. Before moving on, he bows slightly to the men and says (asking Orrin politely to translate), "I am a priest of the Koios the All-Seeing, god of the Northern Stars. If it should be that I survive our mission, I would come in peace to your lands, to meet with your holy ones. Perhaps, the gods willing, we shall meet again."

Aside from that, I'm good to follow Lug into the mountain.

Bertram gives a noncommittal shrug. If these tribesman can offer us no information or assistance, they are inconsequential to his mission.

Krysta is confused by all the ephemeral talk and just looks at the men with a puzzled face. Sighing, she turns away and follows Lug.

May 26, 1 VC - 10:40am

The party enters the tunnel ahead, facing due east. The shadow of the mountain quickly overwhelms the group and leaves them facing into a dark recess in the stone. The air beyond is hot and sulfurous.

Who will provide light? I'll assume the two-abreast marching order you laid out at the beginning is the planned approach.

Lug lights a torch.

Torch marked off. Lug has 10 flasks of oil but no lantern. If anyone has a lantern, Lug can hook you up with fuel.

Orrin notices all the oil Lug is carrying and produces a lantern.

"Here, this might help."

He lights the lantern so that the party can have light front and back.

"Let's see where these corridors lead. Maybe I'll recognize something."

"Lug? Didn't we wish to resolve the issue of the sword before venturing in? The caldera seemed the best option, and I'd rather not deliver it into the hands of the dragon." opines Niles.

Lug looks pained. "Yeah...thing is, I'm still not sure that throwing it into the lava is a good idea," he says. "Xavro said he didn't know what would happen if we did that, but it would probably be bad. Would it be make-the-mountain-go-asplode bad, we're-all-gonna-die bad, unleash-an-evil-on-the-world bad, or just anyone-nearby-gets-hurt bad? I still dunno how to toss this thing in the lava and be far away that I'm pretty sure we won't get hurt. Or those people we just talked to. They may have sticks up their butts but I don't wanna hurt them."

"If you've got any ideas how to lavafy this thing without anyone getting hurt, let's talk about them. But for now I think maybe we're better off waiting."

It's potentially dangerous to go right up to the edge of the caldera (extremely hot and the air is fairly noxious), but if you did so you could get a better sense of how far below your current level the lava is.

Potentially dangerous? Sign Lug up! He'll take a look after wrapping some cloth around his lower face to try to help with the fumes.

Go ahead and make a save vs Poison with a +2 bonus.

Lug makes it to the edge through the stifling sulfurous air and the blasting heat that seems like it will tear its way through his very bones, and looks out over the edge long enough to ascertain that the lava is about seventy feet below the lowest point of the lip (where he stands). He can elect to toss the sword in now, or retreat (and need to make another save if/when he returns).

Lug, alone on the edge, takes just a second to consider his options. Destroy the sword now, at risk to himself and possibly others, or hope to make friends with the lizard men and reforge it? None of the options are good. But the lava is here, and maybe it's far enough down that Lug won't get hurt if the sword goes kablooey. At least he hopes so. And anyway, everyone else is inside the mountain. He'll be the only one to get hit. He hopes.

He heaves the sword, box and all, into the volcano and runs like hell.

"Yeeaaaaaahhhhhh!" he yells as he runs back to his friends. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

Everyone please make a save vs petrifaction. Everyone except Lug gets a +2 bonus.