(052) Reckoning the Abbey

[coffee]

Dieter keeps half an eye on the little guy(s), but keeps most of his alertness out for any potential threat that might approach Josiane while she's occupied.

[waysoftheearth]

The detailed examination of the statues, arches, stone colour, and so on continues for some minutes while Dieter stands ready, and Gustave is distracted by some urgent mustache grooming...

d6

Josiane doesn't recongise any of the figures depicted, nor does Desmond/Mondes note anything curious about the arches or brickwork around or above the three naves. But both have immediately recognised that the silver basin, the staff, and the heavy tome, are physically separate items -- they are not part of the statues, but rather are resting on/in them. The statues in their naves are apparently receptacles built to house these three items.

[ehiker133]

"Do you think," Desmond asks the shield maiden, "these items are magical?"

Seemingly without thought, Desmond quietly approaches the fountain with the silver basin. He eyes the basin with a discriminating look, to see if he notes anything about the bowl, other than the fact it is silver...

[Tonneau]

"I think, my head-budding hobbit", says Gustave, "that these items are going in my pack. Then we should either depart this fetid excuse for a house of worship, or finish our little reconnoiter in the hopes of finding some food ere we depart."

"What say you my dear?", he adds, raising a brow toward Josiane, "This holy stuff is more your department than mine after all..."

[danhem]

Ulric awakes from his silent meditations and advances into the chamber. He scans the walls for any sign of writing that he may recognize and then moves to the statue holding the book. He leans over the tome and tries to read some passages to discern their meaning.

"I would agree with Gustave. We should take these items from this place; surely this is what the Mother sent us here to retrieve. Though one wonders why she did not tell us where they were."

Ulric looks to Josiane for a moment.

"We will need to continue our search for some food though; and perhaps some funds to pay our rent? I also don't like the idea of these creatures pursuing us all the way back to Ket, which they are sure to do after what we have done. If we can put an end to them here, then all the better."

[ehiker133]

Desmond tilts his head at The Gustave, then nods at the statue with the staff. He assumes Firestarter would pick up the book, if Josiane agrees, and he positions himself to pick up the silver bowl...

[waysoftheearth]

Ulric surmises that the runes and symbols carved among the stone work are virtuous glyphs graven in forms of the Empyrean script; Josiane can confirm his suspicions, identifying symbols of piousness, hope, reflection, and modesty, among others that are less easily recognised.

Meanwhile Desmond/Mondes reach their hands out toward the silver basin, Mondes licking his lips hungrily at the prospect of snatching the good vessel. In occurs to Desmond, before he touches anything, that the water filled thing might in fact be quiet heavy. Perhaps emptying the water will help matters?

Josiane hears Ulric's logical speculation with a growing sense of solicitude...

[ehiker133]

Ulric surmises that the runes and symbols carved among the stone work are virtuous glyphs graven in forms of the Empyrean script; Josiane can confirm his suspicions, identifying symbols of piousness, hope, reflection, and modesty, among others that are less easily recognised.

Meanwhile Desmond/Mondes reach their hands out toward the silver basin, Mondes licking his lips hungrily at the prospect of snatching the good vessel. In occurs to Desmond, before he touches anything, that the water filled thing might in fact be quiet heavy. Perhaps emptying the water will help matters?

Josiane hears Ulric's logical speculation with a growing sense of solicitude...

| While waiting for a final word from Josiane, Desmond and Mondes look for someplace where they can pour the water out.

Where would it go if they just tipped the bowel? Also, now that he is obviously closer to the nun, can he see any details about her that might stand out? Is her face calm or in anguish? She doing anything but holding a traditional prayer pose? How far away from the fountain is she? |

[waysoftheearth]

Desmond/Mondes looks into the tiny nave and sees that the water that is constantly lapping over the edge of the bowl runs down the statues to fill a small "lake" at their feet. There must be a clever mechanism for recycling the water...

The dead nun's appearance is not overly attractive. Her skin has dried and shrunken... once could only guess her expression in life, but at the least she is kneeling as if in prayer. Compared to some of the things our Halfling has seen recently, it seems a relatively peaceful way to go...

[doctorx]

"Carefully," says Josiane in that special voice of hers as she sees over-eager hands reaching out towards the waiting treasure; "We have already encountered one trap between ourselves and these prizes. There may be others."

In gentler tones; "Friend Desmond, friend Mondes; are you satisfied there is no mechanical contrivance of any kind here to do us ill? If so, we may venture to proceed, but I think it best that I be the one to first lay hands on the relics - if there be divine magicks set to guard them they may sense the touch of a servant of Almighty Thuul and stay their wrath."

"Or so I hope," she adds with a nervous swallow.

Once Desmond/Mondes gives her the all-clear she will kneel in prayer before each of the objects, announcing herself as a servant of Thuul on a mission for the Holy Church and offering up all the approriate benedictions she can think of by way of asking permission to lay hands upon them.

When she is as certain as she can be that she has observed the proper rituals, she will reach out and take the book first...