Leap of Faith

[Brian]

The cubby appears to have some very large clear crystal in it.  Outside of where you are, the cobbles are all spinning (slowly) so that instead of six spirals, when it comes to a halt, there are six broad stripes (or wedges, really) radiating from the center.  Well, that doesn't seem so bad....

[Bjorn]

Carefully rising to his feet again, Bjorn looks back at the others and shouts.  "M'Lady, there's a crystal that was concealed here.  Any ideas what it might be?"

[Brian]

She shakes her head, but calls back, "Best bring it with us.  We can return it to their church ... it will do little good here."

[Bjorn]

"Sure thing, boss," Bjorn mutters under his breath.  "I'll just defile this here holy altar in the middle of a goddamn buttload of nasty-ass traps, with no concern at all about getting my goddamn legs chewed off.  Jesus Christ, I'm a moron."

Eyeing the rearranged cobblestones, Bjorn shakes his head and sighs.  Can't map out the new path without moving from here.  Dammit.  Carefully, he squats down by the cubby again, and carefully examines it.  Are there any holes in the walls or floor of the cubby?  Is the crystal resting on anything?  Is the bottom loose at all?  Or is it simply too dark to tell?

[Brian]

It's too dark to tell.  The angle of light doesn't help reveal much of anything at all.

[Bjorn]

Swearing softly to himself, a constant almost inaudible mantra of vulgarities, Bjorn reaches down with both hands to grab the crystal and lift it free.

[Brian]

It comes up.  And a button or switch beneath it comes up, as well.

What this accomplishes, you don't know.  There are no spears, darts, or massive rolling boulders careening towards you that you're aware of.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn freezes for a second, and then gets to his feet.  Tucking the crystal under his left arm, and drawing his sword, he starts pushing at the cobblestones with his tip (Edge be damned, I can fix it later... if I have a whetstone.  Fuck.), trying to find a trap-free path back to the exit.

And he listens, and watches, and keeps himself ready to run like hell.

[Brian]

None of the cobblestones you prod appear to trigger any kind of traps.

[Bjorn]

It might seem safe, but that doesn't give Bjorn any sort of false confidence.  Continuing to tap the stones in front of him, he makes his way back to the exit.

[Brian]

This takes a while.

However, after all is said and done, you come to the conclusion that the switch was most likely a cut-off for the traps, and you reach the far side of the room in safety.  Everyone is curious to look over the crystal you've retrieved, as well.

[Bjorn]

Back in the light, Bjorn sheathes his sword and studies the crystal in detail.

[Huitzil]

Paul cranes his neck forward to get a look.

"What is it? Is it... safe?"

[Brian]

It's a giant chunk of crystal.  Looks glass clear, except for a few blemishes on the outside.  It's shaped irregularly, kind of like it bloomed from something.  It's about 14 cm across, and a good 20 high.  No markings or runes on it, though it does flicker faintly, and a tiny spark is hoving in the center once it's out in the air near the rest of the party.

[Bjorn]

"Probably," Bjorn replies.  "Hasn't killed me yet, at least."  He pushes it into Paul's arms.  "I haven't got room in my pack for it, so you get to carry it.  Try not to drop it, all right?"

Picking up his pack, Bjorn prepares to continue the trek.