The rain continues to pick up pace throughout the evening becoming a steady downpour by the morning. Eku spends the most amount if time she can with each of the five companions as long as they are awake. She doesn't sleep and watches over the party dilligently as they get a proper rest through the night.
Day 68
When everyone has woken, had breakfast, and requipped their gear Eku addresses everyone, "It seems as if I have gone as far as I can here. There are other issues in the world that require my attention, and if I cannot be of use here, then I must go there. I will linger a while yet until that decision becomes clear."
Upon inquiries from Glimbul, Orvex speaks up. The bald headed man says, "I originally came here with another high ranking mage like Zagmira. Red wizards and some guards for protection. Their quest to find something called the Ring of Winter landed them in Chult, but once Omu was found, things changed. I am so fortunate to have been chosen. Just look at this ruin!" He gestures to the city at large, which is mostly obscured outdide the tent by the downpour. He continues, seemingly excited by the ruin talk, "There are ruins back in Thay, sure, but this place, this magnificence, is by far the best archiological find of my entire life! This place has its dangers, sure, but that pales in comparison to what we could learn from whoever used to live here." The old man seems to sit on that thought and revel to himself.
Glimbul puts on a cheery smile. "I see you too appreciate the history of this place. There is much to explore here. I am glad you are with us then, let us end the curse so that we may investigate these ruins with peace of mind!" Glimbul extends a hand to the fellow rogue.
“Orvex, apart from the one that escaped, are all the Thayans accounted for?” Boosey asks the excitable man. “There is one Red Wizard on the loose, it would be good to know if we might have more to worry about.!”
"Not to mention a certain lich," Nenne adds, streaks of gold shooting into her curls. She turns to Orvex. "Do you know of the one called Valindra? She is allied with Szass Tam and Zagmira seemed to pay her respect. I am curious about alliances among the Red Wizards, as that may impact us once we locate the Soulmonger."
Orvex shakes Glimbul's hand cheerily, but his demeanor changes at the line of questioning that comes his way. The older man says, "There are more red wizards in Chult - many more. The two groups that I am familiar with are reduced to a single mage if I am correct. That is, unless one of those charred, unrecognizable corpses in the walled compound are her. I'd bet my second cousin's house and farm that they have ways to fake their death, though. Valindra, you say? That's the lich you mentioned before...sounds like a lot of nasty there."
Nenne suddenly smiles very politely and takes a step closer to Orvex. "We have rescued you twice now, scribe, and this second time solely because I worried for your welfare enough to use three spells to find you. Please do not insult my kindness by being withholding."
The scribe's cheeks redden with embarrassment. He clears his throat and says, "Well, yes....I suppose I do know of Valindra. She was the first thing I saw upon entering the jungle."
"Valindra has created a teleportation circle inside the floating earth mote that is capable of ushering any number of beings here from Thay." As Orvex finishes, he purses his lips and raises his eyebrows while tapping his fingers on his thighs as if waiting for some calamity to strike him dead right then and there.
Nenne's smile grows mildly acidic, and more gold highlights vie for prominence in her hair. She looks at Boosey and Allister in turn before saying, "It seems a return visit to the walking sin's lair is likely necessary for the good of this continent." The cleric tosses a significant look at Eku before glancing back at Orvex.
"And did she entrust you with a mission as well? Or was she the one to bring you here?"
Orvex holds his hands out in front of him defensively and says, "Look, I only came here at the mage's request. I don't have any involvement with Valindra. I would sooner settle down for the night in a den of vampires before trying out that avenue of life!"
"No," Nenne shakes her head at the fighter. "I simply am trying to understand how many pawns Valindra put into play. We are clearly not the only ones."
She looks back at Orvex and nods graciously. "Thank you for the information. It may protect us." She steps back and surveys the group. "I suppose there is no sense in delay. Shall we solve the riddle of these cubes?"
"This 'ere... Vilandra. It seem to me ye all 'ate 'er, so I'll make it quick."
He looked to Nenne and smacked his favorite club upon his open palmed hand. "She tough?" He gives a mad grin and his shields face turns from a calm demeanor, to a mischievous grin as well.
Boosey gives a mirthless laugh at Lemon's comment. "She's tough as old boots, I reckon. If we hadn't agreed to her terms, I doubt any of us would've made it off that rock of hers alive.! Anyway," he looks to the others, "lets see what we can find with these blasted cubes, shall we."
With that he gathers them all together, and enters the passage with the statues. Starting at the point furthest from the entrance, he lays each cube in front of its corresponding statue, waiting for the bowl of oil to start burning. Carefully, he makes his way back to the entrance, eventually having all the bowls lit. "Let's see what we can see, then," and he renters the passage, looking for anything that may hint at the purpose of the final cube, which he is holding relevantly in his hands.
"It might be helpful to know what magics lie in wait for us," Nenne comments. "Eku, would you stand guard over me while I prepare a ritual and petition the Fair Judge for an ability to detect magic?" The cleric takes a seat beside the entrance to the tunnel of statues and begins a quiet prayer.
Nenne takes time to cast detect magic while Boosey is carefully placing the cubes down the hallway, lined on either side. He finishes long before Nenne is done casting her ritual. With the hallway so well lit from the burning fires, Boosey walks down, inspecting the area. He gets to the end only to find as much as before - nothing. It seems that Unkh's cube has no place in this hallway.
Nenne finishes her spell some time later and discovers the statues to radiate an aura of divination magic, while the oil basins give off an aura of conjuration magic.
Boosey sits down on the ground in the centre of the passage, a little bemused. He sits and stares at the cube of Unkh for a while, thinking. After a while, he gives a deep sigh, then going to thee deepest part of the passage starts collecting up the cubes.
The rain continues to pick up pace throughout the evening becoming a steady downpour by the morning. Eku spends the most amount if time she can with each of the five companions as long as they are awake. She doesn't sleep and watches over the party dilligently as they get a proper rest through the night.
Day 68
When everyone has woken, had breakfast, and requipped their gear Eku addresses everyone, "It seems as if I have gone as far as I can here. There are other issues in the world that require my attention, and if I cannot be of use here, then I must go there. I will linger a while yet until that decision becomes clear."
Upon inquiries from Glimbul, Orvex speaks up. The bald headed man says, "I originally came here with another high ranking mage like Zagmira. Red wizards and some guards for protection. Their quest to find something called the Ring of Winter landed them in Chult, but once Omu was found, things changed. I am so fortunate to have been chosen. Just look at this ruin!" He gestures to the city at large, which is mostly obscured outdide the tent by the downpour. He continues, seemingly excited by the ruin talk, "There are ruins back in Thay, sure, but this place, this magnificence, is by far the best archiological find of my entire life! This place has its dangers, sure, but that pales in comparison to what we could learn from whoever used to live here." The old man seems to sit on that thought and revel to himself.
Glimbul puts on a cheery smile. "I see you too appreciate the history of this place. There is much to explore here. I am glad you are with us then, let us end the curse so that we may investigate these ruins with peace of mind!" Glimbul extends a hand to the fellow rogue.
“Orvex, apart from the one that escaped, are all the Thayans accounted for?” Boosey asks the excitable man. “There is one Red Wizard on the loose, it would be good to know if we might have more to worry about.!”
"Not to mention a certain lich," Nenne adds, streaks of gold shooting into her curls. She turns to Orvex. "Do you know of the one called Valindra? She is allied with Szass Tam and Zagmira seemed to pay her respect. I am curious about alliances among the Red Wizards, as that may impact us once we locate the Soulmonger."
Orvex shakes Glimbul's hand cheerily, but his demeanor changes at the line of questioning that comes his way. The older man says, "There are more red wizards in Chult - many more. The two groups that I am familiar with are reduced to a single mage if I am correct. That is, unless one of those charred, unrecognizable corpses in the walled compound are her. I'd bet my second cousin's house and farm that they have ways to fake their death, though. Valindra, you say? That's the lich you mentioned before...sounds like a lot of nasty there."
Nenne suddenly smiles very politely and takes a step closer to Orvex. "We have rescued you twice now, scribe, and this second time solely because I worried for your welfare enough to use three spells to find you. Please do not insult my kindness by being withholding."
The scribe's cheeks redden with embarrassment. He clears his throat and says, "Well, yes....I suppose I do know of Valindra. She was the first thing I saw upon entering the jungle."
"Go on," the cleric encourages, still smiling, though rather pointedly. "Tell us about that encounter, if you would."
"Valindra has created a teleportation circle inside the floating earth mote that is capable of ushering any number of beings here from Thay." As Orvex finishes, he purses his lips and raises his eyebrows while tapping his fingers on his thighs as if waiting for some calamity to strike him dead right then and there.
Nenne's smile grows mildly acidic, and more gold highlights vie for prominence in her hair. She looks at Boosey and Allister in turn before saying, "It seems a return visit to the walking sin's lair is likely necessary for the good of this continent." The cleric tosses a significant look at Eku before glancing back at Orvex.
"And did she entrust you with a mission as well? Or was she the one to bring you here?"
Orvex holds his hands out in front of him defensively and says, "Look, I only came here at the mage's request. I don't have any involvement with Valindra. I would sooner settle down for the night in a den of vampires before trying out that avenue of life!"
Allister looks at Nenne with narrowed eyes. "Does this lead anywhere? Are you implying that Orvex ist spying on us on Valindra´s orders?"
"No," Nenne shakes her head at the fighter. "I simply am trying to understand how many pawns Valindra put into play. We are clearly not the only ones."
She looks back at Orvex and nods graciously. "Thank you for the information. It may protect us." She steps back and surveys the group. "I suppose there is no sense in delay. Shall we solve the riddle of these cubes?"
"This 'ere... Vilandra. It seem to me ye all 'ate 'er, so I'll make it quick."
He looked to Nenne and smacked his favorite club upon his open palmed hand. "She tough?" He gives a mad grin and his shields face turns from a calm demeanor, to a mischievous grin as well.
Made you look.
Boosey gives a mirthless laugh at Lemon's comment. "She's tough as old boots, I reckon. If we hadn't agreed to her terms, I doubt any of us would've made it off that rock of hers alive.! Anyway," he looks to the others, "lets see what we can find with these blasted cubes, shall we."
With that he gathers them all together, and enters the passage with the statues. Starting at the point furthest from the entrance, he lays each cube in front of its corresponding statue, waiting for the bowl of oil to start burning. Carefully, he makes his way back to the entrance, eventually having all the bowls lit. "Let's see what we can see, then," and he renters the passage, looking for anything that may hint at the purpose of the final cube, which he is holding relevantly in his hands.
"It might be helpful to know what magics lie in wait for us," Nenne comments. "Eku, would you stand guard over me while I prepare a ritual and petition the Fair Judge for an ability to detect magic?" The cleric takes a seat beside the entrance to the tunnel of statues and begins a quiet prayer.
Nenne takes time to cast detect magic while Boosey is carefully placing the cubes down the hallway, lined on either side. He finishes long before Nenne is done casting her ritual. With the hallway so well lit from the burning fires, Boosey walks down, inspecting the area. He gets to the end only to find as much as before - nothing. It seems that Unkh's cube has no place in this hallway.
Nenne finishes her spell some time later and discovers the statues to radiate an aura of divination magic, while the oil basins give off an aura of conjuration magic.
The cleric rises and starts a cautious sweep of the grounds, glancing at the obelisk, then peering into the other tunnel with the ward.
Boosey sits down on the ground in the centre of the passage, a little bemused. He sits and stares at the cube of Unkh for a while, thinking. After a while, he gives a deep sigh, then going to thee deepest part of the passage starts collecting up the cubes.