A Thorn In The Hand IC

[Machuchang]

"Of course," Eleanora said with a smile as she rose to help Raif with his armor. "So what phrases do you know?" She asked as she began unbuckling his armor.

[Wordplay]

'Yes Drayner, that is a good point. Let us know as soon as you get the amulet working - our elven friends have news for the council as well.'

Raif chats with Elenora.

'Well, m'Lady, I know 'golog' is elf and 'shakutarbik' can mean dwarf, so I think 'the elf helps the dwarf' would be something like 'krizet golog shakutarbik'.... Is that the correct word order? Verb, subject, object? Then the adjectives precede the noun as in common'.

'If I were introducing myself 'Kezan kartok zirdreki Raif Clearsight', 'ezan das zagul?'

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Raif's going for: I am Raif Clearsight, the warrior priest. What is your name? (Kezan and ezan both being parts of the verb 'to be')

'Bezen geduki gezlikt' <cough> sorry, 'geslitz'.

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Aiming for 'I like eating horseflesh'.

[Marlowe]

Verossa has the language skills of a xenophobic herring; but doesn't want to be left out. "I believe somebody told me once that "Hoperkraftu no watashi shrecklichheit lampryan" means "please direct me to the coach station". But the person concerned died horribly six hours later, so I was never able to revise." She puts her back against a wall, her glaive across her knees. "From a practical standpoint, the only word you need for Orcish is "aaargh", which means, "hit me again". Or so from mine own observation, seems to be the case".

[Arranis Thelmos]

"Oh, I've studied orcs somewhat in my day." Halabur bursts into the conversation eagerly. "It turns out that if they carry a sharp weapon--rather than a blunt--then it most assuredly means they're well educated. However their downfall is they are prone to using their intellect to 'debate strenuously' with the civilized races."

[Wordplay]

'Hoperkraftu no watashi shrecklichheit lampryan' Raif recites carefully...

'no watashi? Erm...are you sure that's Orcish?'

Then as Raif listens to Halabur.

'Ah, that would explain why 'kolboz' can mean cudgel, or argument, and 'ogrodik' means bloody or persuasive...that's an interesting insight, thank you Halabur'.

[Machuchang]

Eleanora listened intently to the conversation taking place around her, a small smile creeping its way across her face.

"I don't think that ' no watashi' is in Orcish, Verossa," The dame said. "But you may be thinking of 'rakh tash,' which is a superlative form of description of oneself. It sort of means 'best me,' or 'most honorable me.' There is also no word for please in the Orcish language, but the word 'rakh' accommodates for it by implying deservedness. So the phrase 'Hoperkraftu rakh tash shrecklichheit lampryan' would be 'direct [the most worthy] me to [the place] where carts are."

"The interesting thing about Orcish," Eleanora continued, "Is that it is based on implications. There are not that many words in the Orcish language, so each one carries multiple connotations. Context is key."

"But your syntax is excellent!" She said, beaming at Raif. "Your pronunciation could use a little work; you should speak from the back of your throat to make your words more guttural, and you want to slur them together a little more. But really, you're doing a marvelous job, especially considering your knowledge has been solely from books."

[Wordplay]

'Thank you m'Lady!' Raif beams a rare genuine smile.

'I was particularly worried about the pronounciation'.

Raif tries correcting himself, speaking from further back in the throat - aiming to make his sounds slightly more guttural.

After practising for a bit with Elenora, and Halabur and Verossa, if they stick around, Raif speaks up.

'Well, thank you very much for your help. It is getting late, though, so I think I'd best turn in if I'm to be in any shape for tomorrow. Please wake me for the third watch'.

Raif casts a mending on his armour, to repair any minor scuffs and wear.

'I've never cast so much as I have today. It has given me a bit of a headache...'

Raif gets ready for bed. Sitting cross-legged on his bedroll, Raif prays silently for a few minutes, hands clasped together and eyes closed. Then Raif quietly goes to sleep on the cave floor, near the back, using his pack as a pillow.

[Malak'ai]

You all settle down for the night on the dusty floor of the cave.
It's a peaceful night except for the noise of sleeping horses, the squeaking of rodents and dripping of water.
The watches pass by without any problems. The only thing seen is a few nocturnal birds out hunting, or a few other creatures out grazing while it's relatively safe to do so without troops passing.

In the grey light of dawn, there is a very soft bubbling noise coming from the pool at the back of the cave.

**Listen and search checks for those awake on the 3rd watch.**

[Wordplay]

After he's awakened for the third, Raif carefully dons his armour, with a little help from Rochenion, stows his gear, and takes a small drink of water. Then Raif carefully takes station in the cave, occasionally sitting near the cave mouth to check the approaches.

Listen (1d20+4)[21]
Search (1d20+2)[13]

[Simba]

Maiali sits his watch out, but his eyes seem unfocused, far away. He seems to be deep in thought, fighting an internal conflict as his expression shifts from time to time.

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Listen: (1d20+6)[14]
Spot: (1d20+6)[12]

[Malak'ai]

Both Raif and Rochenion hear the bubbling sound, and once informing Mailali of it, the three of you make it to the pool of water without any problems.

**Do any of you have a torch or anything that gives off light? Because as I said, it's pitch black in the back of the cave.**

[Wordplay]

On hearing a strange sound, Raif draws next to Rochenion, then Mailali and whispers quietly;

'Wake the others'.

Raif moves to Elenora, and gently attempts to rouse her, whispering

'M'Lady, 'ware'. whilst putting a finger over his lips to sign for quiet. Then Raif does the same for Verossa, Halabur, and Drayner, if no-one else gets them up first.

[Marlowe]

"Watashi no chikubi wa yorokobi o bakuhatsu" mutters Verossa as she resumes consciousness. Then, as she realises her Orcish is probably so flawed she might as well be asking for a small bucket and spade, just pulls herself up and prepares to hit something. "Don't some of us have Everburning Torches or somesuch? I'm pretty sure I have. There are downsides to fighting in complete darkness, number one is that you're fighting in complete darkness"

[Machuchang]

Eleanora bolted upright, her sword half-unsheathed, when she realized that it was Raif who had woken her. Calming down slightly, she released the grip on her blade. The dame was about to ask Raif what was the matter, but upon seeing his sign for silence, decided to remain quiet.

As the cleric went about waking the other members of the party, Eleanora quietly gathered her gear, leaving herself unarmored for the sake of celerity.

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Eleanora has an unlit hooded lantern, in case it's necessary.
No armor means AC 12, which is from her shield.

Listen: (1d20)[9]
Spot: (1d20)[2]

[Wordplay]

As Raif wakes Drayner, he whispers quietly.

'Your torch, if you please, my friend'.

Raif cups a hand to his ear, to indicate listening.

Raif points towards the back of the cave, and starts sneaking up on the bubbling sound.

[Arranis Thelmos]

"Mmm?" Halabur asks as he's roused from sleep by the activity in the cave. "I've got a sunrod," he whispers as he begins rummaging through the pack and desperately trying to get his eyes get used to the darkness.

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Sorry, I'm taking the initiative here and assuming I was sleeping on the other side of Drayner. May as well make use of those pointed ears.

But on a more serious note, I have a racial ability to cast Dancing Lights once a day, would that be something I ought to do now?

Halabur kept rummaging through the pack until he came up with a bright idea. Using his inherent racial abilities, he summoned a set of glowing orbs near the edge of the pool, illuminitating the area.

[Wordplay]

Raif moves towards the source of the sound, motioning Minserien to watch the cave mouth.

Move silently (1d20)[4]

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Think I take a penalty for wearing full plate as well...

Raif's armour clanks loudly as he moves forward, and he bangs it loudly against the rocky walls of the cave.

[Malak'ai]

As your eyes adjust again to the soft glow of the floating globes, you can see the pool slowly bubbling. Small, barely visible puffs of steam rising off the surface.

In the depths of the pool, through the screen of small bubbles, you see the glint of metal half covered in silt and slime.

[Machuchang]

The dame cocked her head slightly as she examined the shining metallic object hidden beneath the water. Slowly, she crept toward the steaming pool, before removing an arrow from her quiver. With great caution, she dipped the arrow point-first into the bubbling water, trying to reach the mysterious object.

[Malak'ai]

Eleanora:

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You dip the arrow all the way to the fletching, but still cannot touch the tip to the object
As your hand gets nearer to the surface of the water, you feel no heat, even though the water appears to be at a very, very gentle simmer.

[Wordplay]

'M'Lady? It might be prudent to step back from the water...'

Raif casts Detect Magic, and tries to recall if he's ever heard of anything like this before.

Knowledge Arcana (1d20+3)[11]

'I must say, I feel most...uneasy. What is this, and why has it begun to react only now? I wonder if we might be safer leaving the caves'.

[Malak'ai]

Raif:

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The water doesn't show any signs of being magical, though the bottom of the pool gives off a very gentle glow.

[Wordplay]

There is some trace of magic - probably whatever that thing is at the bottom of the pool'.

Raif takes a couple of steps back from the water's edge, then glances back to check that Minserien's covering the cave mouth.

'I suppose the question is, can anyone swim, and of those who can, does anyone want to risk retrieving...whatever it is'.

'I suppose it likely has some connection, either with the peculiar thing we found in the firepit, or with the people who have been camping here...or both'.

'I think, given the possibility that what is here may be Covenant in origin, that we should investigate, but unfortunately' Raif looks a little rueful.

'I can't really swim. Certainly not properly. I can splash about, and I've managed to struggle out of water that's too deep for me - but that's about it'.

[D_Man_7733]

After all the prodding and eventually getting left a little bit behind, Drayner walks up to everyone "Sorry, I guess I'm a heavier sleeper than I thought" laughing quietly and slightly embarrasedly, he looks down at the puddle, "Any body got some ideas? Depending on your definition of cruel I may have a way to get it out... I'm not a terrible swimmer, but I haven't had any real practice either." Yawning Drayner takes a step back, waiting for a response.

[Arranis Thelmos]

Halabur strokes his chin thoughtfully. "We'll, if you don't mind waiting another eight hours, I can memorize a spell called 'Mage Hand' which might be able to lift the item out of the water." He says with a smile, realizing the absurdity of his remark.

He leans in closer, trying to see if he could identify something Raif may have missed.

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Knowledge (Arcana) (1d20+10)[30]

[Wordplay]

'Depending on our definition of cruel? What exactly was the technique you had in mind? And why might we consider it cruel?'

Raif seems very suspicious.

'Rochenion, Mailali, can any of your party swim?'

[Malak'ai]

Halabur:

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You spend quite a while looking at the object, unfortunately nothing comes to mind, but you manage to figure out what the dull glow of magical energy is. It's a very small Wind Wall that is actually keeping the water from touching the bottom of the pool and the object.

**Arranis only!**

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I want you to really insist on retrieving the object. It's something that will unlock some real fun for the future .

Rochenion looks up from adjusting his quivers on his hip, "Ahh, yes. Most of us are able to swim, but I'm sorry to say Raif, we need to be going.
It's going to take us a while to find a new passage through to the lines so an early start is needed. he motions the others to the mouth of the passage, "Thank you again for your help my friends. Good luck in quest."
Turning to leave he looks back over his shoulder, "Coming Mailali?"

[Wordplay]

'Well, if you insist, but I doubt we'll be more than a few minutes'.

'Good luck on your journey, and fare well'.

Raif turns his attention back to the pool.

'Well, can anyone swim, or should we try to fish it out some other way?'

'I admit, I'm curious enough about what it is myself... If no one else is willing, could someone help me off with my armour? I will have a try at retrieving it'.

[Arranis Thelmos]

"By Glittergold's gems..." Halabur says with no small amount of wonder in his voice "I think that's a wind wall down at the bottom of the pool." He continues with a grin spreading across his face, "If we can get a hold of the object--and it stays centered around it--then we might be able to keep breathing as we bring it back up!"

"I have a little bit of swimming experience, despite growing up underground. That's a story for another day though." He says with a wry grin.

[Wordplay]

'I'd have thought growing up underground was a good place to learn to swim. After all - water flows downwards'.

'If you are thinking of swimming down there to get it, perhaps you should take the end of this rope, Halabur'. says Raif, as he hands Halabur one of his lengths of rope.

'That way, if the object is heavier than one of us can lift, you may be able to fasten the rope to it, and then we can try to pull it out together once you have surfaced'.

'Furthermore, if anything should go wrong, we'd be able to pull you out quickly - in fact...' Raif hands Halabur a second length of rope. One for you, and one for the...whatever it is'.