Nenne shakes Glimbul awake. "We're running! Go! Now!" She pulls Boosey along, throwing anxious glances over her shoulder when she hears the beholder's unearthly chatter and rage. She gets about ten feet before she realizes she doesn't see the goliath anywhere.
"Where is Lo?!" she shouts to Allister. "Is he ahead of you?"
The gutteral giggles follow the party, echoing down the small hallway, though the sound dies away as the companions put more and more space between them and that dreaded room.
The party funnels out onto the balcony near the lever overseeing the vast pit with floating platforms. Exhaustion runs rampant as the four companions break for a rest. Nenne is eyeing the grotesque bannister when her ears pick up a shuffling coming from the hole in the wall near the group.
Eyes widening in panic, Nenne points to the opening and gestures silently, and frantically, for the group to fall back to the stairway or hide. She grabs Allister by the arm and pulls him with her as she hunkers down. Then she disappears from sight entirely.
Picking up on what Nenne is warning the party, Glimbul maves his hands silently as a wall appears in place of the crawlspace. Confirming his illusion is in place he stealths to the stairs, hiding most of his body. He holds his bow tight in hand ready to get the drop on an enemy.
The shuffling nears the end the tunnel and the party braces for whatever is making the sound. The tip of a sword can be seen poking through the illusory wall. The sword waves about clanging into the side of the passage. Silent as death, and nearly as defeated as such, the party holds their ground. The shuffling rustles about im the passage some more before a gloved hand pokes through the wall. And wiggles it's fingers as if testing the physicality of the wall.
It seems as if the party is on the same page in their tactics. After a bit more testinf the wall, the hand disappears and the shuffling goes back from whence it came.
With the disturbing hand and sword gone, Boosey sits for a while wide eyed and silent. Eventually his gaze moves round the party, Glimbul, Allister and finally Nenne. It lingers on the cleric for a while and he pads softly over to her.
“Nenne?” It’s one word full of questions, and without warning he gives the elf a warm embrace. It doesn’t last long, and Boosey is once again stood in front of her looking a little abashed.
“I thought you were......we all.....poor Lo,” he finishes. “I.....I......that thing. Moa saved us.....you.....he didn’t want to go, but I made him. It was the only way.” His eyes are glistening now.
“I’m sorry Moa, and thank you. What you did saved us in there. Had you not gone we would all have shared Lo’s fate. I am honoured to call you friend, and am sad that you had to leave me for another.” The gnome smiles. “It was worth it though. Thank you again”.
Nenne stiffens at the embrace, as she usually does, but relaxes after a moment and places an unpracticed arm around the gnome. When he disengages, she kisses two fingers and pokes him in the head gently.
"Thank you. Thank all of you. I am only alive because of your bravery and resourcefulness. I do not deserve you, and I love you all deeply. Never have I had finer comrades."
Her smile turns sad as she looks Boosey in the eye, and she cups the side of his face tenderly. "Moa is grateful to you for your words and sacrifice," she says in her quiet way. "He also misses you. If I could return him, I would in an instant, my friend. You make for a better vessel than I."
She lets her hand fall as blues start to deepen again in her complexion. Casting a sober look at the group, she says, "The gods we carry...they cannot leave this place. They are bound here for eternity. And their artifacts serve as conduits for their transfer and imprisonment." Silvers mingle in her white curls. "Aoda is gone. Neither Moa nor I know what that will mean, should I perish or attempt to escape the tomb."
Her voice trails off and she rests in silence for a moment. Peaceful bronze highlights push back against the pensive silvers, and she raises her head with dignity and calm. "I say this only so that you may make informed decisions regarding your own gods' artifacts. What I did with the staff is not a ploy we should engage unless there is no other option."
Glimbul humbly nods in response. “With this, it seems things will only get tougher from here on... I think that we should utilize as many of the god items as we can... should we try testing to see if someone can have 2 gods if that is even possible?”
„What are you suggesting? Look for Unkh and Shagambi? I hope you don’t wanna fool around with Papazotlˋs amulet. Worst case is I have to smack you in the head and you stab me in the back.“
"Moa has freely admitted this might be possible, and he is decidedly unenthusiastic about sharing a vessel with Papazotl. As am I." The eladrin's face gains touches of a mulberry hue as she continues. "The iblis is shrewd, conniving, and unwaveringly selfish. Knowing that the gods' personalities seem to change our own, I cannot say I am eager to become my own antithesis just to wield an amulet."
She pauses a moment to let her disdain ebb. "If one of you - which I imagine is either Glimbul or Boosey, given Kubazan's relationship to this god in particular - were to try to handle the artifact, Moa has urged me to give you divine aid for your initial battle with its god. I can do this, if you are determined, but know that it will drain my magical resources further. And speaking of those, I have capability to grant one more person a warding against death, today. I would like to bestow it upon Allister, but I fear it may be more beneficial to cast it on myself, as the group's primary protector and healer. I hate myself for even suggesting it, though."
Nenne nods uncertainly. Her shoulders droop. "I feel so useless to you all," she admits after a moment. "My duty as a cleric is to make death a gentle transition, and to soothe the suffering of the righteous. Since coming here, I have done nothing but fail in both respects. My spells are corrupted, my healing denied, and in the greatest insult and mockery, I have been killed outright twice in as many hours."
She balls her hands into fists. "I should be protecting you, not myself. But I know I must. It wounds me to my core that I continue to fail you."
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Nenne shakes Glimbul awake. "We're running! Go! Now!" She pulls Boosey along, throwing anxious glances over her shoulder when she hears the beholder's unearthly chatter and rage. She gets about ten feet before she realizes she doesn't see the goliath anywhere.
"Where is Lo?!" she shouts to Allister. "Is he ahead of you?"
The gutteral giggles follow the party, echoing down the small hallway, though the sound dies away as the companions put more and more space between them and that dreaded room.
Allister turns around, shakes his head and keeps walking away
"But I just heard him! He said a benediction over me..."
She glances behind her once more as the realization takes hold. Her eyes start to water.
"Come, gnomes," she manages as her vision blurs. "We need safe haven." And she follows after the fighter in heartbreak.
As the party moves away, Boosey's mouth just opens and closes silently and his face is lined with tears. He looks utterly exhausted.
The party funnels out onto the balcony near the lever overseeing the vast pit with floating platforms. Exhaustion runs rampant as the four companions break for a rest. Nenne is eyeing the grotesque bannister when her ears pick up a shuffling coming from the hole in the wall near the group.
Eyes widening in panic, Nenne points to the opening and gestures silently, and frantically, for the group to fall back to the stairway or hide. She grabs Allister by the arm and pulls him with her as she hunkers down. Then she disappears from sight entirely.
Picking up on what Nenne is warning the party, Glimbul maves his hands silently as a wall appears in place of the crawlspace. Confirming his illusion is in place he stealths to the stairs, hiding most of his body. He holds his bow tight in hand ready to get the drop on an enemy.
The shuffling nears the end the tunnel and the party braces for whatever is making the sound. The tip of a sword can be seen poking through the illusory wall. The sword waves about clanging into the side of the passage. Silent as death, and nearly as defeated as such, the party holds their ground. The shuffling rustles about im the passage some more before a gloved hand pokes through the wall. And wiggles it's fingers as if testing the physicality of the wall.
Nenne frowns and exchanges confused glances with her friends before remembering she's invisible.
As the gloved hand explores the illusion that Glimbul put up, Boosey puts his finger to his lips and mouths the word "wait"
Looking carefully at the creature starting to stick out from the hole. Glimbul raises a hand silently in a gesture to wait.
It seems as if the party is on the same page in their tactics. After a bit more testinf the wall, the hand disappears and the shuffling goes back from whence it came.
With the disturbing hand and sword gone, Boosey sits for a while wide eyed and silent. Eventually his gaze moves round the party, Glimbul, Allister and finally Nenne. It lingers on the cleric for a while and he pads softly over to her.
“Nenne?” It’s one word full of questions, and without warning he gives the elf a warm embrace. It doesn’t last long, and Boosey is once again stood in front of her looking a little abashed.
“I thought you were......we all.....poor Lo,” he finishes. “I.....I......that thing. Moa saved us.....you.....he didn’t want to go, but I made him. It was the only way.” His eyes are glistening now.
“I’m sorry Moa, and thank you. What you did saved us in there. Had you not gone we would all have shared Lo’s fate. I am honoured to call you friend, and am sad that you had to leave me for another.” The gnome smiles. “It was worth it though. Thank you again”.
Nenne stiffens at the embrace, as she usually does, but relaxes after a moment and places an unpracticed arm around the gnome. When he disengages, she kisses two fingers and pokes him in the head gently.
"Thank you. Thank all of you. I am only alive because of your bravery and resourcefulness. I do not deserve you, and I love you all deeply. Never have I had finer comrades."
Her smile turns sad as she looks Boosey in the eye, and she cups the side of his face tenderly. "Moa is grateful to you for your words and sacrifice," she says in her quiet way. "He also misses you. If I could return him, I would in an instant, my friend. You make for a better vessel than I."
She lets her hand fall as blues start to deepen again in her complexion. Casting a sober look at the group, she says, "The gods we carry...they cannot leave this place. They are bound here for eternity. And their artifacts serve as conduits for their transfer and imprisonment." Silvers mingle in her white curls. "Aoda is gone. Neither Moa nor I know what that will mean, should I perish or attempt to escape the tomb."
Her voice trails off and she rests in silence for a moment. Peaceful bronze highlights push back against the pensive silvers, and she raises her head with dignity and calm. "I say this only so that you may make informed decisions regarding your own gods' artifacts. What I did with the staff is not a ploy we should engage unless there is no other option."
Glimbul humbly nods in response. “With this, it seems things will only get tougher from here on... I think that we should utilize as many of the god items as we can... should we try testing to see if someone can have 2 gods if that is even possible?”
„What are you suggesting? Look for Unkh and Shagambi? I hope you don’t wanna fool around with Papazotlˋs amulet. Worst case is I have to smack you in the head and you stab me in the back.“
"Moa has freely admitted this might be possible, and he is decidedly unenthusiastic about sharing a vessel with Papazotl. As am I." The eladrin's face gains touches of a mulberry hue as she continues. "The iblis is shrewd, conniving, and unwaveringly selfish. Knowing that the gods' personalities seem to change our own, I cannot say I am eager to become my own antithesis just to wield an amulet."
She pauses a moment to let her disdain ebb. "If one of you - which I imagine is either Glimbul or Boosey, given Kubazan's relationship to this god in particular - were to try to handle the artifact, Moa has urged me to give you divine aid for your initial battle with its god. I can do this, if you are determined, but know that it will drain my magical resources further. And speaking of those, I have capability to grant one more person a warding against death, today. I would like to bestow it upon Allister, but I fear it may be more beneficial to cast it on myself, as the group's primary protector and healer. I hate myself for even suggesting it, though."
„We can all benefit from being saved from certain death. If you feel you need it, go ahead. Nobodyˋs gonna shame you for this.“
Nenne nods uncertainly. Her shoulders droop. "I feel so useless to you all," she admits after a moment. "My duty as a cleric is to make death a gentle transition, and to soothe the suffering of the righteous. Since coming here, I have done nothing but fail in both respects. My spells are corrupted, my healing denied, and in the greatest insult and mockery, I have been killed outright twice in as many hours."
She balls her hands into fists. "I should be protecting you, not myself. But I know I must. It wounds me to my core that I continue to fail you."