Nenne shuts her eyes as a barrage of metallics sparkle in her curls. With a deep and deliberate breath, she plasters a look of self-control on her face and exchanges a glance with Glimbul.
"Get some rest," she tells him. "I will keep watch until you and Allister wake. Then we will decide how best to proceed."
Exhausted as he is, it doesn't take Boosey any time at all to fall asleep. Nenne watches him carefully for any signs of nightmares, but no more come. When the rest concludes, everyone knows it is time to move before things start to move on them. Whatever entity is doing this to Boosey has got to be here in this place. It seems like its effect on the bard is so much stronger then before. One look at Boosey gives anyone the chills. This could happen to any of the other three companions. Are they all destined to widdle away to nothing here in this place? No, would be there answer. Not without a fight. Closer than ever before, they will work through this. Acererak be warned.
When the others awaken, Nenne is sitting cross-legged beside Boosey, one hand on his back. The look she gives the others, and particularly to Allister, is grave and deadened.
"It appears I am your only mage, today," she says, flat. "We should determine what those vials of liquid contain and plan our strategy for today. Taking our...limitations into account."
Boosey sits up staring ahead blankly as the party readies themselves for the day. His gaze falls to each of his companions in turn and he stands up to strap on his gear. The bard suddenly has an idea - a mirthless smile spreads over his face as he dashes for the petrified egg. Nenne barely has time to object as a series of croaks echoes through the chamber. A tendril of slime comes out of the egg in Boosey's hand, but the bard concentrates hard, staring it down. The shadowy form of an eblis pokes out of Boosey to peck at the tendril repeatedly until the thing disappears back into the egg. A real smile forms on the gnome's face as he realizes that he's won the first victory of the day.
The gnome carefully places the egg in a pocket and taps it a couple of times thoughtfully. Even after the rest he is still pale and his eyes haunted as he looks round the rest of the party. Suddenly, he's self conscious as if he has just realised what he's done, and as he turns to Nenne, he withers as her gaze passes over him. Shuffling his feet in embarrassment he tries to answer Glimbuls question.
"It...it makes me feel.....even in this state....it's difficult to describe. Not stronger, that's the wrong word," he pauses. "tougher. Like hardened leather? Does that make sense to anyone?" He reaches down to the place where he stowed the egg and clutches at it, closing his eyes and barely repressing a shudder. As he holds the egg through the pocket he opens his eyes and there is something a little different there. A spark of hope, where there was none previously.
Seeing this, Boosey turns and starts the ritual to cast tiny hut. "You'll be better served without me. I will remain here for the day and rest, it'll be safe enough with the doors to the passage there shut. Come back and rest when you need to."
„So far we have been successful with recovering the first artifact we know of. There is one in Wongoˋs tomb and in IˋJinˋs. It’s that, searching for the mysterious dwarves or going down. Given Booseyˋs state I would think staying already explored areas is the better choice.“
"We should not stray far," Nenne agrees. She pauses a moment. "With our secondary healer out of commission, we should distribute those healing potions we found. Allister, take the largest. You tend to endure the brunt of the punishment."
Boosey places six of the goodberries on the ground by the exit, then continues with the ritual for the hut as the others prepare to leave. Before they go he looks as if he will try to speak to them, but instead completes the ritual. With the hut surrounding him he places his bedroll on the ground and sits on it, staring into nothing.
Nenne re-tightens the straps on her gauntlet and watches Boosey finish his ritual. She patiently waits until he is settled on his bedroll before striding up to him, grabbing him by the armor, and dragging him out of the hut. She releases him only after the magical dome pops out of existence.
"What on Toril makes you think you are staying here, Boosey Sackbut?!" she shouts, looking every inch of her like a colonel dressing down an insolent recruit. "One bad night's sleep and you think you can give up on us?? As if your only utility are your spells??"
She points angrily at Allister. "That man has willingly run into danger with barely any blood left in him!" She points at Glimbul. "That man has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with you in chambers full of magic with nothing but a mundane shortbow! What in the Nine Hells makes you think you get special dispensation just because you are tired?! And if you think you are useless, let me remind you of the ceaseless barrage of my most powerful magics being LAUGHED AT by the gods-forsaken Soulmonger itself!"
She grabs his armor and pulls him in close. "Creatures in this tomb find us. You are not safe here by yourself. And we are not safe without that brilliant mind of yours helping us solve riddles! So get your bloody gear together and prepare to come with us, because I have seen FAR TOO MANY OF MY FRIENDS' CORPSES IN THIS ROOM!"
Allister waits for Nenne to finish her outbreak, shaking his head the whole time. „Are we done here now? Boosey, stop moping and get your gear. Nenne, stop yelling and talking about dead people. You’re both not helping. I’ll leave this room and see if IˋJinˋs tomb is open for business. If someone wants to come, feel free to join me after I checked for foes. Glimbul, give me a hand with the door, please.“ After some time Allister returns. „The way is clear, let’s go.“
Color drains from the bards face, if it could lose anymore from its pale state, but he plants both feet and looks the cleric straight in the eye.
He speaks quietly and almost imperceptibly. “I climbed that rope back there with no hope of saving you, I released Moa though neither of us wished to part, it was like having my s.........something ripped from me. Somehow we survived but lost Lo. I thought we would die yet I still tried.”
He very gently and slowly lifts Nenne’s hand from his armour. “You do not trust my judgment, and there is little I can do to change that, but the only way for us to survive this place is to embrace these gods and their artifacts. I am in no state to fight this day, and I will explore any....ANY opportunity to tip the balance in my favour. There is no other like Moa, and yet I have to choose.”
His eyes glisten, but his gaze on the cleric is intense. “You are the rock that binds us together, I will not allow YOU to perish in this place, but that requires that you trust my instincts, even if you do not understand them. The last thing I wish is to cause you pain, and yet I do not understand why.”
His voice rises and takes on steely determination.
”Know only this, whatever you think of me or believe I have done, I will willingly still climb that rope a thousand times over without a second thought to see you safe from this place.”
”I can only guess at the burden you carry, but we all share it, willingly.” He takes a step back. “Now if you wish I will accompany you. At the very least I may be able to stop you doing something irrevocably stupid. That has to be worth something?”
Nenne's smoky eyes narrow upon the bard. "I trust your heart, storyteller," she says finally. "Papazotl, on the other hand..."
She shakes her head and rises. "Moa and I share deep concerns about his influence on you. We will simply have to be vigilant. Forgive me if it feels harsh, but we both care about you too much to do otherwise." She pauses. "Please come with us. We all need each other, especially today."
She pokes him in the forehead gently, though her mind is slightly somewhere else. As Allister returns, she walks up to him and apologizes for her intemperance. "But you are wrong. It did help me." And she smiles. "Lead on, warrior."
Allister leads the way back to the hallway where peep hole is. The stone block is raised again, blocking all passage into I'Jin's tomb. The Image shown in the peep hole is a serpent now. The eyeballs in the purple mold peer out at all four heroes as they travel along.
„What can I say? I ate those damn things. You wanna now how they tasted? So how do we get this thing to rotate to the next picture? Is there a button or lever?“
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His eyes grow wider, and he whispers one word "Nightmares," slowly. He looks like he may go on, but drops his head into his hands and weeps.
Nenne shuts her eyes as a barrage of metallics sparkle in her curls. With a deep and deliberate breath, she plasters a look of self-control on her face and exchanges a glance with Glimbul.
"Get some rest," she tells him. "I will keep watch until you and Allister wake. Then we will decide how best to proceed."
Exhausted as he is, it doesn't take Boosey any time at all to fall asleep. Nenne watches him carefully for any signs of nightmares, but no more come. When the rest concludes, everyone knows it is time to move before things start to move on them. Whatever entity is doing this to Boosey has got to be here in this place. It seems like its effect on the bard is so much stronger then before. One look at Boosey gives anyone the chills. This could happen to any of the other three companions. Are they all destined to widdle away to nothing here in this place? No, would be there answer. Not without a fight. Closer than ever before, they will work through this. Acererak be warned.
When the others awaken, Nenne is sitting cross-legged beside Boosey, one hand on his back. The look she gives the others, and particularly to Allister, is grave and deadened.
"It appears I am your only mage, today," she says, flat. "We should determine what those vials of liquid contain and plan our strategy for today. Taking our...limitations into account."
Boosey sits up staring ahead blankly as the party readies themselves for the day. His gaze falls to each of his companions in turn and he stands up to strap on his gear. The bard suddenly has an idea - a mirthless smile spreads over his face as he dashes for the petrified egg. Nenne barely has time to object as a series of croaks echoes through the chamber. A tendril of slime comes out of the egg in Boosey's hand, but the bard concentrates hard, staring it down. The shadowy form of an eblis pokes out of Boosey to peck at the tendril repeatedly until the thing disappears back into the egg. A real smile forms on the gnome's face as he realizes that he's won the first victory of the day.
Seeing the activity of the gods again, sparks Glimbul’s curiosity. “Boosey, what does papazotl’s amulet do? Does it help against the possession?”
Nenne stares, open-mouthed, at the bard. Almost imperceptibly, she shakes her head, and she turns away as her eyes start to grow glassy.
The gnome carefully places the egg in a pocket and taps it a couple of times thoughtfully. Even after the rest he is still pale and his eyes haunted as he looks round the rest of the party. Suddenly, he's self conscious as if he has just realised what he's done, and as he turns to Nenne, he withers as her gaze passes over him. Shuffling his feet in embarrassment he tries to answer Glimbuls question.
"It...it makes me feel.....even in this state....it's difficult to describe. Not stronger, that's the wrong word," he pauses. "tougher. Like hardened leather? Does that make sense to anyone?" He reaches down to the place where he stowed the egg and clutches at it, closing his eyes and barely repressing a shudder. As he holds the egg through the pocket he opens his eyes and there is something a little different there. A spark of hope, where there was none previously.
"So where are we going and what is our objective today?" Nenne asks, muted. She addresses this question to Glimbul and Allister.
Seeing this, Boosey turns and starts the ritual to cast tiny hut. "You'll be better served without me. I will remain here for the day and rest, it'll be safe enough with the doors to the passage there shut. Come back and rest when you need to."
„So far we have been successful with recovering the first artifact we know of. There is one in Wongoˋs tomb and in IˋJinˋs. It’s that, searching for the mysterious dwarves or going down. Given Booseyˋs state I would think staying already explored areas is the better choice.“
"We should not stray far," Nenne agrees. She pauses a moment. "With our secondary healer out of commission, we should distribute those healing potions we found. Allister, take the largest. You tend to endure the brunt of the punishment."
Boosey places six of the goodberries on the ground by the exit, then continues with the ritual for the hut as the others prepare to leave. Before they go he looks as if he will try to speak to them, but instead completes the ritual. With the hut surrounding him he places his bedroll on the ground and sits on it, staring into nothing.
Nenne re-tightens the straps on her gauntlet and watches Boosey finish his ritual. She patiently waits until he is settled on his bedroll before striding up to him, grabbing him by the armor, and dragging him out of the hut. She releases him only after the magical dome pops out of existence.
"What on Toril makes you think you are staying here, Boosey Sackbut?!" she shouts, looking every inch of her like a colonel dressing down an insolent recruit. "One bad night's sleep and you think you can give up on us?? As if your only utility are your spells??"
She points angrily at Allister. "That man has willingly run into danger with barely any blood left in him!" She points at Glimbul. "That man has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with you in chambers full of magic with nothing but a mundane shortbow! What in the Nine Hells makes you think you get special dispensation just because you are tired?! And if you think you are useless, let me remind you of the ceaseless barrage of my most powerful magics being LAUGHED AT by the gods-forsaken Soulmonger itself!"
She grabs his armor and pulls him in close. "Creatures in this tomb find us. You are not safe here by yourself. And we are not safe without that brilliant mind of yours helping us solve riddles! So get your bloody gear together and prepare to come with us, because I have seen FAR TOO MANY OF MY FRIENDS' CORPSES IN THIS ROOM!"
Allister waits for Nenne to finish her outbreak, shaking his head the whole time. „Are we done here now? Boosey, stop moping and get your gear. Nenne, stop yelling and talking about dead people. You’re both not helping. I’ll leave this room and see if IˋJinˋs tomb is open for business. If someone wants to come, feel free to join me after I checked for foes. Glimbul, give me a hand with the door, please.“ After some time Allister returns. „The way is clear, let’s go.“
Color drains from the bards face, if it could lose anymore from its pale state, but he plants both feet and looks the cleric straight in the eye.
He speaks quietly and almost imperceptibly. “I climbed that rope back there with no hope of saving you, I released Moa though neither of us wished to part, it was like having my s.........something ripped from me. Somehow we survived but lost Lo. I thought we would die yet I still tried.”
He very gently and slowly lifts Nenne’s hand from his armour. “You do not trust my judgment, and there is little I can do to change that, but the only way for us to survive this place is to embrace these gods and their artifacts. I am in no state to fight this day, and I will explore any....ANY opportunity to tip the balance in my favour. There is no other like Moa, and yet I have to choose.”
His eyes glisten, but his gaze on the cleric is intense. “You are the rock that binds us together, I will not allow YOU to perish in this place, but that requires that you trust my instincts, even if you do not understand them. The last thing I wish is to cause you pain, and yet I do not understand why.”
His voice rises and takes on steely determination.
”Know only this, whatever you think of me or believe I have done, I will willingly still climb that rope a thousand times over without a second thought to see you safe from this place.”
”I can only guess at the burden you carry, but we all share it, willingly.” He takes a step back. “Now if you wish I will accompany you. At the very least I may be able to stop you doing something irrevocably stupid. That has to be worth something?”
Nenne's smoky eyes narrow upon the bard. "I trust your heart, storyteller," she says finally. "Papazotl, on the other hand..."
She shakes her head and rises. "Moa and I share deep concerns about his influence on you. We will simply have to be vigilant. Forgive me if it feels harsh, but we both care about you too much to do otherwise." She pauses. "Please come with us. We all need each other, especially today."
She pokes him in the forehead gently, though her mind is slightly somewhere else. As Allister returns, she walks up to him and apologizes for her intemperance. "But you are wrong. It did help me." And she smiles. "Lead on, warrior."
Allister leads the way back to the hallway where peep hole is. The stone block is raised again, blocking all passage into I'Jin's tomb. The Image shown in the peep hole is a serpent now. The eyeballs in the purple mold peer out at all four heroes as they travel along.
Looking carefully at the eyes looking back, “I hate knowing that thing is watching us right now”
„What can I say? I ate those damn things. You wanna now how they tasted? So how do we get this thing to rotate to the next picture? Is there a button or lever?“