Move 451:  Camping in the Hook Caves II

Hook Horror Caverns--Late, Day 42 (Marpenoth 25)

The tiger-man indicated ignorance of the story that Azrun came up with for the fancy sword. To Aloysius, he responded, "Nothing in the coffers is magical. The hook horrors had the sword when I got here. I do not know where they got it." Arachne looked around for a purse, but the closest things she found were cloth bags that were holding coins in the various chests and a small wooden box that contained a pair of ornamental daggers.  One coffer held all silver coins. A second contained nothing but gold coins, the third nothing but platinum. The fourth, where the box with the gilded daggers resided, also contained gems, the most notable a lovely pair of diamonds, a tiny replica of a gong adorned with bloodstones and a number of ornnaments and trinkets. The coffers were heavy; it was possible that this treasure haul would tax the known weight limits of the cottage when coupled with the items already in storage.

The question of who, if anyone, was going to the surface was discussed for a few minutes. The party was in no shape to put any kind of plan into action right now, so watching and resting took priority. Jana was the most exhausted out of them all. She gave Dalgaer charge of the prisoner so that she could rest. Arachne closed her eyes, and, as usual, it was difficult to tell if she was sleeping or meditating. She stirred after a couple of hours, taking the time to heal herself of the worst of the wounds she had taken from the fireball and from others of the group before closing her eyes again. Another few hours passed, and Kanon woke up.

Aloysius sat quietly on the floor, slowly passing his hands over his wet things. As time passed, his clothes seemed to dry out, and eventually he folded them and put them back into his pack. He then sat back with a waterskin and rested against the wall. The events of the last few hours seemed to have worn on him.

Dalgaer grinned at the tiger creature, "You poor kitty. Jana would have killed you but regretted it. Me, I'll enjoy it. So please, try something."

Azrun smiled, "I would like to have it if it is not yours. My staff kind of went kaput between the fire ball and the hook critters. It might take me a litle getting used to but it does seem like quite a nice blade...not that I'm an expert on those matters of course."

While the rest of the group rested, Azrun spent his time going through the items found in the coffers. The daggers and the small gong intrigued him and spent much time going over them.

About an hour or so into their resting, Dalgaer suddenly said loudly, a near yell, "Someone just spoke in mind! Someone I do not know, either we are not alone..." Dalgaer looked threateningly at the tiger creature, "Or our friend here is playing games."

Arachne's eyes opened. "I really do NOT need this," she grumbled.  She didn't move.

In a flurry of blankets, Jana scrambled up, fumbling for her sword and asking something but her words were unintelligible. She got her feet tangled up in her backpack straps and fell heavily, still clutching her sword belt. After some more unintelligible mumbling and much whipping of her head around from side-to-side looking for whatever dire emergency had come upon them, she made a whimpering noise and lay back against her pack.  "Kill 'im if he plays. Gotta sleep," she mumbled, more or less understandably.

Aloysius glanced at the tiger man, then back at Daelgar. "What did the speaker say?" he asked, more curious than alarmed.

Azrun looked up from the items he was studying and rolled his eyes, "Perhaps, it is the creature that took Renn. Maybe she's trying to bring him back or something and just wanted to know where we were so he could get in close. Arachne has to do the same thing." He focused his attention back to the items in his hands and grumbled...

Echo sat by Azrun and counted coins. When Dalgaer spoke up, she jumped to her feet and put her back against the wall. She seemed more alarmed than some of the others.

Startled by Echo's jumping, Azrun shook himself then stood and stretched, "Did you hear it too, Echo? You ok?"

Echo shook her head. "No, I didn't hear it." She looked around the room carefully until Dalgaer explained.

"It was not me," the tiger-man yelped defensively. He looked a little baffled and considerably more frightened.

Azrun looked even more annoyed. "Told you," he snorted.

Dalgaer frowned, "I think it is that sword Azrun looked at. It asked if I could swing a sword and said it could teach me some things. I kinda took that as a threat. But just now, after my outburst because I said something right away, it told me to calm down and asked me to keep it away from the 'music fellow', claimed he didn't know how to use a sword and that it wasn't a harp."

Arachne's eyes opened again. "Oh," she said. She closed her eyes again and then opened them, a sort of slow blink.

Dalgaer looked sheepish, "Perhaps I was hasty in disturbing folks. I was worried i was about to follow Renn..."

"Oh," Echo blushed. "Me too." She sat back down to count the money.

Dalgaer shrugged, "Not particularly. But if it is safe and the best weapon to use, then sure." Dalgaer spoke in a whisper to Arachne, "But the only one I want dancing around in here" he tapped his forehead, "is you."

"You want me to dance for you?" Arachne asked, her eyes wide. "I'd rather not -- I mean, not right now. I will if you want me to, but I'm awfully stiff -- wounds I haven't healed yet, you see. And I'm not really practiced at it -- I --" Her gaze dropped to the floor and she dropped his hand to clasp hers together. "I won't really know what I'm doing," she whispered _very_ softly. "You won't like it. Cynthia _never_ said that that was what real gnomish women do, so I didn't know I should --" Her voice got a little louder again. "And I haven't.  Much. When there was music and celebration, I always preferred ... I'd join the musicians in their corner and I'd -- Professor Faire said she thought I was an _excellent_ whistler."

Dalgaer's face turned red. "I meant talking in my head. Not that I wouldn't love to see yo-," Dalgaer coughed. "Oh, um... that is... I'm sure you would dance very well."

"Oh." Arachne's expression might've looked a little disappointed.

"Oh..." Arachne smiled up at him shyly. "I'd -- I'll try -- um..." She glanced over at the lump that was Jana. "Not now, though.  There's hardly anything to celebrate. It's just --" She glanced up at Dalgaer, a calculating look in her eyes. Then she sighed, shook her head, and grabbed the same hand of his that she'd held before. She kissed it again and then said quickly, "You're sweet." Then she scampered back to her backpack, where she'd been meditating, and resumed her withdrawal from the world.

Dalgaer spoke up again, "I think folks can keep resting, now. I'm sorry I disturbed you."

From under her blanket Jana mumbled something that might have been "Thank you."

Azrun cocked an eyebrow at the sword, "Well this is a new one one me...bad mouthed by a sword...wonderful...now I have inanimate items putting me down....next thing you know the monsters down here are going to say I'm not worth their time....I give up. Dalgaer, if you want the sword go for it."  With that he put the items he was studying away and curled up in the corner to rest.

Arachne glanced at him. "And in what wise would that be a _bad_ thing?" she asked.

Azrun shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry, Arachne. Just feeling a little defeated and kicked around right now is all."

Dalgaer looked sheepish, "Ahem, well, I prefer the ax, and I don't think I should get in the habit of doing what voices in my head tell me to do... We need to know more about this sword. I'm willing to wield it if that's what the group thinks best, but I make no claims to it."

Dalgaer looked at Azrun, "_I_ think highly of you, _especially_ if you can sing or play, some music would be a welcome relief down here!"

Azrun smiled, "Thanks, Dalgaer. I'd play a tune for you but," he looked over to Jana's sleeping form, "I'd rather she got some descent sleep. Maybe once we're all better and a little more rested."

Arachne got up and went over to Dalgaer. He was standing and still holding a fairly threatening posture toward the tiger-man, so she took his free (non-weapon-bearing) hand and kissed the back of it. It was a gracious and graceful gesture but might've been brought about by the practical fact that, standing up, Dalgaer's face and head were out of easy reach for Arachne.

"I don't think you were hasty in disturbing us," she said, looking up at him, though she looked as though she could've done without the disturbance. Keeping hold of his hand, she continued: "It's very worrisome, hearing someone else's voice in your mind. You do right to alert everyone else when that happens. And I agree with you: Saddam most likely had nothing to do with it. There's no need to harm him over this. Um, you don't actually want to carry that sword, do you?"

"An intelligent weapon," mused Aloysius, "with the ability to speak with minds. Fascinating. I am anxious to examine it properly."

"What do that mean?" an unfamiliar disembodied voice piped up. "I don't kin to the idea of no magical violation. You want to know about me, I'd take it nicer if you ask me, civil like and all."

Jana made another petulant-sounding whimper and pulled her blanket over her head.

Azrun rolled his eyes, "Wonderful it even talks. You could go on the road and make all sorts of money....Aloysius and his talking sword....for 2 nights only at the Boar's Head Tavern...try the ham..."

Jana flipped the blanket off and sighed loudly. She sat up and said, "Will you guys. please. shut. up." She made another whiny-sounding whimper and flopped back down, pulling the blanket back over her head.

Aloysius really perked up now. "The sword speaks!" he said, noting the obvious. Realizing that Jana was trying to sleep, he took the sword from whoever had it and walked a short distance away, staying within the light.

"Umm....hello," he said in a quieter voice. "My name is Aloysius Stargazer. Ne'er afore have I met a talking sword, so forgive me if I seem a bit unnerved. Dost thou have a name? I am most interested in learning more about thee."

Some time later, Kanon pushed himself up slowly the still tender burn on the side of his face tensing into lines of freshly healed flesh. He gritted his teeth and looked around at the group carefully. His eyes settled on the Rakshasha for a moment and he looked towards the wall beginning to unbuckle the charred leather belts on his heavy armor. His face settled on complete apathy and he kicked his heavy boots towards the wall, "Is that a monster? If its what I think it is... I think they are demons." He looked down at all his missing pouches and sighed, "I think im in pretty bad shape. Gonna have to stick to healing prayers for a few days it would seem." The priest stopped speaking and narrowed his eyes at the surrounding camp, "How many days have I been asleep?" The morninglord interlaced his hand around the chain encircling his neck and rubbed some of the soot from the silver chain before closing his eyes to pray.

"Only hours, I think," Arachne sighed. "I do not even know whether your day of penance is ended yet."

Azrun looked to the charred priest, "You almost didn't make it and there was quite a fuss about whether or not to heal you because of that penance you set on yourself. They finally decided that your God wouldn't want you to die yet and they healed some of your wounds. You've been out for a few hours. We made contact with Renn. He was whisked away by some creature. We don't know if he's coming back or not. You need to focus on getting yourself in better shape so you can help the others since you and Arachne are our only healers now." He took a breath and looked around the area once more.

"Can I have some direction, please?" the small gnome asked, more loudly. "Anyone? I've heard it mooted that we might need to go on another supply trip to the surface. I'd need to rest up for that. I'm also well aware that we're all _still_ pretty beaten up from our last fracas with Saddam's neighbors (and Saddam himself, of course). Can I assume that we wouldn't send the surface expedition until we're at least mostly healed up and feeling reasonably frisky again? And if we're agreed that healing takes precedence over the expedition, can I ask whom I should be healing first? Or must I wait for that answer until Kanon can advise what healing he can share?"

Azrun looked to Arachne, "I think we will be waiting until everyone is healed up before having you make a trip to the surface, if that is what weactually do. You might want to talk to Kanon about the healing stuff. I'm sure everyone will appreciate what ever you can do for them."

The priest seemed oblivious to everything that had been said after he started his prayers. He continued mumbling and rubbing his charred gauntlets over the rose quartz and silver chain.

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