Rockmar couldn't help but to chuckle at the priest. "Have you seen this village? It is pretty humble and your people do not have much. They are not really living the high material world life style here. What is happening is the beast is causing some of your people to consider leaving the island and return to the mainland. They are in more danger there of falling into the material world life style on the mainland than here. I'm just a simple man. But I think the best way to bring people back to Justicia, if they ever left, would be for a priest of Hers leading, or at least helping out in the fight against the beast. This painting clearly shows the beast is an enemy of Justicia, not an ally nor servant of Hers."

Father Beacom took a quick step backwards from the drow out of sheer surprise at the elf's sudden change. Then he furrowed his brow, not in fear, but in anger and he looked down his nose at the taller drow defiantly, the small bit of light from his single candle illuminating his sharp features, "A son of Lloth dares to lecture on the virtues of light and dark? Leave this chapel at once, drow" he commanded.

If he heard the half-orcs arguments, he paid them no heed..

Cedric sucked in a breath as well. After the events at the barn, and Eve's hurried explanation before she had collapsed, he suspected something of the sort, but to see Tarquin transform right in front of him was still a bit of a shock. He tensed, but made no move yet, not even sure which side he would take if things took a violent turn. For every story he had ever heard of the dark elves painted them as cunning and ruthless killers...

Sara stayed close to Jason and thought that it was nice to have someone who cared if she lived or died, even if it was only out of chivalry. She was very curious about the construct. "What exactly is that thing and what is it doing?" Sara pulled her glowy rock out to see what the strange noise the construct made was. "Did it run over something?"

@BKBurke

@Wick@Kelewen

Jason entered the room the husk was in. He was inspecting the runes. "That 'thing' is my only family left. He is a construct, mechanical creature powered and infused with magic. His name is Victor and he is exploring." Jason took a closer look at the runes when he heard the noise Victor made followed by a question from Sara. "That sound means he found a path and is checking it out. I usually let him be on his own because alot of things don't bother him. Most hostile creatures ignore him. He doesn't really have a scent and his doesn't have any blood or a heart beat. He is made of metal so mst creatures that takes a bite at him immediately regret the taste in their mouth. He is also a backpack to help carry things. I created him to help me." He stood up and looked at Sara. "Impressive...isn't he?"

The construct victor continued to explore the room he found under the pit. He was looking for anything interesting.

Sara listened attentively and seemed a little puzzled, why would a grown man give a magical piece of metal the distinction of being his family. "Yes, very. Well you aren't alone there. My dad was my last family and I can't create a construct, only pastries and food." She sighed and scooted forward a little edging around him to see. "I guess we have different talents."

@BKburke

"As a priest you should know better than to use the true names of drow gods. Especially the Queen." Taroyn rolled his eyes in a somehow quite unnerving manner. "My mother was a priestess, yes, but not of the Queen, but of the Lady of the Dance" Obviously the drow had taken the zealot's words a bit more literally and obviously as an insult. Still, he did not raise his voice. "To answer your little question on the other hand, good father. Yes. I dare to lecture you about light and dark." Taroyn smiled faintly and took a deep breath. He was obviously barely keeping his temper in check. "I have every right to tell you of the virtues of both. Since YOU seem to lack BOTH! You'd rather just COWER HERE and let EVERYONE ELSE die at the claws of the beast." He turned on his heels and spread his arms "Hide here, in the house of a noble Goddess if you must, but the beast will come for you as well eventually." Taroyn glanced over his shoulder at Beacom and with a completely straight face asked. "Who will dig your grave when everyone else is dead?" Without listening for an answer the drow snapped his fingers to activate the utter, magical darkness creating spell before heading up the stairs back to the chapel itself. The darkness lasted just long enough for him to slip out of sight, place the pendant back around his neck and exit the building.

Felmer frowned heavily at the sheer arrogance of the Piest especially after the adventurers valiant efforts to save his townspeople, even the priest himself. "Tsk. Typical. You guys always hide behind your religion. But you weren't always like that, were you Father? Because I've spoken to the Elders of this town. You were a kind, outgoing child before you were sent to the mainland for your training and not a furtive nut. So what changed?"

After the click of Taroyns fingers and the light of the room vanishing, Felmer saw his opportunity to open the crates, using a medallion he had in his pocket he wedged it in side ripped a small crack in the container hoping to find anything to prove that the priest wasn't of his own mind.

"Justicia, in her wisdo..." Father Beacom started spout just as the magical darkness blacked out the light of the candle and plunged the basement into complete darkness for a few moments.

The distraction bought Felmer enough time to crack open one crate and find that it contained a hand trowel, twine, and other tools one might need for gardening or tending flowers on graves.

When the light returned, Father Beacom's eyes swept the chamber, looking for the drow. Not finding him, he looked at Rockmar & Cedric. "Beware of the company you keep," he warned them, then predicted "Using magic and trickery to cover his exit and his identity will not be the end of his deceit."

And to Felmer, "What changed is that the end times are here. There is precious little time to seek salvation through Justicia."

Jason sighed. "That may be better for." He said as he examined the runes and remembered the description by note. Jason heard ticking noise coming up behind him and Sara. He didn't seem to care because it was Victor entering the room. Victor ran up and attached to Jason's back. "Well we have two paths left." Jason walked out of the room he was in and turned away from the pit entrance. There was a straightaway and a Hall that turned straight. Victor jumped off Jason's back and proceeded through the Hall way to the right. "Looks like I'll go straight." He turned to Sara. "Do you want to accompany Victor? I can head straight and examine what's in there. You said you could handle yourself right?"

Sara hesitated for a second. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She pulled out her glowy rock and followed the construct. She felt her senses heighten and she got the creeps being down there. When she saw the claw marks on the walls and the hallway she was positive they were in the right place. "It was definitely here but these look old." She said touching the marks with her hand. She followed the construct back to Jason after thoroughly searching the room. She shivered at the creepiness of the caves.

@BKburke

@Wick

This chamber has partially collapsed: tall stone slabs that once supported the ceiling are now canted inward by the weight of the earth above and fallen debris is piled in the center of the room. Though various rubble has been moved away from a large stone chest in the center of the room and the lid is off. Inside is about a dozen human skulls.

In the ceiling is a hole that appears to led to the outside. (The same hole the earlier expedition had first discovered)



--

@BKburke

Tall slabs of stone support the high ceiling here. Three long steps descend to the floor of the antechamber. Two hammered bronze braziers rest before a towering stone door at the end of the chamber. The door is carved with hundreds of spiraling runes, spinning into infinity. Inscribed above the portal is the image of an enormous wolf being crushed to death by a giant snake.

The floor is covered by what appears to be thousands of thin, translucent strips of vellum. After only a moment, Jason realizes the crackling dried strips are the discarded skins of an untold number of serpents! Though it's obvious others have been through here recently as boots have crushed and pushed aside the fragile skins.

Just above the doorway through which Jason entered, a ghoul lurked on the small ledge there and dropped toward the man with its long, mud caked claws outstretched with the intention of raking them down the human's back...

@Kelewen

Jason was examing the room from top to bottom. He kneeled down and looked at everything around him. "Could the wolf symbolize the hellhound? Maybe all this is the setup to some kind of ritual or summoning-". He stopped when he heard something moving behind him. He turned in time to see the creature lunge at him and tried to move bit was not quick enough to escape. The husk was able to claw Jason's chest causing him to gruny in pain and fall onto the floor with the snake skins. He crawled back abit and casted the Spell magic missile. An attack spell of pure magic. He was hoping to kill it before it could do anymore damage.

"Father, I do not know much. I am just a simple man. I do not remember who said it, but I remember hearing that for evil to win all that has to happen is for good men to do nothing. Surely Justicia wants you to do more than just call her people to repentance." Rockmar swallowed. He didn't want to say what he was about to say, but felt he needed to give Felmer some time.

"Father, can we go upstairs and you can teach me more of Justicia?" Rockmar for the most part did not take tales of the gods and goddesses too seriously. So he figured listening to the old man ramble on about Justicia would be just fine.

Sara heard Jason fall and she stepped up her pace. "Jason?" She rounded the corner to see a husk attack Jason. She looked around herself and grabbed a couple of the larger chunks of rock from the debris. When she got back it was just in time to see Jason cast a spell forkilling the thing. She waited to see if it would work.

@BKburke@Kelewen

The magical spell caused the dried husk of what was once a person to fall to its knees before it could attack again, its arms falling uselessly to its sides. But before its torso fell, a rather grotesque serpent with a humanoid head erupted from the ghoul's belly.

"Jason?" The snake slithered fully out of the ghoul's belly and toward the girl entering the room, lunging at her, fangs aiming toward her leg...

Jason got wide eyed as he saw the snake lunge at Sara. He knew he wasn't going to be quick enough to stop it.

However, Sara wasn't alone. The construct jumped and tackled the serpent and tried to pin it in place knowing it would be difficult to hold a serpent. Jason quickly tried to cast another spell on the serpent as it was being blocked by the construct. Jason cast the spell deep slumber to try and put the serpent to sleep. Even if the construct was caught by the spell as well it wouldn't sleep. It was a construct and technically couldn't sleep anyway.

Felmer slammed is fist down upon the crate and spoke under his breath. "Dammit, I can't...ugh." The tired man was on his last straw, just wanting to rest and unable to sleep or concentrate ever since that monster first appeared. Becoming increasingly and uncharacteristically filled with unbridled rage. It was difficult to contain at this point.

"Father, can we go upstairs and you can teach me more of Justicia?"

Felmer knew what Rockmar was doing and looked at the half-Orc surprised to see he was helping him, even Felmer was getting to the point where he thought that maybe irrationality was overcoming him. Filled with newfound determination he spoke up through gritted teeth, "Yes, Father. I'm sure the travellers would love to hear about her. You always did tell it best."

Father Beacom looked faintly surprised to be asked. But nodded. Even if it was the middle of the night, he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to potentially gain a new follower for his goddess. "Of course, of course," he said, starting toward the stairs, still fairly nimble for one of his age.

Cedric, seeming to catch on to Rockmar's plan to leave Felmer alone with time to poke through the crates, followed along, but slowly, giving Beacom & Rockmar time to get up the steps before saying "We'll go see what's become of Tarquin." He headed back outside. The plan seemed to work and Felmer was left alone in the basement, but also without a light...

Beacom motioned for the half-orc to follow him toward the front of the chapel, "The Goddess holds justice in one hand and mercy in the other. Which is to be bestowed upon her lowly followers in Justicia's own good time..." he began, continuing with a long-winded prayer extolling Justicia's virtues, denouncing humankind's failings and begging for the goddess's mercy...

Tarquin paced back and forth outside the chapel, he was mumbling something to himself - like he was trying to come up with a plan and the mumbling helped him concentrate. The tall elf felt more than slightly annoyed by the priest - whose attitude was one of the reasons he preferred to be the bard instead of the swordsman.