Tesseryn notes the reaction of the acolytes to Aurion's snakes with a wry grimace, but his attention is fixed now on the iron rung.  "Thank you." he says, including Cornelius and Leisha.  "If you have no objections I shall attempt to open this.  Please stand clear."  He waits a moment for them to move, or to propose an alternative, then stoops, grasps the iron rung and pulls.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:45, Tue 02 Feb 2016.

The Sheriff smiles politely at Brindle, glancing momentarily towards the five men at his side before responding to the Halfling.  "Wouldn't do to leave you here alone," he tells him, gesturing negligently towards Wrukaog and Cogwitz atop the tower. "the Mayor would be most displeased with us, should any harm come to guests in our village."

"You two can run along, though," he dismisses the acolytes with a wave of his hand but not so much as a glance, sending the pair scurrying uncertainly back towards the Shrine.

---

The acolytes' words are not easy to digest and Aurion chews them over, the pair cowering before him all the while.

Leisha leaves him to it, curiosity getting the better of her as she stands by old Cornelius while Tesseryn puts his back into pulling on the iron rung set in the stone floor.  With an ominous creak something gives and the Paladin is able to lift and drag a section of the floor away, revealing a dark pit.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Displeased with not finding anything atop the tower in regards to a secret or trap door Cogwitz shrugs his shoulders to Wrukaog.  Well, seems there really is nothing up here.  Have you tried to jump around at all to see if the floor is structurally sound?  Meaning it is a false floor?  Cogwitz stomps his foot around in different areas watching the ground as he does.

I have an idea.  Cogwitz grabbed out his waterskin and began pouring it out on the top to see if anything bleeds through to something below.

"Where are the sacrifices? Are they being well fed? Nothing Set likes less than a half-dead sacrifice."

"A dark pit." Tesseryn muses standing at its edge.  He glances towards Aurion and notes that the acolytes are well distracted, then towards Leisha and Cornelius.  "I'll go down and investigate."  He crouches at the edge and gazes down, looking for a ladder ...
This message was last edited by the player at 13:16, Wed 10 Feb 2016.

Brindle looks around at the Sherriff and his guards then up to the top of the tower again.

"Hey Wrukaog, you coming down soon or do you want to haul your gear up on the rope?" he calls up to the big orc.

Sounding somewhat amused with a tinge of annoyance, but mostly amused, "We have not seen a thing that an axe or a javelin can help with... but the last third of the bucket of ale is growing warm.

Either drink it, or tie it to the rope, if our other small friend means to stay up here for longer and pour it upon the stones."

He turns back to Cogwitz, monitoring his progress.

Much bemused, Wrukaog charges Brindle to ensure the last of his ale is taken care of then watches Cogwitz's progression around the rooftop.  The Halfling is indeed a sight to behold as he alternative stamps his foot upon the stones, then douses them with water poured from his waterskin, staring intently all the while. 

---

Tesseryn, on the other hand, is having far better luck and eagerly peers down into the deep hole he has uncovered. 

"He does seem happier now," Cornelius querulously confides to Leisha.

The two acolytes look to each other before one answers Aurion.  "Be assured, master, that the sacrifices are most certainly and properly dead, their final screams nectar to the tongue of The Serpent God."  He seems most sincere in this regard, and the other nods convincingly.

The words of his former students seem finally to have penetrated the old priest's stupor.  "What are they saying ?" he asks Leisha, not trusting his failing hearing.

"You killed all of them already? Poor planning, what if Set gets hungry tonight, should we sacrifice you?"

Cogwitz finishes his task and waits patiently for just a bit.  When he finally sees that there is nothing out of the ordinary up here he looks up to Wrukaog, well my big friend we may as well head back down.  I don't see anything noteworthy up here.  I tried everything short of magic to see if there is a trap door here.  So, lets give a that a try.

Cogwitz casts detect magic and looks around at the top the tower.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:53, Mon 15 Feb 2016.

Wrukaog grips the rope with a nod, ready to lower the halfling back down.

After that's done he'll climb back down himself.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:16, Fri 12 Feb 2016.

Tesseryn looks up sharply, overhearing Aurion's reply to the acolyte, but only purses his lips as he considers the justice of the elf's threat.  He gestures for Leisha and Cornelius to step closer and speaks softly to them.  "The air below is stale, but not foul, and I sense no taint of evil.  Unfortunately, though, there is no stair or ladder, and I cannot see the bottom."

Brindle waits patiently at the foot of the tower, apparently ready to catch them if they fall, but far enough back to avoid any stones that might be dislodged by their efforts.

Tesseryn gazes into the dark pit for a moment then stoops to search the floor for a tiny pebble, certain that the acolytes have not been diligent with their sweeping.  He holds it within the pit and mutters.  "Seven Heavens light my path."  He drops the brightly glowing pebble into the pit and stands to watch it fall.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:29, Sun 14 Feb 2016.

Cornelius, at least, seems pleased that Tesseryn pronounces the shaft which leads to the Tower of Light, or so the old priest said, free from any trace of evil, watching with interest as the Paladin drops a small stone he find which glows bright, it's light streaming from the shaft as it falls. 

Though the acolytes do not notice this marvel, as neither has an answer for the question which Aurion poses, preferring instead to grovel as best they can in the hope that they not be the one chosen to feed their hungry god.

---

Atop the tower, Cogwitz admits defeat, finding no hidden door, or least now one that will reveal itself to either his eyes nor wit.  Wrukaog begins to lower the Halfling back down, while Brindle waits anxiously below.  The Sheriff continues to smile, his gaze flitting between the climbers and the two acolytes who continue to scurry back to the shrine though seems most disappointed when Cogwitz's feet touch the ground safely.

Tesseryn says quietly to Leisha "There is a chamber 60 feet below.  We will need rope to reach it."  He furrows his brow and quietly asks Cornelius "You have helped us discover the entrance to Mitra's tower.  Do you know also what landmark now stands upon the ruin of Set's tower?"

Brindle grins at Cogwitz when he safely returns to the ground. He maintains his vigil until Wrukaog is safely back down too, but he notes the Sherriff's disappointment too.

"What usually happens when someone climbs up there?" he asks curiously.

"Gather rope, you will lead the way down into the tower!"

The snakes writhe dramatically, loving the attention.

Wrukaog climbs back down the tower, and once at the bottom, gives the rope a solid tug and watches it coil up randomly into a pile as it falls.

He finishes his bucket of ale in between picking up and strapping back on his various odds and ends.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:20, Tue 16 Feb 2016.

Cogwitz had made it down aggravated that he didn't find anything unusual.  When he heard Brindle ask the Sheriff the question.

Cornelius shakes his head at Tesseryn's question.  "Lost forever," he says with a quiet confidence, not helped by his querelous tone. 

"Master ?" the first acolyte dares to lift his head, a puzzled frown upon his brow, though he quails as the snakes write around the Elf's wrists, while the other is more forthcoming (if most carefully keeping his gaze averted firmly downwards at the stone flags).  "If indeed that pit is anything other than a disused privy, you should have the Mayor provide more men to accompany your, that is to say, our assault."  He nods intently, hoping his advice will be heeded.

The words of the acolytes are finally beginning to register with the old priest.  "What are my students saying ?" he asks Leisha and Tesseryn, visibly perturbed.

---

If Cogwitz's safe descent was a disappointment to the Sheriff, Wrukaog's is moreso, and he sighs heavily, his face sour as he watches the big orc guzzle the last of his ale as he recovers the rope and sees to his gear.

"Time was their kin would scrape them up and bury them," he replies to Brindle, gesturing negligently northwards to the shrine at which the other two acolytes have nearly arrived.  "You could still see the holes they made when they hit ... if all this grass hadn't grown over them."

"Pay no heed to them, honoured one."  Tesseryn reassures Cornelius.  "They are foolish fellows."  He continues his earlier line of questioning, hoping to distract the old fellow from the acolytes.  "You said no one gets any older, and there are no children.  Who were the last newcomers to the village, before us?"

Brindle grins at Wrukaog and Cogwitz then bows deeply to the Sherriff.

"Well thank you sir, for your time and company while I waited for these two to have their fun. It looks like there's not much for us here. We'll just find our other friends and see whether they want to find somewhere to stay overnight or head on straight away."

He turns and heads off toward the shrine.

Leisha pats Cornelius on the hand.  "Something to talk about later, definitely," she assures him.  "Our friend Aurion is talking to them now, it's alright."

Reaching into her pack, she pulls out a silk rope, holding it out to Tesseryn.  "Would this help?  It's only the usual fifty feet, of course, but it's a start."

After strapping on his belt and weapon holster, the orc doesn't so much as nod before turning away from the sheriff and following behind Brindle. Once a bit of distance away, [Language unknown: "Trha pe was ouon il ilne un ounureandshesti wawhte ol ri t ere aculne waswitnte."], the orc comments, as much as a statement to Cogwitz as a question.