All That Glitters

[Nephrite]

"...I'll find out." Moore says. "...Erathaol, give me the strength."

He takes in a breath as his eyes glaze over for a moment as he communes with the the history of the past.

He's casting Hindsight here on the days version: "You sense the events of the past, stretching back one day per caster level. You gain detailed knowledge of the people, conversations, and events that transpired." This goes back 31 days, if it matters.

[Anastasia]

You see it happen in the immediate past. Sharrans preparing here, mustering for the defense...and the elementals rise up. A bloody, vicious battle which the Sharrans receive no reinforcements, ultimately being smashed by elementals and xorns. When ti is over everything on the cultists is taken and then the elementals retreat - and even take a wooden table and chairs near the stairs, along with the battered iron mugs also there.

[Nephrite]

Moore comes back out of his trance with a nod.

"I have no idea why, but yes, the elementals came in here and... took everything." He shakes his head. "It wasn't Crystalle's elementals, they have no interest in things like that. Either way, they saved us the effort of destroying them. Let's move on." He says.

[Anastasia]

The passage continues to a dead end. There's cells to open and little else here.

You can continue to hear the groans, the wordless pleas, the unsilent suffering of those within.

"A corundum," Xandra murmurs, "I recall wood is valuable to some on Earth, since there are no trees there, but still...clothing? Weapons? What avarice, or is there a deeper meaning?"

[Nephrite]

"There may be. It's something we can investigate once we've dealt with the threat here." He says, as he lingers by the cages. "For right now... we need to find Duran. We will return and help everyone here." He says -- a promise, not anything else.

On the way back, he's going to cast Fortunate Fate on the three of them, CL 19.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d100
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d100 --> [ 1d100=19 ]{19}

As you flutter back up the stairs, the ground begins to shake violently. Sharply so, rattling and rocking everything around. Cresiel merely stands there, pausing and impassive, while Xandra floats a few inches off the ground.

"The battle continues," Cresiel takes to the air, floating as little as he is able, "Let's hurry."

[Nephrite]

Moore nods.

I suppose they'll try the other door now, provided nothing impedes them from doing so.

[Anastasia]

There are several warhammer blows that crush it down, and ahead is a stairway going to the west and downward, deeper into the earth.

[Nephrite]

Onward and up(down)ward.

[Anastasia]

Down. Down and down and down and down. About 40 steps down is a broken body of another Sharran, as well as the ruins of what was perhaps once an elemental, spread about the stairs below like rocks chucked on down.

'Moore. I am Onyx,' A masculine voice sounds in your mind. 'We are fighting against forces from Earth that are staging a retreat action. Can you secure the interior of the temple?'

[Nephrite]

'Yes, we can handle things in here, Onyx.' Moore responds. 'We will inform you when the leader is dead.'

"Our allies are fighting the forces from Earth outside." Moore relays to the others. Let us press on."

[Anastasia]

Another ground quake as you press deeper in. Down and down you go, deeper in indeed.

Quick Perception.

[Nephrite]

Take 10 for 71

[Anastasia]

You can faintly hear the sounds of breathing below. Ahead is the end of the stair way, opening up into a dark space that you can't see from here.

[Nephrite]

"Something is here." Moore says quietly as he continues forward.

Let's see what my ~special eyes~ (true seeing) can see. Does Foresight tell me anything other than 'boy you're in a really dangerous place in general'?