Mission's Response, Which Way?, Healing
Subject: Re: The hole; Letters to home
(OOC - I'd like to point out once again that there is a VERY OPEN TUNNEL heading EAST which could very well lead somewhere interesting or from where could come something very nasty. Surely Farron isn't the only one who can see this.)
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The hole; Letters to home
Mission stares at Rennick, and there is a long, long silence. The echo of the waterfall at the west end of the tunnel grows thick in the air, punctuated now and then by rocks tumbling into the water.
Kill Promise. As a means to end. . .what? Perhaps now would be a good time to strike out on his own. Mission flicks his eyes toward the rope hanging down--he could reach it before any of them. He could climb up and be away to the temple before these mages, and this murderous halfling could speak a word. It'd be a pity about Garyth-- the man had honor. But between magery, murder, and the sinking uneasiness Mission felt around Cadfael, Mission would not feel overly guilty about leaving him.
Murder. That was what Rennick was proposing. What he had proposed at the tower as well.
Mission struggles to quell the bitterness in his heart. Blood and Stone, they were close to their goal. He would not abandon them just yet, not when he may need them to find Promise. His voice is slow and thick with control. "Rennick, that makes absolutely no sense. None. Did you see something on the marker we found with a picture of Anileth and an arrow pointing to her belly, with the words in halfling, "The cause of all your problems, kill it?" I would have thought you considerate enough to let me know."
"Do not damn my son. . . Do not. . ." Mission swallows. "Do not cast his life away so easily.
Sand take them all. And him for what he is contemplating. Blood and stone, he would not let his son slip away from him.
Not by Anileth.
And not by Rennick.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The hole; Letters to home
OOC: Um, I think he would be the only one to notice that, given:
"Yes, the tunnel does go on to the west, and the water flows that direction."
From: Karl
Subject: Re: The hole; Letters to home
After the halfling finishes, Farron says, "Well, Ketimar retired as Dean at least 10 years ago, and from the way this Danmonoth talks of Professor Tormin so openly disdainfully, the letter must have been written before he became head of the Department of History, and that was at least 20 years ago. This letter must be nearly 25 years old." He looks to Sa'id for agreement, then continues.
"We may never know exactly how this Danmonoth died, whether by the Murrkat or some other peril in this jungle. The possibilities are nearly endless." He turns to Sa'id again, "Sa'id, you're knowledge of death and the undead is far greater than mine. How long after death was it, you would suppose, that this mage was turned? Can you tell by the state of decomposition or anything? He would have had to have been undead for quite a long time else the body would have decayed to dust after two and a half decades, wouldn't he?"
From: Karl
Subject: Re: The hole; Letters to home
Sorry, got my east/west backwards. My point is that the rockfall is in one direction and the open waterfilled tunnel goes in the other direction, so we do have a choice other than going back up to the surface. (Or am I hopelessly confused about this?)
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The hole; Letters to home
OOC: No, you're not confused; we do have options. It's just that we know we're headed east, and the eastbound end of the tunnel was obstructed, guarded, and booby-trapped, while the end pointed away from our presumed destination seems to be completely open. That says to me--and Garyth, who isn't much for figuring out reverse psychology--that east is the way to go.
From: Karl
Subject: Re: The hole; Letters to home
(OOC - Fair enough. I don't want to interrupt the current discussion about the letter and what we might deduce from it, but I probably won't be able to reply much today and my home ISP is still giving me problems so I'll send this now and people can react to it when the time comes.)
Farron sees Mission and Garyth eyeing the rope and says, "I know we're heading east, and the tunnel is now blocked in that direction, but shouldn't we check out the tunnel in the other direction at least a little way before we all climb back out?"
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The hole; Letters to home
An awkward silence had ensued after the brief exchange between Mission and Rennik, and Garyth looks almost grateful for the chance to change the subject. He looks into the darkness to the west.
"We could, but I'm not sure it would do much good. We know that this temple is to the east, and it was the east direction that the zombies were guarding, not to mention the explosives." He pauses, feeling the ache in his muscles. "If this tunnel is part of a sewage system for the city that was once here, it seems most likely to me that the waste would be flowing out of the city, not toward its center."
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The hole; Letters to home
No, it goes west.
From: Dan
Subject: Cleric, Heal Thyself
Cadfael is currently feeling ill after eating pasta that had a milky sauce. I don't know which is stupider, the milk allergy or the fact that I ate something with milk in it. Probably me.
Anyway, nothing to add, he's just going to make the healing rounds, assuming everyone lets him. You people seem jittery lately. If you're passing on the healing, let me know and I'll hit you with my mace tomorrow.
Garyth -- Cure Serious Wounds
Rennik -- Cure Serious Wounds -- Daylight
Farron -- Cure Light Wounds -- Sanctuary
Mission (if he's injured) -- Cure Light Wounds -- Summon Monster I followed by another Cure Light -- Remove Fear if he's still injured.
I'm going home to die.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The hole; Letters to home
As Cadfael begins moving from person to person, Mission suddenly feels very much in need of some space. "I'll scout out the other end of the tunnel. Maybe it connects to something that leads eastward."
He will pause only to light a torch, and will move very, very cautiously westward.