Move 341:  Another Day, More Glassy Rock

Glassy Rock Tunnels--Very Late, Day 35 (Marpenoth 20)

From the movement of her light, the others could tell that Arachne got down from Azrun's shoulders. She began performing investigations of the tunnel walls. It was a slow process, and she lead the group some distance forward from the spot where they had originally begun discussing this particular subject. Eventually, she found a spot that she thought might have a side tunnel behind it. Jana's attempt to smash through the rock with the mace was fruitless.

After that, Arachne used her mind powers to scout behind the rock. She found a tunnel reasonably nearby the spot where she had thought one might be and then opened a dimensional door to let the others in. The place they found was a largish, extremely damp limestone cave; the only glass rock they could see from in here was that which covered the cave mouth. It was a little claustrophobic in the sealed room, but they had to sleep somewhere. After taking their usual precautions, the group settled in to rest.

Azrun found a comfy spot and settled down. He took out his water skin and some rations and began to eat as he wrote and sketched in his journal.  "Thank you finding us this place, Arachne." He pulled out his blanket after a while and and began getting ready to sleep, "You're more than welcome to share my blanket if you like. I can't imagine your dress will keep you warm as damp as it is."

As Arachne searched for the location of the side tunnel, Aloysius trailed along at the edge of the light. Once she located it and opened her portal, he went through, eyes directed at the ground.

The gnome looked up from where she'd been studying ground, looking for a comparatively dry spot, then nodded bleakly and came over to take a corner of the blanket. She sighed, muttering, "Can't carry anywhere near all the stuff I need. Sleeping on my spare clothes... Not really comfortable..."

Azrun nodded, "Well, you're welcome to share my blanket. It'll keep you some what warm."

"'Twould seem Staragzer was mistaken about yon rock," he said feebly. "Mistaken . . . again," he added quietly. He found a spot inside the chamber and sat down, looking as if a huge burden had been placed on his thin shoulders. Then, a lightness seemed to sweep across his face and he beamed at the others.

"Not mistaken," Arachne's voice said quietly. "At least not in any way that is proved and important. You're quite right that trying to smash the glassy rock was likely dangerous and impractical. And even if we do come upon conclusive evidence that something is creating that stuff (I think a giant worm actively secreting the stuff might be sufficient) you have anyway obliged me to try to articulate more rigorously what I was feeling with regard to the stuff. And you know how difficult clear articulation can often prove to be for me."
 
There was a pause and then Arachne added, "and I would be grateful, dear Aloysius, if, the next few times that I'm wrong, you could remind me about that -- about the utility to clear thinking which is given by courteous debate. I'll likely be feeling deeply depressed and will require cheering up..."

Aloysius said, "If the rest of thee mind not, I would very much like to try something. It will provide entertainment value, perhaps for myself if for no other, but won't be perilosu to us in the least." He began looking around the chamber.

Echo looked a little confused and worried as she listened to Aloysius. She nodded slowly, not looking too sure of herself.

With a grin, Aloysius turned his back to the others momentarily. His entire form then underwent a quick transformation, his figure shrinking downwards and turning snow white in color. After a few seconds, a fuzzy white puppy stood wagging its tail enthusiastically where Aloysius had been before. The puppy bounded forward and scrambled around the feet of the other party members. Anyone who was seated was met with an effort by the puppy to lick them on the face. The puppy then went over to where Azrun was and playfully tugged at his boots with his teeth.

The puppy's tail, which was wagging at a furious rate (as puppy dog tails are wont to do) was interfered with, as though something unseen were in its way ... as though something unseen were experimenting to see if this would attract the puppy's attention and if so, what the puppy would make of it.

After frolicking a bit, the puppy went back to the spot from where it had started, and another transformation began. The puppy's form grew taller and wider and changed to a mottled green color. Where the puppy had been now stood a rather smallish, scrawny troll. After looking at the group for a moment, the troll began shuffling its feet and gyrating its arms and legs in a rather herky-jerky fashion.    After a moment of such antics, the form again to change, and Aloysius reappeared where the troll had been. He was giggling uncontrollably.

"Marvelous!" he exclaimed. "Everything I dreamt it would be and more!" he said happily. He began laughing and did a little jig right where he stood.   "I can't dance, but I doubt that a troll could either!" he proclaimed merrily.

Catching his breath, he flopped down on the floor and took out a waterskin, taking a long pull from it before sighing a happy sigh and leaning back on his hands.

Azrun growled back at Aloysius playfully as he tugged on his boot.

Azrun laughed out loud, "That was wonderful, Aloysius. You are well on your way to becoming a mighty wizard. Spells like that have so many different uses. Bravo, Aloyius, Bravo."

"That is most impressive," Arachne's voice agreed. "I am _very_  jealous. I can't do that anywhere near so quickly. And to become the one thing and then something else, all in the space of a few heartbeats -- Aloysius, you are clearly a very powerful wizard.

Aloysius looked down at the floor, uncomfortable with such praise. "I know not about that," he mumbled.  "'Tis an amusing incantation, but I feel it will have little practical use. I am sorely lacking in useful tricks, I'm afraid."

"Oh, I think that it could be quite useful in spying on an enemy, especially if you can turn into the enemy himself to sew confusion in the ranks." Blacky commented mildly.

Echo shied away from being licked in the face, but she did scratch the puppy's ears. She looked concerned about something for a moment but smiled at Aloysius.

Jana raised her eyebrows at the dog and reached for her sword when Aloysius became a troll. She sheepishly let it fall back in her scabbard and rubbed her jaw. When Aloysius returned to normal, she said, "How'd-- no, nevermind, don't tell me. Anyway, I think there's a fair chance that trick of yours might scare off an opponent. It's worth a try. You'd just have to look like something more bad-ass than they are is all."

Renn smiled and knelt down to let the Aloysius-puppy lick his hand. "I had a puppy once, when I was much younger," he laughed as he wiped the puppy drool on the bottom of the leg of his breeches. "I really miss the old dog," he said with a wistful smile.

Olaf prayed over one of his unused torches, casting a permanent light spell on it. "Some times a stone may not be the best way for us to light a room."

Glassy Rock Tunnels--Early, Day 36 (Marpenoth 21)

In the side tunnel, after everyone had rested and Arachne reappeared because the spell had run down (or even if it hadn't quite yet), the gnome visited spellcasters ("It isn't pestering if they tell me it isn't pestering; it's ... um ... soliciting. That's better, I think.") in search of one who would be willing and able to cast invisibility on her. (She tried Azrun first.)

Azrun kneeled down next to the little gnome, "Hold still for a second, Arachne." With that he began casting the spell on Arachne.

The group rested without being disturbed. After they all made their preparations for whatever was to come next, Arachne reopened the dimension door. In a couple of minutes, everyone was back out in the main tunnel.

Before she pulled out her spellbook the next morning, Echo approached Renn and spoke to him quietly.

After his morning prayers were offered, Renn gathered his gear quickly and retreated to a corner of the enclosed cave, a bundle of incense in his hand. He could be heard chanting for about ten minutes, and when he returned, Renn went to Jana and Echo, where he talked softly with the pair.

Jana spoke with Renn and Echo. She didn't look very happy.

"We've gotta remember that trick," Jana commented as they emerged from the cavern. "Be a great way to hide if we have to haul ass." She stretched and shrugged to get her chainmail into a less uncomfortable position. "Man, I'm getting sick of this place," she muttered under her breath. After a swig of water she said with false cheerfulness, "Well, shall we move on along?"

"All right," the gnome's voice agreed. In a rare (for her) moment of thinking about logistical detail, she added, "So how are the food supplies holding up? I doubt that anyone would be enthusiastic about holing up in a claustrophobic tunnel while I went shopping, but given a choice between that and starving..."

"I can begin keeping a prayer for food and water from day to day, that can keep us from going without food," Renn said in reply. "Though I'd prefer food of more...substance.  And that was probably one of the more defensible areas we've encountered so far, even if, yes, I agree, it's slightly uncomfortable being stuck with no exits," he shook his head.

Echo nodded. "Let's keep going."

Azrun nodded in agreement, "Arachne, let me know if you get tired again and I'll scoop you up on my back like yesterday, ok?"

In the morning, acting upon Jana's suggestion, Arachne found the chalk she'd absentmindedly put in her belt pouch and got Azrun to hold her up high enough along the wall to mark where the sealed tunnel was.

"...Please, Azrun?" She pointed to the rocky spot above the glass (and well above the gnome) and pretty close to the sealed place.

Azrun walked over and kneeled down so Arachne could climb up on his back, "There you go, Arachne"

"Mmm hmmm," the gnome agreed from somewhere pretty close to the bard's feet. "'Course, you realize that _real_ adventurer's aren't supposed to get tired and need to be carried around, like that, right? We were just testing to see how exhausted it would make you if I got wiped out somehow -- some _unusual_ reason, you see -- and _needed_ to be carried until we next made camp. ... That's it. That's how it went. It was completely unnecessary -- just a test. I mean, I very much appreciated you carrying me and testing to see how much of a burden I am, but it wasn't as if I actually needed to be carried... Not really. I _can_ get along without..." There was a gnomish sigh. "Um... You don't mind if I claim that that's the story, do you, Azrun?"

---

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