When Nafnlaus starts talking about the tiny creature theory, his brow furrows. "Did you hear that, or read it? You seem to be a font of unusual information, and I can't imagine you hear these things in the bandit camp. I am curious, where are you from, Nafnlaus?", he asks. I would bet money he has been in and around a library, or to an institute of learning. Where though?
Whether Nafnluas tells or not, he looks around the structure and feeds back he notices. "There are definitely multiple occupiers of this cave system. The structure with the sarcophagus was built at a later time. Same with the murals. No point lingering here now though, there is nothing here and we are leaving the coins and gems alone", he finally says, and leaves the structure.
"I wasn't born here in the mountains, you know?" Nafnlaus answers. "But whatever you're implying, I think you're probably wrong. I don't really remember where I heard it first. It's just something that I suddenly recalled."
((Bryn believes his DM tried to make a badly executed Disney-inspired joke and not anything that would hint at something else, like the bandit's origins. Neither does he remember ever hearing about such things in his short time at the academy.
But besides the specific explanation, the fact that organic material degrades over time is common knowledge, although bones definitely last longer than softer tissues.))
Arrensmiles faintly at the exchange between Nafnlaus and Akvedinn. "Nonsense or not, I do like your theory. Creatures live, and when they die, they become nourishment for other creatures. I think Gaitha would approve of that. A circle of life, death and renewal."
He pauses, giving one last look at the sarcophagus which hasn't yielded as much information as he would have liked, then adds, "Anyway, let's check out those stairs. I hope we find something that explains what this place is about. We've got plenty of questions, but no answers so far."
((I'll be interpreting your intentions then, excuse me if I'm wrong.))
Arren and Bryn lead the way down the root-infested tunnel, perhaps still cautious but no longer as worried about the roots, now that they've seen that not all roots are strangling, lethal protectors of this... otherwise mostly ordinary, albeit ancient, cave. Eventually, without any incident, they reach the waterline and can now view the room in front of them.
The large room is entirely carved, man-made. Its walls are adorned by carvings of dragons, but also simplistic murals (think cave-drawing style) of dancing figures around them. The room used to have four functional exits, but the eastern and southern ones are now collapsed, leaving only the northern path where the soldiers, along with the bandits, now stand, and the western exit, behind two heavy-looking stone doors on top of a platform above the water, led up to by the stairs Bryn saw before.
The ceiling in this room is also particularly high, at about 20 feet high (~6 metres). The water that fills the room is shallow on the northern part, but gets deeper as one heads south. The bottom is full of roots, as are many of the walls under the water, so it's hard to tell, but it seems plausible that at its deepest, neither Arren nor Bryn can stand on the ground while keeping their heads above the surface. If they stick to the western wall on the way to the stairs, however, it looks like the water wouldn't go above their hip line.
While standing and observing the room, movement in the water catches your attention. It is gone as soon as it appears, or perhaps it is too small to see between the roots, but after another moment of closely watching, none on land has any doubt that something moves in the water, between the roots.
"Of course it wouldn't be easy," Arren mutters. Then he turns to the others. "Does anyone know where this water might be coming from? A breach in the well, perhaps?"
He doesn't linger on the thought for long, especially when he notices the movement beneath the surface. "I don't know what that was, but I sure as hell don't want to find out with the water up to my hips."
He scans the ground for a stone large enough to cause a noticeable disturbance if thrown. "Maybe it's nothing. But if it is, I'd rather find out on our terms: standing on dry ground."
Unless anyone else proposes a better idea, Arren will throw the rock. But before doing that, he looks to Nafnlaus. "Can you bring the lantern closer and aim it at the water?"he asks. "Let's see what we're dealing with."
Stones of various sizes are scattered all around the cave, and Arren has no issue finding a suitable one. When Nafnlaus comes closer with his lantern and the light, Arren throws the rock inside. Almost immediately, everyone can see many tiny creatures, none larger than a fist, swarm about the area where the rock fell for a moment, before scattering around the pond again and disappearing from view between the roots. They seem... almost like fish, but instead of the normal scales one would expect to find on fish, they look as if they have a tree's bark. Like tiny plants, except these are, at the very least, no ordinary plants.
"By Gaitha's sheaves," exclaims Akvedinn, "those were no fish! I don't think we should step inside, unless we can somehow fish them all out first."
'Tace' stands surveying the pool of water as the Sergeant retrieves the rock and Nafnlaus brings the light.
"I don't know where the water is coming from, but it doesn't seem to be from above. Maybe something below has flooded", he suggests.
His keen eyes see the fish like creatures when the rock is dropped. Of course there would be plant-fish here.
"Yeah, I would not be happy stepping foot in there either", he replies to Akvedinn. "I am not sure how we could fish them out, but perhaps we can instead try and not have to enter the water. I mean, if we can find something long and sturdy enough to act as a bridge. Might be we have to look outside the caves for something though".
He thinks about what is present in the cave that ight be the job. Perhaps entwined roots. And if nothing comes to mind, he thinks about what is outside. Perhaps they could fell a tree.
Arren is as surprised as Akvedinn when they notice the strange anatomy of the fish."What the hell!" he exclaims. "How did these fish get transformed? What kind of magic is at play here—to animate those plant-men and cause this kind of mutation?"
He pauses, surprised at himself for even mentioning magic. But after all they've seen, the possibility doesn't sound so far-fetched anymore.
When the Corporal speaks, he raises his gaze to look at him.
"What about the wooden beams we saw earlier? The ones supporting the ceiling for the workers. We could use one or two of those, especially now that no more digging will be needed."
(Of course, I forgot to mention, ignore all wooden furniture in the image from my last post.)
"Maybe it wells from the same source as... as the well?" Akvedinn offers. "It's hard to see the ground with all the roots, so maybe there's a crack through which the water comes. Or... maybe from the southern wall over there, where the walls collapsed?"
The roots are, for the most part, thick but not long enough. Even the vines are mostly too short, and in any case, too thin to work as more than a rope, which wouldn't really help in this situation. The beams supporting the cave where the workers dug are a little short each, but two of them might be able to bridge the path. But whether they could support a person's weight while remaining above water is uncertain, and whether one could walk on them in such a situation, while remaining steady, is a question each must answer for themselves. Cutting down a tree is possible, but it would take time. While thinking of the outside, Bryn also recalls the various wooden objects gathered at the camp, from barrels to crates, all of which could also offer some kind of an unsteady bridge, not unlike Arren's offer.
"Maybe we could just bat them away," Nafnlaus offers. "We only need to cross... six metres (~20 ft.)? How bad can those plants be?" He pauses for a moment. "Wait, forget that. I don't want my legs anywhere near those waters. If those roots suddenly hold onto my feet, as those before did..."
Despite Nafnlaus' offer, the water seems deep enough that anyone not normally accustomed to striding in deep water (i.e., without swimming speed) will be slowed down significantly (difficult terrain). And while the roots look stationary, at this point, Nafnlaus' concern doesn't seem too far-fetched.
'Tace' considers everything being said, especially about the roots.
"Ok, strange fish and more roots are too risky. We could make a bridge but it wouldn't be stable and we would risk falling in, which would be worse than wading", he summarises.
He continues, "So what if we think differently. Rather than a bridge, a raft? There are some barrels at camp. Perhaps big enough to be a raft, or we could strap some to a beam and create a floating jetty?".
All this will take a lot of time, and will certainly mean having to wait for Nohem and Lann.
"If we want something quicker, he could strap a rope to someone and they could rush across. If they get snagged, we haul them out. I am pretty fast, but it will leave me alone over there if I do make it", he adds, his fear of going across evenly weighted by his curiosity.
"That sounds risky," Arrenreplies. "I'd rather leave that as a last resort if everything else fails. I think the idea of building some kind of raft with barrels and crates sounds safer. Slower, yes, but after the fight with the plant-men, and considering that we're still hurt, I'd prefer that."
He glances toward the stone doors. "I just hope those aren't locked. I'd hate for us to spend all that time crossing, only to find a door we can't open." He doesn't dwell on it too long, since there's no way to know until they reach them.
If the others agree, he starts heading back outside to look for barrels and crates, expecting to find Lann and possibly more of the bandits there.
Nafnlaus and Akvedinn don't have any objections to Arren's idea. Assuming Bryn doesn't, and Arren starts walking towards camp, he'll find two bandits: One, a Human carrying a second oil lantern and a light crossbow. His hair is short and brown, looks like it was cut by a sharp blade, but not necessarily a skilled hand. The rest of his equipment looks standard. The other, an Elven woman with a scimitar in a condition better than most bandits' and a light crossbow that, unlike the scimitar, looks as weathered as any. Her fair skin complexion and her long dark hair, gathered in a pony-tail style, mark her as a High-Elf, not exactly an exotic sight in Katto but far from common, too.
Quietly and cautiously, the two bandits look into the tunnels where there is a split in the road. They tense for a brief moment when Arren appears, but when they recognise he is not a strangling, walking plant, they let out a sigh of relief. If Bryn objected to Arren's plan, then they would soon hear the two bandits calling for Akvedinn and Nafnlaus.
When all finally meet, the four bandits exchange looks briefly, in silence, before the Elven woman starts talking. Although subtle, Bryn immediately recognises her dialect as distinctly Levickan. "Lann and Nohem would like to have a word with you two," she doesn't demand the two leave, though, merely stating this as a fact. "They're currently eating supper with the rest. You shouldn't have trouble finding them."
"There is not much else to be doing, Sir", 'Tace' replies when the Sergeant mentions wasting their time to find a locked door. It is crossing to an obvious door, or trying to unblock one of the other tunnels.
He accepts his superiors decision not to risk wading out, and when the Sergeant wanders outside to look for barrels and crates, he lingers for a little. Another idea has crept into his mind, and checks the walls of the caves of any hand holds or vines that have pushed through that might make it possible to scale across.
When the Sergeant returns with the two newcomers, he waits as the four bandits chat, noticing the dialect of one of the newcomers as Levickan. I need to be careful, if I noticed her accent, she can just as easily pick out mine.
When they are told that Nohem and Lann want to see them, he gathers his things together if needed so he is ready if the Sergeant agrees to go immediately.
If he feels there is an option to climb across, he will not yet have mentioned it.
The two newcomers don't take Arrenby surprise, he had been expecting someone would come, given how long they had spent investigating the caves. He looks at the pair with curiosity, especially at the Levickan woman. Her better-quality scimitar makes him briefly wonder if she might be the third senior bandit—only to remember afterward that that person is supposed to be Human.
"We'll do so," he answers. "Is Nohem all right, then? We heard he'd been hurt." He waits for their response, then adds, "If you're staying here, be warned: the water is filled with strange, half-plant, half-fish creatures. We were going to find some barrels and crates to build something to cross the water and reach the stone doors at the far end of the cave."
With nothing more to add, Arren begins walking toward camp. A little before they arrive, though, he slows just enough to fall into step beside Tace. He keeps his voice low, making sure the other bandits—if any have accompanied them—don't hear.
"You and Lann," he says quietly. "Back there, when we first met them. He said something about sheathing weapons and tongues. I'm certain that was aimed at you specifically."
Arren glances at him, not accusing, just measured.
"That didn't sound like idle talk. Care to tell me what that was about?"
Bryn believes scaling the wall across might be possible, although not trivial. Bryn estimates the task is difficult, but he spots some deeper cracks and thicker roots he thinks he could hold on to. (A check would be required, and Bryn can estimate the DC to be about (could be a bit more or less, depending on your input).)
In the brief time before he was sent to Katto, Bryn was trained to hide his dialect. This ended up coming to his unexpected rescue in impersonating Tace, as even if the difference is minor, it would surely have been found out by now had he not been aware of it. The Elven woman might be more perceptive, however, more used to speaking and hearing these differences than the Commandant's crew is.
Arren believes the scimitar itself isn't different from the rest; it is just maintained better. Given that most bandits don't seem to maintain their weapons much, this isn't a particularly impressive feat, and yet Arren knows all too well just how much of a difference a sharpened blade can make.
"He was hurt, but it's not too bad. He's been through worse, and he's all patched up and telling everyone how great a warrior his opponent was." The Elven woman sounds just a little bit sarcastic (OOC: Sorry, I feel like this is a wrong use of the word, but the right word eludes me now), as if she is tired of Nohem's stories and, perhaps, doubting whether any of it is true at all.
When Arren mentions the fish, the new bandits shift their look to Akvedinn and Nafnlaus, who nod in approval. "Nasty business, I say," Akvedinn adds.
"We'll make sure to be careful then," the other Human bandit answers.
"You really think so?", 'Tace' replies when the Sergeant suggests that what Lann said regarding sheathing weapons and tongues was aimed at him.
Ok, I hoped with everything going on the Sergeant might have forgotten about that.
"I mean, you are more dangerous with weapons than I am, and have done the majority of the talking since we have been here", he adds, sounding little confused.
He considers for a moment, "Perhaps it goes back to their original attack on the hostelry. Maybe Lan wasn't happy that I persuaded Nohem to be diplomatic".
(OOC: With the High Elf from Levicka, does that mean pure blood high elf that is likely to retain some magic, or just as in from Levicka?)
"With the High Elf from Levicka, does that mean pure blood high elf that is likely to retain some magic, or just as in from Levicka?"
One cannot determine the purity of another's blood without knowing their lineage. She certainly doesn't look like a Wood Elf, but even among the 'High Elves' of Levicka, magic is rare. It is commonly believed that magical abilities are inherited, but there are many examples where that isn't the case. The common assumption is that the magic acts as a "dormant" or "recessive" trait in the parents.
I don't remember whether we agreed that Bryn knows his family is adoptive or not. If not, then the rest of his family, possessing no magical abilities, is one prime example of this. If he does know, then they're still good examples for "High Elves" that possess no magical abilities, to Bryn's knowledge.
In any case, while it is the common belief in Levicka that magic is inherited, I leave it up to you whether Bryn believes so or not. If he does, then he'd assume that the Levickan Elven woman should at least have a higher likelihood of possessing some magical abilities, however minor or dormant.
Regarding the interaction between you two, I leave it up to you how to play that out. But if at some point you feel like you no longer know how to respond and feel like the situation hasn't resolved itself, or if you're unsure how much player and character knowledge mix into your choices, then you may choose to make a contest of skills. Deception for Bryn, Insight for Arren. Leave it for me to then adjudicate what insights each of your characters gains or not. Aside from that, I'll answer questions, but I imagine you won't need my input before the matter is resolved. Except for perhaps the following.
Arren and Bryn leave the cave, and perhaps by the well, before they enter the narrow crack that leads out of the place, Arren decides to raise his question. At this point, both will notice it is already completely dark outside, and they can once again hear the winds blowing above, which sound as strong as before.
"I am entirely certain." Arren says, letting the words hang for a moment before continuing.
"I may have done much of the talking, but I've been nothing but straightforward with them. And so have you, from what I've seen. Which makes me wonder why Lann would threaten you like that. Perhaps you're right and it is something that happened at the hostelry."
The Half-Elf inwardly dismisses the idea about convincing Nohem to be diplomatic; that doesn't sound like something worth holding a grudge over.
"Whatever it is, we can work it out. But I'd rather hear it from you than be blindsided later." Arren adds, "And I don't like them having leverage over us. Even if we're on better terms with them for now."
"Well, I of course trust your judgement, sir", 'Tace' replies, as he starts to hear the wind and remembers the biting cold. He pulls his coat tighter around himself.
"I cannot remember speaking to Lann whilst in camp before we broke through the blocked tunnel and I called him out for mentioning the considerate treatment of the prisoners. Of course you were there for that, and that is when he mentioned sheathing weapons and tongues", he says.
"Unless someone told him something", he suggests. "I mean, I haven't exactly been complementary about the bandits when speaking to the prisoners, but there is nothing obvious I can recall".
"I will think on it though, and let you know if something comes to mind. Unless of course we are about to find out, having been summoned like this".
"Perhaps", 'Tace' answers Akvedinn.
When Nafnlaus starts talking about the tiny creature theory, his brow furrows. "Did you hear that, or read it? You seem to be a font of unusual information, and I can't imagine you hear these things in the bandit camp. I am curious, where are you from, Nafnlaus?", he asks. I would bet money he has been in and around a library, or to an institute of learning. Where though?
Whether Nafnluas tells or not, he looks around the structure and feeds back he notices. "There are definitely multiple occupiers of this cave system. The structure with the sarcophagus was built at a later time. Same with the murals. No point lingering here now though, there is nothing here and we are leaving the coins and gems alone", he finally says, and leaves the structure.
"I wasn't born here in the mountains, you know?" Nafnlaus answers. "But whatever you're implying, I think you're probably wrong. I don't really remember where I heard it first. It's just something that I suddenly recalled."
((Bryn believes his DM tried to make a badly executed Disney-inspired joke and not anything that would hint at something else, like the bandit's origins. Neither does he remember ever hearing about such things in his short time at the academy.
But besides the specific explanation, the fact that organic material degrades over time is common knowledge, although bones definitely last longer than softer tissues.))
Varielky | Werhann
(OOC: It did make me think of that actually, but I wasn't sure if there was more to it so thought it best to ask :-) )
Arren smiles faintly at the exchange between Nafnlaus and Akvedinn. "Nonsense or not, I do like your theory. Creatures live, and when they die, they become nourishment for other creatures. I think Gaitha would approve of that. A circle of life, death and renewal."
He pauses, giving one last look at the sarcophagus which hasn't yielded as much information as he would have liked, then adds, "Anyway, let's check out those stairs. I hope we find something that explains what this place is about. We've got plenty of questions, but no answers so far."
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
((I'll be interpreting your intentions then, excuse me if I'm wrong.))
Arren and Bryn lead the way down the root-infested tunnel, perhaps still cautious but no longer as worried about the roots, now that they've seen that not all roots are strangling, lethal protectors of this... otherwise mostly ordinary, albeit ancient, cave. Eventually, without any incident, they reach the waterline and can now view the room in front of them.
The large room is entirely carved, man-made. Its walls are adorned by carvings of dragons, but also simplistic murals (think cave-drawing style) of dancing figures around them. The room used to have four functional exits, but the eastern and southern ones are now collapsed, leaving only the northern path where the soldiers, along with the bandits, now stand, and the western exit, behind two heavy-looking stone doors on top of a platform above the water, led up to by the stairs Bryn saw before.
The ceiling in this room is also particularly high, at about 20 feet high (~6 metres). The water that fills the room is shallow on the northern part, but gets deeper as one heads south. The bottom is full of roots, as are many of the walls under the water, so it's hard to tell, but it seems plausible that at its deepest, neither Arren nor Bryn can stand on the ground while keeping their heads above the surface. If they stick to the western wall on the way to the stairs, however, it looks like the water wouldn't go above their hip line.
While standing and observing the room, movement in the water catches your attention. It is gone as soon as it appears, or perhaps it is too small to see between the roots, but after another moment of closely watching, none on land has any doubt that something moves in the water, between the roots.
Varielky | Werhann
"Of course it wouldn't be easy," Arren mutters. Then he turns to the others. "Does anyone know where this water might be coming from? A breach in the well, perhaps?"
He doesn't linger on the thought for long, especially when he notices the movement beneath the surface. "I don't know what that was, but I sure as hell don't want to find out with the water up to my hips."
He scans the ground for a stone large enough to cause a noticeable disturbance if thrown. "Maybe it's nothing. But if it is, I'd rather find out on our terms: standing on dry ground."
Unless anyone else proposes a better idea, Arren will throw the rock. But before doing that, he looks to Nafnlaus. "Can you bring the lantern closer and aim it at the water?" he asks. "Let's see what we're dealing with."
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
Stones of various sizes are scattered all around the cave, and Arren has no issue finding a suitable one. When Nafnlaus comes closer with his lantern and the light, Arren throws the rock inside. Almost immediately, everyone can see many tiny creatures, none larger than a fist, swarm about the area where the rock fell for a moment, before scattering around the pond again and disappearing from view between the roots. They seem... almost like fish, but instead of the normal scales one would expect to find on fish, they look as if they have a tree's bark. Like tiny plants, except these are, at the very least, no ordinary plants.
"By Gaitha's sheaves," exclaims Akvedinn, "those were no fish! I don't think we should step inside, unless we can somehow fish them all out first."
Varielky | Werhann
'Tace' stands surveying the pool of water as the Sergeant retrieves the rock and Nafnlaus brings the light.
"I don't know where the water is coming from, but it doesn't seem to be from above. Maybe something below has flooded", he suggests.
His keen eyes see the fish like creatures when the rock is dropped. Of course there would be plant-fish here.
"Yeah, I would not be happy stepping foot in there either", he replies to Akvedinn. "I am not sure how we could fish them out, but perhaps we can instead try and not have to enter the water. I mean, if we can find something long and sturdy enough to act as a bridge. Might be we have to look outside the caves for something though".
He thinks about what is present in the cave that ight be the job. Perhaps entwined roots. And if nothing comes to mind, he thinks about what is outside. Perhaps they could fell a tree.
Arren is as surprised as Akvedinn when they notice the strange anatomy of the fish. "What the hell!" he exclaims. "How did these fish get transformed? What kind of magic is at play here—to animate those plant-men and cause this kind of mutation?"
He pauses, surprised at himself for even mentioning magic. But after all they've seen, the possibility doesn't sound so far-fetched anymore.
When the Corporal speaks, he raises his gaze to look at him.
"What about the wooden beams we saw earlier? The ones supporting the ceiling for the workers. We could use one or two of those, especially now that no more digging will be needed."
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
(Of course, I forgot to mention, ignore all wooden furniture in the image from my last post.)
"Maybe it wells from the same source as... as the well?" Akvedinn offers. "It's hard to see the ground with all the roots, so maybe there's a crack through which the water comes. Or... maybe from the southern wall over there, where the walls collapsed?"
The roots are, for the most part, thick but not long enough. Even the vines are mostly too short, and in any case, too thin to work as more than a rope, which wouldn't really help in this situation. The beams supporting the cave where the workers dug are a little short each, but two of them might be able to bridge the path. But whether they could support a person's weight while remaining above water is uncertain, and whether one could walk on them in such a situation, while remaining steady, is a question each must answer for themselves. Cutting down a tree is possible, but it would take time. While thinking of the outside, Bryn also recalls the various wooden objects gathered at the camp, from barrels to crates, all of which could also offer some kind of an unsteady bridge, not unlike Arren's offer.
"Maybe we could just bat them away," Nafnlaus offers. "We only need to cross... six metres (~20 ft.)? How bad can those plants be?" He pauses for a moment. "Wait, forget that. I don't want my legs anywhere near those waters. If those roots suddenly hold onto my feet, as those before did..."
Despite Nafnlaus' offer, the water seems deep enough that anyone not normally accustomed to striding in deep water (i.e., without swimming speed) will be slowed down significantly (difficult terrain). And while the roots look stationary, at this point, Nafnlaus' concern doesn't seem too far-fetched.
Varielky | Werhann
'Tace' considers everything being said, especially about the roots.
"Ok, strange fish and more roots are too risky. We could make a bridge but it wouldn't be stable and we would risk falling in, which would be worse than wading", he summarises.
He continues, "So what if we think differently. Rather than a bridge, a raft? There are some barrels at camp. Perhaps big enough to be a raft, or we could strap some to a beam and create a floating jetty?".
All this will take a lot of time, and will certainly mean having to wait for Nohem and Lann.
"If we want something quicker, he could strap a rope to someone and they could rush across. If they get snagged, we haul them out. I am pretty fast, but it will leave me alone over there if I do make it", he adds, his fear of going across evenly weighted by his curiosity.
"That sounds risky," Arren replies. "I'd rather leave that as a last resort if everything else fails. I think the idea of building some kind of raft with barrels and crates sounds safer. Slower, yes, but after the fight with the plant-men, and considering that we're still hurt, I'd prefer that."
He glances toward the stone doors. "I just hope those aren't locked. I'd hate for us to spend all that time crossing, only to find a door we can't open." He doesn't dwell on it too long, since there's no way to know until they reach them.
If the others agree, he starts heading back outside to look for barrels and crates, expecting to find Lann and possibly more of the bandits there.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
Nafnlaus and Akvedinn don't have any objections to Arren's idea. Assuming Bryn doesn't, and Arren starts walking towards camp, he'll find two bandits: One, a Human carrying a second oil lantern and a light crossbow. His hair is short and brown, looks like it was cut by a sharp blade, but not necessarily a skilled hand. The rest of his equipment looks standard. The other, an Elven woman with a scimitar in a condition better than most bandits' and a light crossbow that, unlike the scimitar, looks as weathered as any. Her fair skin complexion and her long dark hair, gathered in a pony-tail style, mark her as a High-Elf, not exactly an exotic sight in Katto but far from common, too.
Quietly and cautiously, the two bandits look into the tunnels where there is a split in the road. They tense for a brief moment when Arren appears, but when they recognise he is not a strangling, walking plant, they let out a sigh of relief. If Bryn objected to Arren's plan, then they would soon hear the two bandits calling for Akvedinn and Nafnlaus.
When all finally meet, the four bandits exchange looks briefly, in silence, before the Elven woman starts talking. Although subtle, Bryn immediately recognises her dialect as distinctly Levickan. "Lann and Nohem would like to have a word with you two," she doesn't demand the two leave, though, merely stating this as a fact. "They're currently eating supper with the rest. You shouldn't have trouble finding them."
Varielky | Werhann
"There is not much else to be doing, Sir", 'Tace' replies when the Sergeant mentions wasting their time to find a locked door. It is crossing to an obvious door, or trying to unblock one of the other tunnels.
He accepts his superiors decision not to risk wading out, and when the Sergeant wanders outside to look for barrels and crates, he lingers for a little. Another idea has crept into his mind, and checks the walls of the caves of any hand holds or vines that have pushed through that might make it possible to scale across.
When the Sergeant returns with the two newcomers, he waits as the four bandits chat, noticing the dialect of one of the newcomers as Levickan. I need to be careful, if I noticed her accent, she can just as easily pick out mine.
When they are told that Nohem and Lann want to see them, he gathers his things together if needed so he is ready if the Sergeant agrees to go immediately.
If he feels there is an option to climb across, he will not yet have mentioned it.
The two newcomers don't take Arren by surprise, he had been expecting someone would come, given how long they had spent investigating the caves. He looks at the pair with curiosity, especially at the Levickan woman. Her better-quality scimitar makes him briefly wonder if she might be the third senior bandit—only to remember afterward that that person is supposed to be Human.
"We'll do so," he answers. "Is Nohem all right, then? We heard he'd been hurt." He waits for their response, then adds, "If you're staying here, be warned: the water is filled with strange, half-plant, half-fish creatures. We were going to find some barrels and crates to build something to cross the water and reach the stone doors at the far end of the cave."
With nothing more to add, Arren begins walking toward camp. A little before they arrive, though, he slows just enough to fall into step beside Tace. He keeps his voice low, making sure the other bandits—if any have accompanied them—don't hear.
"You and Lann," he says quietly. "Back there, when we first met them. He said something about sheathing weapons and tongues. I'm certain that was aimed at you specifically."
Arren glances at him, not accusing, just measured.
"That didn't sound like idle talk. Care to tell me what that was about?"
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
Bryn believes scaling the wall across might be possible, although not trivial. Bryn estimates the task is difficult, but he spots some deeper cracks and thicker roots he thinks he could hold on to. (A check would be required, and Bryn can estimate the DC to be about (could be a bit more or less, depending on your input).)
In the brief time before he was sent to Katto, Bryn was trained to hide his dialect. This ended up coming to his unexpected rescue in impersonating Tace, as even if the difference is minor, it would surely have been found out by now had he not been aware of it. The Elven woman might be more perceptive, however, more used to speaking and hearing these differences than the Commandant's crew is.
Arren believes the scimitar itself isn't different from the rest; it is just maintained better. Given that most bandits don't seem to maintain their weapons much, this isn't a particularly impressive feat, and yet Arren knows all too well just how much of a difference a sharpened blade can make.
"He was hurt, but it's not too bad. He's been through worse, and he's all patched up and telling everyone how great a warrior his opponent was." The Elven woman sounds just a little bit sarcastic (OOC: Sorry, I feel like this is a wrong use of the word, but the right word eludes me now), as if she is tired of Nohem's stories and, perhaps, doubting whether any of it is true at all.
When Arren mentions the fish, the new bandits shift their look to Akvedinn and Nafnlaus, who nod in approval. "Nasty business, I say," Akvedinn adds.
"We'll make sure to be careful then," the other Human bandit answers.
Varielky | Werhann
"You really think so?", 'Tace' replies when the Sergeant suggests that what Lann said regarding sheathing weapons and tongues was aimed at him.
Ok, I hoped with everything going on the Sergeant might have forgotten about that.
"I mean, you are more dangerous with weapons than I am, and have done the majority of the talking since we have been here", he adds, sounding little confused.
He considers for a moment, "Perhaps it goes back to their original attack on the hostelry. Maybe Lan wasn't happy that I persuaded Nohem to be diplomatic".
(OOC: With the High Elf from Levicka, does that mean pure blood high elf that is likely to retain some magic, or just as in from Levicka?)
One cannot determine the purity of another's blood without knowing their lineage. She certainly doesn't look like a Wood Elf, but even among the 'High Elves' of Levicka, magic is rare. It is commonly believed that magical abilities are inherited, but there are many examples where that isn't the case. The common assumption is that the magic acts as a "dormant" or "recessive" trait in the parents.
I don't remember whether we agreed that Bryn knows his family is adoptive or not. If not, then the rest of his family, possessing no magical abilities, is one prime example of this. If he does know, then they're still good examples for "High Elves" that possess no magical abilities, to Bryn's knowledge.
In any case, while it is the common belief in Levicka that magic is inherited, I leave it up to you whether Bryn believes so or not. If he does, then he'd assume that the Levickan Elven woman should at least have a higher likelihood of possessing some magical abilities, however minor or dormant.
Regarding the interaction between you two, I leave it up to you how to play that out. But if at some point you feel like you no longer know how to respond and feel like the situation hasn't resolved itself, or if you're unsure how much player and character knowledge mix into your choices, then you may choose to make a contest of skills. Deception for Bryn, Insight for Arren. Leave it for me to then adjudicate what insights each of your characters gains or not. Aside from that, I'll answer questions, but I imagine you won't need my input before the matter is resolved. Except for perhaps the following.
Arren and Bryn leave the cave, and perhaps by the well, before they enter the narrow crack that leads out of the place, Arren decides to raise his question. At this point, both will notice it is already completely dark outside, and they can once again hear the winds blowing above, which sound as strong as before.
Varielky | Werhann
"I am entirely certain." Arren says, letting the words hang for a moment before continuing.
"I may have done much of the talking, but I've been nothing but straightforward with them. And so have you, from what I've seen. Which makes me wonder why Lann would threaten you like that. Perhaps you're right and it is something that happened at the hostelry."
The Half-Elf inwardly dismisses the idea about convincing Nohem to be diplomatic; that doesn't sound like something worth holding a grudge over.
"Whatever it is, we can work it out. But I'd rather hear it from you than be blindsided later." Arren adds, "And I don't like them having leverage over us. Even if we're on better terms with them for now."
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
"Well, I of course trust your judgement, sir", 'Tace' replies, as he starts to hear the wind and remembers the biting cold. He pulls his coat tighter around himself.
"I cannot remember speaking to Lann whilst in camp before we broke through the blocked tunnel and I called him out for mentioning the considerate treatment of the prisoners. Of course you were there for that, and that is when he mentioned sheathing weapons and tongues", he says.
"Unless someone told him something", he suggests. "I mean, I haven't exactly been complementary about the bandits when speaking to the prisoners, but there is nothing obvious I can recall".
"I will think on it though, and let you know if something comes to mind. Unless of course we are about to find out, having been summoned like this".