Wrath of the Righteous IC [3.5, Group B]

[flat_footed]

"You're right, we should keep moving. I would love to know what the dwarf was running from, though." Kel pauses as Horgus' words catch his ears. Could this have been another person saved by the dragon, or was it another creature who made it's life down here? Kel takes a look at the dwarf's outfit to check if anything stood out.

Perception - (1d20+8)[13]

[Kish]

The dwarf's clothes are ragged and fairly nondescript. In the next cavern, you see a banked firepit with a bedroll behind it.

Spoiler

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Map is updated.

[Novabomb]

Tellos
Do any of you have a shovel? We should bury this poor soul.

[GreyStormcrow]

Rung digs through his backpack for a moment before shaking his head. "I do not, but if someone does I shall gladly help with the digging."

[Ionbound]

Alexia shakes her head and says, "I do not. In any event...His death was unfortunate, but we need to keep moving. Gods know what awaits us on the surface, but if there's anything worth saving left, we have to try to get there in time."

[GreyStormcrow]

"Even if we cannot give him a proper burial, can we at least do something to keep him from becoming like that... thing back there?" He gestures towards the firepit. "Burn him, perhaps?"

[Novabomb]

Tellos will drag the dwarf the fire pit by the shoulders. If flint and steel is sufficient he will begin the pyre. Ok

[flat_footed]

As Tellos begins to move the dwarf, Kel places a warning hand on his shoulder. "We're all talking about the dwarf, but not recalling his words. 'I'm not going back there', what could he mean by that? I for one, want to be sure of what's next before doing anything noisy."

Spoiler: OOC

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Barring anyone stopping him, Kel will proceed quietly into the next room to look for any dangers, moving to Y5 to peer down the opening.

Stealth - (1d20+8)[27]
Perception - (1d20+8)[18]

[Kish]

"Obviously, he was a deserter, who preferred living in this cavern teaching tentacle things to attack people to fulfilling his duty and fighting demons," Horgus snaps, watching Tellos' efforts to burn the dwarf in his own firepit. "But that does mean there must be a way up, if we don't spend the rest of our lives here planting or cooking him. Must we stop to study every murderous living or dead dwarf in this place?"

"Check his bedroll," Anevia suggests, not participating in the debate over what to do with the body. "He might have had something useful there."

[Kish]

Horgus mutters as you build a fire over the body. Anevia shrugs and leans against the wall.

[GreyStormcrow]

Rung steps up to stand beside the pyre, nervously clearing his throat. "We gather here to mourn the passing of the deceased. We don't know anything about him; I'm not even sure of his name. But I'm sure he was a good man - Dwarf, I suppose - before he went insane and we had to kill him. We can only hope now that he is in a better place."
He bows his head. "Please join me in a moment of silence. Thank you."

[flat_footed]

Staying active, but respecting Rung's moment of silence, Kel peers down the corridor to see no immediate danger. Taking Anevia's suggestion, he carefully checks the bedroll by edging his scimitar under the flap and lifting.

[Ionbound]

Alexia rubs her head and says, after the moment of silence, "Was there really a point to that? He's dead, and we're not moving. We need to get going. For all we know, this little pit stop cost us a chance to save Kenabres."

[Kish]

Horgus, perhaps surprisingly, falls quiet when Rung asks for a moment of silence. After Alexia speaks, he says, "Yes, we should be moving again. Where's the one who doesn't say anything?"

Anyone who looks to determine who Horgus is referring to notices, as he apparently did, that Arrow seems to be gone.

Near the bedroll, Kel sees a small pack and a chipped 6-inch-tall marble statuette, depicting a humanoid throwing a spear. In the bedroll itself is a leatherbound book.

[flat_footed]

"The dwarf left some more things over here. No sign that there was anyone else with him."

Kel carefully guides his blade further into the roll and edges the tip under the time. With a steady motion, he drags it onto the ground and examines it closely.

Spoiler: OOC

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If the book looks like a diary or journal, Kel will open the cover with us hand. If it appears to be a religious or spell book, he will walk over to Aravashnial.

[Kish]

Spoiler: Kel

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Hard to say. It's not labeled.

[Yawielas]

Runa

Runa keeps an eye out as they stand in silence, and as Kel examines the dwarf's belongings. With surprises around every corner, she tries to remain vigilant.

[Ionbound]

Alexia sighs as the other continue to investigate the camp, and stands guard next to Runa, ready for anything.

[Kish]

"He probably got impatient with our lack of movement," Horgus mutters.

"Reluctant as I am to agree with His Lordship..." Anevia says. "What's in the book?" She limps over to it.

[flat_footed]

"I don't know." Kel's cheeks flush slightly as he bends to pickup the book. I'm being too cautious and it's costing us time.

Standing upright, Kel flips through the pages.

[Kish]

It's illegible to Kel. Probably a spellbook.

[flat_footed]

It looks like a spellbook. Can anyone read it?"

[Yawielas]

Runa

Runa shakes her head. "Not me."

(OOC: I'll be away from Thursday to Sunday)

[Kish]

"Not I," Anevia says.

"I...could, but--"

"No one here is a wizard who can see. The book is useless," Horgus snaps.

[Ionbound]

Alexia glares at Horgus and says, "Still, keep it. It may prove useful later. Nothing is as useless as it appears. Right, Horgus."

[Kish]

"Quite. For example, tentacle things apparently find you high in nutrition. Maybe we can shove the book at the next monster we meet, instead of you shoving yourself again," Horgus replies.

[Novabomb]

Tellos
Perhaps with time I will be able to decipher the book, I have a bit of arcane training. For now let us push on.

[GreyStormcrow]

Rung shakes his head. "I cannot read it, but... perhaps that is a good thing? Could this be what drove the poor Dwarf mad?"

[flat_footed]

Kel quickly places in the book in the small pack, along with the small statue. Standing upright, he walks to Aravishnal's side to assist him with the next leg of the walk.

[Kish]

"More likely, it's just his spellbook," Horgus says in his characteristic abrasive tones. "It makes no sense to assume a more complicated explanation than the obvious one." Oddly, he seems to be directing this comment at Aravashnial.

Alexia leads the way to the east. Horgus' grumbling remains constant as you head up a steep slope, around in a circle, up again, north, east, north, and finally, hours of walking later, the tunnel opens into a large cavern, about seventy feet across. Cylindrical rock formations along the walls arch up to make a domelike chamber, but the walls and floor are riddled with cracks. At the center of the cave, a stone tower that may once have reached the fifty-foot-high ceiling has collapsed onto its side. Two humanoid figures are clustered around the tower; something seems distinctly off about them. Horgus falls abruptly silent.