Move 293: Sorting Treasure
Grell Nest--Midday, Day 26 (Marpenoth 11)Renn left the cavern to check on Echo. Arachne announced her intentions to wait with Azrun and Echo down the tunnel. Blacky and Olaf were still where they had fallen in the cavern. After a couple of minutes, Renn came back and cast a healing spell on Jana.
Aloysius and Jana began sorting through the treasure. There was enough coin to be counted to pass the time for quite a while. There were two scroll cases and two unbroken flasks among the stuff. Once the sorting started, it became clear that the various bones must have belonged to a considerable number of creatures that the grells had killed at some point or another. Some of the skeletal parts seemed to have belonged to creatures similar to Arachne in size, while a number of others were closer in size to the rest of the group. Along with the mundane equipment that was scattered around, there was a collection of weapons, swords of differing sizes, a few blunt weapons, and a bow or two. Some of the remains still had armor, but it was nothing heavier than the members of the group already wore.
Jana paused in her treasure-gathering to laboriously drag Blacky and Olaf over to where she'd left Echo and Azrun. She returned and haul the bags of loot into the same area. She explained, "This area's more defensible. Since we can't really leave right now, let's hole up here for awhile. We can open the cottage in the larger room later, when the others are all awake. And we need to take watches. Aloysius, why don't you take first, then wake me up when you're sleepy, and I'll wake up Renn when I'm sleepy. We'll just go in that rotation 'til the others are up. Arachne can join in too, when she's rested. I'd like to retreat to where we were camped before, but I'm guessing that'll take awhile before we can get a portal up." She returned to the treasure-gathering, separating any weapons or armor that looked particularly well-made from the others and brining them to the loot-sorting area. "Hey, Aloysius, can you check this stuff over for magic?"
"Not just now," replied the mage as he looked up from his study of the various items. He took the 2 scroll cases and put them in his pack. "I'll look these over after we get settled in," he explained. He also did whatever he could to help Jana get the unconscious party members, and the bags of loot, moved to the new campsite. "We should also leave the potion vials out. I will try to identify the magic items after I have rested. If we have any pearls in the cottage, I will need one or two so I can do that."
"If we rest in an area with only one passage of ingress, Stargazer can create a web spell in the event something approaches. That will at least provide us with time to determine a course of action."
He looked over at Renn. "I shall watch for a while and then get you, as Janathell hath suggested. Suspect do I that it will be some time afore we are ready to move again."
Aloysius sat down where he could get a good view of the passage and began looking at the two new scrolls that had been found.
"All right," Arachne said. "I _can_ rest with my eyes open and, you know, shout an alarm if something's coming. It's called meditating. That's besides sleeping. And, um, I don't remember just how far back the previous campsite was. That might be too far to use the doors to get to. I could teleport with one or two people at a time, I guess."
It was frequently hard to tell where the invisible gnome was, since she was invisible and not moving much on account of the resting. But she seemed to be lurking all the time at the infirmary.
It took Jana some time to move Blacky and Olaf the hundred or so feet to the area down the tunnel where Azrun and Echo had been moved. It took several additional trips to move the coins, jewelry, and gems since all of them would not fit in the bags available. Aloysius moved the flasks and the scroll cases, then sat down to look over the scrolls. Jana went back again to sort through the weapons and armor, returning with some things that looked like they might have been more worth taking than the rest of the stuff left around the pillar.
While Arachne was doing her own thing, the others alternated between watching the area and counting coins. After about six hours had passed, most of the coins were counted. Azrun, Blacky, and Echo all began to stir. They were awake, but none of the three looked like they would be up to moving very far. Olaf remained unconscious.
Jana abandoned the pile of coins she'd been counting as she noticed the three begin to stir. She jingled a bit, still in her armor. Her clothing was stained with dried blood and a bit singed in places. She moved over to kneel beside Echo and said quietly, "Echo? It's okay; you're safe. We got 'em."
Jana's eyes flickered over to the other two. Once they all seemed alert, she raised her voice a hair and said, "We killed that mage grell, but we couldn't fall back. We're in the cavern next to where the mage grell was. In a little while, we're opening that cottage thingie to store all this stuff we found. Be thinking if there's anything we wanna take out besides food and water. Oh," she added, glancing at Aloysius, "and oil. And then I want to move to a more secure position." She glanced over at Olaf, then to Renn. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"Indeed, although I'm surprised he hasn't come around as the others have already," Renn said, a curious look on his face as he pushed himself to his feet. "He and Azrun were the last of those caught in the tentacles to receive healing, so perhaps the healing prayers I had left at the time weren't enough to do more than keep Olaf from slipping away. But," Renn continued as he smiled broadly, "I'm sure he'll be up and about soon.
"I'll want to get some, if not all, of the holy water we've got stored in the cottage out when it's opened," Rennirolas added as he began to slowly work his way through the wounded, though he looked to be in little better condition then they. He checked bandages and poultices, changed them when necessary, and grinned throughout the entirety. "Nothing serious, nothing permanent," Renn nodded assuredly, "once I perform my prayers, I'll start getting everyone in better shape."
"Right. The cottage," Arachne's voice said. There was a pause and then the cottage appeared on the ground in the middle of the group. "That will be before we move anywhere, I suppose. Jana, I guess you'd rather that I concentrate on the move rather than patching people up?" There was another pause. "What would a more secure position look like? Would you like me to go look for one? I don't want to open up the whole scouting debate over again, but all my arguments from before still apply. Oh: I _think_ I could move up to 4 people to the more secure position, once I know where it is. Two in the traveling compartment that Azrun used for the shopping trip to the surface -- Azrun, do you think that two could fit in there? I'm pretty sure of that, since I brought back you and also a bunch of supplies. Anyway, I could also bring two others holding hands while I teleport -- if they're feeling a little claustrophobic about the idea of that compartment. Bringing along someone else when I teleport is a lot more work than just teleporting myself (and the compartment) but it would mean being able to move more people at once. What's your wish, Jana?"
"Yes," Jana replied. "We're right at the edge of unexplored territory. I'd like to get us to someplace a little more safe if we have to spend days resting. I mean, Renn can probably cast s'more spells soon, but Olaf's out and then Renn wouldn't be outta spells. We'll need two days, at least, before we're ready to move on, right?" Jana looked to Renn for confirmation.
"If not three days," Renn nodded. "I'll devote all my attentions to healing prayers until everyone's well again, and once Olaf awakens he can lend his assistance. But," Renn grinned as he looked around at the lacerations, bruises, and bone-weariness everyone showed, "the way we look, I think three days all the
more likely.""So you want to retreat as soon as possible to our previous campsite and then stay there two or three days recuperating before we go on...yes? Was the cottage going to be opened before or after we got to that theoretically safer campsite?"
"Probably here," Jana replied. "I can't remember if it was big enough back there to open it or not, but we know it's big enough in the next room."
"What about where we were before we came here?" Jana asked. "It's not so far we'd have to use your doorway once everyone's feeling better and there'd be no scouting needed. Can you do that doorway thing there? I mean, that other way you were talking about, that leaves three people stuck walking, doesn't it? I don't wanna get us separated." She looked around at the others. "What do you guys think?"
"I think I'm confused," the gnome's voice sighed. "I can teleport. That's in a blink. Now, I'm here and now, I'm there. I can go almost anywhere I can think of, no matter how far away, provided I can think of it pretty clearly. And, by preparing with a sort of dimensional pocket, I could take about half the party with me. I can, instead, open the glowing doors. Those, I have to keep more close together. But I can leave them up long enough for everyone to get through them -- except when I mess up and get too tired and they disappear too soon. I think the other campsite you were thinking of is further away than my glowing doors can reach.
"I also think we might just as well stay here as withdraw to that other campsite. My guess is that they're about equally safe. This side tunnel is short and fairly easily defended or watched. It's also defended by the reputation of the grells: Other inhabitants of this area are likely to stay away from here until they figure out that something has happened to the grells. We'd be more likely to have something nasty wander into our restcamp at the other location than here.
"I don't disagree," Jana said as she wiped her hand over her face, "but I'm worried about those grell we killed attracting things, you know? But Olaf's still out and Azrun and Echo and Blacky aren't in any shape for a hike. Hells, I'm in no shape for a hike. So looks like we stay here."
"If you're worried that there might be surviving grells who are preparing a counter-strike, I _could_ go have a look at the other exits from the big grell's chamber -- just a short ways. Invisible and ready to teleport back if I run into trouble. At least, I _think_ I'm still invisible." There was a pause. "Looks like I am... I know the last scouting didn't go that well, but I'm still not sure whether that was because grells can see invisible gnomes naturally or because the grell mage knew to set sentries who'd been equipped to be able to see invisible gnomes."
"No," Jana sighed, "I'd rather not risk it. I mean, if something goes wrong, we can't fight 'em and I don't want to take the chance of alerting anything that we're here. Maybe that'd be a good thing before we're ready to move out, but right now," she said, shaking her head, "I don't think it's our best move."
"All right," Arachne's voice said, sounding slightly disappointed. "But I'm ready to do _something_." There was a pause, and then, from beside Olaf, she said, "I guess, until the experts revive, I can work on patching people up." As much to herself as to Jana, she added, "And if I work on patching up the experts, then maybe they'll be able to patch up everyone else that much sooner..."
Nothing noticeable happened (except, perhaps, to the god-called), the invisible gnome still being invisible. After a short while, one of the light stones disappeared, though its glow remained. The sentry may have been slightly startled, a moment later, when a soft, breathy voice murmured in his or her ear, "I'll be sitting in the middle of the glow, meditating. I won't be asleep -- I hope. You can come get me when it's my turn to watch. I can meditate and stand guard at the same time, honest." The sentry might've been startled, but, even in the middle of enemy territory, probably not. The party had had an invisible gnome around for days, now, and had mostly gotten used to it. It wasn't really that much different from having a benign poltergeist.
Some time later, Arachne's small form reappeared in the glowing space she'd occupied between a couple of backpacks and a pile of treasure. She'd learned long since always to set up for herself a sort of nest to occupy if she wanted to sleep or meditate or simply sit still awhile. If she was out in the open while invisible, she was sure to have someone stumble over her before long. She looked a little battered -- bruised by swatting tentacles, most likely, certainly not by any accidental Big Foot. Nothing like that had happened lately. She had no open wounds, though; she seemed not too badly off.
After a while longer, the gnome got up and visibly went through her usual routine of invisibly but noticeably moving through the campsite. This involved scuffing her boots along the ground and snapping her fingers when her hands were free. It also involved forcing herself to watch for moving Big People much more than she was accustomed to. It also made her look wary, as though she were a wild creature, only somewhat tamed and made the camp mascot.
"And pearls," added Aloysius to the list of things that might have needed to be retrieved from the cottage.
He looked over where Jana was speaking with Echo. "Echo had some earlier, I believe, but Stargazer knows not if she has them or if they be stored in the
cottage."Aloysius moved over to where Renn was. Assuming the elf wasn't in reverie, he handed him the two scrolls. "Rennirolas, these both be priestly formulae. Know
not do I if any of the incantations can assist the wounded."The sight of all the coins and other goodies had made Aloysius's eyes grow wide. "Stories have I heard of such hoards, but ne'er did I expect to see such bounty. 'Tis a mixed blessing as we have recovered it only due to the deaths of others and the suffering of those in our own group. Resolved must we be to dedicate its use to the bestowment of boons 'pon good people everywhere."
He thought for a moment.
"'Tho a cottage on a tranquil lakeside would be nice, too. Surely such a place couldn't cost THAT much . . . . "
Jana smiled a bit wistfully. "Yes," she agreed in a hushed voice, "that would be very nice."
Echo groaned and sat up slowly. She nodded at Jana, giving her a small smile. She listened quietly to the others discussing where to go.
Jana put her hand on Echo's back, steadying her as she sat up. "Do you need anything? Some water? Are you hungry?" She looked off at nothing in particular and said, "When Aloysius got rid of that cloud of crap and I saw you lying there, I thought--" She swallowed hard and turned back to Echo, a cheerful if not terribly convincing smile on her face. "But it's okay, everyone's safe now. And damn, there was a lot of money and stuff in there. We're all set once we rescue those folks and get outta here."
Echo replied, "A drink of water. Anything I eat might come right back up," she grimaced. She smiled at Jana's look and nodded painfully.
Jana looked around for a waterskin then stopped as she saw Aloysius had already taken care of that. She nodded to him as he gave Echo the water. "Get some rest," she suggested. "You were hurt really bad. In a little while, try to eat something so you'll get your strength back, okay?"
Jana looked around and finally with a resigned sigh, pulled off her chain mail. She took a moment to wet a rag and wash up a bit then pulled on the studded leather armor she'd been wearing while sleeping. She started cleaning the chain, a nasty job what with all the dried blood and grell gore. "Aloysius, you gonna sleep now or should I?" she asked. She looked a bit haggard.
"Perhaps you should first," suggested Aloysius. "Then, when I have the chance, mayhap I can sleep long 'enow to regain some incantations."
"Okay," Jana said. She grabbed a blanket and settled down near the mouth of
the cavern, between it and the others. She curled up, clutching her scabbard with it's sword to her chest. She put her head on a pillow fashioned of some wadded-up clothing and her shield. "Don' let me sleep too long," she murmured right before she drifted off."Don't want to make her sleep too little, either," Arachne's voice murmured softly. "_I_ think that having her sleep until she wakes up would be about right..."
Aloysius watched Jana and Echo for a moment, and then glanced over at Azrun. A short sigh escaped his lips before he began taking his waterskin around to those most seriously injured.
Azrun tried to sit up, but found that it hurt too much. After a moment, he opened his eyes slowly, "Did we win? Is everyone alive?" he asked weakly.
"Certainly, just give me a little tap on the shoulder and I'll come back quickly enough," Renn replied. "Even though I may not want to," he grinned.
"Many thanks Aloysius," Renn nodded with a grateful smile as he finished sewing a tear in his surcoat. "Sewing up my clothing isn't all that different from my work as a healer, though truth be told I'm better with people," Renn laughed as he looked at his handiwork. "I'll read through them to see what may be useful, thanks again Aloysius."
"Damn, I haven't felt this bad since I got run over by that carriage when I was a
kid." Blacky commented in all seriousness. "I take it the good guys won. Anything
useful in that hoard?" He said after sitting up against the wall so he could see."I've got one or two pearls out," Echo said. "More in the cottage. What did we find that needs to be identified?"
"There were a pair of potion vials and some assorted arms and armor," said Aloysius. "I have not yet prepared to examine them for dweomers, but once I find any, I plan on following that up with identification."
He handed Echo a waterskin. "You rest now," he said in a softer voice. "Perilously close were we all to tragedy. We've need of this respite to restore our strength."
Without trying to move any, Echo looked at Renn and Aloysius. "If anyone has clothing they need sewn up, I can do it when we get to a safer place. I'm handy
with a needle and thread," she said. "It'd give me something to do while I'm an invalid."Echo took a drink from the waterskin. She made a face as she swallowed and rubbed her throat. "Let me know when you want the pearls," she told Aloysius. "And let me know when you want my spellbook to look at the armor spell, Azrun." She tried to get more comfortable to get some rest.
"Armor spell!" Arachne's voice squeaked. "I got one of those cast on me by... um ... Aloysius, I guess. It was kind of a while ago, wasn't it? Does that spell fade away after a while? And if it does ... um ... could I have it cast on me again? If you don't think it'd be a waste of your time, I mean..."
Aloysius sat down and began watching the passage. Without turning around, he said, "Suspect do I that the prior spell I provided thee with was somewhat compromised by the grell attacks. I will recast it upon thee on the 'morrow. Or, whenever I have rested 'enow to regain spells. 'Today' and 'tomorrow' seem to be useless terms in this environment."
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