Paren walks over to the table, places his hands on it and looks up at the ceiling like he's listening to something. After a minute or so his gaze drops back to the group.

"I know what's going on. The entity is not an entity at all. It is the half of a pair of old gods. Lugh, my god," he places his shield on the table and points to the symbol of a tree with a spear as a trunk in the centre of it, "is one half of this pair. He takes care of life and nature. The other half is this god. A shepherd of death to perfectly pair with a creator of life. They work in balance, holding sway over a beings entire journey on this earth."

"Shamara and her family are not trying to destroy this shepherd, they are trying to consume him. They want to add power over death to their godly abilities. After that they will come after Lugh. Once they have power over life and death they will be in total control."

Knok raises a skeptical eyebrow, far enough that you wonder where his forehead ends and his scalp begins.  "Knok can't say this isn't true, Paren, but...well, Knok needs more proof than you just saying so."

Tanni comes to the table and looks carefully at the symbol on Parens shield. "And did Lugh tell you this or did the entity in the stone fragments? I'm interested to know which of these gods caused the collapse of the bell tower. If it was Lugh or his pair, it's going to be hard to convince me that they are the victims here." The gnome looks around the table at her companions and asks, "If what Pares says is true and these gods are fighting each other in this town, what can we do to stop it? Tell them to talk things out?"

"You know, I didn't even think to ask about the bell tower. That's a very good point Tanni. And I understand your hesitation Knok, it's not like we know each other that well. I'm currently in contact with both sides of the equation. It seems that both can speak to me in the same way. So far they both have the same things to say. They're damn criptic about it but it's the same thing. And while I'm still not sure about this Shepard I do trust Lugh. If there's anything you want to ask, just tell me. I can ask either side and let you know what they respond. Unfortunately now that Finan has had his portion 'cleansed' I don't know of any way one of you could contact them, unless you happen to know celestial?" Paren leans on the table, his expression tight as he thinks.

Finan distinctly remembers speaking with Paren in a tongue he now no longer recollects, and with a gruff shake of his head he stands next to the table, leaning on it with fingers splayed wide. With some degree of impatience in his voice he calls out, "Aiden? Are you here? I need to talk to you."

He's aware of Paren's musings, but it somehow feels out of alignment with what he knows, or feels, about the Gods that he's discussing. The option that this entity was trying to deceive everyone through Paren's words still seems more viable, and thus he would like to speak to the other side to get a clearer picture of things.

Finan waits a moment and then another. There's no sign that anyone is here with the group. Looking around the room, you see the pillars that support the structures above and the doorways to what you presume are the other rooms in the Wishing Well. Towards the rear of the room you notice several large tunnels that lack any sort of illumination. 

((Do you explore the tunnels or return to hunting down the artifacts?))

(Sorry for lack of posts this week. Migraines have been a pain.)

Jonathan will stand there, still only half awake, somewhat listening to the party's musings. "Well, regardless I think we should maybe discuss this with some authorities before pressing further. Who knows what we'll find down there, and maybe if we have the watch on our side we can get more done." He then lightly presses his hand to his head in an attempt to nurse the latter parts of his hangover.

"Knok is uncomfortable with all the options.  If we go on gathering artifacts, and what Paren says is true, we do harm to this mystical 'balance'.  If we stop gathering artifacts, then this plague keeps spreading, and we do harm by letting other people be harmed."

The small goblin thinks hard, sitting down at the table and resting his chin in his propped up hands.  Looking towards the unlit passages, the curiosity of exploring those dark hallways plain on his face, he continues,  "Knok thinks we have to do what causes the least ee-mee-dee-it harm.  We have to keep people from being hurt, right?"

"I would agree with you Knok. It seems that, no matter what, touching the Shepard's items is not good for most people. I think we should collect them. What we do with them after we have them all is a different question, but one we can settle later on." With that Paren starts walking back to the room with the candles. 

"Doesn't he mean exploring these halls?" Finan asks, also casting his eyes in the direction of the dark entryways. "That would be fine by me, I don't know what the best option is now. Maybe Aiden is playing a bit of hide and seek, and there are acolytes of Shamara looking for the artifacts in the town already, so I am up for looking around here. Does anybody have a better source of light than my candle, though?"

Paren turns on his heel. "Missed that. Sorry Knok." He then takes the bag off his bag and pulls out a torch, lighting it before handing it to Finan.

Jonathan sighs, "I guess... We have some consensus?" He says, reaching for the buckler on his hip. He looks to Finan grabbing a torch. "Yes, good plan. Just a sec." He reaches for his waterskin and gulps a mouthful to help with his headache. "Right... Lead on, I guess."

Patting Jonathan on his broad chest, Finan chuckles, "You're alright, sorry you're missing breakfast for all this. Maybe there's some eggs and bacon for you when we're done here."

He holds the torch up to illuminate the tunnel entries, wondering which one to explore first.

Mechanics:

((Everyone may roll a survival check))

The tunnels seem similar in design though they appear to head off in different directions. One seems to continue at the same elevation while the other looks to have a downward slope. 

Survival: 21

(OOC: Woot! Nat 20! Just felt like celebrating that.)

(Might as well, it's not Jonathan's forte though)

Survival: 6

Jonathan is now too occupied with the thought of missed cooked breakfasts and freshly squeezed fruit juice...

Paren thinks on where the tunnels may lead while Jonathan considers the third option of returning to the Well. These two tunnels obviously aren't going to lead to a hearty breakfast and Jonathan knows that. 

Paren points to the first tunnel, "That one goes deeper into the cliffs." He then shifts his hand to the other tunnel. "And that one heads off in the direction of Thornwood."

 Survival check: 13

"So we check the tunnels, and afterward gather the stone fragments? Fine by me." Tanni draws her warhammer and lifts it to her shoulder as she steps next to Paren. "I say we head deeper into these cliffs. No real reason, just feels like a better option"

"A better option would be getting some breakfast before an expedition." Jonathan comments. "It is the most important meal of the day, after all."