75: It tastes like heresy

[Ebiris]

[12:08] <Ebiris> As Rudy and Henrietta gather up their prizes and pore over the newly revealed map, an inarticulate cry of rate is heard from outside! Rudy barely has time to ask if they're under attack before Lucie takes out a tent support and the canvas starts to collapse on top of him and Henrietta inside!
[12:08] * Hisui is now known as Henrietta
[12:09] * Joins: Rudy (~Kallen@ppp59-167-140-198.static.internode.on.net)
[12:09] <Henrietta> "Why?!" Henrietta exclaims, diving out of the tent.
[12:09] <Rudy> "Hey, wait!" calls Rudy, fleeing the collapsing canvas.
[12:10] <Lucie> "That's my question," an aged Lucie growls, panting from violent exertions as she lowers her weapon.
[12:12] <Rudy> "Well, I don't know," protests Rudy stumbling out and fronting up to Lucie. "What's the big idea, anyway- oh."
[12:13] * Henrietta finds herself staring at Lucie.
[12:14] <Ebiris> "It's... it's not that bad, really," Liamae offers lamely as she comes over. "You look... distinguished!"
[12:15] <Lucie> "'Oh,'" Lucie echoes, the personification of coiled rage at this moment. Liamae just gets a flat, level stare.
[12:15] <Henrietta> "W-Well, it is a curse, is it not?" Henrietta voices. "So... so if we break it, you will be back the way you were!"
[12:16] <Rudy> "Y-yeah, that sounds right." He sure hopes that's right, anyway...
[12:17] <Ebiris> Liamae cringes in the face of Lucie's wrath, stepping backwards.
[12:17] * Henrietta gives Lucie a tentative smile. "We should do our best!"
[12:18] <Lucie> Lucie's mouth works silently for a moment. A careful listener might perceive the grinding of teeth. "It'd better, or someone dies for this. I'll track down this woman who left 'em behind to haunt this place and smash every bone in her body into paste." To Henrietta, somewhat more controlled and subdued: "So how do we do that? Pay off their debt for them or what?"
[12:19] <Henrietta> "I... well, I think so?" Henrietta responds. "It was two hundred gold, I believe."
[12:19] <Ebiris> "Maybe if we find any of their gear?" Liamae wonders. "That ghost that attacked Lucie had a big sword, right? What if that was his sword in life? If we find that it could cover the debt? Or his armour?"
[12:20] <Henrietta> "Oh yes!" Henrietta seizes upon that. "They said they had to pay for it themselves, so it would work in this way!"
[12:20] <Lucie> "Could be," Lucie says. "Things that were important to them in life should have some connection, right? Find anything in the tent?"
[12:21] <Rudy> She could be dead for centuries! "For all we know, they might need to hand it over in person," remarks Rudy. "Y- yeah. But nothing that'd fit that description. My guess?" He points at the temple. "If there's anything, it'd be down there."
[12:22] <Henrietta> At the prompting, Henrietta approaches Lucie and Liamae, and offers each a potion with a smile. "Would this do, for now?"
[12:24] <Lucie> "It's a start," Lucie says, getting out their wand to help patch up fresh wounds even further.
[12:24] <Ebiris> "Thanks, this should warm me up," Liamae accepts it gratefully, knocking it back.
[12:24] <Ebiris> roll 1d8+1
[12:24] * Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d8+1 and gets 8." [1d8=7]
[12:25] <Lucie> roll 3d8+3 me, 2x wand charge + potion
[12:25] * Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 3d8+3 me, 2x wand charge + potion and gets 18." [3d8=7, 7, 1]
[12:25] <Lucie> roll 2d8+2 wand for L
[12:25] * Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 2d8+2 wand for L and gets 6." [2d8=1, 3]
[12:25] <Lucie> roll 2d8+2 wand for R
[12:25] * Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 2d8+2 wand for R and gets 8." [2d8=5, 1]
[12:27] <Rudy> Rudy drinks his own potion as well. "Let's get a move on?" he suggests, glancing at the dig. "Let's see if we can get in."
[12:27] <Rudy> roll 1d8+1
[12:27] * Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d8+1 and gets 4." [1d8=3]
[12:27] <Lucie> Finally the wand fizzles out, emitting feeble white sparks as Lucie tries to continue using it. "Guess that's all we get out of this thing," she says. "Whatever's in there--" she nods to the temple, "--Myra gets to deal with it."
[12:34] <@Kallen> "No problem. Hey, Liamae, mind doing something for her strength?" asks Rudy, as he walks towards the dig entrance.
[12:35] <Ebiris> "Sure," Liamae chirps, walking over and very gingerly touching Myra on the back after casting her spell, pulling her hand back awfully quickly after that brief contact. But Myra feels stronger, indeed!
[12:35] * Henrietta casts Barkskin and Shield before drawing her spear, ready to protect the others should anything get past Myra!
[12:37] <Rudy> Rudy adds his own shielding spell to Myra before sending her ahead, and following from a distance behind!
[12:38] * Lucie will follow somewhat behind Myra and Henri, as they seem in better health than the others (at least insofar as one can tell with Myra).
[12:42] <Ebiris> Liamae seems happy enough in the middle as Henrietta and Myra lead the way towards the path leading into the rubble. It's rather cramped and requires a bit of stooping to proceed. Unlit lanterns hang from the wooden spurs infrequently, and after traversing a dozen or so feet inside it becomes pitch black and very hard to see in for those without special senses such as Myra and Liamae. Ever considerate to others, Liamae casts a light spell as she goes, and the view underfoot transitions from dirt and rubble to scuffed and ancient tiling, glimpses of mosaic hinted at but nothing of the greater whole evidenced to determine what's represented. A couple of twists and turns later, and Myra finds the tunnel ends above a cracked and uneven stairway down...
[12:44] <Rudy> "Looks like they made it all the way in," muses Rudy, sending Myra down the stairs and following after.
[12:46] <Henrietta> "It does look that way," Henrietta agrees, picking up a small piece of the rubble. Then, with Light cast upon it, she tosses it down the stairway past Myra.
[12:46] * Lucie casts a wary eye at the wood supports and general disaster around them. "Might be a bad place for tossing fireballs around if we run into trouble," she notes. "Don't want to have to dig our way out."
[12:48] <Rudy> "I think the temple itself will be alright. What's left of it, anyway." voices Rudy. "But the dig tunnels wouldn't survive, I'd agree."
[12:51] <Ebiris> Henrietta's light bounces down and illuminates a surface of moss-covered and cracked stone tiles below before she and Myra lead the way down. Emerging in a subterranean chamber, its ceiling bulging down ominously and supported by wooden joists like the ones on the path here. A metal reinforced door lies shattered to the side of last stair, its wood long rotted to uselessness and the iron cladding rusted and deformed as if struck violently. To the side the walls are lined wtih shelves and scroll holders, odd bits of ancient parchment still clinging tenaciously to form while acting as supports for spiderweb. Ahead lies another shattered doorway, defaced glyphs surrounding it on the walls and floor.
[12:52] * Lucie rifles through the shelves, taking a moment to peruse anything that doesn't turn to dust on contact.
[12:52] <Ebiris> roll 1d100
[12:52] * Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d100 and gets 71." [1d100=71]
[12:53] <Rudy> Following shortly afterwards, Rudy takes a moment to cast detect magic and scan the area.
[12:53] <Henrietta> Following a defensive mindset, Henrietta merely guards her wounded companions while letting Myra handle any and all exploration ahead.
[12:54] <Ebiris> Much of it does crumble away at Lucie's questing fingertips, but she finds a sealed leather-bound book that opens with a puff of dust yet reveals intact pages below...
[12:54] <Ebiris> OOC: what languages do you speak, Lucie?
[12:54] <Ebiris> Rudy can detect magic in the room ahead.
[12:54] <Lucie> OOC: Prannerian and uh Prannerian
[12:54] <Ebiris> Unfortunately Lucie can't make heads nor tails of whatever text is contained in these preserved pages.
[12:55] <Rudy> "There's some magic stuff up ahead," voices Rudy, tapping Henrietta's shoulder. "Take a look?"
[12:55] * Lucie stuffs it in her pack for later examination, pauses to examine those ruined glyphs. Anything recognizable left of that?
[12:55] <Ebiris> OOC: spellcraft?
[12:55] * Henrietta casts Detect Magic and indeed takes a look herself!
[12:55] <Lucie> roll 1d20+12
[12:55] * Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+12 and gets 22." [1d20=10]
[12:56] <Henrietta> roll 1d20+10
[12:56] * Hatbot --> "Henrietta rolls 1d20+10 and gets 17." [1d20=7]
[12:56] <Ebiris> OOC: at what, Henrietta?
[12:56] <Henrietta> OOC: At where Rudy says he could see magic
[12:56] <Ebiris> Henrietta sees magic as well!
[12:57] <Ebiris> Lucie can identify some of the glyphs as relating to consecration, others are more defensive in nature but she can't tell particularly what they would do. They're all long since expired and ruined, no longer holding any power.
[12:58] * Henrietta decides to come closer and see what she can tell with her regular senses.
[12:59] <@Kallen> With nothing coming from nothing, Rudy shrugs and tells Myra to go and open the door!
[12:59] <Lucie> "Looks like Terlonius and his lot broke everything keeping this place secure," Lucie observes. "Lucky for us, except it probably means they already took anything of value."
[12:59] <Henrietta> "Well, we are only here to see about breaking the curse," Henrietta muses. "So it should be fine as long as we discover that?"
[13:00] <Lucie> "If even that's still here."
[13:00] <Ebiris> Going through into the next room, Henrietta finds a circular chamber dominated by a shallow pool of water in the centre, a large chandelier directly above. The surrounding walls are adorned with mosiac representations of people and animals, hunting or being hunted. Myra follows Henrietta and lifts up the door of the ground, but doesn't see any hidden treasures underneath.
[13:01] * Henrietta checks to see where the magic is coming from.
[13:01] <Ebiris> The water is magical.
[13:01] * Lucie scans the mosaics for any recognizable representations.
[13:01] <Ebiris> OOC: knowledge religion?
[13:01] <Lucie> roll 1d20+12
[13:01] * Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+12 and gets 17." [1d20=5]
[13:02] <Ebiris> Lucie can't see anything particularly religious about.
[13:03] <Henrietta> "There is magical, umm, water," Henrietta dutifully reports. "It is, well, it is quite shallow, I must say."
[13:03] * Lucie focuses her arcane senses on determinig the nature of this magical water.
[13:03] <Ebiris> OOC: spellcraft?
[13:03] <Lucie> roll 1d20+12
[13:03] * Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+12 and gets 17." [1d20=5]
[13:03] <Ebiris> Its nature is a mystery to her!
[13:04] <Rudy> "Yeah, can't take a bath in that, right?" replies Rudy, walking over to look into the pool.
[13:04] <Henrietta> "If you are very athletic, I believe it should be possible?"
[13:04] <Ebiris> The pool is about a foot deep and four feet wide.
[13:04] <Lucie> "Be a tight fit," Lucie says, kneeling by the basin and experimentally dipping a hand into the pool.
[13:05] * Henrietta gapes.
[13:05] <Ebiris> roll 1d20+20
[13:05] * Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d20+20 and gets 40." [1d20=20]
[13:13] <Ebiris> As soon as Lucie's hand touches the pool, her horned headpiece begins to feel hot upon her head, and the others can see its antlers beginning to glow a deep angry red colour, illuminating the chamber in a hellish glow as the ground begins to shake underfoot! The water starts to churn and hiss, boiling up even though her hand remains cool. The artistic mosaics on the wall begin to smoulder as well, each carefully placed and coloured stone turning black one by one until the walls are the colour of night. A scream is heard... a scream or a howl, it's hard to even say if it's in terror or triumph, only that it is something primal and savage. The light slowly recedes from the antlers as the hat cools on Lucie's head, the waters stilling as well... yet now looking murky and unmistakably tainted.
[13:13] -> *Lucie* You know instinctively that this is a triumph. The water will grant a boon if drunk to you and those you call allies. Yet there is a faint sting of rebuke as well, a compulsion to hunt lest your instincts grow dull.
[13:15] <Rudy> "Yeah, Lucie, you sure showed that pool who's boss," stutters Rudy, stepping away from the pool. "The bathtubs of the world will tremble now!"
[13:15] <Henrietta> "Did your hat just... defile a goddess?" Henrietta asks uncertainly, hurrying to add, "Not that I believe in them or anything!"
[13:15] <Lucie> Undaunted, Lucie cups a sample of water in her hands and drinks it.
[13:15] <Ebiris> "Well... it's from an old god, isn't it?" Liamae asks, looking rather pale. "A god of the hunt, just like Artemis? I think they just settled who was the alpha... and Artemis lost."
[13:16] <Rudy> "I guess he wasn't much of a god, then?"
[13:17] <Henrietta> "She-- I mean-- let us just go," Henrietta forces herself to say, sputtering, and retreats from the room.
[13:18] <Rudy> "Yeah, that shaking's no good," notes Rudy, in sudden alarm. "Let's run, even!" He turns around and does just that!
[13:19] <Ebiris> As Lucie drinks the brakish water, colour returns to her hair and her skin becomes unlined and smooth once more, even parts of her body lost to disease gain some ground in pushing it back once more, unseen under her robes. Not enough to banish it, not by far, but she feels significantly improved and more hale from it. Liamae is the only one to remain, watching in fascination as Lucie recaptures her vitality.
[13:20] * Lucie stands up. Takes a deep breath. "Spoils to those who dare," she intones with rich satisfaction.
[13:21] <Henrietta> Rather than run away and leave Liamae and Lucie behind, Henrietta waits for them in the room at the bottom of the stairs.
[13:21] <Ebiris> While Rudy and Henrietta (and Myra?) find their way out unimpeded as they flee back to the surface, emerging in blessed sunlight once more, Liamae takes a good look at Lucie before shrugging, "What the hell," and going to take a drink of the befouled water...
[13:23] <Ebiris> It seems to go down easily as she cups it in her hands to drink, standing up lithely afterwards and smiling. "Oh, isn't that just the thing?" she approves happily, bouncing on the soles of her feet. "Herne just got a believer!"
[13:24] * Lucie takes a good look around the room, making sure they're not missing any well-hidden doors or adventurer corpses buried under rubble, before strolling back to the previous room with a confident, and one might even say insouciant, strut. "You should really try this," she purrs to Henri and Rudy, an uncharacteristic smile wide on her face.
[13:24] <Ebiris> "It's good stuff," Liamae agrees as she follows Lucie, no hidden treasures glimpsed on their way out.
[13:25] <Henrietta> "Umm."
[13:26] <Lucie> "I assure oy My favor is wholly benevolent," she assures Henri.
[13:26] <Lucie> *you
[13:26] <Rudy> Rudy is long gone, of course, though he peeks back down the cave after reaching the top and wonders why the tremor didn't shift the supports at all.
[13:27] <Ebiris> "That is still you, right, Lucie?" Liamae looks askance at the oracle. "You've not been possessed by an old god, have you?"
[13:27] <Henrietta> "Not that you could be. But are you?"
[13:27] <Lucie> "Possessed? No."
[13:27] <Ebiris> Indeed, although the rocks have shifted a bit, the supports seem to have remained solidly in place to retain the path in place.
[13:28] <Ebiris> "Just checking, you've got that sort of grandeur in your speech right now," Liamae explains.
[13:28] <Rudy> Since everyone else is still there, Rudy ends up going back down to see what's keeping them.
[13:28] <Lucie> "Does it not suit me?" Lucie inquires.
[13:29] <Henrietta> "W-Well, then I will try it," Henrietta asserts as much as she is able to. She just knows she will always wonder about it if she doesn't, and that can be worse than just about any fate.
[13:29] <Ebiris> "I guess it'll just take some getting used to," Liamae shrugs as Rudy creeps back down.
[13:29] <Henrietta> "I think you sound just fine," Henrietta assures Lucie, and then approaches the dirty water warily.
[13:30] <Lucie> "Ah, Rudy, have a drink, will you?" Lucie beams. "You'll regret passing the chance if you don't."
[13:30] <Ebiris> The foul water lays still now, unthreatening yet unappealing nonetheless...
[13:30] <Rudy> "I'm amazed the passage didn't collapse," he remarks, glancing over his shoulder. "What's up with you? You look happy. Also cuter." He glances at the water. "That looks disgusting."
[13:31] <Ebiris> "It's good for you, though," Liamae insists. "I felt great after drinking some."
[13:31] <Henrietta> "Oh, it looks so disgusting," Henrietta laments, echoing Rudy. Even so, she ends up cupping her hands and closing her eyes as she gives them a try.
[13:31] <Lucie> "Thank you," she replies with a grin. "Not all medicine is sweet in the taking," she adds.
[13:33] <Ebiris> The water goes down easily enough for Henrietta despite its looks, not tasting all that inoffensive. And as it sinks into her belly, she feels new vitality flow through her veins, healthier and heartier than ever!
[13:34] <Henrietta> "I cannot believe, I truly cannot," Henrietta admits, turning away before opening her eyes anew. "That something that foul-looking can taste so well. Why, no one back home would believe me if I were to write about it!"
[13:35] <Rudy> Rudy clicks his tounge. "Myra, you go drink it," he decides, sending his eidolon towards the pool. "Stuff looks like it's made for you."
[13:35] * Henrietta wilts a bit at Rudy's words.
[13:37] <Ebiris> Myra daintily steps over and extends her retractable mouth into the water, loudly slurping some up before belching happily.
[13:41] <Rudy> Rudy eyes his eidolon with faint wariness. "Ah, hell, I've had worse-looking stuff," he remarks, producing a cup and filling it with some of the fluid, before closing his eyes and drinking it in one shot.
[13:44] <Ebiris> Gunning down the foul water, Rudy at least doesn't have a chance to taste it before it reaches his stomach. But once he's imbibed he feels suddenly more alert, more energetic, just all around quicker and better!
[13:45] <Lucie> "There," Lucie says. "Wasn't that...satisfying?"
[13:46] <Henrietta> "As long as I do not have to think about it," Henrietta says truthfully, before blinking and smiling at Lucie. "You were cured! How delightful! I'm so happy for you!"
[13:46] <Rudy> Rudy shudders, presumably with delight. "Yeah, but the way you're talking is freaky," he states, turning back to Lucie with a cocked eyebrow. "It's all sultry-like. I mean, don't get me wrong, it fits you! Now?"
[13:47] <Ebiris> "Oh, sultry! Yes, that's a good word for it!" Liamae agrees.
[13:47] <Lucie> "Yes," Lucie says, happily, but with a strange air about it, "cured."
[13:48] <Lucie> "I like that word," Lucie agrees. "I like being that word. Well...now...we haven't found anything of those ghosts' possessions, have we?"
[13:49] <Henrietta> "Regrettably, no," Henrietta admits. "Rudy, do you think one of your elementals could try and look for them?"
[13:52] <Rudy> Skepticle but obliging, Rudy dispatches a squad of elementals to look around the dirt for any swords, or suits of armor, or other things they'll probably recognized as 'worked rock' or 'smelted rock'.
[13:52] <Rudy> roll 1d3
[13:52] * Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d3 and gets 3." [1d3=3]
[13:55] <Ebiris> The three elementals have to go up the stairs and halfway through the tunnel before they can start exploring underground, but off they go!
[13:55] <Ebiris> roll 1d100
[13:55] * Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d100 and gets 98." [1d100=98]
[13:56] <Lucie> "Could they bring anything back if they found it?" Lucie wonders. "Or is it only their own bodies that they can bring through rock with ease?"
[13:57] <Ebiris> A few minutes later one of them returns. "Metal... alloy. That way," it grinds out, pointing in a manner that's rather unhelpful underground.
[13:57] <@Kallen> "Beats me. Can you go get it and bring it to the surface?" asks Rudy, turning to the elemental.
[13:57] <Henrietta> "How far is it?" Henrietta asks Rudy, "and how deep?"
[13:59] <Ebiris> "On... surface. Not far," the rocky figure rasps at Henrietta. "I go." And with that it turns and starts back up the stairs.
[14:00] * Henrietta follows!
[14:00] <@Kallen> Rudy shrugs, and starts following the elemental up the stairs. "Bets on him finding a nail or something?" he asks, jovially.
[14:01] <Henrietta> "If it is, then you should ask about large concentrations of metals next time," Henrietta lectures him.
[14:03] <@Kallen> "Then he'll probably find an ore deposit," replies Rudy.
[14:03] <Henrietta> "Just think of how it could benefit the town!"
[14:03] <Lucie> "Then her Ladyship has even more mining prospects here then she thought," Lucie says.
[14:04] <Ebiris> The group heads back up and out, following the elemental which ambles around the campsite towards the slope the group came down on when they arrived. Approaching a large patch of partially excavated and frost-rimed ground that Rudy recalls being within when an icy fireball detonated behind him, the elemental starts digging around a glint of metal, uncovering the shallow grave of two skeletons, one of them covered in slightly rusted but still mostly intact full plate.
[14:05] <Henrietta> "What do you know, they really did find them!" Henrietta exclaims. She shakes her head at the state of the skeletons, and then asks Lucie, "Do you think we should bring them back to town with us for burial?"
[14:05] <Lucie> "Are we certain returning their possessions will break their bonds?" Lucie wonders, eyeing the bodies. "Exactly what was it they supposedly owed?"
[14:06] <Rudy> "That is such a dumb idea," voices Rudy. "For all we know, the ghosts could show up where their bodies do!"
[14:06] <Henrietta> "Well... two hundred gold, like I said? And-- and will they, actually?" Henrietta wonders about that part.
[14:06] <Rudy> "Also, who wants to actually haul a skeleton that far? It'll probably break halfway, and then we'll have to put it back together and- geez, even just taking the armor off will be messy."
[14:06] <Ebiris> OOC: knowledge religion if interested in the answer
[14:06] <Henrietta> roll 1d20+6 always interested
[14:06] * Hatbot --> "Henrietta rolls 1d20+6 always interested and gets 14." [1d20=8]
[14:06] <Lucie> roll 1d20+12
[14:06] * Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+12 and gets 18." [1d20=6]
[14:06] <Ebiris> Who knows?!
[14:07] <Rudy> "Anyway, dirt is dirt, wherever you are. If we're gonna bury them we might as well do it here."
[14:07] <Rudy> He frowns. "After we dig them up."
[14:08] <Lucie> "I'd rather not risk it," Lucie says. "Nor haul skeletons all the way there. And aren't they--weren't they buried already? It sounds to me their curse is about obligation, not burial. Though I can't imagine being dug up will help their mood any."
[14:09] <Henrietta> "Umm. Well, what if this is not what they wanted?" she suddenly voices. "What if this is not about returning their debt, but making good on their promise?"
[14:09] <Rudy> "What was their promise again?" asks Rudy, rubbing his head.
[14:09] <Ebiris> "This is getting awfully complicated," Liamae moans.
[14:10] <Lucie> "You looked into this, right?" Lucie says to Henri. "What exactly was the deal they made?"
[14:10] <Henrietta> "A full share to equal to one quarter of the valuables," Henrietta responds. "That is, from the temple. I... suppose we could bring the Lady back some of that water? Maybe?"
[14:11] * Lucie frowns. "I don't know. Didn't that second ghost say they had to pay something back themselves?"
[14:12] * Lucie eyes the tents. "You sure nobody left any notes anywhere? Obviously they were here a while."
[14:12] <Rudy> "Ok, let's face it. We have no idea what they want," replies Rudy, after a moment. "The only way we'll figure it out for sure is by asking them. Or finding, like, a diary." He eyes Lucie. "No. You want to spend an hour looking around? We could."
[14:14] * Lucie shrugs. "Doesn't take an hour to search some tents." So saying, Lucie makes her own thorough perusal of the tents.
[14:16] <Ebiris> OOC: roll perception?
[14:16] <Lucie> roll 1d20+15
[14:16] * Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+15 and gets 24." [1d20=9]
[14:17] <Ebiris> Raking through all the tents sadly fails to turn up a diary.
[14:18] * Lucie gives up with a shrug. "We could bring their possessions back, hand those over, hope that closes the loop?"
[14:18] <Rudy> "I guess we can come back another day," voices Rudy. "If we stay at a distance and all, we should be able to kind of have a conversation. I guess it depends how badly we're willing to get hurt for a couple of ghosts." He shrugs. "We've got bigger concerns than them right now, though. Let's go deal with the conspirators first."
[14:19] <Lucie> "Yes," Lucie says, with some odd relish. "Yes, we have enemies still in the forest. We must hunt them down, and make them know fear."
[14:20] <Henrietta> "Maybe we can just get them to surrender?"
[14:20] <Lucie> "If they have such wisdom," Lucie grudgingly agrees.
[14:21] <Rudy> "I'm pretty partial to just offing them," voices Rudy. "Saves time."
[14:22] <Henrietta> "If they refuse to surrender, there can really be little for us to do," Henrietta admits. "Well, then. To Harvenstead, now?"
[14:26] <Rudy> Rudy shrugs. "Let's check the bones out first," he remarks, as he turns to survey the elemental's handiwork.
[14:27] * Lucie makes a thorough examination of the possessions with those bodies, stepping down into the pit and unflinchingly searching them. She's encountered worse than still dead bodies. Like moving them.
[14:27] <Lucie> (like moving ones
[14:29] <Ebiris> There's some rotten cloth and leather from garments long since fallen apart, and a gold earring lays in the ground by one skeleton's head, the armoured one has a pair of gold rings on his bony fingers under the gauntlets.
[14:31] * Lucie clambers back out, shaking her head. "Nothing unusual," she says. "Think we'd best leave this the way it is. No sense disturbing things more when we don't know what the answer was. Maybe one of our captives'll know something if we ask."
[14:33] <Rudy> "Still think the only way we'll know anything certain is through the ghosts themselves," notes Rudy. "Pity asking them is such a pain. I guess we can try shouting to them from afar?"
[14:34] <Ebiris> "Fireballs have pretty long range," Liamae comments.
[14:34] * Henrietta considers this suggestion. "We actually could," she muses. "Ghost Sound should carry quite far-- well, and so would a fireball, really."
[14:35] <Rudy> "Can't you like, throw a fireball at their fireballs or something?"
[14:37] <Ebiris> "It's possible," Liamae considers, "I'm not sure if it'll properly cancel since theirs are now cold fireballs, but it should work."
[14:39] <Rudy> "That sounds like it would look incredible enough that I wanna see it happen," muses Rudy. "How about tonight, we camp a little ways away from here, and then come back tomorrow morning and see if we can get more hints out of them?"
[14:39] <Henrietta> "How about trying, then?" Henrietta suggests. "I can try to talk to them and draw their attacks, and if the rest of you are far enough from me then even if Liamae cannot stop their cold fireballs, I should... probably be alright?"
[14:40] <Rudy> "I'll do it, Henri," adds Rudy, after a moment.
[14:41] <Henrietta> "No, that is quite alright!"
[14:41] <Ebiris> "Well, if you really think it's worth it," Liamae shrugs. "Still we could probably sell their stuff for two hundred gold and then use that to cover their debt."
[14:41] <Ebiris> "If anyone around here can buy, anyway..."
[14:41] <Lucie> "Who in town has two hundred gold, outside of maybe the VanGaunts?" Lucie says.
[14:41] <Rudy> "No, I should do it," he points out. "I'm better at not getting beat up, right?"
[14:42] <Henrietta> "A bit of cold does not bother me," Henrietta insists, "and, well, actually I could just buy their armors and rings. Can anyone tell how much they would be worth?"
[14:43] * Lucie shrugs. "You know, if all else fails, *we've* got two hundred gold. Not that I'm eager to part with it, but there it is."
[14:43] <Rudy> "If Liamae's covering the cold, that's fine. It's the swordsman who worries me," replies Rudy, scratching his cheek.
[14:44] <Henrietta> "Umm." Henrietta sneaks a glance at Lucie. "Well, if you insist."