"Always the one on the left." Jex calls out from ahead in the darkness

Jex pushes on past the light, carefully on the look out for anything that indicates more trapped runes or creatures disguised as garments or wall decoration. He briefly considers stabbing the lantern to make sure but after a little look decides it isn't planning on hurting anyone. Across the chamber in the darkness Jex finds a sudden halt with a sheer drop into the darkness. Making extra certain to be quiet - nasty things live in dark depths, he tiptoes around to the left where the path ends in some stairs upwards. Crinkling his nose for a second in indecision he decides to turn back. Catching the party at the drop he stops a second to whisper "Quiet here, the darkness holds evil. The left there goes upwards, probably not what we're looking for so let's go this way."  He vanishes again lost into the darkness himself, proving his own point perhaps. Starting this path there are some stairs downwards, far more what he is expecting. After a brief pause to make certain the stairs won't collapse beneath him in a slide trap or pit he begins the short climb downwards. Looking around at the bottom to establish his options.

Seeing no evidence of danger, Jex moves on into the chamber at the bottom of the steps. Ahead are a series of red crystals, glowing and sparking with energy. Not my thing. He returns back to the group. Keeping his voice low he provides a quick update. "There are some columns in the room down here, they are red and glowing, crystal like structures. Very unnatural. And when I got close they started to spark, as though with the energy of lightening. This may be something for you to deal with my friends. There are some stairs beyond that I can look into, or another room straight ahead beneath the steps." 

Aiden follows Jex as quietly as he can, hearing full well the clatter and creaks of his armor as he moves -- wincing at every sound. As the red crackling obelisks come into view, his eyes widen. "This looks rather dangerous," he says. He scoops up a small stone from the ground and shrugging, throws it past the first statue. 

The stone shatters as a crackle of red lightning arcs from the obelisk and strikes the stone. "Yep. Rather dangerous," Aiden remarks.

Thurston was trying to mimic Jex's movements to avoid making noise while following him, but somehow he managed to twist his legs into Vark's spear and steps into Val. The sound of the two warriors, their weapons and armors echoed through the big hall.

Thurston, however semeed more embarrased to be in so close proximity to Val than the noise he just made. 

"Uh.. Oh.. sorry... " he stands and tries to reacoomodate his gear not to make more unwanted sound.

When Jex tells about the red glowing columns he says. 

"Never heard of nothing like that before...Do you think it is what we came looking for?" 

"Well my dear Thurston, you may be surprised to hear but these rocks are charged with arcane energy. Evocation stones in fact, a habit of an ancient order of monks who used them to power magical weapons of fearsome reputation, but they also make rather potent traps for an underground environment" Jex grins smugly. "Not the kind of information you can pick up just in a book, but by applying your knowledge within the world and getting out and listening to the people. Amazing what others know if you don't assume they have nothing worth your time." He gives a wink and a slight bow "Do you think Seid would have known that?" He mutters under his breath as he turns back to heading towards the staircase in the corner to check for any nasty surprises awaiting them.

Vark follows along with the party, nearly tripping himself as Thurston stumbles over his spear. His eyes light up -literally- as they come upon the hall of red crystals. The sounds of the others begin to fade as he advances, drawn forward as if by a magnet. He doesn't even spare a snide remark to Jex's prattling, so focused he is on opening his senses to the magic around him. The rogue is right about the crystals being charged with evocation magic, but he can't sense the deeper hints that are immediately familiar to Vark. Matthew. The warlock presses on. The others watch as searing bolts of red lightning begin arcing towards him, getting more intense as he gets closer. But the strikes don't touch him, instead blasting into the ground nearby as if they were tracing where his feet would fall. By the time he is close enough to touch one of the spires the crimson storm has enveloped him, outlining his form in ruby light. Vark's outstretched hand connects with the crystal and the lightning snaps towards him. At first it seems he might be fried where he stands, but Vark remains there in the warm embrace of the electrical current unharmed. The moments stretch on before his hand pulls back and suddenly the light dims. Vark turns and flashes a tusked grin to his companions. "I saw it! The codex or- the-the ruby, I saw where it is." His voice crackles with static as he speaks, and red light remains in his eyes and around him like an aura. "Something else too. A red spire, like these but bigger. It was in the mountains, and there was someone channeling power from it." He shrugs. "Maybe it was a vision of Matthew from the past."

"Fascinating." Jex muses. "Nothing ever spoke of these being able to direct their power selectively. A unique occurrence indeed. You are probably right, Matthew must be at work in this, his work was buried beneath here as we surmised previously, and we know the the stone, that probably powers these has been calling to you. Perhaps these were not placed here by the Dwarves but sprung up from whatever is trapped within the stone here. Perhaps they were one of these ancient monks. Eitherway, beware what visions it shows you, they are as likely falsehood as truth. Sent to manipulate you to do as it wishes."

"Still I see no other way to proceed than to follow you my good friend Vark. Lead us towards this ruby-codex. I sense that we don't have the time to explore this dwarven maze. " adds Thurston. 

"If something is trying to manipulate you it will discover that your friends can teach it a lesson or two" he taps Rikkazarik and smiles to Vark trying to give him confidence.

Jex nods. "I agree, we have little choice but to follow for now, and finding it is the plan. I just wish to exercise caution when it comes to following its instructions once it is found. We should be careful of unleashing things we do not understand because we blindly followed the instructions of an ancient evil power."

Thuston smirks

"I thought that was exactly our thing... " he laughs to his joke, but probably is the only one who does. "No worries this time we will be ready!!" he seems optimistic.

Val gasps as Vark steps forward, unprotected, into the network of red, sparking bolts of energy. She starts to rush forward, but something tells her to wait. Whether is was Larkin speaking to her or her own intuition... she did not know. As the moment passes she breaths heavily from the expenditure of energy from the fight, warily moving forward up to Vark. "Let us get away from these things and then take a brief rest."

Vark glares at Jex. “I don’t need you to keep reminding me.” The red glow flares along with his temper. “No one is blindly following anything. We would have come down here even if Matthew hadn’t asked us to.” He rolls his eyes dismissively before turning to Thurston and Val. “Uhm, yes, a rest would be nice.”

"Watch that temper, It is not you. At least not you before this. Can you still tell where you end and it begins? I fear for your safety and will continue to remind you to keep it at bay whether you like it or not." The half elf takes a defensive step back, but subtly also sideways. "You should all catch a rest. Keep a look out. I will scout ahead while you collect yourselves and see what is to be found ahead." He runs off into the darkness, checking the staircase first, then moving to the neighbouring room.

Arcs of red lightning jump up and down Vark's arms and the still air around him whips into wind. His red eyes bore into Jex's back as the rogue runs off, and just as the man turns the corner the breeze around Vark rushes away and past Jex's head. Words that rumble like thunder are carried upon it. Stop acting like you know me. Stop acting like you know what's best for me. You don't.

Aiden's eyes raise at the flared tempers, but he wisely remains silent. These people didn't know him. Whatever input he could offer would only serve to divide the group further. But the young half-orc's connection to this place could prove to be useful. With his ability to unlock the proverbial doors of this place, they might have fewer problems than Aiden had supposed.

Val watches Vark carefully, noting the stark differences in his temperament in the short period they'd known each other. She was not one to speak on someone else's life, especially after learning what truly resided deep within the blackened metal of her ancestral hammer, but something about Vark's aggressiveness was not the same as the young man they'd be traveling with before Matthew was introduced. She leans back and chews on a piece of dried meat, watching her companion carefully during the short rest period.

Thurston sits alongside Val, silently taking some sips of his mead canteen and absent cleaning Rikkazarik of cloaker goo, but he also keeps an eye on Vark, worried that his poor attempt of humor hasn't worked and led to another confrotantion with Jex. He makes mental note to have a conversation with his friend when he came back from his scouting. 

As the group quietly takes their rest, Val hears a strange clacking sound coming from the room where they battled the cloakers. She sits upright and taps Thurston on the leg, then places a finger to her lips to indicate everyone should be quiet. She then points towards the stairwell, then to her ears as she slowly and quietly gets to her feet to move for a closer check...

A strange insectoid creature comes scuttling out of the dark towards Val!

In another room, Jex is meandering through mysterious glowing trees, looking at an old painting, and checking through strange stairways. Oblivious to the peril approaching his friends. He does however discover a walkway which he believes to be most likely to head in their desired direction.