Dima is absolutely reaching into his pack, telling himself he only wants to make certain the totem didn't disappear, to make certain it hasn't been damaged, to make certain no elves have gotten it into their heads to make off with it!
He does this as he's waking, head still a little hazed from sleep. (Still. Even so, even with the fuzziness of waking, he notices Faolan nearby, and feels a curl of a warmth, a moment's hesitation before he continues reaching for the bird.)
[dm: When he touches the totem, he feels a strong instinct for the direction the party should go.
When everyone is ready, Dima will feel that they should go back to the place where the path split before Faolan ran into the ghouls.]
Dima, with this notion in his head, is going to resettle his pack and look through the spellbook; he'll spent 50gp to learn and so prepare protection from evil and good. He'll also suggest that they each take a potion, and redistribute along the way if necessary.
He'll also suggest going exactly where he now feels they should go; to that place and its split path. He's not going to question this impulse; he's only going to stand firmly by it.
Rin will be placing anything unclaimed from the loot in the Bag of Holding. They're feeling much brighter after a night of healing. No, they don't love being in the depths of this place, but for once it was kind of nice not spending the night alone. They're going to look at Dima questioningly, and ask, word drawn out long: "W h y."
<.>
Faolan doesn't see anything particularly wrong with this; it feels as though they've gone as far as they can in this direction, and Dmitri seems so certain. It's nice to have (Dmitri) someone else making the decisions.
Sen would like an explanation as well, though. Did Dima notice something in the night? Is he just being himself?
Probably being himself.
He catches Rin's gaze and rolls his eyes. [ Likely just reminding us who's in charge, now he's got some more ammunition. Absolute power cunts absolutely. ]
<.>
Rin just gives a little huff. [ Can't argue with that. :/ If we walk back into ghoul central, that's HIS problem. ] And, out loud, "I guess we can check it out. Faolan, you at the front again?"
Dima is going to say as little as possible - no use unsettling things when his suggestion seems to be winning out, and thank Faolan for that - and mostly watches Fae.
He also runs a finger along the raven totem, still wrapped, but now placed within his pocket.
<.>
Faolan shrugs, agreeable after his rest and feeling more as though he has, from his communion with the nature of this place, better prepared himself for whatever might be hiding in the dark. "I think you two especially ought to keep to the shadows, though; it's all right if it sees me coming. Whatever 'it' is."
With that, he'll take the lead and both he and Sen will make an attempt to stealth.
<.>
Rin and Dima will both attempt stealth, though Dima plans to linger a little behind... Just in case.
[STEALTH f: 21 s: 18 r: 22 d: nat 20]
<.>
Faolan watches Dima vanish beautifully into the shadows and raises a brow, wondering if the man's been feigning incompetence all this time just for a hand to hold.
And the impulses of the totem lead Dima and the party back to where I've drawn a bullseye sort of thing.
From there, down the stairs.
As they travel downward, the space around them turns darker; anyone without darkvision will need a source of light.
Also as they move, the chanting grows louder and the words more clear: "He is the Ancient! He is the Land!"
Fae lights one of the torches they found, casting a glow of about ten feet square around him. The hallway seems to end at the bottom of one more flight of stairs.
Fae's vision allows him only what the glow of the torch allows.
And. The space is a large, with thirteen niches in the walls, each containing what appear to be cult relics. At the center of the room is a cage, five feet by five feet square. Something within wavers in and out of visibility, like a mirage.
Faolan is going to let the others know as quietly as he can that he can't see far.
<.>
Dima, fascinated by the... image, the phenomenon (the creature?) in the cage, curious about the relics, speaks soft, "Here."
And Messages Faolan: [ Stay beside me. I'd like to look at everything; I could use your eyes, as well. ]
He holds out his hand; he cants his head.
Rin would like to scout the edges of the room, juuust to make sure they won't be interrupting. They'll be checking for traps as they go.
And, they message Sen: [ Perimeter check? ]
<.>
Sen responds, [ Perimeter check! ] and tracks in the opposite direction. There are no traps in the room that they can see. Sen will be examining the relics and possibly taking a few.
• A small, mummified, yellow hand with sharp claws (a goblin’s hand) on a loop of rope • A knife carved from a human bone • A dagger with a rat’s skull set into the pommel • An 8-inch-diameter varnished orb made from a nothic’s eye • An aspergillum carved from bone • A folded cloak made from stitched ghoul skin • A desiccated frog lashed to a stick (could be mistaken for a wand of polymorph) • A bag full of bat guano • A hag’s severed finger • A 6-inch-tall wooden figurine of a mummy, its arms crossed over its chest • An iron pendant adorned with a devil’s face • The shrunken, shriveled head of a halfling • A small wooden coffer containing a dire wolf’s withered tongue
Sen will later give the daggers and the severed finger to Faolan.
Faolan takes Dmitri's hand for a moment, but thinks this can't possibly work if they need to fight. So, almost immediately, he tugs Dmitri to a halt and shakes his head, then douses the torch flames. He's been avoiding this - careful not to give away too much about himself - but he can't see.
He's banking on the space around where he's aiming to be clear of any thieves, but again: he can't see for shit. Aiming behind him into the stairwell, he summons his Wildfire Spirit.
A fiery wolf - a reflection of his own beast form - forms the space, illuminating the walls around it and apparently doing no harm upon arrival. Faolan has a look full of fondness, gratitude (relief) (sadness), a faint smile just for the spirit.
Pointing, he indicates the room plunged in darkness. The spirit trots past, looking up at him and Dmitri but not pausing.
It starts to make a slow circuit around the room, giving Faolan a sense of the space thanks to the light it casts.
<.>
It's admirable magic, and the creature - the wolf (think of Faolan's reaction to the rooms upstairs, the gruesome, ruinous symbology made from wolves) - flickers beautifully with flame.
Dima watched the casting of the spell; Dima caught the look an Faolan's expression, and wonders at its meaning; wonders what this creature means to him.
The wolf is beautiful; that's certain. The magic is well-honed.
And Dima watches them both in turn - man and wolf - for a long more-than-moment as the spirit trots around the room.
He does, eventually, Message Faolan: [ It's lovely. ]
Rin didn't see the casting of the spell. Doesn't sense Faolan at work, focused as they are on examining the relics - they'd like to take more than a few of these, and they do immediately pocket the frog - until there's a burst of light, until they turn and see a—
Not enemy, apparently.
Faolan's something? That's...
Well. They don't disagree with fiery creatures.
And they're going to return to their examinations, trying to decide whether these are relics widely known, or whether they seem to be secret, perhaps unstoried.
[INV, r: 9
dm: They really can't tell anything about the items, other than they look like they'd be relics.]
Rin is going to nod their head to themself at this conclusion, and start looking very closely at each relic in turn, examining the details. Less for the purposes of gleaning further information; more for aesthetic appreciation.
They will Message Sen: [ Love a room full of relics! ]
<.>
Faolan can't see much with the spirit across the room, but he studies what he can make out of Dmitri's face, the tender expression gone now. [ It's many things. 'Mine' and 'part of me', foremost. ]
It's a warning, of sorts. A caution, maybe, or a plea that Dmitri not harm it. (Or Faolan.)
He adds, [ And yes, 'lovely'. Thank you. ]
Sen finds an eyeball and chucks it across the room at Rin, over the head of the wildfire spirit. In part, he wants to see what the wolf will do. But also, eyeball relics.
The wolf pauses, staring at Sen, in a way that makes him feel rather...guilty? before it continues on its circuit around the room.
no subject
He does this as he's waking, head still a little hazed from sleep. (Still. Even so, even with the fuzziness of waking, he notices Faolan nearby, and feels a curl of a warmth, a moment's hesitation before he continues reaching for the bird.)
[dm: When he touches the totem, he feels a strong instinct for the direction the party should go.
When everyone is ready, Dima will feel that they should go back to the place where the path split before Faolan ran into the ghouls.]
Dima, with this notion in his head, is going to resettle his pack and look through the spellbook; he'll spent 50gp to learn and so prepare protection from evil and good. He'll also suggest that they each take a potion, and redistribute along the way if necessary.
He'll also suggest going exactly where he now feels they should go; to that place and its split path. He's not going to question this impulse; he's only going to stand firmly by it.
Rin will be placing anything unclaimed from the loot in the Bag of Holding. They're feeling much brighter after a night of healing. No, they don't love being in the depths of this place, but for once it was kind of nice not spending the night alone.
They're going to look at Dima questioningly, and ask, word drawn out long: "W h y."
<.>
Faolan doesn't see anything particularly wrong with this; it feels as though they've gone as far as they can in this direction, and Dmitri seems so certain. It's nice to have (Dmitri) someone else making the decisions.
Sen would like an explanation as well, though. Did Dima notice something in the night? Is he just being himself?
Probably being himself.
He catches Rin's gaze and rolls his eyes. [ Likely just reminding us who's in charge, now he's got some more ammunition. Absolute power cunts absolutely. ]
<.>
Rin just gives a little huff. [ Can't argue with that. :/ If we walk back into ghoul central, that's HIS problem. ] And, out loud, "I guess we can check it out. Faolan, you at the front again?"
Dima is going to say as little as possible - no use unsettling things when his suggestion seems to be winning out, and thank Faolan for that - and mostly watches Fae.
He also runs a finger along the raven totem, still wrapped, but now placed within his pocket.
<.>
Faolan shrugs, agreeable after his rest and feeling more as though he has, from his communion with the nature of this place, better prepared himself for whatever might be hiding in the dark. "I think you two especially ought to keep to the shadows, though; it's all right if it sees me coming. Whatever 'it' is."
With that, he'll take the lead and both he and Sen will make an attempt to stealth.
<.>
Rin and Dima will both attempt stealth, though Dima plans to linger a little behind... Just in case.
[STEALTH
f: 21
s: 18
r: 22
d: nat 20]
<.>
Faolan watches Dima vanish beautifully into the shadows and raises a brow, wondering if the man's been feigning incompetence all this time just for a hand to hold.
And the impulses of the totem lead Dima and the party back to where I've drawn a bullseye sort of thing.
From there, down the stairs.
As they travel downward, the space around them turns darker; anyone without darkvision will need a source of light.
Also as they move, the chanting grows louder and the words more clear: "He is the Ancient! He is the Land!"
Fae lights one of the torches they found, casting a glow of about ten feet square around him. The hallway seems to end at the bottom of one more flight of stairs.
Fae's vision allows him only what the glow of the torch allows.
And. The space is a large, with thirteen niches in the walls, each containing what appear to be cult relics. At the center of the room is a cage, five feet by five feet square. Something within wavers in and out of visibility, like a mirage.
Faolan is going to let the others know as quietly as he can that he can't see far.
<.>
Dima, fascinated by the... image, the phenomenon (the creature?) in the cage, curious about the relics, speaks soft, "Here."
And Messages Faolan: [ Stay beside me. I'd like to look at everything; I could use your eyes, as well. ]
He holds out his hand; he cants his head.
Rin would like to scout the edges of the room, juuust to make sure they won't be interrupting. They'll be checking for traps as they go.
And, they message Sen: [ Perimeter check? ]
<.>
Sen responds, [ Perimeter check! ] and tracks in the opposite direction. There are no traps in the room that they can see. Sen will be examining the relics and possibly taking a few.
• A small, mummified, yellow hand with sharp claws (a goblin’s hand) on a loop of rope
• A knife carved from a human bone
• A dagger with a rat’s skull set into the pommel
• An 8-inch-diameter varnished orb made from a nothic’s eye
• An aspergillum carved from bone
• A folded cloak made from stitched ghoul skin
• A desiccated frog lashed to a stick (could be mistaken
for a wand of polymorph)
• A bag full of bat guano
• A hag’s severed finger
• A 6-inch-tall wooden figurine of a mummy, its arms crossed over its chest
• An iron pendant adorned with a devil’s face
• The shrunken, shriveled head of a halfling
• A small wooden coffer containing a dire wolf’s withered tongue
Sen will later give the daggers and the severed finger to Faolan.
Faolan takes Dmitri's hand for a moment, but thinks this can't possibly work if they need to fight. So, almost immediately, he tugs Dmitri to a halt and shakes his head, then douses the torch flames. He's been avoiding this - careful not to give away too much about himself - but he can't see.
He's banking on the space around where he's aiming to be clear of any thieves, but again: he can't see for shit. Aiming behind him into the stairwell, he summons his Wildfire Spirit.
A fiery wolf - a reflection of his own beast form - forms the space, illuminating the walls around it and apparently doing no harm upon arrival. Faolan has a look full of fondness, gratitude (relief) (sadness), a faint smile just for the spirit.
Pointing, he indicates the room plunged in darkness. The spirit trots past, looking up at him and Dmitri but not pausing.
It starts to make a slow circuit around the room, giving Faolan a sense of the space thanks to the light it casts.
<.>
It's admirable magic, and the creature - the wolf (think of Faolan's reaction to the rooms upstairs, the gruesome, ruinous symbology made from wolves) - flickers beautifully with flame.
Dima watched the casting of the spell; Dima caught the look an Faolan's expression, and wonders at its meaning; wonders what this creature means to him.
The wolf is beautiful; that's certain. The magic is well-honed.
And Dima watches them both in turn - man and wolf - for a long more-than-moment as the spirit trots around the room.
He does, eventually, Message Faolan: [ It's lovely. ]
Rin didn't see the casting of the spell. Doesn't sense Faolan at work, focused as they are on examining the relics - they'd like to take more than a few of these, and they do immediately pocket the frog - until there's a burst of light, until they turn and see a—
Not enemy, apparently.
Faolan's something? That's...
Well. They don't disagree with fiery creatures.
And they're going to return to their examinations, trying to decide whether these are relics widely known, or whether they seem to be secret, perhaps unstoried.
[INV, r: 9
dm: They really can't tell anything about the items, other than they look like they'd be relics.]
Rin is going to nod their head to themself at this conclusion, and start looking very closely at each relic in turn, examining the details. Less for the purposes of gleaning further information; more for aesthetic appreciation.
They will Message Sen: [ Love a room full of relics! ]
<.>
Faolan can't see much with the spirit across the room, but he studies what he can make out of Dmitri's face, the tender expression gone now. [ It's many things. 'Mine' and 'part of me', foremost. ]
It's a warning, of sorts. A caution, maybe, or a plea that Dmitri not harm it. (Or Faolan.)
He adds, [ And yes, 'lovely'. Thank you. ]
Sen finds an eyeball and chucks it across the room at Rin, over the head of the wildfire spirit. In part, he wants to see what the wolf will do. But also, eyeball relics.
The wolf pauses, staring at Sen, in a way that makes him feel rather...guilty? before it continues on its circuit around the room.
[ That thing's as dull as Faolan. ]
<.>