[AU] Butterfly Cage

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"Indeed," says Sanje. "I sense that it is not yet her time."

*When you say this, Aa-Namay's eyes light up.*

"It must be true. She can't go yet. We haven't finished everything we set out to do..." tears threaten to fall at her eyes again, and she quickly stops talking. Her grip on Aa-Ma'ray's body has gone from desperate to supporting.

Sanje looks thoughtful, "Perhaps. I must hold doubts, however. Superstitious workmen always blame ghosts first and people second, if no obvious answer presents itself."

*The bowman shakes his head.*

"Ghosts or no, I'm not exactly ignorant of the ways of the moutains. I've been in many caves. These didn't look bad, and they certainly didn't seem the type to collapse without warning. 'Tis unnatural, is all I'll say. I'd rather believe it was a ghost than think that someone deliberately set something up," he says. He speaks the last in a particularly soft voice, not wanting the giantess to overhear. "Aa-Namay will be in the wardance if she gets a hint that someone real enough to take her anger out on did this. You can't stop her when she's like that, and she might try to hurt anyone in her way. Just be careful what you say if you go in to take a look, all right? Besides, it could be ghosts for all I know."

Scinathar looks at them all, then at the sister giant not injured. "Sirrat, your sister will live, I'm sure Conner knows what he's doing." He walks around for a few seconds, then speaks again, "What else have any of you seen up here? Do any of you think that this could have been a trap by somebody else, or did some of you really see a ghost?"

Scinathar walks some more, not really paying any one of them too much attention, more like collecting his own thoughts. He always keeps close to Mochor, just in case.

*Scinathar, while the bowman that is talking to Sanje seems to be taking things mostly in stride, the crossbowman is still scanning the countryside. Both of those men seem to be brothers. The bowman is a bit older, with sandy brown hair and the weather-beaten skin that comes from living life out of doors. His brother looks similar, both are wearing leather jacks and have swords sheathed at their sides. The second bowman however is looking at you with undisguised distaste, bordering on disgust or even hate. He looks a bit younger than the other two, but is dressed a bit better, wearing a leather coat, and he has a two battle claws thrust through his belt. While his nocked bow is pointing toward the ground, you notice he is very tense. He has an unruly shock of black hair and dark eyes.*

*Aa-Namay smiles at the entire party, but particularly at Connor. When Scinathat mentions the collapse, tears threaten her eyes again.*

"I saw no ghost... Aa-Ma'ray though she saw something in the caverns and dashed in with Voes. I came in just as the ceiling..." she stops herself and shudders at the memory. The faen man, Voes apparently, finally stands up from behind Aa-Namay.

"I was there when the ceiling fell in. Aa-Ma'ray pushed me out of the way... I was right next to her when she was pinned," he says, unconsciously tugging at his bloodstained shirt. "She thought she saw something unusual in the tunnels, as if there were parts of the ruins in them or something. I didn't get a chance to see much of anything though before the cave-in."

*Connor, only about ten minutes has passed.*

 

[WizWrm]

Sanje nods in acknowledgement to the bowman's advice.

"I saw no ghost... Aa-Ma'ray though she saw something in the caverns and dashed in with Voes. I came in just as the ceiling..." she stops herself and shudders at the memory. The faen man, Voes apparently, finally stands up from behind Aa-Namay.

"I was there when the ceiling fell in. Aa-Ma'ray pushed me out of the way... I was right next to her when she was pinned," he says, unconsciously tugging at his bloodstained shirt. "She thought she saw something unusual in the tunnels, as if there were parts of the ruins in them or something. I didn't get a chance to see much of anything though before the cave-in."

"My natural inclination would be to investigate this matter. There is something unusual going on here; you are not the first team that has encountered an inexplicable collapse," says Sanje. "I have even spoken to one mercenary team that was convinced the magic-seekers they guarded were being pursued by vengeful phantoms. Then there is the root of the matter; it is certainly of unusual nature for a sudden cache of magic to appear where the town has existed peacefully before and encountered nothing, is it not?"

He continues, "The obstacle presented, of course, is that my team has already been commissioned by a wealthy scholar for the simpler purpose of magic-seeking; we cannot simply cease these activities to chase apparitions."

Sanje suddenly looks thoughtful. "However - he is a scholar, and might be interested in what we have to find out. And we are not so much abandoning our duties - you are also magic-seekers, are you not? I suspect there might be much of value in these tunnels."

 

[Jaik]

*Assuming Mochor notices the black-haired archer's animosity, he'll try to stay between that bowman and Scinathar without being too obvious about it, watching him out of the corner of his eye so as not to provoke him.*

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*The black-haired archer looks at both Scinathar and Mochor a few more times, then puts his arrow away and unstrings his bow. While Sanje talks to the giants and the other guards, he walks over to the mojh and litorian.*

"Mojh- Sirrat," he says, switching to the polite form of address after a second, biting off his words, "I need you to see something in the cave. Come with me."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Sanje nods in acknowledgement to the bowman's advice.

"My natural inclination would be to investigate this matter. There is something unusual going on here; you are not the first team that has encountered an inexplicable collapse," says Sanje. "I have even spoken to one mercenary team that was convinced the magic-seekers they guarded were being pursued by vengeful phantoms. Then there is the root of the matter; it is certainly of unusual nature for a sudden cache of magic to appear where the town has existed peacefully before and encountered nothing, is it not?"

He continues, "The obstacle presented, of course, is that my team has already been commissioned by a wealthy scholar for the simpler purpose of magic-seeking; we cannot simply cease these activities to chase apparitions."

Sanje suddenly looks thoughtful. "However - he is a scholar, and might be interested in what we have to find out. And we are not so much abandoning our duties - you are also magic-seekers, are you not? I suspect there might be much of value in these tunnels."

"Tis fair strange," the older bowman says, "But I'm a guard, and know little of magic and ghosts. These akashics hired me, my brother, and Telof over there to guard them so that's what we're doing."

*To Sanje's comment about the tunnels, Voes pipes up.*

"Not everyone want to share what they find, that's why we hired guards... But then again not everyone wants to die either. We can look together for a time... after Aa-Ma'ray is healed."

 

[Keia]

If Connor is not rested enough to invoke a full Transfer Wounds, he will cast a diminished one, hoping that the healing will continue to aid the giantess.

 

[ES2]

*The black-haired archer looks at both Scinathar and Mochor a few more times, then puts his arrow away and unstrings his bow. While Sanje talks to the giants and the other guards, he walks over to the mojh and litorian.*

"Mojh- Sirrat," he says, switching to the polite form of address after a second, biting off his words, "I need you to see something in the cave. Come with me."

Scinathar sizes him down, then up, and yawns into the sky, showing his razor sharp teeth. He also places his quarterstaff in front of him, standing one end into the ground. Then he looks into the man's eyes, "Sirrat non-mohj, tell me what it is you wish to show me, or do you intend to kill me so no one will see," Scinathar lowers and tilts his head towards the man, "and if you like, tell me in my ear so no one else can hear what you say."

He pauses, and looks around to see what others are doing. Then yawns again, and his tounge slithers out quickly, flicks in the air, then slithers back into his mouth.

 

[Dalamar]

Galen goes over to the cave-in to see if he could pick up any trace of residual magic with his natural talent. At the same time, he tries to look for clues as to what caused it.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Connor, you invoke the dimished transfer wounds, and watch Aa-Ma'ray's wound close almost entirely. Her ribs seem almost whole now, and while she's not conscious, seems to be breathing easier. Aa-Namay breaths a prayer in the giant tongue.*

"Thank you," she says simply.

Scinathar sizes him down, then up, and yawns into the sky, showing his razor sharp teeth. He also places his quarterstaff in front of him, standing one end into the ground. Then he looks into the man's eyes, "Sirrat non-mohj, tell me what it is you wish to show me, or do you intend to kill me so no one will see," Scinathar lowers and tilts his head towards the man, "and if you like, tell me in my ear so no one else can hear what you say."

He pauses, and looks around to see what others are doing. Then yawns again, and his tounge slithers out quickly, flicks in the air, then slithers back into his mouth.

*The man looks and sees that the other bowmen, both giants, and Voes are otherwise engaged with the other members of your party. He slips one hand into one of his battleclaws, but then holds it flat against his body with his other hand. He leans well into strike range, seemingly unafraid.*

"I don't like mojh," he says simply, keeping his voice low, "But I am a fair man. I thought I saw marks on the walls of the cave, and prints in the dust, and to me they looked like marks from a mojh. But unless you can move at the speed of thought, I don't think you could have triggered a cave-in from so far away as you were. And the tracks were far too fresh. However, if I say my speculations out loud Aa-Namay will gut you like a fish in the time it takes to blink. So, go into the cave and tell me if one of your kind had anything to do with this, and where it is hiding." He turns, and sees Galen going into the cave. "Look, one of your friends is already going in. We have to catch up before he erases the tracks by accident," he says, cursing under his breath.

*Galen, you start into the cave, but it is still very dusty, and as dark as a tomb. You're going to need a light before you get much farther.*

 

[WizWrm]

Sanje, catching sight of Galen entering the cave, says, "Hold your movement for this time. We should organize before entering the cave - it might still be dangerous, and it would be the peak of foolishness to be caught in a second roof-collapse unprepared."

He glances over to where Scinathar and the bowman are talking. Noticing the bowman's angry demeanor, he considers for a moment and decides to say nothing.

To the assembled group, Sanje says, "Excellent; we shall enter then. What precautions must we fit ourselves to? Shall we enter here after preparing or try another entrance elsewhere?"

"I have a rope; we should form a line along it so none will be lost in the event of a turn-around, a snuffed light, or if any become trapped behind or under a rock and cannot call for help," he continues in his deep voice, "As for torches, I can provide one, but would prefer to keep both hands free, and I understand some of you might follow this inclination as well." Sanje nods to the bowmen. "Those who don't should carry torches; if we might have a sunrod among us, that could be tied to a pack, and this will be solved. What other advice do you have to offer? Your group is clearly and educated and experienced in the matter, and we have only prepared to explore the surface."

"Are there any here who possess special vision of any sort? They must lead, and if there are none as such, I offer to take the front unless another wishes it. How wide is the cave? Does it ever narrow to perhaps the width of a single individual or less? Double-file or single-file would be my preference."