The Sea of Starry Night [closed]

[runehawk]

Lizardfold Druid
Ssathiya awakes gasping and clutching his chest. He frowns at his show of weakness and quickly looks around. To his relief no one else seems to have noticed. He rolls over and tries to rest but is disturbed by a strange continuous rolling noise. He sits up and looks for the source which seems to be a happily asleep female big-nose.
Big nose.. Big jumps.. Big sleep-noises..what other big surprises does this big-nose hide.., he muses.

Feeling that his watch was approaching, he sat up rigid and drew in some deepbreaths to calm himself and re-attune himself to the surrounding Balance. His eyes flash open as he senses his attunement had become intanibly stronger.
Walking the path Semuanya guides me through, leads me to him.. even as it leads away from my tribe
He closes his eyes and utters a silent grateful prayer.

He rolls up his blanket and quickly grabs what he needs and heads over to where Linda and Fizahn are seated early. He notes that the female big-nose stirs restlessly in her sleep. Linda arises and with a wave and a yawn and heads over to whrere the drow prisoner is lying.

Fizahn remains seated and the lizardman sits beside him. The two do not talk at first but when the matter of the dwindling food supply is brought up. both quickly warm up. The two reminice over lost comrades.

Finally, Ssathiyaa mentions something that makes the warrior sit up .He asks if he remembers what they argued over outside the dwelling of the master of the witch(Oden Homm{OOC: Sorry Belial Any female with arcane and healing abilities, y'know and he did thank you for healing him}). Fizahn was unsure of what the lizardman referred to. The druid reminded the warrior that he wanted to find 'the bait' that would draw out Sethra. Fizahn nodded and then frowned when the druid indicated that the bait might be the pinkskin Sheyra.
The druid shared the vision he had in the ant-giant cavern with the warrior. Fizahn says nothing at first. He then asks:
"Whay are you telling me this?"
"The hunt musst go on. sSethra musst perisshh by the ceaseless pursuit of this pack"
"You see yourself as part of this pack?"
The druid remains silent then,
"The sstrangers I have yet to learn about..but.Yess. I do. I resspect you, pinksskin even if none of the people would. You MUSST KNOW thiss and carry on the hunt if i fall" .
He falls silent after that.
He asks the wolverine-spirited warrior on the way Sethra hunts his prey and finally Fizahn asks about his name.

As the spear-wielder approaches Fizahn arises and turns to leave.
"Remember" the lizardman says, while staring into the dark, without turning around, "The hunter hass become the hunted. Be watchful" Fizahn nods and walks back to the camp proper.

The little spear wielder sits quietly and the druid does not break the silence, unaccustomed to the long talk he had just had. He is therfore surprised when the little one speaks up. Seeing the fear on him,"Peacce. Bear no Ill to the balance or me and you have no need to fear. sSpeak plainly"

[Yoric_Steele]

Trinark, Drow Prisoner

Responding to Linda, "My views are very different from the majority of my race. Some would consider them radically different. We seem to be at an impasse. Your group freed me from the Driders, however, I am still a captive. You are searching for the Glimmersea, and I can help guide you there. I am willing to cooperate, and help you get there safely if you agree to let me go."

Trinark observes the others as they awaken, and looks longingly as they eat and drink from their rations.

[Elmorwen]

Sheyra

Sheyra wakes after an uneventful night (having also been left out of the watch order.) She appears shaken, and is clearly trying to ignore the fact that she hasn't slept well in days.

She walks over to the drow and checks his bindings, making sure they aren't coming loose but also that they aren't cutting off circulation to his hands. "He looks hungry," she says in Common, the only language she really speaks well, and offers him a piece of dried fungus from their last stock-up.

[Dr._Bob]

As the last of you awakens from sleep, there is a general bustle as gear is packed up and a light meal is consumed.

Several of you gather about the drow, who continues to sit wrapped in only a blanket and loincloth, hands bound.

Sedryn seems to be missing however. Perhaps he simply overslept?

[King_of_GRiffins]

Elthan II

*Elthan goes over and sits by the druid, clearly still wraped up in thought.*
"Lizard, may I ask you to depart with some of your wisdom?"

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

*Earlier, this takes place in my last post before Fizahn goes to wake up Achkby.*

As Fizahn goes to wake up Achkby, he is detained by the lizardman. Fizahn listens as the lizardman describes his dream and then enters into a conversation with him (runehawk's post). As Fizahn begins to leave, he suddenly wonders about the lizardman's name. "Why haven't you told anyone your name yet."

"To the people a name iss part of onesself. It iss considered rude to ask for it from anyone or to address a superior by his name," is the response he recieves from the lizardman.

"To us, a name is not part of you as it is in your culture. A name is like a description of someone and it is used to identify him from the many other... umm... 'pinkskins.' Being called Fizahn is what sets me apart from Lissa and other gnomes without having to go into a rather long description. Often a name will mean something that describes the person, but mine doesn't mean anything."

"In my culture, namesss always mean sssomething. We tell kin apart by titles and name-sssakesss. The true name revealsss a great deal about a warrior. I feel that you are worthy to learn my name, and what it meansss, but you musst not tell any of the othersss untill I feel they too are worthy."

After hearing the lizardman's name and it's meaning, Fizahn thanks the lizardfolk. Seeing Achkby, he bids the lizardman good watch and tells him he'll continue calling him druid. As the lizardman says his threat about Sethra, Fizahn's thoughts turn to the dream. He uneasily goes to sleep after offering to take Achkby's watch.

*Back to the present.*

Fizahn seems troubled as he eats. His poorly rested state is apparent to everyone. In response to Lissa's question, he replies, "No, I slept badly and spent some time talking to the druid. He's had a troubling dream." Fizahn is wary of Thokk while he talks, trying to make sure the dwarf can't hear him.

[The_King_of_Durf]

Darius

"That was a good meal." Darius lies.

Damn I could go for a steak... or... pheasssaaaannnt... yum... Wait a seond, where'd Sedryn go?

Darius jumps up and heads to Sedryn's room. "Hey Sedryn, rise and shine! ... Or at least rise anyways, not much shine going around down here."

[Dr._Bob]

Darius finds Sedryn still wrapped in his bedroll in one of the outlying caves. His armor, mace, and backpack sit in a neat pile by the cave entrance.

"Hey, Sedryn, rise and shine!" Darius calls out brightly as he tries to shake the priest awake.

When Darius' hand touches something cold, sticky and wet, he pulls back reflexively. Looking down at his hand, he sees that his fingers have been stained reddish-black.

Rolling Sedryn over, Darius is horrified to see that Sedryn's skull has been caved in, disfiguring him almost beyond recognition. A blood spattered stone lies nearby.

Sedryn is dead, murdered during the night while he was sleeping ...

[Phasm]

Lissa, rogue

Lissa starts at the mention of a troubling dream. "You didn't sleep well either, eh?" She's silent for a bit, then looks up at the other gnome. For once, her expression is completely serious. "I had a disturbing dream as well... about Sheyra. Something bad happened to her, and I couldn't stop it." Lissa shivers, pulling her cloak tighter around her. "And then someone killed me with a strange dagger. Normally I'm not one to jump at shadows, but it was all I could do to keep from screaming when I woke up this morning. I can't remember the last time I had a dream that vivid."

Just then, a commotion comes from the other side of the cave. Lissa turns to see Darius standing over a very dead Sedryn, clotted blood on his hand. "Great Baravar!" She jumps up and sprints over to the murder scene. "Sedryn! No! What in the name of all that's holy happened here?! Oh, Sedryn..." Lissa bites her lip, tears starting to fall despite her best efforts to keep them in.

[HempRope]

Dammit, I forgot Sheyra, too?

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

"I'm not scared." announces Achkby to the lizardman. "I just... wasn't sure about your customs. Yeah, you know... I didn't know what I should say."
I wasn't really scared, either. Just... being timid can be good. Don't wanna offend someone who can bash my head in...
He arises, to patrol the area a bit, and occasionally comes back by the lizardkin, nodding cordially.

[hr]

After almost two hours, Achkby goes to wake up everyone else.
Better to be woken by a halfling than a huge lizard, I'd think. Though half the time I'd like his stature or his scales...

As a few other people help out, he doesn't think to check the rooms on the side that Sedryn took.

[hr]

After a short while, he joins everyone else around the drow. "Well, that wasn't a bad night, for being in the underdark, was it?" he says.

And then he hears Darius's cry. Sedryn? Oh no... someone was on watch all night... I hope... what could have happened?

Achkby dashes after Lissa and her light, and stops stock still. He pauses for a moment in confusion.
Sedryn? Sedryn?! No. It can't be. He has been leading this group cleanly for so long... guiding them, and then us, through so much, always firm, usually gentle, and always so firmly right...
I cannot imagine being here without him.

He edges sideways, toward the wall of the cave, and rests against it, his shoulder pressed hard into the cold stone.
Where do we go from here?

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn seems extremely shocked when Lissa mentions her dream to him. He is immediately lost deep in thought so there's no point in continuing the conversation. His concentration however, is suddenly snapped as he hears Lissa's cry. He too rushes to the ghastly scene, choking back tears though he barely knew Sedryn.

"How did this happen? There was a watch the entire night! Start checking for passages that might be big enough to let the driders in! Don't disturb his body anymore! Someone figure out what kind of weapon killed him!" Fizahn starts acting on his instructions and begins examining the wall. I want to rule out Thokk, but he didn't seem to like Sedryn. I don't think he's this bloodthirsty though.

OOC: Search check to find any big cracks or something that could be a trapdoor or something.

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz, Elf Swashbuckler

Hearing Darius' cry, Aeroz rushes over to where the archer is standing. He sees Sedryn's flayed body, and a disgusted look crawls onto his face. The disgust then turns to anger.

"Who in all the abyss and nine hells could have done such a thing! DAMMIT! DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!!!"

Switching to common the enraged elf says

"How could this have happened? We all kept watch right?"

[bhdrake]

Lumpy, Half-Orc Warrior

All the commotion eventually draws Lumpy to Sedryn's room, the orc still shaking off the last vestiges of sleep. HIs tired expression changes to one as shocked as he might be capable of, though he clearly lacks the obvious sentiment of the others. Whether this is due to his lack of attachment, a desensitization to death, or some other factor isn't readily clear.

"Well.. that's a pisser."

He looks around a bit, as if hoping the cause of things will just spring out at him, then scowls, "Just great." Tugging at his beard a bit, he turns to stalk through the rest of the chambers..

[The_King_of_Durf]

Darius

"No..." Darius says after crying out. His legs give out from under him and he falls to the floor. The thud echoes through the room as his back hits the wall of the cave. "Fizahn what kind of drider kills a man with a stone?"

He holds his hands over his eyes for a few moments, the blood staining his brow. He grabs up the stone, hands shaking. Then he gets up. His brow furrows, his face distorted in pure anger. He hurls the stone against the wall, watching as the fragments shatter across the room.

He pushes past the others and storms into the main room. "Not a soul is to leave this goddamned room!" he yells.

"One of us..." he says, shaking his head in disbelief. "No, not one of us..." he growls, "One of you..."

"Now let's take a look at things, Aeroz, Achkby and I all knew Sedryn. He was a friend, more than a friend to us. Lissa and Hajih knew him as well. Even Lumpy knew he was a good man. You..." he says, turning to the Sarloc's Heir Party, "We don't know. Now, let's see, Lissa and I took the first watch, neither of us could've done this. Lumpy and Aeroz took the second watch, Aeroz has known Sedryn for months, and even if Lumpy tried anything (which I seriously doubt), Aeroz would've seen. Sedryn... Sedryn and Elthan took the third. This would've been the perfect time, wouldn't it be, Elthan? Thokk and Elthan II took the fourth, also entirely possible. We all knew you didn't like him Thokk... Linda and Fizahn took the fifth, I don't know either of you, another possibilty. The lizard and Achkby took the last, and the lizard (even though I don't entirely trust him) had no oppurtunity to harm Sedryn with Achkby around."

Darius pauses, "Now, don't take this too harshly, I'm not accusing all of you, it may not even have been one of you. Could've just been some intruder, which is even more reason to worry, but those are the possibilties. A good man's blood has been shed, a man who didn't deserve this, and Tyr forgive me if I find the soul who did this I will rip out their throat with my bare hands."

Darius stands before everyone, shaking with anger as he says these words. He glances at Elthan and Thokk mostly as he speaks, looking to his party every now and then. As he finishes he takes a seat upon his bag and waits.

(OOC: Darius is extremely pissed right now, so he isn't thinking perfectly straight, he's mostly just accusing everyone from the SH party.)

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz, Elf Swashbuckler

"Not before I get to him first. Sedryn was a good man, and he deserves to be avenged. Darius is right. It could have been the dwarf, or anyone else, or even an intruder that we couldn't see."

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

"Ach, Ill admit to not liking the fellow, he didnt do actions for the good of the clan. Killing a person in cold blood...Thats dispicable. A person that would do that would be cast out from the clan and never find peace in the heat of the Forge. I shall help ye find his killer. As it goes down in the Book of Grudges, that is a serious offence

[Yoric_Steele]

Trinark, Drow Prisoner

To the group in Draconic, "If you will allow me to take a look at your fallen Cleric, I may be able to shed some light on what killed him. There are many strange creatures down here in the Underdark, some of which can move easily through stone." Trinark will also repeat this message in Elven as well.

(DR, if the group leads me to the body, I will take a look to see if I can tell who or what killed Sedryn)

[HempRope]

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

Achkby remains leaning against the wall, completely ignoring Darius's tirade.

I did not know that I liked the man so much. Nor that I depended upon so much. I have always felt Sedryn as perhaps the one certain presence in the short time that I have traveled with these people. And I did not even know it... never gave him credit. Thought I was just going along with them, with my own agenda, not even concerned with their issues... yet I relied on them so much. Relied on them, and became their friends. And now the one most important of all has departed... and it took that to make me realize.
I will carry on with what I have to do, but if another good soul that I travel with is put in danger because of it... then I shall not abandon them for myself.

After a moment, he straightens, himself pushing away from the wall just in time to hear Aeroz speak. Looking at Darius, he can tell that the archer just expressed the same sentiment.

I may feel the same way. But the speeches have been made, and more of that we do not need.

He says, forgetting for the moment that not everyone speaks the tongue of the dragons, "We may as well bring the drow over. It will not hurt us to try his skills."

[Phasm]

Lissa, rogue

For a few minutes, Lissa simply stands numbly before the body of the cleric, tears rolling unnoticed down her face. Why? Why Sedryn, of all people? I liked him! And... I trusted him, more than I trust anyone else here. You can rely on a person who serves the gods of light. He was such a good man...

After a bit, the angry voices of others bring Lissa out of her grief. She sniffs loudly, wipes her face, takes a deep breath, and goes over to Trinark and Achkby. "Yeah, sure, you've got a point. Just... just don't touch the body unless you absolutely must." First, though, she checks the drow's bonds for signs of tampering.


(OOC: Spot check for tampering on the ropes. Not that I think Trinark did it, Yoric, but you've got to start ruling people out somewhere!)

[runehawk]

The lizardkin had been the last to break off from his post. By the time he returned to the main site. Yells of anger and outrage had replaced the previous silence. He rushes forward to see almost everyone everyone clustering in the cave of the healer.
Hearing the drow offer his help, he grabs him with a hand and drags him over roughly before slicing his bonds.

He looks at the bloody sight and the reactions of the pinkskins
Does the pack turn in upon itself?
He begins to feel sick.
No. These pinkskins do not strike me as false.
His eyes slant as he peers closer.
The body has not been disturbed only killed. This was no hunt for food

He examines the walls.Move through rock..FEH.We failed as sentries. An enemy strong and silent stalks us. Yet why not kill us all?. Was skill enhanced by magic?...there are spells that make one unnoticed by others..
He turns away from the wall and casts Detect Magic to find any lingering auras. He will train the beam on the walls finally.
"Call your trackers. An unseen enemy still leaves a trail. Do NOT disturb the ground or limit yr search to it."

[Dr._Bob]

There appear to be no other exits or entrances to the caves other than the main entrance that was presumably guarded at all times.

Sedryn's cause of death appears to be massive trauma to the skull. The instrument of death was presumably the rock that Darius smashed against the wall.

The lizardman cuts the drow's bonds, but they did not appear to have been obviously tampered with previously.

No trail or other clues are revealed by the detect magic spell.

[Elmorwen]

Sheyra

Sheyra's face is almost completely emotionless as she walks into the room where Sedryn was murdered. She flinches from the sight of the body, but does not make any noise at all for a few minutes.

"We're dead," she whispers after a long period of silence, "Enemies come through the walls themselves. It was suicide to ever come down here."

[Yoric_Steele]

Trinark, Drow Prisoner

Trinark rubs his wrists gingerly, trying to restore circulation. Under the watchful eyes of the group, he will examine the body without significantly disturbing it. He is looking for additional signs of injury, especially around the neck area. (Perhaps he was strangled or something first?)

To Lissa, "No offense taken Miss Lissa."

[The_King_of_Durf]

"What's the drow saying?" Darius says. His throat is sore now from yelling and his head aches.

Darius turns to Sheyra, "None of you will die in this hell... From now on we'll have a member of each party on watch at night. If necessary I will take two, even three watches to make sure this happens. We will not sleep far away from eachother but huddled fairly close together so those on watch can see all of us and make sure we're alright. We will try to find bright places to sleep, away from walls, corners, hallways... If there is anything sign, even a hint of danger, one of the watchmen will call out to alert and wake everyone. I believe we should bury the body soon, we don't want to stay here any longer."

Darius steps on one of the fragments of the stone he broke, crumbling it to dust under his foot. He spits on the ground and stands in silence.

[Elmorwen]

Sheyra

The young monk looks up at Darius and gives him a weak smile. "Yes, those are all good ideas," she says, then looks away.

"What a cruel fate for a priest of dawn to die in eternal night..." she remarks to no one in particular.

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

The burly half orc snorts, rather irreverently, though not intentionally so, "Ain't gonna have much luck burying him in solid rock. I'd suggest burning him, ut there ain't no wood either, unless one'a ya's got some magic or something. Dragging him around until we can ain't such a great idea either."

He glances around the room looking at everyone in turn, then growls a soft, scowling sigh, "But if ya insist on it, and I'm sure ya will, I'll carry him. No sense slowing someone else down. We should keep moving though."

Lumpy steps back outside the room, going to retreive his armor and things while they think it over.

[OOC; Lumpy's got 212 pounds of carrying space, and he can't possibly go any slower than he already does, so he can do any extra carrying pretty easily.]

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn looks at Sedryn's body sadly. Next he looks around at all the other party members. Finally, he looks at Sedryn's supplies and then opens his mouth to speak. "It could have been suicide caused by the altar. When he detected all the evil on it, it might have driven him slightly insane and caused him to feel his holy quest was useless as a side effect. He was able to cope with the insanity while he was with the group, but it was too much for him while he was alone. Something might have possessed him to kill himself also.

"The question remains as to what is to be done with his equipment. We obviously need to take his food and water, but do we take other equipment to help make sure we survive? I don't think we should take any of it to sell. He was a brave warrior."

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz, Elf Swashbuckler

Aeroz walks up to Sedryn's corpse and picks up the cleric's weapon. He gives it a few practise swings and straps it to his backpack. He also picks up Sedryn's holy symbol and places it around his neck.

"A reminder. Sedryn was a good man, and he didn't deserve a fate like this. If something did posess him, than I suggest that we try to at least find out what it was. If it was some kind of creature, we should leave. Either way, we should tread carefully in the future."

[The_King_of_Durf]

Darius

"Sheyra, if it truly pleases you we'll bury him above, in the sunlight... though carrying him will prove difficult."

Fizahn's remark disturbs Darius, he checks Sedryn's hands for blood. "This'll tell us if it was a suicide."

(OOC: I really don't want us to carry this body but I figure Darius would think that'd be the right thing to do, stupid Darius)

[Dr._Bob]

There is no blood on Sedryn's hands to suggest that he smashed his own skull in. There are also no signs of strangulation or defensive wounds. Blood spatters on his bedroll and blanket suggest that he was lying asleep when he was killed.

Elthan shakes his head grimly as various theories are offered as to how Sedryn met his end.

"The how of Sedryn's death is clear. What we need to be focusing on is why and by whom?

"I suppose that it could have been some kind of intruder, but what kind of intruder can walk through rock and move invisibly among us? Even if such an intruder existed, what could possibly be its motivation to kill Sedryn in this crude and brutal manner?

"I suppose it would be possible for Sedryn to have been driven insane by the altar, but just look at the evidence - there is no way he could have inflicted this mortal wound on himself!

"That leaves the possibility that it was one of us who killed Sedryn ...

"Thokk may have had motive. Darius had opportunity (and has already destroyed some valuable evidence apparently). But the fact is that any of us, including me, could have snuck into Sedryn's cave and murdered him. The question remains, why?"