"Some food ... of course," the old priest seems pleased at the idea, hauling himself to his feet and laboriously making his way back down the length of the shrine.  "My young assistants will look after you," he calls out feebly.

"When they've finished their prayers," he adds with a smile as he notes the four prostrate before Aurion.

"I'll be back soon ..."

Concern for Cornelius' safety wins over curiosity at goings-on within the pit.  Tesseryn lingers at the entrance to the shrine to watch the old priest's back as he heads for the village.  He trusts the sheriff's men not one whit.

Seeing Wrukaog outside he nods towards the nearby grey tower. "No doors or windows ... what do you suppose was the purpose of such a tower?"

Leisha waits patiently.

Wrukaog shuffles about outside of the shrine doorway, looking around to see what there is to see. He walks past the opening nonchalantly, as much as an orc can, turning his head back and forth, speaking in a still but clear voice.

"Sheriff coming. Half minute."

He then stands on the other side of the doorway and continues to mumble to himself. After a few moments of pacing a bit, he decides stare at the sheriff and his two lackeys as they approach to decide just how much it was that he disliked them.

He doesn't seem to pay Tesseryn much mind, only giving him a dissatisfied "Mnnh" to answer his question.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:03, Thu 17 Mar 2016.

Query: Is the old priest who was headed to the back of the temple also heading back out into town? Not sure if there is a kitchen in here...

There is much concern for the old priest as he heads out of the shrine, particularly in light of Wrukaog's warning that the Sheriff and his men are approaching.  Tesseryn joins the big Orc at the entrance, while Aurion turns his head around to see ...

... though all are much relieved when Cornelius heads not into the village, but north, towards a dilapidated building that might best be described as a hovel, though this one is blessed with a straggly vegetable garden.

Meantime, the Halflings set to work.  Cogwitz carefully climbs down the rope that Tesseryn prepared earlier, now less of a hazard to life and limb by the addition of the additional length supplied by Brindle.  Yet even that does not satisfy Brindle who methodically knots the village's much longer and more substantial official rope and lowers that down the hole as well before tying it off on the bench.

Brindle wanders over to the doorway and steps out to join Tesseryn and Wrukaog. He stretches his arms above his head and yawns deeply as he watches the Sherriff approach.

Leisha giggles quietly to herself, waiting for the next victim to fall for her prank.  ..Er, I mean, PM.

Cogwitz had seen the statue at the end of the chamber and wondered at firt if they had to go through it to move on.

When Leisha had explained to him what it was he sighed in relief.  At her question he said, Brindle may be coming down as well.  Is there anything else you have spotted down here?

Wrukaog comes to a decision on which one he likes the least while not returning the wave.

He does, however, take a few steps forward and then sits down on the grass and weeds in front of the shrine, his legs stretched out in front of him. The day is cool, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Tesseryn also does not return the sheriff's wave.  He considers that Cornelius should be safe heading towards the hut but stays to watch.  He glances down at the back of Wrukaog's head, wondering at the apparent nonchalance of the orc ... is this a ruse to put the sheriff's band off guard?  He folds his arms with a small clank and awaits their arrival, with a solemn nod to note Brindle's arrival without the knotted rope.  "I wonder if we may yet find an alternative means to descend to Mitra's buried tower?"

Wrukaog decides to settle down on the cold ground to await the arrival of the Sheriff and his men.  Tesseryn watches Cornelius enter his hovel before joining the big Orc ... as does Brindle.  All three are the picture of nonchalence.

As is the Sheriff. With an effortless wave of his hand he gestures his men to stop and takes a few paces forwards, with a smile that verges on the edge of a sneer.

"It is good to meet gods-fearing men," he praises you though his tone belies his words.  "I trust Cornelius wasn't too much of a ... disappointment.  The old man's mind wanders ... the stories he tells."

If the Sheriff has noticed Aurion and the four prostrate acolytes, he gives no indication.

Down below, Leisha's question passes unheard for there is nobody near the shaft ...

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

PM

"Gods-fearing," Brindle murmurs. "Yes, they just about scare me to death! Totally unpredictable, they are. If you do something to please one of them you'll probably have offended another one instead. I think we would all be much happier if we could forever escape their notice! But Aurion seems to have found some like-minded friends in there to enjoy a lengthy theological discussion with. I've seen it before, they'll probably be going on about the wonders of their god for hours. I think Wrukaog has the right idea. We might as well make ourselves as comfortable as we can, as it is going to be quite some time before we can get down to the inn to get a room for the night."

He sighs.

Frustrated by the dawdling of the others, Aurion decides it is time to descend and join Leisha.

"You," he says, pointing to one of the acolytes. "Down the rope. The rest of you follow." When the last of them has reached the bottom, the mage will follow.

"We have not yet met."  Tesseryn steps forward and formally extends a hand to the sheriff.  "Tesseryn Brightsoul.  Cornelius is a treasure, his value perhaps measured in years of service to this village rather than the clarity of his memories.  You may rest assured that he seems content with his life here, and his acolytes appear to watch over him most diligently.  As Brindle mentioned, we should like to linger here at this shrine for a while yet, although we intend to spend the night at your inn."  He motions towards the village.  "We thank you for the courtesy of your greeting and look forward to further discourse tonight should you be able to join us at the inn."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:02, Tue 29 Mar 2016.

You can almost hear the Sheriff's mental gears a-turning as he shakes Tesseryn's hand, and weighs up the words of both the Paladin and Brindle, still with that sly smile on his face as he comes to a decision.

"Far from me to interrupt such ... devotion," he remarks.  "Till tonight then - perhaps I'll see you at the Inn and you'll allow me to buy you a drink."

"Drop the rope off at the Constabulary when you finish with it," he fixes his eye on the Halfling, lingering but a few seconds longer before gesturing to his men and turning away, returning south towards that same building at a leisurely pace.

Back inside, the acolytes jump to it, heeding Aurion's orders and all showing a commendable keenness not to be found wanting, though the first hesitates as he looks down the hole and it takes a stern glance from the Elf before he is moved to descend.  The others follow him with equal enthusiasm.

Down below there is some commotion as the acolytes arrive in the chamber ...

"EVIL ONES !" the voice echoes throughout the chamber and reaches the ears of all those above. 

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:11, Sun 03 Apr 2016.

Aurion hurries down the rope...

Brindle breathes a sigh of relief when the Sheriff and his men leave. The shout echoing from inside the shrine catches him by surprise and he quickly darts inside to see what is going on. He follows Aurion down the rope as soon as he can.

OOC: Brindle rolled 10 using 1d20+1.  Climb check.

Tesseryn gives Brindle a satisfied nod, watching the sheriff leave and waiting for Cornelius to return safely.  The voice shouting 'evil ones!' startles him and he wheels away from the entrance following loudly in Brindle's wake. He hesitates at the edge of the pit, watching the halfling descend the knotted rope and peering down the the lit chamber below. Well this is a dilemma.  Smiting evil ones is his specialty, but ropes are not ...

When the paladin guard called out as he did, it almost startled Cogwitz.  It did have him pull his blades and jump back 5 ft towards a wall though.  He wasn't sure whom the guard was talking too at first.  He then saw that only the acolytes were present in the space.

Cogwitz already had his suspicions about the town and their inhabitants, and the calling of evil only made his feeling stronger.

Stand ready to attack...

The orc remains planted on his ass, giving the sheriff a long glare both during and after the brief discussion, then glancing over his shoulder as he hears the... voice... from within the building.

His lips curl into a frown for a few seconds before he speaks in an abrupt tongue,

In the wake of that shout from below which can portend nothing good, Aurion begins to carefully climb down the rope while Brindle and Tesseryn rush over to the pit, the Halfing descending quickly as soon as the Elf is down while the Paladin stares down unhappily after them. 

Wrukaog remains sitting on the grass, with barely a backwards glance and a gutteral comment on the proceedings.  Perhaps the smartest of you all ...
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:25, Sun 10 Apr 2016.

Leisha relaxes visibly at the knight's pronouncement that Brindle and Aurion are free of taint.  "Oh, good.  Holomir, these are Brindle and Aurion, friends of ours.  Those others... do you know, I don't think they ever offered their names?  But I expect we brought them along to keep an eye on them."  She looks back at the door they ran through, tilting her head a bit at the screams.  "Just what's down there, anyway?" she asks, curiously.

"Oh!  Brindle, Aurion - this is Holomir, a Lion of Mitra.  He protects the tower from evil."

Aurion gives the knight the once over. His vast age is apparent, even to the Elf. Did he appear human? Did the blazoned arms speak to anything he might have learned in his studies?

"Well met, Sir Holomir, " Aurion said, a hint of a question hanging on the sir and a slight smirk at the first part of the Lion of Mitra's name.  I am certain your guardianship of the interior of the temple is exemplary, but the town above has apparently fallen totally into the hands of evil."

He pauses, glancing about for the acolytes and their behavior. Are they the cause of the noises from the south?

He was still deeply aware that they had no clue why they were here...

"I believe Mitra himself may have sent us here in some regard to fighting evil. If you have this temple well in hand and safe from evil, might there be another temple or tower or some such in the vicinity that might need our assistance?"