The Blind Watchers of the Sylvan Shard

[Richard Rawen]

Cleaning his weapons, Richard looks from Lucien to the others and shrugs. "I gave up on what after I killed that 'gnome' for the third time... and it still got up... only... less like a gnome each time."
The fighers' troubled face reveals how unnatural he feels this whole place is.

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

Nhairi and Coir nod slowly as they listen intently. Nhairi speaks: "The Wyrwood Monastery is in a constant state of regrowth and regeneration. The rooms were 'carved' out by beating back the walls with large, flat paddles. From your description, it would seem that these creatures have somehow... taken some of the Monastery inside of them..."

Coir says, "The magical silence was utterly crippling. We put ourselves and you all at great risk by attempting to operate in such an environment. Without sound, we have no effective way of telling who we are encountering, where we are going, or how numerous our enemy is. If there are many such traps laid for us, I think I see how the other Brothers were lost. And I fear for their lives."

After a moment's pause, Coir shakes his head. "It is foolhardy for Nhairi and I to go on with you. The enemy knows our weakness and is more than capable of taking advantage. Our continued presence in these tunnels endangers us and burdens you. We must return." Nhairi begins to argue, but Coir makes a harsh "Shh" sound. Nhairi immediately goes quiet, thinks, and then nods.

The brothers are grim, but they are decided.

 

[Heckler]

"You are right, of course. Are you able to give us some idea as to which way to go and what we might find there? The one that got away went that way," Rinya says as she points down the appropriate tunnel. Then, realizing that the monks can't see her point, she clears her throat as she approaches Nhairi, takes his arm and points with it, adding, "I mean, that way."

 

[Richard Rawen]

"Wait, isn't this your home ground? Couldn't you at least, well, draw a map in the dirt or something... I know ya can't see, but I'm wonderin, well, can you?" The fighter stares at the monks a sec and then adds, "I mean any help you can give us, information, landmarks, dangerous places, Anything would be better than dropping us off and 'praying for the best', no offense to the prayin types..."

 

[Dalamar]

"Oh, come on," Tumna says, slapping Richard on the back," it can't be that bad. I mean, It's what us adventurers do, go to unknown places to face unknown horrors for unknown rewards."

 

[BigB]

Never thought a paddle could be more effective than a scimitar. Are you two with us or not? Khairi shakes his head looking at the 2 monks then continues. Either way we need to be careful and still continue on.

 

[Phoenix8008]

Speaking to the monks, Saithnar asks "So if the monestary is in constant flux, you might not be able to give us accurate information regardless, correct? It seems that we have a choice of three paths. The tunnel which the satyr things came from, the tunnel where the gnome thing came from or the other tunnel which we did not enter this chamber from. Which shall we take?" he asks the others.

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

"I sincerely wish that we could be of service to you. But I know that we would only bring more hardship on this expedition. As for the direction you should take, the largest tunnels lead to the Heart. However, there is nothing of particular interest there, as far as we are aware. These recent events have cast doubt on that assumption, but I think it possible that the source of this sickness is not in the Heart."

 

[Richard Rawen]

Tumna's remarks make Richard smile, he gives the man a smirk but then looks back at their "guides" who plan on leaving them in this nightmare.
Richard doesn't want to come off as thick-headed but he's frustrated. He begins to ask another question, finds that he is scratching his scalp under his helm and figures maybe that might look bad so he stops scratching and grips his swordhilt for comfort and having nothing better to do... then wonders if that might be taken as threatening... then realizes these guys are blind.
"Sheesh," he mutters under his breath, then looks up, clears his throat, and plows on, "so, if the infection or whatever is not in the heart, how is it spreading to much? Is there like a ... lung er, um, a liver or somesuch?" The large man is cringing a bit, feeling foolish, but still wanting some answers that don't involve blinding walking into yet another trap - And going the wrong way to boot.

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

Coir, far more observant than his blindfold might indicate, turns to Richard and speaks with profound regret. "Master Rawen, I hear the concern in your voice, and I understand fully your trepidation at exploring these roots without a guide. But you must see that Nhairi and myself would not be guides at all. As soon as another silence cripples us, which is surely the enemy's preferred tactic to deal with us, we would become a liability, provoking attacks we cannot hope to defend against, and incapable of retaliating for fear of wounding one of our own. There is no way for us to continue down these paths... I am sorry."

After a pause, Nhairi informs you about the Monastery in a soft tone. "The Monastery is a fungus, unlike animals and even plants like trees in ways that we barely comprehend. The Heart, though it is the largest portion, is not how the Monastery takes in its nourishment. The combined sustenance gathered by all of the roots, spread out for miles around us, is what feeds the Monastery. Even if the Heart were to die or be cut away, a new one would grow back in short order. We know this because several Wyrwood monastic rooms have been cleared away by brothers and have regrown. So the Heart, though the center of the Monastery, may not be the only place to look for the source.

"On the other hand, we know very little about this sickness at all. None of the brothers sent to investigate have returned, surely due to the foul tactics of the corrupted satyrs. Their involvement in this was previously unknown to us. We will have to discuss with Vagrant the implications of this new information."

Brother Coir hums in agreement.