Move 377: Waiting By the PillarSmooth Caverns--Afternoon, Day 37 (Marpenoth 20)
Echo found a journal page in the platinum scroll tube that had come from the roper's guts. Eventually, everyone found out what it said:
From the Journal of Hazakian the Wise:
I have overheard Sushina muttering to Sonnorc. Why she trusts that sniveling little rat I have no idea. Apparently, she came across some ridiculous piece of tittle-tattle concerning subterranean elves in this region! What nonsense. But it is clear that this must be her real interest here. She thinks that they lie beyond the caverns of the dragon. She tried to persuade Sonnorc that we should attempt to deal with the dragon, stressing how very rich its treasure would be, trying to appeal to his greed. She had obviously forgotten that he is even more cowardly than he is avaricious. She would have done better to work on Arkanse; now he's the kind of muttonheaded lackwit who would want to go charging in to attack the dragon, if he knew of it. Sometime I wonder why I associate with these people.
"I guess at least he didn't have to face the dragon," Jana mumbled after hearing the letter's contents. She swallowed and looked more than a little apprehensive.
"There's a scroll and a dagger too," Echo added. "I'll check them tomorrow if we stay here. Why would there be one page from a journal in a scroll case? That seems sort of weird." A look of guilt hit her face. "He got eaten by a roper, and I'm wondering about his journal." She looked down at her feet.
"There's nothing we can do for the dead," Renn said after a slight pause, "save say a prayer that their soul has found what it deserves in the afterlife." Renn looked somewhat uncomfortable as he looked down at his hands. "I've no ideas for why the journal page would be separated from the remainder of the entries, but knowing there may be a dark elven settlement beyond the Dragon's lair... that's a boon for us."
Echo looked confused and worried. "Do you think dark elves have something to do with this too?"
"Not directly, no," Renn said, his lips pursed in thought. He gave a small sigh. "I just dislike the possibility of encountering them without a strong force of my own brethren at my side. Of course, the same could be said of chasing down the illithid slavers," Renn said as he smiled weakly.
Later, Echo told the others about the loot. "There were 121 platinum pieces and 2000 gold pieces worth of gems. The most valuable are these." She held up a sapphire and a pair of aquamarines.
The rest of the loot was sorted through over the course of the afternoon and evening. Renn began exhibiting some unusual behavior, playing his flute and talking to the pillar in the room with them. Azrun wrote in his journal, and Blacky and Jana both spent some time looking fairly miserable.
Smooth Caverns--Morning, Day 38 (Marpenoth 21)
The next morning after those who did such things had prayed and studied, healing prayers were doled out. Echo cast another scrying spell, looking for the supply gatherers in the inn that the group always frequented while in Milborne. The others awaited the spell results to help determine what they wanted to do next.
Jana watched quietly while Echo cast her spell.
Echo finished and made her report. "I found them. They were eating with a couple of men I don't know, a human and a gnome," she said. "I can't tell if they are coming soon though. They don't seem rushed or anything."
"If we want to stay here, I can read the scroll and check the dagger for magic," she said. "It can be done later if the rest of you think it'd be better to do more exploring. Personally, I'd like to hurry up and get done with this place. It's giving me the creeps more than before." She looked over at the strange pillar.
"Of course not," Jana hrumphed. After Echo expressed her discomfort with the room they were in, Jana shrugged and said, "If you're feeling weirded-out in here, then let's move. We can wait 'til the others get back for that 'what's it do' spell if you want since it makes you so tired."
"I'm not averse to leaving for another camping area," Renn said quickly. "I'd thought, well, it's not important, but there's nothing here which makes me think we need to stay in this chamber again."
"Not that spell," Echo amended. "I am just going to check for magic. I don't know if there's any reason to try to identify it yet."
"It's not this room," she added. "It's this place. It's weird, and I still feel like there's something to find here. I can check on the others again when we stop to eat lunch if you want."
Echo spoke up again. "If we are going to camp today, I'd just as soon stay right here. I meant I'd prefer to keep exploring. I want to get done with this place. That's just my thoughts though," she quickly added. "If we aren't prepared spellwise or physically, or mentally I guess to keep at it, it'd be foolhardy to go just because I'm impatient."
"Thanks to Renn, I feel fine," Jana said then amended, "well, as fine as ya can down here at least, but anyways, so long as you magical types are all, uhm, charged up or whatever, I s'pose we may's well check out the area a little more. Then like Echo said, she can spy, scry? on 'em when we stop for lunch. Sound okay?"
Azrun shrugged his shoulders, "I'm primed for searching or sitting either one. I've got a web spell ready and a magic missile...I've got a couple spots free too in case of emergency. As long as everyone feels ok, I'm fine with more exploring."
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