Immersive Ink

Josiane is oblivious to her companions' urgings. She is deep in prayer for the departed soul of the brave Sister who kneels before her. Tears are streaming silently down her cheeks, though she makes no sound.

But Wen's shout draws a reaction.

"Lord Olaf! Dorgan!"

She is on her feet in an instant, tucking the letter carefully beneath her leather cuirass. Her white shield is on her arm and the blade of Jehan is in her hand.

To Armando: "Search well. The true treasures may yet lie here concealed. I am needed elsewhere."

She races for the stair and her beset comrades.

Desmond watches the others race out of the room.

But he remains with Armando and aids him in searching with an additional two sets of eyes...

| I believe Desmond also has one of the light sources, so he probably shouldn't leave with it. |

After Josiane reads the letter the fate of the artifacts become clear to Ulric.

"If these false priestesses had been here for a while, infiltrating from within, they would have had plenty of time to steal these artifacts and replace them with fakes. I suppose we'll just need to delve deeper and find this Cairie."

Just then Ulric hears Wen's shout from above. He rushes to the stairs to see what aid he can provide.

"Don't stay down here too long," he warns Armando and the others as he leaves. "We don't want to get separated."

OOC: Don't forget the room has it's own light source.

The Reliquary

Josiane snaps out of her prayer as Wen shouts his warning.

Gustave was making ready to depart, but allows Dieter, Ulric and Josiane to pass him by and make for the stair, climbing it at haste d6 and barreling over the marked step without incident.

Only Armando, Desmond/Mondes, Rufus and Invisble Highbough remain in the suddenly quiet reliquary, with Gustave still loitering at the door...

Armando has an eye for a certain section of wall, probing it cautiously with deft hands and assessing the stonework with a critical eye... ah, see here? One stone in the corner column will give half an inch if pressed firmly... "Some help, dear hobbits," he requests of Rufus, and while Armando holds the stone depressed, Rufus is able to press the facing wall inward silently, revealing a narrow secret passage...

...and so....

The Infirmary

Dorgan is now bootless, his feet still steaming (but unharmed) from their near miss. He has scrambled far back enough from the "thing" to get back on his feet. It is creeping gradually nearer, but doesn't have anything like the pace required to catch up. He looks around for something to burn... and reckons he could chop another splint off the side of a bookshelf with his axe in a jiffy...

Wen, Dieter, Ulric and Josiane arrive at the blacked, inner infirmary...

Gustave holds up at the door on seeing the discovery, then makes his way back to join the poetic rogue and the hobbits (and the lingering whiff of elf wizard), his blade sliding silently from its sheath as he does so.

"Indeed...indeed...good show my worthy comrade" he breathes, peering into the darkness.

Desmond grins, "Wouldn't hurt to explore it just a little bit..."

He starts for the entrance of the secret passage. If nobody moves to stop him, he continues, one head checking the ceiling and looking ahead, while the other keeps an eye on the floor and walls...

Wen would rush it the room Torch in hand, and seeing Dorgan retreating from the puddle he would call out. "Dorgan! Take my torch I'll get another one out" . Then move quickly to hand it off and retreat long enough to get another torch ready.

Armando smiles to himself as the portal opens upon darkness — into which he raises his lantern and peers within ...