Kelewen

To The Edge of the World...

Cedric closed the chapel door, then stepped down off the stoop, intending to head straight back to the main hall, only to realize that Tarquin was there. And even though he said he had been going to find him, coming face to face alone with the drow on a dark, drizzly night had, in reality, been the last thing he actually wanted.

He couldn't help a small surge of fear, only knowing that there was a drow masquerading as something it was not. Or was Tarquin somehow masquerading as the drow? Cedric was good with a sword, but good enough to best a dark elf if he was somehow connected with this beast? He wasn't particularly anxious to find out.

But... Eve had said to trust him. So she obviously knew something.

"I take it I met your brother," he said, consciously forcing himself to not take a defensive stance.

----

Unforunately, there is no war hammer to be found in the crates. The first one Felmer opened was empty, the next contained more tools - a carpentry hammer and nails. The third contained some documents (semi-recent, things from the past 20 years since the founding of Avery's Isle). The last contained a chain mail shirt, neatly packed away. It's a bit rusty in a few places, obviously unused in quite awhile.

----

Just as Sara's hand wraps around Jason's to help him up, the serpent slithers nearly silently up from behind, leaving a trail of blood from where she had bashed it with the rock and lunged again, this time its fangs headed at the back of her thigh.

To The Edge of the World...

@BKburke I'm going to give @Wick a chance to say if the snakes manages to bite Sara before I reply again... :)

To The Edge of the World...

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...

To The Edge of the World...

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...

To The Edge of the World...

@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...

To The Edge of the World...

"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."

To The Edge of the World...

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

@BKburke

It is the same room where the construct found the rusty daggers. After a more thorough inspection, Victor may discover various claw marks in room and in the hallway. Evidence that the beast was definitely here at some point. But it would also find some dirt and debris brought in on the boots of the adventurers in the daylight hours. There's not evidence to suggest the beast has been here since.

To The Edge of the World...

Jason & Sara's timeline would be a bit ahead of those at the chapel (some travel time to the tomb), but it's the middle of the night. The battle with the hound happened just hours ago.

To The Edge of the World...

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...

To The Edge of the World...

@Kelewen

In you post describing the room. Is that what Jason sees? Just making sure cuz the construct is moving into the room below the pit.

Also, the runes said to inscribe the likeness of bear warriors, are they statues or just runes giving a description of the bear warriors?

@BKburke

Yep...Jason's room. Rather crude paintings on the walls.