---

As Kara clung to him and protested the handing over of warden duties to this shadow man, Lorick, Bartimus couldn't help but feel ever so slightly honored by the gesture of trust and comfort. He let out a pleasant coo as he patted the young girl on the back. An endearing companion such as her would make this trip into the Crypt perilous, but the idea of watching over her felt less and less like a burden and more a learning experience as she showed her true colors.

Bartimus furrowed his brow and smoothed his feathers at Lorick's rather... sudden request to turn over watch of young Kara to himself. Proclaiming prior experience with children softened the tone but the request still took him aback.

"As kind as the offer is, I'm afraid that on my honor, I cannot decline this charge. My duty is to guard this girl against whatever horrors this crypt may contain and I will not fail in it. Rest assured, I've not had chicks, but I know how to watch over fledglings."

Kara filed into the crypt first and he cracked a smile at her forwardness.

"She seems happy with the arrangement as well. We will get along just fine."

He gave a reassuring nod to Lorick and a small salute to Irthorne in the distance before moving into the crypt as well, keeping pace so as to stay at Kara's side as watchful protector.

"Remember to keep your eyes open, and never dismiss shadow as safe, young one," He said to Kara, voice barely above a whisper, "A great many terrors hide in the shadows, and it's best to be prepared for anything."

@Kafka Komedy@Bishop@Banana

@Starberries

A voice would enter Amarillas' head.You aren't just starting at me intensely. I can hear your thoughts just fine. It's more complicated than that as none of you are psionically attuned, but none of you will need to worry about the details. Illithids usually communicate by senond psionic impressions along with thought and emotion. So yes, if you decide to feel like you want to kill yourself, I will be the first to know. Masrith around for the other members of the group who were to be going into the crypt with him. Well this is just lovely. First we are missing a number of stick swingers, now the group is taking a long time....I wonder if they will let me mentally dominate a underdark creature and let me expirement on it. Certainly would be nice. I don't always want to just devour the brain. Amarilla would be able to hear these thoughts of the Illithid in her head. Masrith opened one of his books and began reading. Oh. So I can do that expirement on tall dwarves. I wonder if they would let me. I would eye of a beholder but I'm sure one of them would like to be able to shoot a disentegrating beam out of their eye...That sounds nice. I would have to use an eye from one of it's eye stocks though. Its center eye is too big. Extracting the eye might be difficult. Some of the primitives might get impatient. I will try to mentally dominate a underdark creature. That way I can atleast feel like not everything wants to murder me. Sure would be nice if I wasn't alone. Masrith glanced at Amarilla who would have been able to hear all of those thoughts. I apologise. I'll start censoring things. Pay no attention to me. I'm just a violent monstrosity who doesn't care about the companionship of others. Masrith turned away from Amarilla and gained a bit of distance without leaving the room. I sure hope they let me expirement on something. Otherwise it is going to be really boring.

“I am no stranger to proving I am worthy of knowledge and your caption is completely understandable. My people have records of living machines used at all levels of society, though I must admit, mainly for heavy lifting. ” At this point Andrick has brought up the slate and is flicking through research notes and old records “ Construction. manufacturing. Transport. Huh, there some kind of band listed here, that’s different. Anyway I understand that my word that the vaulters aren't some Northern warmongers isn’t exactly convincing, we haven’t done much on the world stage yet so nobody could back me up on it. Hopefully we can get to know each other a bit better over this mission and my character can speak for them.”

At this point Irthorne announced the group split, “and it seems that we will have that time ” himself and two of the individuals he wished to speak with more the most, convenient though unless there is anything to intercept he probably won’t get the encounter he came here for. Still the gathering had already been useful data wise and there was still much to learn, In the meantime he would have to consider the tactical situation. Apparently Lorick was to be staying up here, so that was one person to keep an eye on, along with Irthorne, Feon the monk who made his scales itch and here companion Kol'Rakul the friendly seeming axeman. All in all a fairly good group, the 2 fighters and the 3 dogs were going to make being surrounded more difficult while he shot from the entrance and made sure they were not attacked in the rear while Irthorne and Lorick… did magic? He realized he wasn't quite sure, Irthorne appeared to be equipped with magic items but for all he knew they could be decorative, the same went for Lorick really.

So, how to improve the situation beyond that, he could set up some defences, some kind of barricade, sharpened stakes or a trench? He wasn’t entirely sure how long the expedition was going to take but probably not long enough that erecting sizable earthworks would be pointless. Also the undead where not known for archery so really it would be a matter of keeping the hords, cavalry and any large monsters back so stakes it is. Andrik set about collecting some large branches from the trees surrounding the clearing then sat himself down on a rock in the clearing, retrieved a knife from his pack and began sharpening them.

...wait, what did that girl say? she asked herself, her face dropping out of its smile as the tallfellow's words registered with her. Did she just...?

But before Alea could really respond, the girl ended up in the care of- Bartimus, it seemed the birdman's name was- and, after some conversation with the less-than-friendly man in the dark coat and the announcement of the group's splitting by Irthorne, ultimately wandered off toward the crypt, Bartimus next to her like a loyal guard. Well, since she had after all found her way into that group, it seemed whatever Kara - was that her name? Really, Masrith didn't suit a young girl like her, and she had a sneaking suspicion that the paler tall dwarf had already taken Amarilla as a name - whatever Kara's true personality was would sooner or later become clear as daylight, even in the dark. Especially in the dark, actually. The arakhan were well known for... well, they weren't, but that didn't mean their ability to see in the dark wasn't any good. Better than most tall dwarves, certainly; there were quite a few benefits to be had from possessing five eyes, after all.

But alas, she hadn't the time to dilly-dally. The others by now were already making their way to the crypt, though not two minutes had passed! Best not to make a bad impression upon the gnome mage, after all. Strolling after the others in the crypt-delving group, she made her way into the crypt's front room, taking a glance around at her final companions: Kara, of course, and Bartimus the birdperson; the pale tall dwarf, once again most likely to be Amarilla; and... well, she supposed it was no bad thing to have the illithid close to hand. Certainly, unless he somehow overwhelmed five other people at once, he'd have a lot of trouble betraying them all without being killed, if indeed he planned to do so. Then again, if she knew her illithids, he'd more likely control just one or two of them, and use those bodies to kill the other three before ending their own lives. Or not. Which would be worse, she wondered? But that was neither here nor there; she was sure he wouldn't do anything so foolhardy as that. Not with muscles like... No, no, bad Alea, she scolded herself. No ogling the muscular tentacle abomination.

Feon listened as they were all split into groups. She finished eating her meat bread and stood up to look at those that she was with. The tall dwarf with heavy armor, Andrik. He seemed sturdy enough, that was for sure. Although she was positive she could beat him in hand to hand combat. However in weapon to weapon combat was sure she would lose such a thing. Then there was Lorick, the really creepy man. It was men like those that she couldn't stand being near. Something just made her nervous around them. If she had the chance alone with him, chances were she would slug him in the gut.

Then there was the gnome Ingrim. She didn't like his machines that was for sure. And his personality to boot was not something she liked either. He was too loud, too in your face. People like that often ended up getting themselves killed the quickest if they weren't careful. Then there was Kol'Rakul she knew him well enough that he could be trusted. Over all it was handy group of fighters, not much in the way of support though.

Feon sighed, she wasn't exactly pleased with being made to stay outside, but atleast she was getting payed still. And that was all that mattered. Though the air around the crypt did make her a bit uncomfortable. Even shiver a bit from the amount of dead within. In truth she was happy to be away from the Illithid as to her it was the worst of the bunch. A creature like that would have no problem using her as his personal mind slave.

"So we're out here then? Great, atleast this will be easy money." Feon stated to the others as she looked at the surrounding area, taking it in. If she needed to mount a defensive here knowing the land and where to put her feet when fighting was a good idea.

Itrhorne was about to answer to Lorick with the voice of maximum volume when the admittedly adorable duo of Bartimus and Kara became an existence. Irthorne pointed to that duo whilst looking at Lorick and allowing that to provide the answer to his question. Irthorne walked into the now-open doors of the crypt and started assessing the crew with his crown of importance.

"Keep your eyes peeled everyone. This crypt is far older than anything I've witnessed in person, and no doubt could contain undead far more dangerous than I had anticipated." He said that with a tone of confidence, as he scanned the walls of the crypt, filled with old markings and runes that had long since been forgotten by typical residents of the dwarven settlement. The group then carried on through the halls of the crypt, stepping over bones and what-not, until they came across a certain library-esque room. The shelves were filled with copies of old books, and some of them had a page corner folded in the middle, signifying that someone or something was reading it.

"Strange... this could mean someone is currently in the crypt with us... so we are not al-" Irthorne was cut off by the distant sound of very loud screaming.

^{"MOTHERFUCKING SHIT WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BONEY? I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO FIND ME A PICTURE BOOK NOT A GODDAMN NOVEL YOU MISERABLE SHIT."}

---

Over on the flipside of the surface, the surface crew was just gathering around.

Irthorne had left with the crypt crew for a few minutes now, so nobody really could do anything without a final word. The real thing that they were doing is guarding the crypt in case of any sort of danger approaching or a minion of a necromancer was residing in it, and was coming back to give a report of what's happening outside or maybe just gathering supplies to take back in. Fortunately for the crew, the serene silence of the outside would be shortly interrupted by the distant sound and image of a wagon being pulled by a gaggle of goblins.

^{Boom "HEH! The wizard was wrong to give me this kind of machinery! All I gotta do is get him supplies so he can continue giving me this good stuff!" Boom}

---

@Cuccoruler@BKburke@Bishop@The Wild West@DracoLunaris@Turbowraith@Horrid@Starberries@Kafka Komedy@BCTheEntity

Masrith followed Irthorne into the crypt. The seeting itself made uncomfortable. Which is strange considering where he came from. Masrith showed no interest until they came upon a library esque area. He was listening to Irthorne when another voice cut him off. Masrith was sure to remain quite but he had an idea. His back tentacles slid out from his armor and began grabbing the books that had pages folded in to indicate they were being read. Masrith would read through these books to get a better idea of whatever the man the voice came from was planning.

Oh well, that was dissapointing. With a slight nod of his head Lorick acknowledged their decision. As they retreated into the tomb, his eyes shot a piercing glare for the fae's back but only for a few seconds, not long enough for the others to get suspicious. He had to deal with her once she got out, hopefully that birdbrain was already roasted and served as dinner to some underground abomination by then.

The sudden appearance of the goblins drew his attention. At least he wouldn't get bored while waiting. Conjuring 4 throwing knifes in his left hand he masterfully launched all of them in a no spin throw with deadly accuracy, repeating it 2 more times. The knifes would dissipate short after plunging into their bodies.

Andrik looked up from his whittling at the noise of the approaching goblins, having made only a small number of stakes. These he placed as he stood to get a better look at the approaching wagon but it was relatively hard to spot the details through the woods, which was probably why they had not been instantly spotted by the goblins themselves. Unless Itrhorne ordered some kind of supplies and forgot to tell them then the wizard mentioned was presumably whoever was responsible for the undeath plaguing the town.

Before he could suggest some kind of plan the aristocrat launched a series of daggers towards the group. Well there went any possible nonviolent solution or scouting of the approaching foes.

" It would be useful if we captured some for questioning, so try to leave some alive."

Andrik hefted his crossbow and sprinted for the forest, shield raised to block any returned fire, hoping to get close enough to the goblins to stun one with the electric rod he had.

Amarilla was thrown off by the series of response thoughts from Masrith, though showed no obvious concern at the comments about experiments or beholder eyes, instead simply being pleased at discovering this new form of communication. While Masrith stepped away after the flood of thoughts, Amarilla noticed that the rest of the group was meanwhile gathering and ready to move on into the crypt, so further conversation would have to wait for the time being. Moving deeper into the crypt along with the group, she took the occasional moment to gaze intently at bits of the bone and rubble that lay strewn across the floor, seeking any hints as to the history of this place.

When the group finally reached the library, Amarilla opened her mouth to speak up excitedly out of usual habit, but stopped at the sound of the louder voice further in. She froze in place as she listened intently, then immediately made a dive for the nearest bookshelf, ducking into the shadows and darkness behind it. Amarilla positioned herself to see around the corner of the bookshelf and further into the crypt while remaining cloaked in the cover and darkness, out of sight. Or at the very least, she hoped nothing would be able to spot her. She crouched low, grabbing a few small vials alchemical substances from her pack, ready to spring out into action at the first sign of trouble.

The pleasant cooing and reassuring pats Barty gave Kara melted her heart. She wanted to stay in that position, cuddling against him as he reassured her for a nice long time. But, he was a bird, and there was work to do! After he threw his two cents in on the matter, luckily standing his ground as well, Kara entered the crypt. After doing so, her brain was filled with thoughts, those not her own. They were of a man who wanted nothing more than to experiment on things, even thinking on replacing the eye of a tallfellow with that of some creature, which would allow it to shoot beams or heat from it's eyes.

Sounds useful. Azarel commented. Kara was confused for a moment, believing she had intercepted another ghost. Is someone with you there, Azarel? Another spirit? She asked him, as well as everyone else technically. Agh, you'd better keep quiet Kara. That man has linked the group's brains, anything you say to me the others can hear. He explained. She shook her head and let a small "Damn." escape her mouth. She'd probably need to explain that to them.

Both Barty and the Boss gave some similar advice as the crew moved forwards a bit. Moving through the halls, the 6 eventually happened upon a room full of books. Pulling one off the shelf and investigating it's cover, Kara couldn't discover much. She wasn't that proficient in reading so the title was foreign, and the symbol was, at best, vaguely magical. Still, looked like it had been read recently, so that was at least a hint to what was going on. Irthorne too made the observation, but was cut off by a loud cursing voice.

The fay woman ducked into the shadows at the sound, while the tentacled-man simply grabbed more books, with his tentacles. Well if both of them were being useless, now would be the perfect chance for Kara to prove herself. Grabbing Lloyd's bandanna from her back and gripping it, along with her dagger, intently Kara moved towards the voice, sticking to the shadows as well to get a drop on the foolish thing that had so casually revealed it's presence. It would never even see her coming.

What volume that... man? It could just as easily be an undead abomination, but it sounded male... and what volume he-slash-it had to his-slash-its voice. Loud enough, at least, to apparently shock the pale tall dwarf into leaping behind a bookshelf, and to have the short tall dwarf start... talking to herself in her head? No, to another being, who it seemed was some sort of spirit. And speaking of head talk, what in blazes had happened with her internal privacy? She hadn't realised before, but she could hear everyone else's thoughts, and inevitably they would be able to hear hers! Drat and blast! What would happen if she accidentally revealed how attractive she found Masrith's body to everyone?! Why, it was entirely possible that she'd already...

'Oh, wait, oops,' she muttered quietly. Pretending she'd thought nothing of that sort, and in fact blaring the equivalent of loud "BLAH"s through her headspace to try and shut down any further intrusion into her mind however futile the effort was, she began sneaking forward a few steps, grabbing two pistols with a hand each in case the protection was needed, and using another two to take and open up a book, skimming through a few of the pages just to get the jist of whatever it was about before placing it back in its proper location. Now was, alas, rather a bad time to start reading these tomes, but she could refocus herself quickly enough if events suddenly began speeding up.

---

The curious owlman dropped back from his warden duties as they entered the library-esque room. His ear-tufts twitched and laid back as his muscled posture relaxed. He ran his taloned fingers along the spines of some of the dusty tomes and sighed. So many tales to be read. So much knowledge to be bestowed and they were just rotting away in this stinking dungeon. It saddened him, but his focus remained forward as his young ward, Kara, advanced.

The shouting cut Irthorne's analysis of the situation of and, in a flash, Bartimus had his iron draw and his eyes set on the encroaching shadows of the crypt deeper within. He gave a gaze to the other party members as they disturbed books on shelves and interacted with their surroundings, leaving Kara to run off with her blade drawn. He admired her spirit but her safety was his concern.

He followed along, shortsword held at mid-guard and ready to strike out as he too approached the voice. He clacked his beak softly as they neared.

In the crypt...

Irthorne waited to hear another noise before he instructed the others to proceed, but then he caught a glimpse of Kara sneaking up with her knife and her bandana, probably trying to get the sneak attack on the thing that had yelled. Bartimus was following her closely, which was a good sight to see when the shit began to hit the fan when it did, and everyone else within the crypt crew was preparing for a combat session.

That combat would arrive very shortly, as Kara would walk face-first into the ribcage of a colossal skeleton, breathing heavily down onto her hair and with the loudest voice imaginable. Just about 14 smaller skeletons were grouped up behind him, most likely belonging to goblins and dwarves and such. The colossal skeleton stared directly at Kara and began to yell directly at her with a voice that rivaled the anger held within Irthorne.

---

On the flipside...

A couple of goblins a far distance away from the surface crew dropped dead, but when that happened, the wagon was alerted to the recent deceased goblins, and the slave goblins quickly ran around the wagon and got behind it to use it as cover. As the wagon stopped moving, one could begin to see some steam blow out from under the wheels, as the wagon began to grow slightly taller. Once more, the voice of a goblin could be heard as a cannon was lifted out of the back of the wagon and aimed at the surface crew.

"Ah-ha! I see a couple of explorers guarding the entrance to the crypt my boss owns! This'll be a good test for good-old Bertha here. TIME TO LET IT GO!"

The cannon fired, but it did not fire a cannonball. Soon, the surface crew would be able to see that the cannon wasn't your normal armament, but rather something far more sinister. A sound cannon, and it was causing the grass to shake around the surface crew as the wind blew and the deafening noise of the cannon sounded through the entire area.

And it hurt. It hurt incredibly.

@Cuccoruler@BKburke@Bishop@The Wild West@DracoLunaris@Turbowraith@Horrid@Starberries@Kafka Komedy@BCTheEntity