Rhaecus tries to swallow, only to find his mouth dry. He tugs at his goatee nervously as he says a quick prayer for Jason, strange as it may be for someone who was already dead. He then checks his companions one by one, giving Donos a concerned look first. "I can't imagine this environment suits any of us, least of all you. We should move quickly, lest the heat sap us of our strength. As I'm sure Arteusa can attest, long marches are not to be taken lightly and we do not know the terrain or how far we must go..."

He keeps a respectable arm's length from both his fellow Satyr and the still-mysterious Kaneis, as he felt that they were not exactly welcoming of his company. All the same, once he's satisfied they're all in relatively decent condition, he points at the hole at the other end of the cavern. "It seems our thrills begin here. If we are to journey together, then that makes us comrades. I promise, in the name of Dionysus that I will never willingly raise a blade towards any of you or else let my soul be cast into Tartarus." He looks uncharacteristically serious as he says this. Promises sworn in the name of deities were not to be taken lightly by anyone. "Now then, formalities aside. I am a decent scout when I want to be, so I will move ahead if there are no objections." He says, grinning once again despite the blistering heat.

Donos watches the burning Jason go down with his ship. Presumably he will be reborn along with his ship back in the lake above but still he has to admire the good grace and cheerfulness Jason approached his painful demise with. Then Rhaecus's question draws him back to their situtation.

"Aye," agrees Donos. "This is not to my liking and a swim in cool salt water would do wonders for my mood, but I will survive."

He scans the cavern. For the number of dead there should be, the afterlife is rather spacious.

"Scouting ahead would be appreciated, however, let us put some distance between us and the fire of this river. My armor is starting to feel a touch warm."

(OOC Edited in response to Humbug's note below)

(No, on the opposite side of the cavern from the river. It's accessible from where you are now.)

"Rhaecus has the right of it," Arteusa agrees, nodding. "And I would make the same vow; my sword and shield will be your defense so long as we are together," she swears before reaching up to wipe the sweat from her brow. "I think scouting is a good plan; I am...perhaps a bit less stealthy than one might wish, so having some idea of what we are heading into would be a good idea."

 (Will hold off on description until the others reply but here's a stealth roll - 27)

Kaneís seems utterly miserable in the heat. A withering expression rests upon her face as it becomes slick with sweat. With a shake of her head, she retracts the majority of her long hair into a short coil to give her shoulders room to breathe and she rolls the sleeves of her already drenched robes up. Those of you perceptive of magic will notice her repeatedly and disgustedly cast Prestidigitation on her clothes to keep them from filling with sweat. It is clear she is not accustomed to working in these temperatures. With a weak smile, she says to the group; ”Well, we’re on the same boat now, aren’t we?” Turning to Rhaecus, she pants for a moment before continuing. “I would be glad for you to scout ahead. If you happen to be eaten by some creature, my head might finally be cleared for the first time in what feels like days.”

Donos watches Kaneis change the appearance of hair by merely shaking her locks.

” Fascinating. Are there more of your kind or were you created by the gods?“ 

Kaneís gives Donos a rather tired look. “I am not sure if there are any like me - I have met none. I was created by a powerful entity, but a God would be stretching it. It is quite a story, and one which I frankly have neither the breath to tell nor time to spare for it.”

Quote from ArmoredGull >>

 (Will hold off on description until the others reply but here's a stealth roll - 15)

Seeing that there are in fact no objections, Rhaecus gladly moves away from the fire and towards the hole on the opposite side of the cavern. Despite his physical body, hooves and all, the sound of footsteps are surprisingly absent. Clearly he has done this before.

Before going in the hole, he draws a dagger that had been hanging sheathed on his chest strap. The blade slides out in silence. He takes it between his teeth and hunches to fit in, running his hands against the stone walls to guide him forward until his eyes can adjust to the darkness.

(Sneaky sneaky scouting. See previous roll for stealth)

Rhaecus makes his way through the small passageway, which goes forward for a few feet then curves slightly to the left and opens up into a cavern, smaller than the first but not tiny. It appears to be the ruins of some stone building, as there are a number of broken pillars, staircases, and other rubble that doesn't seem naturally shaped. Rhaecus does not spot anyone or anything besides the rubble.

He stops where he is, making sure that he's sufficiently hidden, and waits. It has been a rule of his to always wait at least 20 seconds while observing a new environment before determining whether it would be safe or not. As he waits, he thinks about how scouting is both tedious and rewarding work, which also brings back bittersweet memories of heroes he had traveled with in the past. Those who were lost, those who moved on... He says a silent prayer in his heart for them.

(Perception roll - 21)

After which he will retrace his steps and head back to the others, relaying what he saw.

(I'm a little busy with work these days so I'll just cheat and say he conveys whatever the DM described unless I rp otherwise. If the perception roll gets nothing else then that's that.)

Just sitting and looking, Rhaecus spots nothing that he hasn't already seen. He returns and relays the info.

Donos listens to Rhaecus' report and then heads through the small passage. This feels right he thinks. No more standing around and waiting for a god to give them a measly scrap of information. Now they were on an adventure.

He looks back at the others, a big smile on his face.

When he makes it through to the other side he notices the ruins that Rhaecus described and heads straight for them, his curiosity piqued.

"Ruins in the afterworld?" he says. "What here would cause buildings to decay? Maybe something fell on it."

Once at the ruins he starts looking around to try and make sense of what it might have once been. 

(If you want to determine what it is, make an intelligence check and I'll apply the relevant proficiency bonus, if it exists)

(Rhaecus is no historical buff but here's a flat int check. 18)

Intelligence: 12 

Donos recognizes the ruins of those of some sort of temple. He's seen quite a few ruined temples, after all, residing as he did in Atlantis, where there were quite a lot of ruins caused by the city's sinking that were never restored.

Donos looks through the temple, still wondering at the purpose of ruins here.

”Any suggestions?” he asks the others.

"We head onwards," Arteusa offers, marveling at the ruins. "I am not sure lingering would be wise."

Donos nods at Arteusa's words. 

"Aye, my lady," he says. "I agree. This ruined temple, while curious, does not appear to be the way back to the mortal realm."

He beings moving forward through the ruins.

"And as you say, great adventure never includes periods of lingering."