The group is moving away from their camp back towards Nodden-Torr ahead. Alexis falls into step beside Ca’armine.
“Something came out of my studies this past fortnight. A name I didn’t recognize.” He glances over. “The Inner Watch. Some kind of sect inside the order.” He watches Ca’armine’s face. “Have you heard of it?”
As we peer into the strange room with the hour glass.
“Alexis, I would strongly advice we attempt to solve this room and gain that hourglass. Given the power of the scrying ball and all the time effects in this dungeon. Having that hourglass could turn out to be very helpful.
Thoughts?”
We reach the strange metal door for the 3rd time. Ethelred turns to Ca’armine.
“Ca’armine you mentioned detecting for keys. I might have been too hasty in dismissing your idea. We have gone through some trouble to get here and not yet found the 3rd key.
Detecting for the 3rd key might be our best option. It would be a shame to leave this area hoping the key is beyond the door we skipped, only to be wrong.
Alexis, what do you think?”
While resting before tackling the round room with seven pillars, Rask approaches Alexis.
“Alexis, if I may, I hoping we can talk more as a team about the… magic here… the treasure we have and the treasure we seek?
Rask waits for Alexis to accept his request.
“You said that the crystal ball is corrupted and the magic here is corrupted, right? It seems like this is all connected… The Tear must be corrupted too, right? If it is corrupted, can we really use it against… our Adversary uncleaned? Can we cleanse the taint of the Tear? Can we learn how by trying to cleanse the taint of the the crystal ball? Do you think we have to cleanse the taint of the Maiden to do so?”
“My apologies Alexis, I am just wondering if you have learned anything from gazing at the crystal ball that would serve us in our next move against the traps in the Mountain or perhaps our enemies and allies?”
“And perhaps… if you would be willing at some point to look in upon the refugees from Thater? I am curious about their fate… Alikimo’s as well… It is not pressing of course, and if it would put you in danger…. I would never ask that… but… if it’s not too much trouble…”
Alexis dances a silver coin across his knuckles, watching the firelight play off it.
“So. Bandesingh.” He catches the coin. “Two Tears of Avv. Enslaved how many humans now through the Dark Hand? Sold them to goblins and orcs. Used blood magic to make those orcs nastier. Had gnolls digging for an artifact tied to the weeping god. Until he found out we got there first. Then he sacrificed all those gnolls. Fed them to his evil working.”
He pockets the coin, looking up.
“End of the Second Age, every race turned on humanity. Tore down everything we’d built. We’ve worked with some of them since. Carnoah, the litigious dwarves, the invisible dwarves, kobolds. Not all of them are monsters. But Bandesingh’s making deals with the worst ones. Goblins. Orcs. Making them stronger while he weakens humanity from the shadows.”
He adjusts his hat.
“We get that Tear from Nodden-Torr, we might actually have a shot at stopping him. So that’s the job. Let’s not forget it when things get ugly in there.”
The group’s put Nodden-Torr behind them, heading east. Gustav and Ca’armine say they’re close to where they’ll camp for the next few weeks. Alexis digs into the saddlebag and pulls out Tarkus Vell’s very fine tunic. He turns it over in his hands, then holds it out to Ethelred.
“Have you studied Ontic Instantiation within those scrolls? Summoning things that aren’t from around here?” He shakes the tunic slightly. “Would this help?”
A week into their time in the hills east of Nodden-Torr, the group gathers for a meal. Some look sharp, invigorated. Others are worn down. Alexis pulls his hat off, sets it beside him, and leans forward on his elbows looking at Gustav and Ethelred.
“Follow-up to what I said before. We should brew potions before heading back in.” He glances at Gustav. “Takes you more effort, Gus, but brewing’s still quick work.”
He shifts his boots under him, turning to address both Ethelred and Gustav jointly again.
“Let’s inventory what we’ve got for vessels. Flasks, vials, jars we can reuse. We’ve got Hadonis’ evil stuff, and I still have that resistance vial from the Emoi mage.” He pulls the vial out, turns it in his fingers and the Collegium ring catching firelight as he does. “These need thorough cleaning. Any trace of Hadonis’ god or the Emoi has to go. I can handle that. Just get me fresh moss.”
“The vessels for Hadonis’ oils and perfumes, the mundane stuff, we can be less careful with. But still clean.”
He looks between them. “Two questions. What other containers do we have? And what can you make that’ll actually help us down there?”
The group’s been walking for an hour since the Monastery of the Eagles fell behind them. Two keys secured, two weeks of open sky ahead. Alexis adjusts his hat against the late sun, boots finding steady ground. His Collegium ring catches the light as he gestures ahead.
“Watching Gus die and Raiden’s power couldn’t even bring him back. And before that, nearly losing all of us.” He turns to face the others, but still keeping his stride. “We need to do this differently when we go back.”
The sound of ring clinking on ring is heard as Alexis brings one hand down into the other.
“Every passage so far has had two threats. Both can be beaten with enough raw power, but the first one’s been a puzzle. Perception, thought. The second’s a fight. And each fight has had a touch of insanity.” Alexis thinks on this a moment and then continues. “There appear to be patterns.”
He shrugs. “But these are short runs. We don’t need endurance. Just the right approach.”
“Red and I have been holding back in case things get worse. I think we stop doing that. New plan: we use everything we’ve got to crack the puzzles: The trapped door and the mural room. And when we’re ready to test our theory, we fortify ourselves first. Assume we’re wrong and plan for the consequences.”
He looks around at them. Ethelred, Ca’armine, Rask, Gustav, and Sally perched on Gustav’s shoulder.
“Thoughts?”
As the blood-sweet-rot dimension collapses in on itself, Alexis turns to Ca’armine and Ethelred, pulling his hat back into place.
“Everything summoned we’ve seen so far has been evil. Can we summon something good? Angels exist in the stories.” He adjusts his belt and his shirt. “What about something that makes you forget nightmares like that?”
“And how do we prepare for the next time we meet something like that? What lessons can we take away from this time? That… thing fought Raiden’s magic hard. For a second, I thought it was going to shake it off.”