Arachne concentrated and turned herself into a wispy outline of the gnome she was. She examined both of the chests, poking her head through them. She even pulled her head back out with no undue effects.
"Money," Arachne said, after solidifying herself again. "Coins, pouches that I'm guessing had gems and such. A book -- no, I wasn't able to see what was written in the book.
"With that inside, I suppose there's an awfully good chance that the chests _are_ trapped, but I can't tell you anything about that. Although, maybe the door alone was considered sufficient.
"I think the story is this: Our evil priest is likely taking us pretty seriously now. He blocked the door to his room after retreating into it and resolved immediately to flee down the tunnel. He regretted having to leave this loot behind, but didn't want to attempt a foray to his secret room to retrieve a couple of heavy chests. We might still have been around and he expected us to find the room and treasure anyway. Since he expected us to get the chests anyway, it cost him nothing to leave the note demanding that we bring them to that glade. But I don't think there'll be any deal offered at the glade if we comply. We can't even be sure that Echo will be there." She shrugged. "But I guess our best hope is that she _is_ there and that Renchifus will use her as bait because he really wants his treasure back."
Aloysius nodded in agreement as Arachne set forth her theory. "Aye, 'twould seem obvious that he did escape down yon tunnel. 'Twould also seem likely that these chests be trapped as well. We shall have to await Rumer's return afore we can know that for sure."
He thought for a moment, his eyebrow twitching somewhat. "Methinks it likely that the black priest shall take Echo with him to the Glade. He will surely anticipate that we will want to verify her presence afore we give him the chests. Once the others return, we shall have to discuss our plan for traveling to the Glade. The only alternative option would seem to be to explore the tunnel, but that would seem unwise."
Lasiar briefly paused while scrubbing to consider the mage's speculation. "I agree with Arachne's thought that Ranchefus left the chest behind because he couldn't carry it. But why would he -thoughtfully- ask us to bring him his own chests and then trap the door to them?" Lasiar scratched his head in thought. "Furthermore, why would he take Echo...only to give her back in a glade...which he will have to travel to...for chests...that he will still end up carrying?" He paused again as if considering his own logic. "Why didn't he just command the orcs to carry the chests and leave Echo behind?"
"The dark priest surely has an idea about our capabilities by now," replied Aloysius. "He knew that we could get past his ward, albeit at a cost of pain and flesh. I suspect that he left the ward there simply because he knew at least one of us would be injured opening the door and we would still have manpower 'enow to bear the burden of the chests."
He stood to stretch his back and legs. "'Tis the orcs, not the dark priest, who seem to have an interest in gathering spell casters. The relationship betwixt Ranchefus and the orcs appears to be one of mutual cooperation, not that of master and servants. Otherwise, Ranchefus would have had included the orcs amongst the keep guards. Ranchefus had to flee the keep quickly, and there must not have been any orcs in the immediate area. That would explain the reason why he left the chests behind."
The mage then released a deep sigh tinged with sadness. "As for Echo," he said as he glanced at Jana, "I suspect he has no intention of releasing her at the Glade. True, we know not for certain that Ranchefus left the note. Howe'er, his human lackeys seemed . . . . . less than literate . . . . so methinks he be the likely author. Verily, the Glade shall be an ambush foul, but one we must face if we wish to free Echo from those fiends."
Etienne looked up at the mage, "Then we should expect Ranchefus and the orcs at the glade. Ranchefus had very few human guards left if any. I suspect that's why he left the chests. The room was probably warded to keep everyone out, including his own men. Ranchefus probably thought that he could weaken or kill one of us with the trap. Then lure us into an ambush, where all the fighters could be killed and the magic users could be handed over to the orcs. It's a win - win situation for Ranchefus and the orcs. Ranchefus has us out of his hair and his gold, plus the orcs get more magic users."
"Indeed," concurred Aloysius in a reserved tone. "I suspect that we shall encounter far more than Ranchefus and orcs at the Glade. The bar patrons we spoke with in Milborn mentioned stories of the Glade being haunted. Ranchefus hast already demonstrated an ability to command the walking dead. I shudder to think what dark force resides in the Glade that may do his bidding. It is noteworthy that he selected a meeting place so far from here. Obviously, he chose it because it provides him with some great advantage. It is also close to the Rock Dale, which Kuiper said is full of orcs. If decide do we that we must venture to the Glade as he demanded, then we must exercise the greatest degree of care and preparation in doing so."
He folded his arms protectively in front of him. "Many terrors have we seen so far, but none so great as what I expect we'll find in that haunted place."
"In that case," Lasiar answered, "we should dissapoint him by not bringing the chests, possibly leaving them in Thurmaster. We are agreed that he will not have Echo with him. I believe that we also agree that Ranchefus will come with swords bared. If we are to get information out of him about Echo's location, it looks to me like we shall have to capture him and force him to give us that information. For even if we give him the chests, it is not likely that he will tell us the truth."
"I disagree," said Aloysius. "Methinks he WILL have Echo there. As I said afore, he will have her there because he will correctly expect us to see that she is present and well afore we give him the chests. He will have some scheme in mind, of that I'm also certain. We must take the chests with us, but we must also be prepared for the worst, for that is what we shall encounter."
Aloysius then turned back towards Arachne. "Small one, once again thy talents have aided our endeavors. If thou hast need of rest, certain am I that we can complete the cleansing of the shrine without you."
Arachne smiled and then settled herself to thinking meditative thoughts...which looked a lot like taking a nap.
Etienne patiently examined the wall between the shrine and the priest's rooms, although he didn't seem to be finding anything.
The remaining five members of the group were finally making decent progress cleaning the shrine. With the body and the random appendages moved outside in the hall for later disposal, the room looked like there was some hope for it.
"How do we know Ranchefus wrote that note?" Jana asked. "I mean, he gave Echo to the orcs. Maybe one of his flunkies wrote the note so he could get ahold of Ranchefus' stuff." She went back to scrubbing. "I don't see how any of this is getting us any closer to Echo," she muttered.
Arachne opened her eyes again. "True," she agreed. "It _might_ have been written by a flunky rather than Ranchefus. But the flimsy evidence we have argues against that: We -- you -- _saw_ Ranchefus retreat into his room. You didn't see anyone else go in there. Of course, someone else _could_ have been in there. Someone else who also knows how to read and write and is permitted in the master's quarters and also retreated down the tunnel... I don't know. I think that a flunky, if he was going to try to cop the master's loot, would chance it himself rather than ask the enemy to co-operate. Ranchefus, on the other hand, would already feel the resentment of his ownership at risk -- and I think he'd appreciate the joke." She shrugged. "You're right, though. It doesn't bring Echo any closer."
"He might've been fresh out of orcs," Arachne suggested. "And flunkies. We have been slaughtering a lot of his servants. And it's sweet of you to assume that he truly intends to complete a deal at the Green Glade, but when you put it that way, you do make it sound very unlikely that a cordial exchange will ever be accomplished. As for the trap on the door, it was always there. I doubt he trusted at all the flunkies that he did have around here. He wouldn't have cared if the trap had successfully frozen one of us. "Actually, the only unmitigatedly useful information in that note is the fact that Ranchefus -- or a flunky of his --" (she added in deference to Jana's point) "-- is interested in the Green Glade. We can hope that the message is because Ranchefus was going there anyway and had another hideout there, perhaps with cart and horse for carrying treasure chests. But it's also possible that Ranchefus has written off his treasure and only wants to ensure our meeting something evil in the Glade. Perhaps he owed the money to a dragon and means for us to deliver it. There are lots of wicked possibilities...not much use in imagining them..." She closed her eyes again.
"You don't think we should bring _some_ chests?" Arachne asked. "I think we should. Best if we could find a couple that look very, very similar -- Aloysius, can you do anything like that? And with traps that aren't the ones that Ranchefus would be expecting. That would be fun -- and useful, too. Knowing what's in the real ones, I don't think he could completely keep his attention off anything chest-like that we brought with us. And anything that would distract his attention is a help to us."
"No, nothing like that," replied Aloysius sadly. "'Twould seem that my magics prove once again insufficient." The mage dropped the rag he was using to scrub with on the floor. He stood up, shoulders slumped and eyes on the floor and slowly walked out into the hall.
"Since the orcs want mages," Jana said, looking up from her cleaning, "why don't we give them one? Maybe we could arrange a trade. After all, Echo's told me she's not even a very good mage. What if we offered them someone who was a really, really good mage in return?" Jana glanced over at Aloysius. "No, not you." She ran her hand through her hair. "Can you guys make me look like a mage? Maybe cast some flashy spell but make it look like I did it? If they think I'm a mage, a good one, maybe they'll trade. And then when you guys have Echo," Jana continued with a growl, "I'll just squish their ugly little heads like grapes."
The weight of Aloysius's impending sadness bore down more heavily upon him as Jana spoke. "Mayhap using Stargazer in trade be not such an odd notion," he muttered almost inaudibly. "Naught but grief and failure have I brought, so mayhap some small redemption could I find by exchanging myself for Echo. 'Tis my fault that she be in the predicament she is now in, so the balance would be restored if I went in her stead. No ruse would be needed - Ranchefus knows already that Stargazer be a mage, albeit a woefully ineffective one."
"No," Jana pointed out, "it can't be a real mage. They'll have defenses up against a mage. They won't be expecting a meek mage to suddenly attack them physically." Jana, rather strong and nearly 6' tall, did not elaborate on how she thought she might appear 'meek.'
"Truly, why are you so hard on yourself Aloysius?" Rennirolas asked. "My brother and my sister, they are both magi of some sort, and I watched as they learned to become one with the weave. It did seem to get easier for them the more they studied, the more they used the magic of Faerun."
"'Why?' you ask?" replied the mage, a tone of anger creeping into his voice. "You have not traveled with us long, stranger, so let me tell thee 'why?'. A mere doorway away was Stargazer when brave Zond disappeared, no doubt disposed of by now in some foul fashion. 'Twas Stargazer who urged good Pug forward just afore he fell to the goblin's blade." By now, Aloysius's eyes were tearing over and his voice was cracking with fury.
"Strongbow stood next to Stargazer just afore he did finally fall to Ranchefus and his thugs. And Echo....", the mage swallowed hard and looked away for a moment. "Echo was lost mere moments after Stargazer refused Ranchefus's offer of surrender. Now she is...Shaundral knows where." He sank to his knees and began to rock slowly from side to side. "All comrades, all dead or taken because I could do naught to prevent it. Janathell frozen by magics foul that I could not detect. THAT is 'why?', elf. Methinks that be far more than enough." With that, he moved to all fours by placing his hands on the ground as sudden sobs began to shake his frail form.
Lasiar sat next to Aloysius and offered him a non-bloodied rag. "I have not the pleasure of meeting either Zond or Pug. I am sure that they were good people. You must understand that it is not your fault, Aloysius, however they left our plane of existence. We all have chosen to walk the path of adventure, for our own reasons, and with that choice came risks. They still come quite frequently." Lasiar nodded towards Jana and her hand. "Grieve that good friends have been lost, but do not blame yourself, for it was their choice to be here."
Aloysius didn't respond when offered the rag. "'Bone-headed dolt', 'cretinous imbecile', 'worthless fool'" he muttered quietly, his face in his hands. "Right he was, as always."
About an hour after the exploration team set out to finish checking out the rooms in the upper level, Kaileer hurried back into the shrine. "Blacky fell through old wood on watch tower. He got up, but Rumer want Lasiar come look at him."
"Hmmm, must be pretty bad." Lasiar said grimly as he stood up and wiped his hands. "Lead on, Kaileer."
On his way out of the shrine, Lasiar added, "Well, let's at least consider emptying the chests first."
