Move 327: Camping Before the Split
Move 327: Camping Before the SplitTunnels--Late, Day 32 (Marpenoth 17)
There was nothing else to be found in the cave, at least in the dry part of it. There was no way to ensure that the pool, although it looked calm, was entirely friendly so it was left alone. After some discussion about what to do with the giant lizards, it was decided that they too could be left alone. The group moved on, getting as far as they could before stopping to camp.
The rest period passed peacefully. The next day brought more trudging through dark hostile territory. They had no more run-ins with lizards or anything else, allowing them to cover a decent distance. Around the time they were beginning to look for a place to camp again, they reached the next large split in the tunnels that was marked on the map. They backtracked to find a secure campsite and settled in for a lovely meal of dry rations and dinner conversation about what exactly they should do next now that they were sure of where the tunnel split was.
Jana spent the first night after departing the lizard lounge helping count the loot. She also spent more time working on her armor. When not in her chain, she wore her studded leather and kept her sword belted on or by her side. The second night, she helped with the loot-counting again if it wasn't already finished, fussed over her weapons and armor, and seemed generally disgusted by the dinner menu.
Echo helped count the money. She spent some time looking at any gems or other items of value that was with the coins.
Echo examined some gems while loot was being counted. "I think these are worth almost 3000 gold," she said.
On the second night, she checked her jar of grell glands. "I think these are dry now," she said. "Once I crush them, I can cast the scrying spell I learned."
Jana froze momentarily as Echo spoke. "Do, uhm, do you need any help? With the crushing?" she asked nervously.
Echo thought about it. "I don't think so. I'm not used to preparing my own spell components," she admitted, "but this shouldn't be that hard. I don't think."
Arachne tried to help count loot, also, but could not be described as a success at it. It wasn't that she couldn't count, but that she couldn't stay focused on counting. She kept losing track of what number she'd counted up to. When she decided to try creating similar height stacks of coins without worrying about or trying to remember the numbers of coins involved, she got herself distracted and apparently wound up designing a miniature fort constructed of coin stacks...
At some point (probably around the commencement of the next marching period), she reappeared. It took her a while to notice this.
She refrained at all mealtimes from appearing anything but content with the usual fare. Although she'd _said_ that she was tired of the rations that were being carried along (by someone besides her), she managed -- as she'd always seemed to before -- to put on a very faraway look in her eyes and seem pretty much unaware of what she was eating while she was eating it.
Aloysius spent almost all of his "down time" in camp working on his spell book. At one point just before the group headed out in the "morning" he cast another spell on himself, plainly the armor spell involving the leather strips that most of the party were familiar with. He also spent a little more time inspecting the spell gems obtained from the grell. He briefly reclaimed his spell book from Azrun to memorize spells for the day, but then returned it to the bard in case he wanted to copy more spells.
Arachne moved close to him while he worked. When he looked as though he'd finished with his casting, she said, "Excuse me, Master Aloysius: Can you tell whether the Armoring spell on me is still working? I ... um ... can't remember exactly when it was last cast on me ... sorry."
"I..." Echo started and stopped.
Aloysius’ expression darkened. After taking a calming breath, he swallowed hard. "Please . . . don't call me that," he said quietly.
Placing some items back into the pockets of his robe, he added, "And no, afraid am I that I can't say with certainty, although I suspect that the spell I cast on you was disrupted at the same moment mine own was. Unfortunately, I didn't think to prepare more than one such spell today, and I've just used that one on myself. I thought selfishly, Arachne, and . . .well . . . I apologize. On the 'morrow, I shall restore the spell to ye."
"Selfishly? Oh, I don't think so," the gnome said brightly. "Or, at least, less so than me, for asking. I mean, it's prudent for you to take steps to keep yourself from getting maimed or killed. Just as it's prudent and reasonable for Jana to look after _her_ armor. It means less work for Olaf and Renn after the battles. But me --" She sighed. "Coming around and pestering you -- except that I'm not _supposed_ to call it pestering... I forget why not. Anyway, coming around and clearing my throat in your vicinity and then whining about getting any sort of magical protection you can spare because I can't seem to come up with any self-protection on my own -- I tried to find some armor once but it's uncomfortable and weighs too much and slows me down, which would slow everyone down so I don't try to wear that -- Anyway, what _I_ do, that's selfish."
She folded her legs and dropped the brief distance to the ground, then looked up at the wizard. "Don't call you what?" she asked. "Um, what did I call you?" She frowned, then remembered: "Right! Mast-- ! Um, you don't approve of the title? I was trying to be respectful. I mean, I was asking for something from you that I don't deserve -- I mean, I don't really believe I deserve it. Um -- anyway, I was just trying to be respectful: That is, I was just acknowledging that you're a mast-- That is, that you're very good at magic. You _are_ very good at magic, aren't you? _I'm_ sure you are... So I just wanted to --" She stared down at her clasped hands. "I'm sorry. I don't want to annoy you."After pondering Arachne's words, the mage's prior good spirits seemed to reappear somewhat. "'Tis a title with which I've far too much experience," he said meekly. "And I wish no one to ever refer to me like that, respectfully or otherwise. Simply 'Aloysius' will suffice. I've no desire to be called by any title that suggests a stature that I have not, and want not."
After finishing his repacking, he asked, "When you became a bird before, what was that like?"
"Oh, well, you know..." Arachne looked down at her interlaced fingers. "The world changes. You have feathers instead of fingers. You float on the air instead of crawling across the ground. Your senses go out to meet the world instead of waiting for it to come to you." She considered. "And it stays the same, too. It looks about the same ... maybe a little deeper and clearer, but pretty much the same. It sounds ... well, sharper, I guess. But music is still beautiful and orcs still can't make a single noise that isn't gross and hulking and ... well, scary. I guess the way it feels is the biggest difference. The way that the air you're gliding through ruffles your feathers instead of just slamming against skin. The sense -- because you feel so light, you know -- of being part of the air, an agent of the wind and not entirely a distinct object blown around by it.
"I like it. Being a bird sometimes gives me more understanding what it feels like to be a gnome. I suppose..." She looked up at Aloysius, then back down at her fingers. "I suppose ... that if I made myself an orc or a human, I'd understand better what it's like to be terminally aggressive or blind underground. If I got into orcishness, maybe I'd be more comfortable in the middle of a fight. Maybe. But maybe not. I'd be a terminally agressive little fifty pound weakling, which doesn't sound like a winning combination. Shrews get away with it, I suppose, but I think their mortality rate is even worse than the orcs'. Being a bird is safer. And useful. And I like it. I don't know whether I'd like myself as an orc -- but I suppose that I'd find out whether orcs can like _themselves_.
"Um, why do you ask?"The mage's already light mood improved even more as Arachne spoke. By the time she had finished, he was practically beaming and seemed charged with energy.
"Just . . .curious," he explained. "Ne'er have I been a bird. Yet. But tell me," he continued with a turn of his head, "if youw ere say, an eagle, could you see like an eagle does. The distance vision I mean. And if you are an eagle, could you still see in the dark like a gnome?"
Aloysius also spent some time scribbling in a different book. There was a sort of lightness about his mood and he appeared to be more contented than he had been in a long time.
As the group gathered their equipment to move further along in the tunnel, he checked with Azrun. "How are you faring in copying spells?" he asked. "If you are finished, may I retrieve my spell book?"
Azrun smiled, "I have finished the invisibility spell and I think I can comprehend it also." He handed the spellbook back to Aloysius, "May I borrow the spell gem with the lightning spell on it, if you're not using it. I believe I can cast it if I were to copy and learn it." He glanced to Echo, "Echo, is there any spells you'd like to get for yourself. I'll gladly give up my book for the evening if you'd like to look it over or one of the gems."
"I don't remember what spells are on the gems," Echo admitted sheepishly.
He stood and stretched for a bit before he stepped over to talk to Renn and Olaf, "I was wondering if I might trouble either of you for some time to learn your sword. My dagger is nice but I think with a little more reach might be a bit more useful if you know what I mean."
"Certainly," Rennirolas replied laconically. "It would help to pass the time during our rests as well," he added with a short bark of laughter.
Azrun smiled, "Great! That would be so nice of you." He looked around, "Umm, what am I going to use for a sword? Does anyone have a sword I can borrow for a bit?"
"You can borrow mine," Jana offered, drawing and twirling her bastard sword, being just a little bit flashy. "It's a very nice sword."
Azrun smiled and excepted the sword, "Thank you, Jana." He hefted the sword with two hands trying to adjust to its weight and balance. "This is going to be quite different than using a staff. I can see that right off." He continued to try to get a feel for the blade taking a practice swing here and there, obviously not knowing exactly what he was doing.
Blacky pulled out his big two handed sword. "I can show you some two handed techniques if you like. I'm afraid I always like to have both hands on my weapon." he offered
"Shields can be nice on occasion," Jana opined.
After swinging Jana's swoard for a few minutes, the bard began to tire. He stopped and breathed heavily before turning back to Jana, "I appreciate yours and Blacky's help, but I think these blades might be a bit much for me. I can heft them ok, but not for long. Maybe a lighter blade would do better for me." He handed the blade back to Jana carefully, "Perhaps I can find something else, if we stumble across another horde like the grells had. Something quick that better matches my what in the hell's was I thinking attitude to fighting." He grinned and sat down to rest
Jana tried, not too successfully, to supress a smirk as she sheathed her sword. "It takes a little getting use to," she allowed.
"There's a short sword in the cottage that I'm probably never going to be strong enough to use," Arachne offered. "You're welcome to it when next we open the place."
I think you're supposed to shift your grip on a sword more subtly than with a staff," Arachne suggested, as she tried to gauge what, if any, might be a safe distance from which to watch Azrun practice. "Owing to the sharp parts..."
At the end of the day, Azrun picked up a stone from the floor and began casting a spell. Wehn he was done it began to glow, "Ok, one glowing rock. Get it while its hot."
"So do we check out the side caverns or move along?" Jana asked. "I'm still not wild about having something behind us. I'd like a clear line of retreat."
The mage pondered Jana's inquiry. "Assuming Carmeneren's map to be accurate, the branch to our left should lead to where the ropers and quaggoths reside. E'en were we to clear that tunnel, we have no assurances that something else won't move into those areas by the time we are making our retreat. Howe'er, we know not if those creatures are in league with the abductors. If they are, then leaving our flank exposed to them would seem particularly unwise."
"Oh. Well. If we have no interest in going that way now or later, then I suppose that we could close that tunnel ... or maybe just put nasty lethal traps in it?"
Echo sighed. "It'll slow us down, but I think it'd be stupid not to deal with the side tunnel now. We don't know enough about it to leave it behind us. Better slower than stupider," she smiled half heartedly.
Arachne started to put her hand up -- then waved it down again. "I know, I know: One that can do everyone at once and doesn't rely on spooky magic," she sighed. "How does that fork work? We go one way to the Here Be Dragons and the other way to the This Be The Next Obstacle on the Way to the City?"
"This isn't where the dragons are, is it?" Echo asked with a worried look.
"Can we close tunnels?" Echo asked, impressed. "I didn't know that. That might be helpful. I still think we need to check the side tunnel though." She looked down, studying her food carefully.
After a couple of folks had expressed a reluctant preference to explore the side tunnel first, Jana said, "So if we're going through there, I'm pretty okay taking on quoggoths, but I have no idea how to fight those roper thingies. And since that one surprised the hell outta me earlier, I'm thinking just being careful probably isn't going to cut it." She chewed on her lip for a moment before mumbling, "I wish we could catch one of those quoggoth things. We could tie it up and push it along in front, make a roper-detector out of it."
"Someone said they didn't like fire," Echo added. "Maybe carrying a couple of torches would help some?”
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