"Its your choice, Master Thistlefoot." Aurion whispers back, grinning. "And the paladin may appreciate something to lighten his mood. But if they're still semi-coherent in a moment or two, and if Tesseryn doesn't snap out of it and kill them both, I might try the old wrist-snake gag on them. Then we can try to talk our way past, or maybe even get them to help."

Brindle grins and resumes his feather waving and tiny tart toss at the closest giant as he recites an incomprehensible torrent of Draconic gibberish.

"That was a joke! Why aren't you laughing?"he exclaims, either at the northern giant if he isn't laughing, or at the southern giant.

Both giants watch Brindle's antics in obvious perplexity ... but it seems that with the toss of the tiny tart (against Aurion's thoughtful advice), the target of the Halfling's attempt at humour finally gets it.

He snorts as his lips curl, his brow momentarily creasing in puzzlement before the beginnings of a laugh escape him ... then within moments he's rolling on the floor, laughing his heart out, wheezing and snorting with happy tears running down his eyes.

His friend looks worried, particularly at Brindle's insistent questioning.

"Hur, hur ?" he ventures tentatively, not wanting to seem stupid.  Or stupider.

If Tesseryn gets the joke too, it's impact upon him is entirely different.  Indeed the Paladin screws up his face, closing his eyes tightly as he calls on the gods to explain it to him ... then collapses to his knees as the Heart of Law tears itself from his forehead, leaving behind a strangely shaped scar. 

This, however is much more to the taste of the second giant, and the "Hur, hur !" which follows is heartfelt and sincere.

"Dat woz funny !" he vouchsafes.   "Do it again !"

"You wanna play wiv us ?" he asks Tesseryn, eyeing the gem greedily.

Leisha watches the gem clatter across the floor, eyes widening.  "I'd have said `fascinating' more than `funny.'  Tesseryn..."  She steps forward, lightly placing a hand on his shoulder.  "Are you alright?"

"No!" Brindle responds quickly to the giant's question. "He might be losing his marbles but we will put them back again when he goes to sleep!"

He pulls a rag from his backpack and scurries forward to wrap the gem and stuff it into his beltpouch (without touching it).

Then he points to the two exits and asks the giant, "Which way leads down?"

Tesseryn regains his feet with some effort.  "I am unharmed." he reassures Leisha.  He watches impassively as Brindle stores away the Heart of Law, then adds his own weight to the question he posed.  "We wish to ... speak with Haffrung Helleyes."  His first lie.

21:19, Today: Tesseryn Brightsoul rolled 29 using 1d20+14.  diplomacy. ask favour of giant.

Stepping forward, Aurion asks the giant "What are your names? We'll be sure to tell Helleyes how helpful you've been". His snakes appear at his collar and hiss in agreement.

The giants are confused by the long word that slips from Leisha's tongue and seem a bit disappointed that Brindle quickly declines to wager with them ... but Tesseryn's mention of Haffrung and the appearance of Aurion's snakes seem to clinch it.

"I'm Gogant an' 'e's Goom !" one of the giant offers, "You tell Mister Helleyes we're doin' a great job of guardin' !"

"Dose stairs lead down to 'ere," Goom vouchsafes, pointing back the way you've just come while his companion eyes the two passages.

"Dunno what's down dere," Gogant waves in the direction of the northern passage that is obviously too narrow for either of the pair to fit down without a squeeze, "but dat's where Mister Helleyes men come from wiv our dinners."

"If you go down dat one," he points towards the wide passage that leads eastwards from the southern end of the room, "an' turn right at der end," he points left with his hand, "dere's some stairs leadin' down ... but we're not allowed down dere."

"We only go dat way ter feed der prisners," Goom clarifies.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 06:49, Sun 03 Mar 2019.

"Ah yes.  That's the way then."  Tesseryn enthuses, looking towards the wide southern passage and warming up for his second lie already.  "We'll fetch the prisoners and take them back upstairs to, er, Sheriff Merth!  For execution.  We have to make an example of someone.  Then we'll venture down to see Helleyes." .

He clanks off towards the eastern passage.

"I'll wager with you, Gorant and Goom." Aurion announces, taking a handful of gold coins (about 60) from a deep pocket in his robe. "My name is Aurion Moonbeak, and as you can see, I'm racially inclined towards gambling, but not very good at it. How do we play?" He steps up to the over large dice.  "Would anyone else like to join in?"

"Hell yeah, I'll carkin' play," Wrukaog volunteers eagerly, digging out a similar fistful of gold coins to match Aurion's stake. "Go on boys. Show us how it's done!"

Brindle looks back and forth between Tesseryn and Aurion, clearly torn between the two options presented to him.

"I better go with Tess," he decides rather unhappily. "I might need to pop his marbles back in again if he loses any more of them."

He will scamper after Tesseryn toward the wide eastern passage.

Having achieved enlightenment of a sort, Tesseryn finds his second falsehood much easier than the first, though the ruse he employs does not really stretch the intelligence of the giant guards who happily wave him on his way.

Indeed, Gogant and Goom are much more interested in wagering with Aurion and Wrukaog, eagerly eyeing the gold coins that the pair proffer as their stakes.

"'Ow many shines do yer want ter bet ?" Goom asks the Elf and Orc greedily.

"'Ooever rolls der biggest number wins !" Gogant clarifies the rules.

He Who Bears the Heart of Law (or at least has it wrapped up in his hankie and stuffed in his belt pouch), otherwise known as Brindle, sadly trudges quickly (the perils of short fat hairy legs) after the ex-Paladin, bravely resisting the lure of the game.

Leisha and Cogwitz exchange a shrug, then the young woman follows Brindle, more interested in what lies beyond, while the Halfling stays to watch the game, looking forward to the spectacle if not feeling the urge to participate himself.

The corridor down which the three tread, ostensibly to fetch forth the prisoners, continues east somewhat short of a hundred feet, before opening up into a largish room (about eighty feet long by fifty feet wide).  There is a door at the northern end of the west wall, and corridors leading east and north at the far side of the room, but the most noticeable feature is the large pool in the centre of the room, which glows with a strange light that at least enables you to tell that is is but ten feet deep and the floor of it is littered with thousands of coins.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Tesseryn smiles ruefully at Brindle's joke.  "Keep it safe for me Brindle.  I should return it later to The Lady in the Heart of Law, in case another may be found worthy to wear it."  He touches the scar in his forehead - it is in the shape of a brand (like an upside-down V with a third line running vertically through its centre), the broken scales of justice.

He moves to the edge of the pool.  "Well, that looks refreshing.  We'll have to remember its here for when this is all over.  If I went in now I'd sink like a stone."  He chuckles at the thought, smiling at his companions.  He kneels at the edge of the pool, removes one gauntlet and dips a cupped-handful of water to sniff.  If it is fresh he'll taste it, otherwise offer a warning.  He looks to the north.  "I'll check that door."  He moves to the door, untroubled by the darkness of the room.

"Wrukaog, would you mind rolling for me? I doubt that I could even lift those dice!" Aurion piles his 60 gp wager on the floor at his feet and rubs his thin hands together in a show of anticipation.

As he waits and watches the game he works on enlisting the aid of the giants in a new project. "We just passed through a roomful of skeletons up there," he indicates back up the stairs. "One of them made a rude gesture with a bony finger." He holds up one finger to show what he means, but making a tut tut noises and shaking his head in disgust. "It won't do. It will upset the ladies who come to watch the games..."

Wrukaog looks Aurion up and down and grins.

"You need to eat more carking meat!" he says with a laugh.

He dumps a matching pile of coins on the floor in front of himself.

"Everyone bets then everyone rolls, right?" he asks the giants. "If any of us can't roll the carking dice, youse giants can roll for us, right?"

"Oh, yes," Leisha agrees with the joy the pool seems to bring Tesseryn.  "Nothing more refreshing than a pleasant dip in a cursed tower."

Brindle casts a spell upon himself while he watches Tesseryn testing the bath water, then he follows the fallen paladin over to the door.

The giants seem confused by Aurion's suggestion, but since Wrukaog manages to lift one of the dice fairly easily, it all works out, and besides the display of gold by the Elf and big Orc certainly helps ease their minds.

"'E can roll fer der both ov yer," nods Goom, greedily. 

"Nah," Gogant replies to Aurion's remarks regarding the skeletons. "Der boney ones'll quiet down  - we jus' 'ave ter show dem dis ..."

He pulls a tattered scrap of parchment from his tunic pocket, on which you can see a wax seal with the impression of a hooded serpent.

In the eastern chamber Tesseryn stoops by the glowing pool as Brindle quickly casts a spell and Leisha looks on warily ... her caution vindicated as the waters begin to thrash and roil at the Paladin's touch ...

"Oh dear, troubled waters!" Brindle exclaims. "Um, run away?"

Just in case Tesseryn isn't familiar with that concept Brindle hastens to demonstrate how it is done, although he does stop after 20 feet as he remembers the correct military terminology.

"Tactical withdrawal!" he exclaims with satisfaction.

"Great. Let's get on with it then. I'll roll for you first, snake boy."

Wrukaog steps forward and somehow manages to scoop up the two stone dice and roll them across the floor. A four and a six.

"Heh, not bad!" he exclaims with a huge grin. "Now for me."

He grabs the two dice and rolls them again. This time they come up as two ones.

"Carking snake eyes!" he curses. "That should have been your roll, snake boy!"

Wrukaog_ rolled 10 using 2d6.  Roll dice for Aurion.
Wrukaog_ rolled 2 using 2d6.  Roll dice for me.

Tesseryn does indeed withdraw, one whole 5' step back from the edge, urgently drawing his greatsword. "Its a trap!"  He readies a swing at any monster emerging from the water.

"Excellent!" Aurion congratulates Gogant, noting which pocket the note went into.

"One, two, three..." Aurion counts the dots "Ten! Well rolled Wrukaog! Now friends, winner takes all?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:33, Sun 24 Mar 2019.

"Oh, is it?" Leisha says, trying her very best to sound surprised by this.

The giants faces grow stormy as Wrukaog's roll on Aurion's behalf come up high, and Goom doesn't look at all hopeful as he takes his turn, lifting the dice (no less easily than the big Orc, it should be noted) and sends them tumbling across the stone flags.  A moment while he takes in the result and counts on his fingers ... and a broad grin steals across his face.

13:46: Skald, for the NPC Goom, rolled 10 using 2d6

"I win !" he announces.

"No, no yer don't.  Dat's just der same as 'is roll !" Gogant corrects him, though as he gathers up the dice and makes his throw, he looks rather more optimistic than before ... only to have his hopes dashed as the dice clatter to a stop.

13:46: Skald, for the NPC Gogant, rolled 7 using 2d6

"Oh fiddlesticks !"

"Jus' you and me now !" Goom grins horribly at Aurion.  "Roll again !"

Further down the corridor, far less lofty matters are unfolding as Brindle falls back with alacrity and Tesseryn gets his sword out as the churning waters of the pool rise up in the form of a snake-like creature, perhaps fifteen feet in length, towering above the ex-Paladin.

Leisha calmly studies the creature ...

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...