Before setting out on the second day, Rask approaches Alexis and the rest of the group.
“What do you think of that business with Hadonis and the giants? We’re they in league with each other? Do you think they really wanted to eat him? He clearly can not be trusted and has some… disturbing interests… This whole place feels like a trap…”
Rask pauses.
“I have no doubt he sought a powerful treasure here, perhaps even a Tear of Avv, if such a thing truly exists, and I do not doubt our path here… but I am uneasy… something is off…”
Alexis seems to genuinely hear what Rask has to say and consider it. “We can resolve the Hadonis situation, but the giants might keep him occupied long enough to get the tear.” Alexis takes a moment to look Rask straight in the eyes.
“The tear exists. Whatever complications exist, that tear is here. And there are more tears out there.” There seems like there might be some sort of promise underlying what Alexis is saying.
“I don’t think the giants are going to eat Hadonis, although I feel he wasn’t so sure in the beginning. Raiden showed me an image of the giants as basically good-natured, and Hadonis scared for his life. I’m still not sure what the practical meaning of that is.”
“But if we want to go find the giants or Hadonis, Red or I should be able to find them.” Alexis gives a little tug of his whip to make sure it’s secure and winks at Rask.
“But that tear gets us closer to defeating.” Alexis nods his head to the north.
“Praise Raiden.”
Rask is satisfied with Alexis’ response. He looks to the others to see if they have anything to add.
“Alexis, do you know what we are going to do with the tear? None of us worships Av, so it seems her power may not yield to us easily. We are not sorcerers, who might have the instinctive ability to tap the energy of a strange item. I don’t have an idea what to do, to make that happen. I am concerned we are risking death going through the dungeon to pick up an item we might not know how to use. Indeed could we not be bringing a fell weapon to a battle, only to hand it over to the enemy who knows how to use it?”
“These are good points, and I’ve thought about them some.”
“From the little we’ve gleaned from rumors of Bandesingh, it seems unlikely that he’s a worshipper of Avv, although that would be an interesting twist.”
Alexis keeps going, as if this is something he’s rehearsed, possibly to himself.
“In the histories and the myths there is nothing said about tears of Avv needing to be wielded by priests of Avv, although I’m sure that would have helped. The tears were wept for the benefit of all humanity, not just the Avv-ites to shepherd the rest of humanity.”
“Another point, is that Hadonis was both powerful and not a priest of Avv, and he sought the tear as well. He felt very confident he could use it. Nothing Hadonis has told us about Barrick or the bear demons has suggested they have an Avv priest with them, and given my experience traveling through their footsteps, it seems very unlikely, indeed.”
“As a final note, I would say that I have been getting better and better at understanding artifacts the more I encounter them. I still think on my time with the Sword Chaotic, the Eyes of Maglubiet, Dauntless, the dwarven hammer and crown, the Mantle/Shield of Raiden, and many others. For all his faults, Telosh had a point about being flexible in being able to use many items, and potentially using items in ways they weren’t meant to be used.”