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Holmes: Cassio had never seen anyone as tall as the cyclops guards outside of the edifice into which he has managed to cajole his way into. But now he comes into the main hall - which is of staggering height - and there is an even larger humanoid, arrayed in gold. This must be Thanok.
Holmes: Arrayed about are Lugro warriors, and a goblin stands on a pedestal near his left.
Cassio heads forward in his practiced stately manner, with carefully checked air of dignity, and then bows
Holmes: The goblin finishes whispering something into Thanok's ear. He looks Cassio over, and says, "What is your name?"
Cassio: "Cassio, my lord."
Holmes: "I happen to know of you, Cassio," he says, sounding, despite his bestial visage, quite intelligent.
Cassio: "Oh?"
Holmes: "Yes, I have long ears," the being replies. Cassio notes a tiny glance in the direction of the diminutive looking goblin. Cassio realizes that, in fact, it's a rather large goblin.
Holmes: "What would you have of me?"
Cassio: "I humbly ask for safe passage through your city and its surrounding tunnels."
Holmes: The single eye on his face blinks, and he replies, "I can do you one better than that, little one. I can return you to your friends. They are all now beneath the lair of the Murlogi 'King'"
Holmes: The last word is somewhat spat out with distaste
Holmes: "You see, I do indeed have long ears," he says.
Holmes: "And more than one eye."
Cassio: "Yes, and those eyes so easily pierce the darkness before you. Truly amazing."
Cassio pauses for a second deciding on if he should attempt to press on or just drop it, he studies Thanok carefully
Cassio: "Would you tell me how they fair, if you know, my lord?"
Holmes: "That, I do not know, but they are in a place of great peril," he says. "So, will you accept my boon? There may be nobody coming to the secret place to which you fly."
Holmes: He grins broadly... really broadly.
Cassio: "Your words and wise and true. Fortune also forgets those you do not remember their friends in time of need. Surely I will accept such a generous gift."
Holmes: "Excellent," the Cyclops grins, "my associate here will perform a ritual which will take the two of you to them, by magic!"
Cassio responds with just a touch of disdain, "Oh, magic, lovely."
Holmes: The goblin climbs down a ladder off of the pedestal, and, not liking Cassio's comment, he comes over and looks Cassio over.
Holmes: There is something malevolent in the goblin's gaze, though it is also analytical at the same time.
Cassio remains silent, taking a more casual stance
Holmes: The goblin looks as though he's having second thoughts.
Holmes: "I might not be able to find the link in one who is so weak in the soul!" he says to Thanok.
Cassio just smiles a bit, "I'd be insulted if your jab had any truth."
Cassio: "Without truth words often lack the might to injure."
Holmes: The goblin grumbles.
Holmes: "Get on with it," shouts the cyclops suddenly at the goblin.
Holmes: Amazingly the goblin does not flinch.
Cassio almost jumps at the sudden power and authority of Thanok, it takes all he has to remain still but his heart begins to pound and he sweats just a bit
Holmes: Slowly the goblin begins to prepare a ritual.
Holmes: As he works, the goblin tries to hide it from Cassio, but (Cassio being alert), notes occasional looks of contemptuous smirks that lead him to believe that the goblin is hiding something about what's going on.
Cassio is no longer smiling, and he stares at the ritual worker, "What is so funny?"
Holmes: The goblin is somewhat taken aback, looking up from his work. "Oh, nothing. Just a private joke between myself and Lord Thanok."
Holmes: The fact that his words sound somewhat truthful doesn't really make his statement seem any more comforting.
Cassio just watches him work, trying to avoid thinking about this too much
Holmes: The goblin continues his preparations. Cassio notes that the process is very ritualistic... and then the goblin retrieves from a corner a bag from which he pulls an urn. Opening it reveals blood.
Holmes: As Cassio watches, he notes that this ritual is precisely the sort that Valris warns against in her Words of Light, as being the root of evil.
Cassio holds back his natural urge to scoff at this so-called magician
Holmes: The ritual comes to completion, and the gobin prays to some dark god in his tangled tongue. And the world becomes suddenly dark.

Chimrea looks around at the ruddy light, the falling rocks, the curtains of smoke hiding any easy path out. "Egani, Kerem, unless you have a good way out, pick up one of those two"--indicating Alquas and Tez--"and follow me."
Tez still lies on the obsidian bridge, unconsciously curled around the unresponsive body of her serpentine baby.
Kerem glances at the two bodies and grabs Tez, doing his best to keep the baby against her at the same time.
Agnes carries Alquas' diminutive form and heads back the way they came.
Chimrea: "Down here," Chimrea says, making for a cleft in rock with nothing but blackness inside.
Egani follows Chimrea's lead but wonders. "Where is this?"
Kerem struggles to squeeze into the crack.
Chimrea: "It would take hours to go back--we have to go sideways," Chimrea says back over her shoulder, coughing as she slips between two jagged bits.
Chimrea: In the dark her fingers find the Spider's web, and her other hand reaches back to hold a bit of Egani's shirt, steering him.
Holmes: The world tilts suddenly on it's side, and everyone is falling. But then it rights itself again, and everyone is standing in a new cave. And everyone has the feeling of having fallen through something... squishy.
Holmes: But immediately something is not right
Holmes: (except to Chimrea)
Egani: "Huh...what?"
Holmes: Egani, especially, has trouble seeing anything beyond his own nose.
Kerem: "That was weird."
Kerem: "Something's not right."
Holmes: The walls look like walls... yet they are also just the impression of walls, it seems.
Egani: "There's no essence!"
Holmes: Formless, yet full of form.
Chimrea: "What? No, it's okay, this is near where Salamander lives." She adds very quietly, "I think."
Kerem: "Salamander."
Holmes: The form being more like a wall than looking at a wall.
Kerem: "Is Salamander a good guy?"
Holmes: The cave, however, is no longer ashy.
Holmes: Instead a feeling of... deadness... seems to pervade things
Egani: "So this is what it's like to die." Egani shudders a bit.
Chimrea: "Salamander is one of Old Man Spider's children. I, um, I sort of left a piece of my spirit here, and I think I will start to forget things if we leave without it."
Chimrea looks at Egani curiously, not understanding how it feels to him.
Kerem: "Oh."
Kerem: "Yeah, let's pick that up on the way out."
Chimrea: "Um. The thing is, to get it back I need to help him escape from here, then he'll help keep the High King off of Green Lake."
Chimrea: "I would have explained earlier, but things were sort of busy."
Egani: "Escape from here?"
Kerem: "...okayy..."
Kerem: "I guess that's okay."
Kerem: "What does he have to escape from?"* Chimrea: "He used to rule a volcano place in Sarnak, but one of his enemies chased him down here. Now the High King's tunnels have made a net, trapping many of the spirits of the lower earth."
Egani: "And how will we get him out? And what harm was he doing to the High King?"
Kerem looks around uncomfortably.
Chimrea: "He hates the High King, but I don't know the details. I was hoping that Kerem might be able to help with the freeing." Chimrea seems to be shrinking slightly.
Kerem: "Uh...sure. Yeah, I can do that."
Kerem: "If you think it would be a good idea, let's do it."
Chimrea: "I haven't seen a good idea in so long, I don't even remember what they look like anymore."
Holmes: As Chimrea takes in the area, she notes that her earlier assessment was correct that, in fact, if they follow some of the tunnels off in one direction that she's pretty sure that they'll come to the Salamander. But her hand brushes a spirit of webbing as she looks about getting a sense of the place...
Holmes: And she realizes that Old Man Spider's lair is also not far from here.
Chimrea grimaces a bit as her fingers brush the web and the spider on her shoulder taps her ear. She's pretty sure she doesn't want to talk to the boss right now, so she points down the warm tunnel to Salamander and says, "That way."
Chimrea: Then she looks at Kerem curiously, remembering his voice and his bargaining back on the lava.
Egani walks, thinking about whether it's easier to nab spirits here than in the 'real' world.
Kerem meets her eyes and looks away, awkwardly fingering his key.
Chimrea looks away a moment later and sets off down the tunnel.
Holmes: *
Holmes: Coming around a corner, Chimrea sees a spirit of crushing rock blocking their path.
Holmes: Egani notes that his vision seems to be coming back, if only partially... there is essence here
Tez groans and shifts a little, then goes limp again.
Kerem: "Does anybody want to trade bodies?"
Kerem: "Hey, what's that thing?"
Egani: "Huh...what's different here? I can see some stuff."
Holmes: The spirit comes forward menacingly. As if threatening to pound them if they do not turn back.
Kerem: "Chim, can you, like...shaman this guy?"
Holmes: The thing towers over all of them, feeling like an avalanche about to come down hard.
Chimrea: "It's not one of the spirits I know," Chimrea says. She steps forward, holding up her hand to the rock pile and apparently oblivious to the size disparity. "Spider's children have. Step aside."
Egani: "It is an elemental of the earth."
Kerem: "Don't worry. We're a ragtag band of adventurers and we're here to help."
Chimrea: ("Spider's children have business together", even.)
Egani gets out a book. "Creature, do you serve the High King?"
Holmes: "The creature hesitates momentarily at Egani speaking the name of the High King," but then it presses on.
Egani: "In the name of the High King, I demand that you fail to hinder our expedition in His name!"
Holmes: The thing hesitates... moves forward... and then hesitates again. Egani's carefully chosen tone reaches into some part of the thing, and motivates it in ways that only one skilled in both conversation and in understanding how such things tick, could.
Holmes: It stands aside.
Egani nods and carries Alquas past it, not sparing another glance toward it.
Kerem: "That went good," Kerem mutters.
Chimrea: "He's feeling better," Chimrea murmurs sideways to Kerem, following Egani.
Kerem: "Oh."
Kerem: "...goooood?"
Holmes: *
Holmes: A bit later Chimrea leads the group through a massive cavern that seems to stretch an impossible distance (yet still doesn't take that long to cross), and the heat goes up considerably.,
Holmes: It begins to look, once again, like the Ash Lairs.* Chimrea: "Not much farther. Kerem, do you need help carrying Tez?"
Kerem: "*grunt* That'd be nice."
Chimrea: "Sorry." She looks embarrassed for not offering earlier, and pulls one of Tez's arms over her shoulders.
Egani: "Neat place." Egani gazes all around with wide eyes.
Kerem: "It's okay."
Kerem: "How're you doing?"
Holmes: Coming around a corner, they all see the lava rivers again, and, in their midst, the Salamander.
Egani: "Me?" Egani looks surprised. "I'm good. This one is light."
Tez wakes up slightly fingers twitching around an imaginary sword hilt.
Chimrea: "Me?" Chimrea looks sideways at Tez in her blood-soaked bandages, then up at Alquas' limp borrowed body. "I'm FINE."
Kerem: "Well, that seemed kind of sarcastic, but I actually think that I need to think about that huge god thing right now."
Chimrea is about to snipe back, then gets a huge smile on her face as she feels normal for the first time in days.
Chimrea: "Tez?" she says at the stirring.
Holmes: Suddenly there is a crackling sound, and a dark sphere some ten feet across forms between the group and the Salamander. Even the Salamander takes notice.
Egani: "Whoa...what now?"
Tez: "Where...is?" she tries, then looks up at the crackling. "Wassat"
Holmes: Tez can feel that the crackling is some powerful soul entering the area.
Tez blinks. "Soul?"
Holmes: The sphere resolves into nothingness slowly, and inside can be seen Cassio and a rather imposing looking goblin.
Chimrea: "That wasn't my fault," Chimrea points out just in case anyone is keeping score.
Egani: "Oh...your friend..?"
Kerem: "You brought a GOBLIN?"
Tez: "Cassio." She stares.
Holmes: "Not just any goblin," it says to Kerem. "I am Korak, High Priest of the Rebellion. And I'm here to make sure you don't mess up my plans."
Kerem: "What are your plans?"
Holmes: The goblin looks at Kerem as though he's crazy.
Cassio takes in the group, but feels it would be rather rude to interrupt the High Priest of the Rebellion
Chimrea opens her mouth, then realizes this is Kerem's sort of thing, shuts up, and occupies herself in transferring Tez's weight to her shoulders so Kerem can move freely.
Egani considers draining off the goblin's essence and tries to size him up with that in mind.
Kerem: "What? Don't just look at me as though I'm crazy."
Holmes: "How about you tell me what your plans are first?" the Goblin Proposes.
Cassio inches closer and behind the goblin just in case their is an unfortunate conflict of plans
Kerem: "Our plans are to get the hell out of here."
Kerem: "It's turning out to be WAY more complicated than we anticipated."
Tez sags against Chimrea for several moments as thoughts percolate slowly through her mind through the haze of pain. Eventually, she stiffens and her hands snake up to Chimrea's throat, and she hisses, "You killed him!"
Kerem: "Whoa. Bad Tez! Bad! Talking to goblin!"
Kerem pulls his end of Tez away.
Cassio wonders if things were always this complicated and maybe her didn't notice
Kerem: "Hey! Goblin guy! Come be useful and help hold down our crazy but basically loveable blood priestess."
Tez screams and kicks at Kerem's knees while continuing to attempt to choke Chimrea to death
Egani begins fiddling with books and equipment -- the crazy old coot is always up to some kind of weirdness. Good thing he's harmless.
Chimrea: "Agh," says Chimrea, pushing at Tez.
Holmes: The goblin looks on, bemused
Kerem: "So what's YOUR plan?"
Holmes: "You've not answered my question," he says. "What are your plans with regards to the High King?"
Chimrea: Trying to keep Tez occupied while Kerem negotiates, Chimrea hisses at her, "He's not dead, he's SAFE."
Kerem: "Is he between us and getting the hell out of here?"
Egani slides in among the others and annoints the baby's forehead, heart and genitals with a bit of pure life essence before returning to his books.
Kerem: "If not he's basically irrelevant to the plan as I've stated it, now isn't he?"
Holmes: The High Priest, looking disgusted with the goings on comes over to Tez and looks her in the eye as best he can.
Kerem: "On the other hand, YOU seem to be a problem to our currently developing plan."
Kerem: "That's why I keep asking what YOUR plan is. I'm trying to establish how MUCH of a problem you are."
Tez flails in his direction too!
Kerem: "Man, I'm really not on my negotiation game today."
Kerem: "So, what kind of powers do you have? Can you throw lightning bolts or anything?"
Holmes: Ignoring Kerem, and brushing back Tez's flailing arms, the Goblin says to Tez, "I have within my power, the ability to grant you safety for your child in all things, if you will but swear to do nothing to forestall the High King's plans for Green Lake."
Kerem: "Here's an alternate proposal. I promise I'LL keep you safe if Cassio stabs this goblin."
Egani unrolls a broad ribbon of red velvet on the ground making sure it lies near Tez on one end and some of his equipment on the other.
Cassio looks at Kerem, with hand on sword hilt at the moment actually, though its not yet drawn
Holmes: The goblin, having had enough of Kerem, steps back, and begins to chant.
Cassio draws his sword
Egani attempts to convert the goblin into sparkly treasures.
Tez: "You can't grant him anything! he's gone!"
Kerem calmly follows the goblin's movement forwards, knife leaping into his hand and heading for his throat.

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