Move 348: Transporting OlafTunnels--Midday, Day 36 (Marpenoth 20)
After a brief discussion of what to do, the party made a decision to move to a safer place to talk about what had to be done. Olaf's equipment was divided up to be carried. Only Jana and Renn were really strong enough to carry Olaf to start off with, and they quickly discovered that moving the maimed body over the slick glassy rock that covered the tunnel they had come down earlier was no easy feat. After about an hour, Blacky and the others began to get their strength back. That made walking an easier chore for everyone, but transporting Olaf was still an awkward business.
Since they were going very very slowly, Arachne had plenty of time to figure out where any covered side tunnels or caverns might be as they went. After a couple of hours with everyone moving at a snail-like pace, she found another sealed-off cavern they could rest in. This one was even more claustrophobic than the one they had camped in before.
"I think Aloysius had a good idea," Echo said quietly. Her cowl was still covering her face. "We can work on a plan that has him and Arachne going to the surface. They can get supplies. He can go to Kuiper's to find out what's going on. They can...bury Olaf. Since Arachne was having problems going in that cavern, we can go there while they're gone."
"I still don't understand how they're gonna find us when they get back," Jana said. "I mean, I don't understand that mind magic stuff, but even still, they pop in back here and then they're by themselves until we either come back or they get to us. That's the part that bothers me." The corner of her mouth twitched and she looked very uncomfortable but didn't add anything.
"These coins are from Waterdeep," she told Aloysius. "Platinum suns."
"Waterdeep," echoed the mage softly. "Interesting."
He sat down next to a wall and leaned back, pulling his waterskin from his pack. "Wish do I that I had some method of contacting Moonspawn Keep. Perhaps if we had some information about how Master Moonspawn was abducted, we could determine more specifically the nature of our ultimate adversaries. One thing is for certain, he was not spirited away in the darkness by the likes of orcs or bandits."
He looked back at Echo. "Did any of the other captives relate to you how they were abducted?"
Jana flinched noticeably and watched Echo with a look of concern.
Echo slowly shook her head. "Nothing besides what we know about. Orcs and bandits. There must be more powerful factions on the surface though."
"Have Azrun draw a map," Arachne said. "As you go. It doesn't have to be a _good_ map. I mean, it doesn't have to be to scale or anything like that. It's mostly to remind him what all you guys passed. Then, when Aloysius and I get back to this chamber, I'll contact Azrun and we'll decide who should come to whom. If you guys are coming back, we'll wait and we'll have a fairly safe place to hole up in. If we're coming to you, then I'll have Azrun review his map with me so that we'll know to take the same turns that you did.
"The two of us coming after you is a little risky, yes, but at least we'll be going over ground that you'd already visited. And I'll promise to do my best to avoid any fights. We shall walk holding hands --" The gnome glanced at the wizard and raised her arm up high. She shrugged. "My shoulder will never forgive me. Anyway, should any sort of surprise turn up, we will teleport first and Aloysius can ask me questions later. That'll work except in places that make me itchy." She sighed. "Don't know how widespread that's going to be."
"I agree, we would be all right following the course Arachne suggested," commented Aloysius. "Besides, betwixt invisibility, shape changing, webs and Arachne's blue portal, we should prove to be highly evasive in the event we encounter anything."
He grinned at Arachne and took her outstretched hand. "Besides, Arachne's caution knows no bounds and shall serve us well."
The gnome glanced at him in surprise. "Of course it knows bounds," she argued. "I wouldn't be here otherwise."
Once in the sealed off tunnel, Azrun unrolled his blanket. Wrapping it around himself, he propped himself up against the wall of the tunnel and slowly fell asleep.
"Can you talk to Azrun?" Echo asked Arachne. "Mentally, I mean. We could keep each other updated every so often."
"I should be able to," the gnome replied. "And distance does matter in trying to make the contact, so it'd be harder from the surface. It'd be appropriate caution --" She glanced at the wizard. "-- for me to make sure that Azrun knows what I sound like in his head before we go."
Echo turned to Jana. "I really think they're right. They'll be safe as long as they don't try to fight. And they won't. We'll all be careful."
"I still don't like it," Jana grumbled. She glanced over at Olaf's body and flinched.
"I don't like it mostly 'cuz I hate bein' down here and I'd about kill to spend an hour in the sun." Jana sighed heavily and pulled off her armor, replacing it with the studded leather she wore when sleeping.
Jana grabbed her blanket and sat huddled up against the back wall. She pulled the blanket up over her head, obscuring her face from view. "We need to make a list of stuff. Junk for spells and food and water. We need lots of food, stuff that'll keep in that cabin. And something to use for cooking. We've gotta eat decent food if we're gonna expect to keep our strength up. Maybe some small charcoal brazier to heat water so's we can make stew from dried meats and vegetables. You guys figure something out. Worry about supplies, not that damned sword. Don't have time for that now."
Jana kept going, offering more detailed instructions regarding supply acquisition. Arachne waited her out, then turned to Aloysius. "Are you getting this, Aloysius?" she asked, her tone implying that she was not confident about being able to follow the directive.
"If someone will sit down with me and dictate what supllies we should procue, I shall compose a list," said Aloysius. "Also, if any spellcasters have need of components, let me know and I shall attempt to find them as well."
Blacky sat down less heavily once they reached the side passage. "We've got to find a way to fight them without getting hit by those strands. Once my strength is gone, I'm about worthless in a fight. Maybe if we could get some full body shields..." Blacky commented glumly.
Once inside the cavern, Renn sat heavily and leaned against the wall. After a long drink from one of his waterskins, he touched up his knife against the whetstone as the conversations began.
Renn tested the edge of his blade against his thumb, and began to carve small slivers from the fist of wood he produced from his backpack.
"If we hole up here today, I may be able to heal myself so that we can travel on the 'morrow," Renn said as he continued to work at the wood. "It would be traveling with a reduced amount of healing, but if we wished to, we could make some progress."
Renn shook his head. "Can't think of any spell regents I may need Aloysius, and about the only other things I can think of would be food and firewood. A fire would be a pleasant thing down here, and I've a prayer which can extend a fire's burning."
"They didn't seem to move that quickly, so perhaps ranged attacks are the key, if we manage to not let them come out of nowhere on us," Renn grimaced. "Of course, our arrows weren't really that effective against that pair," Renn shrugged.
Renn put his knife aside, picked up a pebble from the floor of the cavern and cast a quick spell. He bounced the rock in his hand and dropped it into one of the pouches on his belt. "We are on the right path though, it feels like something important is to be found soon," the elf said quickly, with a quick look to Olaf's body and then away. "It will have to be momentus. I'm glad you could help him regrow his hand Arachne," Renn added with a sad smile.
The gnome looked at the elf a moment, thinking about it, then nodded. "I hope so," she conceded. "It didn't help him survive, but I hope he felt it was a good thing."
"Is not the weakness the result of some type of toxin?" asked Aloysius. "If so, perhaps some of our number could be immunized in the same fashion as when we faced the grell."
"You're the only one who can heal people with Olaf dead and Arachne gone," Jana told Renn. "We can't afford for you not to have all the healing spells possible. Maybe Arachne can do some of that mind-magic healing stuff on you so you won't have to use your spells on yourself tomorrow?"
"Oh, yes -- of course." The gnome hurried to obey. "Sorry. Wasn't thinking. I can rest after you leave. Or rest before you leave so that you _can_ leave..."
"Thanks," Jana said softly from under her blanket.
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