Other than various whispered conversations that sounded much louder than they actually were in the dark hallway, nothing very interesting happened while the others waited for the equipment recovery to be finished.
Between five and ten minutes passed before Rumer, Falgout, and Blacky re-emerged from the room they had gone in. Falgout had added a tunic and pair of boots to his ensemble and had picked up a pack. He had also managed to come up with a sword belt and sheath, but he still held his sword in his hand.
Aloysius stood with Kaileer at the north end of the hallway. "Suggest would I that we proceed to the shrine, so Falgout can commence with the process of restoration. Once we are assured that the area is safe, the rest of us can venture through yon secret door. Even if Ranchefus be not here, that is where the boy said his room is, so there may yet be clues inside."
Rumer turned to look at Falgout, "Um, how long will it take to restore the shrine? Should we try to maybe kill Ranchefus first?"
"The shrine can wait. Ranchefus is the key to all the goals at hand." Etienne was at the rear of the group waiting to get moving again.
Aloysius squinted into the torchlit darkness for a moment until a look of grave concern swept across his face. "Oh my stars!" he muttered quietly. He looked around at the others, perhaps slightly frantic. "Quickly, who has the map?"
"Steve, I think we should listen to Falgout. He knows more than you do about it," replied Rumer, without looking at Etienne.
"And the shrine is on the way." Lasiar pointed down the hallway that they were about to travel. "I too would be interested in destroying this abomination. The priest has a day's head start on us. Several minutes is of no consequence."
"That's fine. You all can stay and clean up the shrine. I'm going after Ranchefus. If I remeber correctly, there was a little girl who kept talking about how she wouldn't be able to go on until she knew Ranchefus was dead. I guess she changed her mind." Etienne moved on to the front of the group.
"How odd, I seem to remember saying that both Ranchefus had to be killed and the altar cleansed. I also seem to remember finding the prisoners given to the orcs being high on my list. What a convenient memory you must have, Steve." Rumer drawled, though her haunted eyes were not amused.
"I don't know much about priests, but destroying Ranchefus' shrine would probably diminish his power. It is bound to at least anger him. Sounds like a win-win situation for us." Blacky said "Anything that puts our foe off balance, gives us the advantage. Wouldn't you agree, Etienne?"
Etienne anger was getting pretty evident, "Fine. You all clean up the shrine. I'm going to Ranchefus's room and look for something important. I have no interests in other gods. I have mine and I serve her. Taking care of Ranchefus serves that purpose. Maybe I can find out where he's going or what he's up to."
Rumer looked at Etienne in disbelief, "And your goddess says to betray all your companions so you can have your own way? I mean, we can't do both? I don't understand why you're so angry just because we want to try and weaken the bastard before we kill him."
"You go by yourself you betray us all. And you likely die. If you call that serving your goddess, then your goddess must want you dead."
Etienne ignored the young woman and prepared to move toward Ranchefus's room.
"Someone stop him," Rumer pleaded.
Falgout watched the unfolding scene with an expression of disbelief that slowly made its way into one of anger to match Etienne's. "And I hope you never feel her displeasure on your shoulders, because you'll find it heavier than anything you've ever believed possible. Keep in mind that I haven't asked for your help, or anyone else's for that matter. The shrine is my problem. If anyone wants to help me, I'll accept that help, but I didn't ask for it. It's not like I asked you to sacrifice your cause for Tyr's benefit.
"And since I never got a chance to answer the original question asked of me, I don't know how long it will take to cleanse the shrine, because I'm not a priest. I don't know these things."
"I'm sorry," Rumer whispered, stricken, "I don't understand all this god stuff. I'll help you. I think we can do both."
"You not know if Ranchefus have more zombie." Kaileer agreed, "We be not strong when seperate, we need stay group."
"I've made up my mind. I'm going. If there are more zombies then I'll do what I can. If I die then I die in the service of Mielikki." Etienne started on.
"Etienne, hold up," Jana said quietly. "Rumer's right. You can't handle Ranchefus alone, and who knows, maybe doing... whatever to the temple will weaken the bastard. I don't give a damn about the gods involved, but if it'll help us, a definite, and hurt Ranchefus, a maybe, then I say we do it and get it done. Quickly," she added with a glance at Falgout. "Let's do the temple, then look for Ranchefus and the orcs, okay?"
Blacky gave up trying to stop Etienne, as the man's mind was obviously made up. "I'll thank the powers that I was never called into their service. From what I've seen the gods are harsh taskmasters." He muttered. "Let's clean up this damned shrine. He's going to have to figure out how to open that door. By that time we may be finished." Blacky stalked toward the shrine, axe in hand.
Rennirolas stood impassivley while the soft spoken argument took place, the hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. "Not all of the divine are as such Blacky," he said smoothly. "But you have said this is a shrine desecrated by a priest of Cryic," the elf said with a frown. "Perhaps with the holy water I do have we might do something, but I am unsure of the procedure for cleansing a shrine dedicated to a human god."
"If we fix shrine, maybe forest grow good around keep. This be evil place, maybe it not be evil place if we fix..." The ranger said with a nod to Falgout.
"The shrine will not take long to cleanse, though sanctifying it to Tyr again will take a priest of Tyr." Lasiar offered. He gazed hard at Etienne. "I do not know if your goddess will care about you walking past a shrine dedicated to Cyric, but Selune would not tolerate me letting his darkness linger. Go ahead and do what you will. Hear my warning--it is a lonely and cold time when your goddess no longer speaks to you, and it is even harder to gain her favor again. Choose wisely."
Aloysius watched the debate between the various members of the party with concern. As Etienne headed up the passage, the mage turned to Blacky. "Eric, Stargazer knows not how to cleanse a shrine, and I can not allow the archer to proceed alone. Dost thou have another torch that I might take so I can accompany him?"
He then looked down the dark hall. "Etienne, wait. Once I have procured a torch, I shall accompany thee."
Etienne stopped and waited for the mage.
"Please don't give him one." Rumer begged of Blacky. "Neither of them should go alone. I think perhaps Ranchefus has possessed Steve and is calling him to his service." Slight tears trickled down her face.
Kaileer's eyes narrowed and he glanced at Etienne waiting down the corridor. "You not have reason say that... but maybe I need put arrow in his leg just so he not go make Ranchefus kill him and Aloysius..."
Aloysius looked oddly at the gypsy. "I see not how that could be the case. Howe'er......" the mage stopped in mid-statement and thought for a moment. "In all likelihood, we shall be no further than the next room. If we have need of aid, thou canst rest assured that Stargazer be quite adept at calling out."
He glanced around. "Does someone have a torch for me?"
Arachne tugged Aloysius's sleeve. "You stay put," she whispered. "I'll go shadow Etienne. I won't need a torch as you do and you all _know_ that I'm not going after him looking for a fight -- nor will I accept it if one is offered. I'm too unreliable to be going to _help_ Etienne. I'll just see what becomes of him." She glanced at Falgout. "I haven't much use for gods, anyway," she said. "They never turn out as useful as you'd wish." She set off after Etienne.
"nor do gnomes," whispered Rumer.
"Don't I know it..." Arachne muttered in reply.
"Ah, very well," replied the wizard, "but don't stray too far."
He looked back at the others. "Well, shall we see what kind of condition this shrine is in?"
Jana glared at Etienne in exasperation. "Sure, get someone else killed along with yourself, that's nice," she muttered.
Kaileer quickly glanced at Jana and opened his mouth as if to comment but thought better of it and returned his gaze to Etienne.
Lasiar studied Etienne and Arachne for a second and then shrugged. "If you need help, call. May Selune guide you through the darkness." Lasiar turned to Kaileer. "I believe you were leading us to the temple?"
Kaileer shook his head. "I not look long at map, we need check other room for enemy, I not want leave zombie or orc behind..."
"If there were enemies in those rooms, they would have come out by now. Don't worry, I'll guard the door to the shrine. There isn't much that will get past this axe." Blacky said shaking his axe and taking up rear guard. "I'd just get in the way in priestly matters anyway."
"Stargazer concurs," said Aloysius. "Let us proceed with the shrine and then to the dark priest's rooms." He looked around at the shadowy darkness. "Mayhap it would be prudent to light another torch. That way, some of us could keep a meaningful watch on the door whilst the others examine the shrine itself."
Etienne and Arachne headed off into the darkness while the rest of the party followed them, for a distance at least, to the shrine.
The torchlight fell eerily through the open doorway of the small temple. A chill ran down the spines of even the least religious among them as they walked in. The first thing that greeted them was the stench, the fetid smell of death combined with the metallic scent of blood and a faint odor of some pungent chemical. What was obviously once a well-cared-for place of worship had been turned into a place of horrors. Two tables on either side of the altar were laden with glass jars and vials, which even from a distance appeared to contain limbs and organs removed from both people and animals. Congealed blood formed brownish-red pools under and in front of the altar itself. A collection of instruments, from scapel to saw, were on top of the altar, along with the disemboweled corpse of some unfortunate who had crossed the wrong person's path. The man's intestines were piled in an unruly heap next to his ravaged torso.
Two corpses of the just slightly more lively variety made their way slowly to the front of the shrine to greet their visitors, heading for the two closest people. One of the zombies made for Blacky, the other for Jana.
"Moons and stars," muttered Aloysius quietly in a disbelieving tone as the light fell upon the contents of the den o' horrors.
Upon seeing the zombies shuffling slowly forward towards Blacky and Jana, the mage took a step back and focused his attention down the hallway to the west just in case something or someone was moving up behind them.
"Here friend," Rennirolas said as he shucked off his pack. He opened the top flap and retrieved a bullyseye lantern and flint and steel. "There are times when the comforting glow of a light is welcome, night vision notwithstanding," Rennirolas smiled.
"Fri---?" muttered Aloysius as he took the lantern from the elf. The mage then took the lantern over to Rumer and the torch so it could be lit.
"Friend, yes. That is what I said," Renn smiled. "It sounds much better than 'hey you' or 'you there wizard' does it not? And companion seemed too impersonal," Rennirolas said plainly as he tucked his long bow away, and drew his longsword.
Aloysius's eyes went wide as he held the lantern. Slowly, the corners of his mouth curled upwards until they formed a ridiculously extreme grin. The mage's eyes squinted from the effort of maintaining this expression and his cheeks reddened slightly. "Yetthh," he finally said while maintaining his visage. "I gueth that it doth."
Rennirolas took in the environs of the shrine with a pained expression on his face, though he looked over the moving corpses once before the elf noticed they *were* moving. He brought his holy symbol up, it's long chain nearly stretched taut, but hesitated.
"Shall we destroy these abominations forthwith, or should I simply attempt to send them away from this place?" Rennirolas asked as the zombies advanced.
Jana smiled humorlessly as she pulled her newly-acquired bastard sword. She held it two-handed and moved to engage the zombie nearest her.
"Destroy them forthwith. If we send them away, then they may attack Arachne and Etienne." Lasiar pulls out his moon's hand and approaches the zombie that is on Jana. "I know you don't need any help, but would you like some?"
"I'd rather re-kill them than you chase them off," Jana replied, swinging her sword. "That way, we won't have to fight them later."
"That's about what I would figure from someone who refuses to let the dead rest." Blacky said turning up his nose at the stench and corruption. He waited for the zombie to come into range of his axe as he didn't want to move further into the room. "This should ease your suffering." He said as he swung.
Even as Blacky spoke, Kaileer stepped aside to get a clear shot, pulled back on his bow and sent the readied arrow at the zombie that was approaching the axe weilder, without waiting to see the results of his shot, the ranger pulled a second shaft from his quiver and fired at the same target.
