Where To Spend The Night?

Grinding his teeth in frustration at being completely useless in the combat, Jihan occupied himself with training arrows on the guards as the battle progressed from his position where the Padre left him on the staircase up to the wall:

"Could've made that one," he mutters, "close, maybe deflecting it a bit..."

As the battle drew to a quick close, the elf peered down the stairs from his seated position by the door, training keen elven eyes and ears towards any possible disturbances below. All is quiet from within the temple, however.

Seeing the remaining guardsmen well in hand, the elf makes an attempt at standing, but is prevented by a jolt of agony that finds its way through the Lechit painkillers.

"Damn it..." he hisses under his breath, readjusting his weight to take the pressure off of his mangled leg.

As the battle ends, Xavier breathes deeply in the aftermath of his efforts, cleaning then sheathing his sword. His distraction then becomes evident as he turns to glance quickly in the direction of Faewen'il, to see if she is alright.

"Danke Rodengast for dat, ve are victorious," he says. "Fraulein, I hope you are unhurt?"

He then walks over to her side.

"Tha only thin tha be hurt be me sense o common sense. We need ta be leavin this place a'fore we get any worse off. I ha spells tha can get us back in when ye be all ready ta spill yar blood again," Fae says with some bit of distaste as she plucks Kurtek's wand from it's enticing holder.

Not stopping to think what the guards are doing, Gronk brings Regret down on the guard before him. Luckily for both Gronk and the guard, the surrendering guard sees it coming and dodges out of the way of the heavy axe. After one blow, Gronk realizes they are surrendering and stops fighting. He then looks around nervously, finally seeing Thunder lying in the courtyard.

"Who's got a rope, I gots ta get Thunder backs quick like," the dwarf says.

Will aids Gronk by lowering his rope down the wall.

As the bard unfurls the rope, however, Yaz casually wanders into the courtyard and picks up the axe. He investigates it for a moment and then peers up at the other above him:

"Hey, Gronk," he says brandishing the axe. "Is this yours? You don't want to leave it lying around out here, y'know, or you'll lose it."

Yaz then picks up Thunder then walks around the side of the building where he stumbles through the hole, hops over the trap door, and climbs the stairs to meet the others on the wall. He then hands the axe back to Gronk.

Yaz wears what would probably be a smile on his face if his skin weren't swollen, sagging, and ashen gray. His cheeks shine partly with the herbs he has applied to them and partly from the mucus oozing from his pores and the corners of his eyes. Small red dots sprinkle his upper lip and chin, where short, sparse whiskers sit loosely in their follicles. The rot looks to have spread down his neck and chest during only the few minutes he has been separated from the party.

He raises his arm in triumph:

"Showed them, eh? F***ers..."

Meanwhile, Bennett is look at the two guards who are still in before him, still holding their hands up in a position of surrender:

"For all I care, these two can swim for it. I don't know what good information we can get out of them, and we certainly can't leave them here."

He shrugs his shoulders:

"What's it gonna be, gentlemen, a swim in the nice water or a quick death?"

"Please, sir, show some mercy on us," the seated guard begs. "We're just doing us jobs. Just a couple of mercenaries trying to make a living by doing the only thing what we knows how to do."

Bennett smiles with sharp teeth at the fellows:

"We have means of knowing whether or not you are lying, you know? If you don't have any loyalties to these fellows, we'll let you go, when we're done with you."

Winnacer frowns at this:

"You both are complicit with a vast evil. It is your actions that indirectly allow for the enslavement and corruption of other hard working folk within Bohavia. Letting you off easy because you were just doing your job shows moral weakness on both your part and ours. Spravedelna would shed no tears if your lives were taken for your actions."

"However, Spravedelna believes in the power of redemption. Freedom is not something the guilty can earn easily, it is something one must work for. Strive for moral betterment and you will become such. We will offer you the opportunity to prove that you are worthy of our mercy, that you can redeem yourselves for your thoughtless acts that have doomed hundreds of innocents to horrible fates at the hands of your prior masters. We will allow you to join us, to use your knowledge of this place and your experienced sword arms to liberate those you once held captive. Only by freeing yourself of sin shall the path of self-determination be returned to you."

"Spravedelna's mercy is quick and sharp. The road to redemption is often quite painful but rewarding in the end. What shall you both choose?"

Will nods approval at the LawBringer's well said words.

Aneira snorts.

The two guards look at each other for a while, a look of fear on their faces. The seated one finally speaks:

"Errrm .. . so what your saying is that we can either fight with you or you're going to kill us, is that right?"

Bennett smiles:

"You're getting the idea."

The two of them look at each other once again, and the seated one gives a shrug:

"Well, OK, seems a pretty easy decision to make, then. I guess that we'll fight along with you. Doesn't matter much to us who we fight for."

"About what I thought," Bennett continues to smile.

The standing guard scratches his head and asks a little nervously:

"Don't suppose there'll be any money in it for us, will there?"

Still smiling, Bennett offers:

"You are welcome to whatever share of the goods we garner that you earn by your actions."

The two guards smile at each other:

"Sounds a good deal to me. We're no friends of the dirty priests, but don't make us fight against any of our mates. They're a pretty good bunch of blokes, you know."

Bennett turns serious at the two:

"You tell them that they'd better join up with you and bail the hell out of here. We aren't leaving anyone alive here, and is it worth their lives for the measly coins these filthy priests are paying? We won't have you kill them, but trust that we will, and not feel a bit of guilt about it."

"I know I got no use fer cartin' roun' any prisoners," Kokal mutters quietly to Will, careful not to let the surrendering guards hear him. "But a couple o' SCOUTS now ... CHARMIN' ones? ... tha' might be dif'rent, eh?"

Xavier nods his head at the Padre's suggestion. He whispers to the Padre:

"Yah dat is a fine idea. Vhy risk our own necks."

Will whispers back to Kokal:

"We could tie them up tonight and try it first thing tomorrow."

Yaz leans toward the pair:

"Or I could try it now," he says quietly.

His puffy face creases, and a swollen eye squints in what might be a wink:

"If you're nice to me."

Yaz motions for the whirlwind to spook the guards a little more in order to distract them for a moment and then begins to mumble the familiar words to the charming enchantment before gesticulating towards the standing guard. The guard turns round and smiles at the druid:

"'Orright, mate?" he asks.

"Got 'im," Yaz whispers to the rest of the party. "Now what are we going to do with him?"

Bennett shrugs his shoulders:

"I guess we walk into the lab, as that's our plan anyway. Your friend care to join us, Yaz?"

Bennett smiles.

"Ask them how to avoid the traps on this floor," suggests Jihan. "They must move around on it a lot, so they're bound to know."

"Should've asked our friend across the way..." Jihan says, silently cursing himself for his inattention to such details earlier.

"I've got nothing against mercs personally," Jihan comments as the fates of the men are being decided. "Some men and women are only good at fighting, and don't like to think for themselves... We could offer them the choice of simply leaving and promising not to aid our foes, with a little insurance from your medallion, Fae. That or they help us clear out this sinkhole of decay. "

Once the guards have been dealt with, Bennett speaks up to the others:

"Okay, we escaped this unscathed. I know how much you all hate to press our luck, but I think our invasion of the lab has not gone as far as it can right now. The muscle among us is almost totally uninjured. I say we press on, secure the entrance, lock these sons of bitches in, find someplace secure to rest, and make sure nobody leaves. It's chancy, I'll admit, but I am betting that a bunch of disease priests won't try to fight their way out, and if they do, we're defensive and thus at an advantage. Fae's probably still got a spell or two, and I am not interested in crossing the water to give the priests a chance to fortify themselves further or cast some of their nasty spells, set up traps, whatever. The more of this place that we control, the better our position, I think."

He thinks for a minute:

"Then again, even if they do build the place up, Yaz can get us in with another spell easily enough, but then we lose access to all the places we have been already, and I think these are the types to set up all kinds of nastiness in our paths. I say we stay right here and hell, even push further in. If we can secure the staircase with some traps of our own, we may even manage to take out a few of them without hurting ourselves at all. If we take some shots, we can always bail out later. What do you all say?"

Yaz listens to the first part of Bennett's words and gets the gist, then drifts off, cleaning the dried blood off his scimitar with fingernails that are beginning to yellow with rot. When Bennett's done, he shrugs:

"Look, I'm gonna go see if there's any more pits and trap doors around here... Then I'll check for magic. I'm wondering if those statues got anything special about 'em, y'know? After that, I'm with Bennett... I got lots more left in me!"

Bennett looks at the rest of the group:

"Come on people! The more we do now the less we do later!"

"Let's clean out the rest of this floor, then seal 'er up and sleep here," Yaz agrees.

Yaz draws himself up and starts down the stairs, then stops and turns, his finger alongside his swollen nose:

"Oh, I should tell you... That pit, with the pretty purple fungi. You wanna kill them? Maybe we can burn 'em out. I got a fire-chucking spell I can use to do that. It's not just a pit, you know... it's a cage. About 50 feet long, 20 feet wide. The entire south wall is made of bars, with two doors. I'm sure there's a better way down, though. May wanna just leave it."

"If we find the way down to the basement, and there's a door or something, I can put a little trap on it... it should at least give us a warning when they try to come get us while we sleep. Might even kill a few of them. Haha!"

Yaz's teeth show maniacally. It could be a grin:

"One last thing... maybe someone with those water-walking boots could go take the ferry across and leave it on the other side. Might help keep our stuff safe, in case they have another way of getting out."

Bennett nods:

"I like the sound of that, whether we stay or not."

"I'm fer ye idea o' stayin' INSIDE th' walls," the Padre says. "Even if no one 'eard this ruckus an' is already on th' way up 'ere, sooner or later there's goin' t'be a relief shift who'll discover what's 'appened. Then this place'll REALLY be locked down tight, an' we'll 'ave t'fight o'er this same groun' again. An' it'll likely be tougher next time if we give 'em a chance t'prepare."

Bennett nods, smiling:

"Abso-freakin-lutely. The less those priests from below know about us, the better off we are!"

"Long as we c'n find a secure spot fer th' 'ealers t'rest an' get their magicks back ," continues the Padre, "like right up 'ere fer instance, since we c'n easily guard th' approaches ... we c'n get movin' an' get th'captured rescued wit'out 'avin t'go through everythin' we jus' did again."

"I c'n fix Jihan's leg after some rest, but that'll mean I can't do nothin' fer any diseases," Kokal informs the others. "So, mebbe Yaz an' the priestess c'n 'elp out wit that ....... ALTHOUGH...."

'... she seems like we'd rather she keep HER sick 'roun, at least," he says, obviously addressing Aneira, but without directly speaking to her. "T'is one thin' t'not care fer yeself, but ye might 'ave noticed that near ev'ry germ 'roun these scum is contagious. If ye goin' t'off yeself, don' take an'one else wit ye, would ye?"

Bennett glares a bit at the Padre:

"Down a bit on the attitude, there, big guy. No need to be rude to a lady."

Aneira looked at Bennett and sighed:

"As much as you've argued about class structure and how it is so bad, I would think you would not try and elevate mine. I am not nobility nor do I have any desire to be such."

Bennett smiles warmly at Aneira:

"I meant lady as a term of respect, not nobility. You would prefer I called you a girl?"

He continues to smile.

"No, I prefer you call me Aneira or a woman. Not that you'll likely listen to what I say anyway. Lady is for women that have servants to do all their work," Aneira replied.

The smile never leaving his face, Bennett replies warmly:

"And you deserve all that, certainly, but I will call you whatever you wish, dear la...woman."

He finishes awkwardly, still smiling:

"And when have I not listened to you? I...always listen to you."

He continues to smile, but appears slightly hurt by the accusation. He then brightens:

"I just don't always do what you say!"

Aneira seems oblivious to the Padre's words. Finally, she shrugs, as if she is somehow disappointed by something, but no telling what. With a soft murmur, she heals herself of the disease that wracked her.

The Padre ignores Bennett at the time, but after Aneira heals herself, the priest throws a quick nod at the fighter.

"I'm goin t'see 'bout Jihan," Kokal says quickly after making the point, and heading for the stairs he came up.

Stealing a quick glance back toward the ice priestess when he feels no daggers --literal or otherwise -- in his back, something that almost looks like a smile flashes across Kokal's face as he continues to check upon Jihan.

As the Padre checks upon Jihan's bandages and the splint, the elf gives his own thoughts as to how you should proceed:

"I agree with Bennett that keeping right on their doorstep would probably be the best way of putting the priests under wraps, but there are two things I'm worried about. The first: we will be leaving the squires out for the night with whatever sick fauna can stand to be around such decay and corruption, perhaps feeding off of the detritus of their sick experimentation. Two boys who've just barely scratched the surface of a real battle alone with a drunken bard on a cold winter night? I don't much like that..."

Bennett looks at Jihan disbelievingly:

"Of course we could bring them over as well. It's damn cold out there."

"The horses and wagon too, I guess," the elf responds almost to himself, "though I'd be hesitant to have them over here should we decide to torch the place in a hasty retreat..."

"We would have to retrieve the prisoners anyway," replies Bennett. "You think two squires and a few horses are going to make us any slower than twenty some diseased civilians?"

Gronk seems relieved to have retrieved Thunder and joins in the discussion on how to proceed:

"We gots one other problem iffin we's stay 'ere, food. I ain't takin' too kindly ta eatin' food whats been 'round all 'is disease an' stuff."

"Secondly," the elf continues, "we've got to remember that this place is one stinking pool of disease. We've only got so many healing spells, and having to use them just to keep us healthy so that we can fight and cast at our full potentials rather than patching up wounds is going to be a serious drawback. There's no telling how fast acting or virulent the germs in this place may be..."

Bennett creases his eyebrows at Jihan:

"We have no reason to believe we wouldn't be safe in the area that the guards lived in. They only very occasionally contracted anything in months, and we're only staying one night. We have just as much risk crossing the water twice and staying out in the cold and swamp than we do staying here."

"True enough," the elf replies, "but if the GermSpreader came up to investigate, then the priests know we are here, and they did build this place. There may be secret passages and such which we cannot detect that they may use against us. They are spellcasters after all... Unless we have some sort of warding that I'm unaware of, I wouldn't want to spend a night under the roof of their home turf. I think the best we can do for now is just investigate what we can of this upper level and do what we may for blocking off the doors to the stairs down. Knowing the minds of such paranoid types though, I wouldn't be surprised if they've dug out a secret escape route, so it'd probably be a good idea to have someone watching the place during the night. It'd take a long time for them to tunnel down far enough such that the passage wouldn't collapse under the river, but with funds from the Nyemetz, you never know... We can lock up the ferry on the far side, and we'll have to move our camp closer as well..."

Bennett shrugs:

"Those are legitimate concerns, but I fail to see how we'll be in any more danger here than we are outside. We will certainly keep watch, wherever we camp, and if we put ourselves someplace reasonably safe, like the guard's quarters with the nice hole as a back door, then we're safer than we are outside. Even if they flee to the outside, we're still in a better position. Could you imagine what they would do to us if they've got a tunnel out and can surprise us in the swamp? We'd be in serious trouble, I think."

"That's not true," replies Winnacer, shaking his head. "If we decide to camp out within the walls, we give the Nemotz priests time to prepare an ambush upon us, knowing exactly where we are. They could then bring down the full might of their deity upon our injured group from surprise. They would be prepared for us and most likely would be able to slaughter us to a man."

"If we camp outside, it will require them to send out scouting parties to find us. They cannot call upon the all of their personnel simultaneously, as they could if we stay within these walls."

"Our only chance at success lies upon defeating small segments of their numbers at a time rather than taking them all on at once. We have to whittle away their numbers rather than trying to take them with a masterstroke. Camping within the Temple walls is asking for trouble we are not quite ready to deal with. We will be safer across the river. Staying here and trying to sleep will only leave us nearby and vulnerable. I believe it would be quite unwise to push our luck much further today."

At these words from the LawBringer, Will shrugs:

"There are certainly possible dangers to staying, but there is also danger in attempting to retake this ground again if they are prepared for us and know how we did it this time."

Aneira shakes her head, sending bits of blood scattering from her still untreated wounds:

"No. Then we come back and have to retake the same ground over and over getting to the same point and then leaving. We aren't going to camp far enough away that a patrol couldn't find us to begin with. I vote we stay here. Anyone else?"

"I'm still wit Bennett tha' stayin' in now tha' we're 'ere is th' best thin," Kokal says. "We c'n bring the lads and th' old bard if we must, but the guards' quarters wit th' 'ole in th' wall seems a good spot. We c'n defend it fairly easily if we 'ave to, an' we won't freeze outside tonight or 'ave t'fight our way back in again. An', if we bar th'doors leadin down, there shouldn't be too much chance o'anyone sneakin' up on us -- 'least not compared to 'avin' 'em sneak through th' woods."

"It seems foolish to leave here and come back," is all Aneira adds.

Will nods in agreement with Bennett:

"Imagine how difficult it will be to retake this ground with the inhabitants here knowing how we snuck in through Yaz's hole last time. Just imagine how much more difficult it would have been were we still to have surprised them, but had to come in the front door. I agree with Bennett. Send for the rest of the party and we will set watches here on the strategic high ground, out of the freezing weather."

Winnacer looks at the rest of the party incrediously:

"You guys are all crazy. If they don't take advantage of us sleeping under their roof, they are no true menace. Do you all plan on sleeping in your armor? Do you not worry that some staff magical manipulator will toss a ball of flame into this room before we have a chance to react? Do you not worry that a cadre of priests could cast various spells to hold us rigid as they did outside the Temple of Kitry? Again, I must say it is asking to die if we stay here, as I cannot imagine the Nemotz not trying to slay us while we sleep if we let them. There will be no problem getting back into the temple, as it would require too much manpower to guard the entire floor."

Winnacer's face still looks shocked.

"There is no way that I will stay here tonight, as I believe it is suicide. The rest of you can do as you wish, but I will be crossing the river tonight. Losing your life for a just cause is admirable, as long as it is not wasted stupidly."

Aneira looks at the warrior and raises her eyebrows:

"You shouldn't worry too much. It's bad for you. All that you mentioned is 'what might happen'. You could get hit by a meteor on the way back to the other side of the polluted water. Although you do not seem able to catch a disease from the water, which is one less worry for you. I think our best chances lie here, though I am not an eloquent speechmaker like you. Since you will do as you wish despite what the rest of us think, I hope you will now grant us the same courtesy."

"Aye," Kokal says. "An' I 'ardly thin' we're bein' foolish or takin' this thin' lightly."

"We're goin' t' bar th' doors t' this floor, trap 'em even if we can, an' Yaz -- an' mebbe Gronk too? -- c'n fin' hidden ones tha' we might 'ave missed wit'out 'em," the Padre says. "An' we'll post watch while those tha' need it get 'nough rest t' 'eal th' wounded ..."

".... 'cept those who don' WAN' t' be 'ealed, I guess," he adds, his voice seeming tinged with sadness and/or confusion.

"I 'ope ye won' separate yeself, milord. But I see jus' as much risk in leavin' an' tryin' to come back as ye do in stayin' now tha' we're 'ere."

"An' 'stead o'standin' 'roun guessin' wha' the Nemotz might or might not throw at us if we stay -- or even if we were t' go -- why not ask our charmin' frien' 'ere?" Kokal says in a whisper intended to be out of earshot of the charmed guard. "Who'd know better? 'E should know th'watch rota, an' the routine 'roun 'ere, an' 'ow many more Germspreaders might be 'bout, 'ow safe 'e thins we'd be in th' guards' quarters fer 'ow long....."

"'Long as we're goin' t' be arguin' anyway, let's 'least 'ave some facts t'argue wit."

Bennett shakes his head as he looks towards Winnacer:

 "And once again no opinion other than yours is valid, huh, Winnacer? I say fare well to you. Sleep in the cold if you want. That'll save us some work, in any case, as you can keep your serv...squires with you and the horses, though I'm sure they'll freeze to death while your god protects you from such. Not my concern, though I'll be bringing Maire across the water myself. I say that your perspective is wrong, and we are in no less danger and considerably worse position if we stay out there. How do you think our magicians will memorize their spells or even sleep out in the freezing cold? Here we are strong, with a built-in escape, and the trapdoor room will serve as an adequate protection against attack, as it should provide us with a way to detect an attack. Oh, and I'll remind you that those with the power to affect the weather, and the healers, are all staying. Good luck to you, and those who go with you."

He waves his hand dismissingly:

"Xavier, do you not think that Fae is safer here than across the water? Fae, won't it be easier to memorize your spells where it's warm and dry? Gronk, we could use your expertise with stonework to rig up some traps for the priests. Wouldn't you rather stay here than out there? Come on people. Perhaps we will get attacked, but aren't we in a better position here than we are coming back in here tomorrow? For once, let's work together from common sense, not bull-headed stubbornness."

Fae simply shrugs.

"I be havin a new spell tha be takin care o me comfort an security," she says with an indifferent tone.

"I na be stayin whar I can be catchin some disease or be jumped on by priests or be surprised by tha other guards... or be attacked by tha fungus tha got Yaz far tha matter."

Bennett shrugs:

"As always, Fae, you will do as you choose, and I would not venture to say that anyone's opinion is foolish just because it isn't mine."

He pointedly stares at Winnacer, then looks at Xavier:

"Xav, old buddy, perhaps you could make sure that one of you keeps an eye on the lab so that if we need help, at least I can give you a signal? That way, if we happen to get swamped, you guys might come to the rescue? Of course, it wouldn't happen if we had your help in the first place, but I guess that isn't going to happen."

"I can watch in the freezing weather. In fact, I'd prefer it," comments Aneira.

"We'd still be in danger here," says Jihan, shaking his head, "if they had any secret passages to pull a trick on us. I could just imagine them sending some cloud of disease or whatnot to poison our food or kill our animal brothers and sisters while we slept, despite a watch. All they'd need is a crack in the floor... just enough for a GermSpreader to breathe through. Staying here will probably be best, but it'll mean a couple hours of tough work for you warriors lugging our stuff across on the ferry while the dweomermeisters rest, pray and study. Telqui and Vanesse won't much like it over here, nor Nainie, but I wouldn't want to leave them unattended on the shore by any means, nor the others."

Bennett shakes his head:

"Nah, if the warriors leave while the rest are praying and studying, that's when the priests will strike. If we take the ferry over, retrieve the horses and the squires, and return, it'll take all of about half an hour, and I don't think we can afford to split up for longer than that. In fact, only a couple of us should go and do that, as the squires can carry as much as we can, and there isn't that much stuff to think about here. We can't leave the magic-users unprotected for even a few minutes."

"Sleeping under the roof of your enemy..." the elf mutters, echoing the old cliche with a slight shake of his head, "Still..." Shrugging his shoulders awkwardly again, Jihan peers around at the rest for opinions on the matter.

Bennett looks about:

"It seems the opinion of the group is for the cliche, though. Hopefully it will all work out, even without Winnacer."

"I says we finishes out 'is floor so we knows what da layout is, lock all 'em doors 'at goes down, 'en 'ead back out 'cross da river," Gronk comments. "We could move camp closer an' keep da barge on our side o' da river."

Winnacer listens to the small debate about what to do next for a minute before adding his own thoughts:

"We certainly seem to be well able to finish out this floor. But it would be most prudent to do as Gronk suggests, lock down this floor and head back across the river to rest. We should be able to enter this facility without too much problem tomorrow, as I would imagine that the disease priests have already chosen to set up to fight us on the lower levels. With all of their guards incapacitated, they would be best served by sitting back and fighting us on familiar territory. Trying to hold the walls with their reduced numbers would give us a great advantage in dealing with them. We should assume that they are just going to dig in at this point and cause us much grief tomorrow."

"Tis why I believe it better to cross the river and get some thorough rest. We'll need it come tomorrow. We also may have some equipment on the other side that may come in handy during this exploration. The lances would make excellent probes considering we have no other particularly long weapons on our persons."

"There is no point in sleeping within these walls, if you believe that you could sleep at all here. But we should finish scouting out this floor before leaving, including torching those fungi."

When the others bring up their beliefs that the party should camp across the shore, Bennett looks at them with confused disbelief:

"So you want to sleep in the cold out there across the swampy water instead of in the guard's quarters, which are assuredly safe? If the squires and the drunk are a problem, then we send the ferry across and bunk them down as well. Yaz can find all the traps, and I'd venture to say if any of the priests come upstairs, we can cut them down. To think that they will stay downstairs all night, that's foolish. They'll be up here setting up nastiness for us, unless they are fools themselves. These are disease priests! You think they can't make things downright miserable for us? And the less space they have to do that, the better off we are! I really don't understand going back across the water and allowing them to redefend themselves. That's just stupid, no matter what perspective you are using."

Yaz shrugs:

"OK. I'll help torch the 'shrooms no problem, but we should worry about the smoke that'll spread through the basement pretty quick. It might draw them out sooner than we want. Or maybe that's a good thing. Let's find the basement stairs before we torch anything, then we can stand watch. Does anybody have oil they wanna waste?"

While the others are discussing how to proceed, Aneira casually advances upon the last uncharmed guard. When she sees that he has his back turned towards her, she starts to cast towards him. As she finishes, the guard turns round and smiles at her:

"Is there anything that I can be helping you with, milady?" he asks.

Having decided to investigate all of the first floor before calling it a night, they walk back along the wall and descend the stairs until they are standing back in the center of the temple's entrance foyer.

"Before any more of us go dropping in on the fungus, or get into any different type of trouble, then let me check for any more pits," suggests Yaz.

No one disagrees and so the druid takes hold of his holy ganja and starts to mumble an unheard incantation. Upon finishing the casting, Yaz puts his hands out before him and slowly begins to rotate on the spot. Once he has made a full circle, he drops his hands to his side and reports his findings:

"Yup, lots of pits," he reports. "We know about the one that I fell through, and there's another one at the same point in the corridor on the opposite side. Then there are more pits in front of both doors."

"There's one in front of that door over there," Yaz says pointing towards the large double doors to the north of the party, "and a large one in front of the main entrance. That's all."

Bennett grabs a torch and charcoal mark the outline of the pits that Yaz's magic has detected, making sure that everyone in the group is paying attention.

"Should I trigger the pits, Jihan? It might be better to see what they contain?"

Gazing towards the area of the pit Yaz fell through before from his Radegastian crutch, Jihan gives his opinion on the fate of the fungal abominations:

"I think we should leave the beasts for now. No need sending smoke signals down to the priests if they think they're secure, especially as we'll be leaving them for the night. We can just as easily deal with them tomorrow, though I might fear the Nemotz relocating them to places that might interfere with our entrance. Perhaps it would be best to deal with them now... Between the Padre and I, we've got plenty of oil."

Attempting a one shouldered shrug, the elf sighs at his own indecision.

Bennett shrugs.

"That cage down there was big according to Yaz," the elf replies. "Most likely they all drop down to it. I wonder if the priests could get up through them? Maybe some beds on top after we bar the doors..."

"That's a good idea, Jihan. Bit of a surprise for them if they try it, huh?" Bennett smiles at Jihan.

"Perhaps it would be interesting if we could pull them upwards," suggests Winnacer, "perhaps with lassos and leave them by the stairways and doors. It would make any of our enemies pay for trying to find us. I'm not sure how feasible this is though."

"If you want to haul those nasty bastards up there, you're on your own," Bennett smiles.

"They can move," Yaz responds. "Not too fast, but they can. I hate to kill them, but once we clean out this place, they'll have no food, and we got no place to move them, 'cuz they live underground. So we either kill them or leave them. I'm with Jihan... let's leave them, they're no threat to us anyway. And smoke'll alert the priests."

Bennett nods:

"As long as we know about them, I don't see how they can be any trouble to us, and killing them with fire at this point would alert the priests unnecessarily. I think we need to wipe them out before we go, though."

"Onto the next one now," the druid continues. "Let me see what's magickal around here."

Bennett interjects:

"Hold on a second, Yaz. Keep your spell in the holster for a second. Can you guys give me a hand?"

Gronk, Winnacer, the Padre and Xavier all nod in agreement. The five of them all walk back to the western wing of the building and out of the hole that Yaz made in the wall. They then head over to the site of the battles against the guards and their leaders. It takes several trips to get all of the armor and weapons inside the building, but it still doesn't take too long, as it is not far to go.

While the others are carrying the weapons inside, the Padre concerns himself with the bodies of all of the guards, save for the GermSpreader. He fills their clothes with small rocks and stones in order to weight them down and then, one by one, proceeds to hurl them into the water of the lake so that the bodies cannot be seen from either back of the river.

"Back t' th' muck wit ye," he mumbles as he works. "Ye scum should be right at home in there."

Once the majority of the arms and armor are inside, Winnacer asks Jihan for the use of a couple of vials of his oil and then returns outside in order to see to the corpse of the GermSpreader. Very carefully, he strips the corpse of its armor. The sight as he does so is truly sickening, as the rest of its body matches its face in that it is home to countless hordes of maggots, lice and other insects that crawl in and out of the putrid, broken and scarred flesh that seemed to have only been held in place by the GermSpreader's platemail. Winnacer offers his thanks to Spravedelna throughout the ghastly exercise, knowing that his Lady's blessing is the only thing that is stopping himself from becoming wracked by disease.

Eventually the grisly deed is done, and the GermSpreader's corpse has been separated from the plate. Winnacer then pours a couple of flasks of highly flammable oil over the corpse and then sets light to it. The corpse goes up in flames with a satisfying 'WOOOFFF'. The young Lord watches the blazing body for a moment to ensure that it is truly burning. Satisfied that there is no way that the body could survive the conflagration, Winnacer then hauls ups the platemail and then takes it and deposits it in the ferry. He then returns to the entrance hall of the temple, where he finds that Gronk, Bennett and Xavier have collected all of the arms and armor of the wall guards too and have arranged it in a circle around where Yaz is standing.

As he sees that all are reassembled and all of the weapons have been laid out before him, Yaz once more grasps his holy weed and then begins to cast once again. This time the ensorcellment takes him longer and he spends a full minute uttering the incantation and gesticulating wildly. He then, once more, begins to rotate from his position in the center of the room, although at a much slower rate this time. It takes him a full six minutes to complete the circle, after which time, he gives a little shrug:

"Nope, not a lot of magic around here in the building. The only thing that's magickal is the main entrance door, and we knew that already. These statues are nothing but statues."

He then turns to look at the weapons:

"Same thing goes for the weapons, more or less. The GermSpreader's scythe, now that's magickal. The lieutenant that led the first group of guards at us, some of his stuff is magickal too. His chainmail is showing signs of magick, and one of his shortswords is too."

Bennett grabs the shortsword, tossing it to Jihan without a word.

The elf catches the proffered sword with his free hand, similarly mute. Twirling it about in a few quick practice circles, he looks closely at the blade for any distinguishing markers.

"Thank you brother," he says finally, "perhaps one of the boys could give Todtaenzer a good home..."

Xavier looks up at these words.

"Jihan, I be meaning to be asking for months. Vhere did you get der name for your blade? It is most Teutonic in origin If you be happy to offer it, I vould like to accept it on Tadeus' behalf. It be a quality weapon, of less cruder make than der blade he currently has. And vith such a name vhat could be more suitable for a Teutonic Knight's squire."

"A habit I picked up from my uncle, in my time with him," the elf replies. "He and my father once traveled around a lot before settling into their duties as Warders on Shumava's southern borders. It must have been many, many years ago..."

Pausing, the elf draws out the blade in question, spinning it once on the custom-made finger loop.

"It is the custom of elves to name their bows and blades, as we spend so much time getting to know them... But it has become somewhat of a tradition in my family on my father's side to give their blades the names a Saxon would give them. Long before I was born, during the time my father his brother were exploring the borders of the younger Bohavia, meeting the 'neighbors' as it were, they wandered into another young land, where Saxony would be today. Raiders from the east were travelling far that year, and the High Warders of the lands were fearing an invasion. Be that as it may, they came across a Saxon farmer whose holdings had been razed and family killed... The man had been crucified, with his legs smashed and his gutted and dismembered family littering the ground in front of him..."

Pausing to swallow and shake his head at the atrocity of it all, the elf continues:

"My father was Touched by the Lady, as I am, and was known as a skilled healer. With the blessings of Prirodna and some fortified elven spirits, the man was put back on his feet after a few months. The thing that surprised my father and uncle the most was that the man was clear of mind and pure of intent, even after what had been committed upon him. 'War,' he once said, 'is a sport of thinking. Animals fight because they know not what else to do, but thought can eradicate where fighting only wounds. Wounds fade away, but thoughts can become alive and change the world. If you forget how to think, you become nothing but an animal who wounds out of habit. There is rightness and glory in a thinking battle, and my family deserve no less from me. My own hatred and loathing are pains I harbor deep inside, but they will not cloud my purpose or force my hand when a more complete victory is possible. I am the master of my own destiny...'"

Pausing again, the elf sighs:

"A wise man, that Hermann was. He fought and traveled with my father and uncle for many years, working to eradicate the powerbase of the raiders who had plagued his country, raising his own army, so I heard. A man of Radegast and Kitry both, he was. When he died, it was out of their great respect for him that my father and uncle named their blades in the Saxon fashion, to remind them that there was thought involved in their use, not just brute force. So was I gifted Langzhan, Long Tooth, by my uncle when I came of age. 'Twas my father's blade, and very ancient... So too have I named all of my weapons in this fashion, from my Zahnen, the Teeth of Weitbeissen, the Far Biter, to the lost Link and Recht, my Left and Right hands, to Todtaenzer here, Death Dancer. It was only out of respect for the passed elven warder in Boscobelous tower that I named Makanuru in the elven fashion as I did. It is something I would teach my children, if ever I am blessed with them, some day. Think, act and live," he concludes, quoting off his oft used devotion to the Three.

"So she holds a lesson as well, fit for any squire. Take her to him with my blessing, brother, and tell him these things behind her name..." the elf says, handing the blade hilt first to the warrior and putting the unnamed sword in its place.

Xavier listens with a solemn face at the tale, his heart obviosuly touched by the elf's words:

"Danke, mein freund. Strange der world in vhich ve live. That again, after the passing of some much time, a son of Saxony and a son of der forest are united. As your ancestors honored Hermann, the son of the soil of Saxony, so shall I honor the gift you give to me. Tadeus shall be taught its history, an important lesson in the comraderie of arms, and of forgiveness. Sadly, forgiveness is not a common trait amongst mein people. That Hermann could find such in his heart after such horrors, commited on him and his family, indeed makes him a great man."

Bennett then turns toward Xavier:

"Looks like you've got some new armor, big guy, if you want it."

He then looks over at Winnacer:

"Can you put it together with the scythe on the boat so that we keep them together?"

The Padre picks up one of the longbows and a quiverful of arrows and puts them both over his shoulder:

"Jus' what I be needin' to be practicin' with," he says.

"Fine," Winnacer says. "We have dallied here long enough now. Let us quickly find out what we can about this level before we decide what our plans will be for the rest of the night. Will, will you care to do us the honors?"

Will readily agrees:

"Very good. Let's start by seeing what's behind those two large double doors ahead of us."