"Ishpa ... Ishpi ..." Gogant has his eyes screwed tight shut as he valiantly tries to remember the name to please Aurion.

"Ishp ... emo !" Goom announces grinning in triumph. "'Is name is Ishpemo !  Ishpemo der Terrible !"

"'E's a bad un !" Gogant offers.  "Hur-hur !"

Back at the pool ... Leisha, supported by the silver statue of Mitra that stands in the passage nearby, engages in a smiling contest with the water-snake, which seems content to simply bob and sway before her.

Taking full advantage, Tesseryn and Brindle hurry after Wrukaog, joining the big Orc at the top of the stone stairs.  Peering downwards, all can see that the bottom of the staircase is some eighty distant and joins the end of a passage that leads south.  The north wall of the staircase is a continuation of the nasty looking black marble structure.

Also from here, the trio can see that the corridor they're currently standing in ends in a door, about a hundred feet away.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

As soon as Tesseryn and Brindle arrive Wrukaog tells them, "Wait here. I'll go have a look."

He lopes down the stairs to see what is around the bend at the bottom.

This message was deleted by the player at 00:25, Sun 21 Apr 2019.

"The giant mentioned stairs.  I'll go down also. "  Tesseryn follows Wrukaog down as quietly as he can,  which is s not very.  He touches the black marble wall as he descends, wondering if it is actually the buried dark tower.

"Very good!" Aurion sounds pleased and the snakes retreat further down his neck. "And when it comes to battle between those loyal to Ishpemo and those for Haffrung Helleyes, whose side will you be on? Or let me put it another way, who do you think will win?" Anticipating confusion, he tries to clarify the choice, "Who will reward his followers most generously?"

Despite Aurion's best efforts, the giants look at one another in not wholly unexpected confusion.

"Ishpemo doesn' want ter fight Mister Haffrung," Goom explains worriedly, "'e wants ter take over der town up der."  He helpfully raises his finger to point in that direction.

"Dunno wever he can defeat der Mayor an' der Sheriff ... but Ishpe-wozit never brings us drink an' grub like Mister Haffrung does," Gogant shakes his head.

Leaving Leisha and the water-snake to gaze into each other's eyes, and with Brindle bravely holding the top of the stairs against what ever perils may lurk nearby, Wrukaog and Tesseryn descend, neither carefully or quietly.

The ex-Paladin brushes his fingers against the dark marble, perhaps somewhat surprised that he is unharmed by the touch (and would be even moreso did he know that his suspicion that he indeed has his hand on the wall of the buried Tower of Set).

At the bottom of the steps, the corridor turns south, though the black marble continues along the western side, with a door at the end, perhaps seventy feet away, set into the dark stone.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Wrukaog strides down the corridor to the next door. He looks at it suspiciously and if it has a keyhole he will try to see look through it to see what lies beyond.

As soon as it looks like Wrukaog and Tesseryn might not be coming straight back upstairs, Brindle will trot down the stairs to see what has got their attention.

Tesseryn continues along the passage in Wrukaog's wake, sword drawn and ready for ... whatever the gods may have in mind.  At least that part of his former paladin training has not left him.  Like Wrukaog, he is untroubled by the dark.

"Excellent! Aurion congratulates the giants on their loyalty. "Of course Isphemo and Haffrung are allies, and they are not pleased with the mayor and the sheriff making plans to change things down here on the second level... like planning to tax your gambling. You do know what taxes are?" Aurion's second level experience is turning out similar to Leisha's - a giant fishing expedition.

The giants beam at Aurion's praise, and dutifully puzzle over his next question.

"Oooh !" Goom exclaims delightedly.  "Der tackses is der levver straps 'n stuff dat der yoomans wrap around der 'orse flesh!"

Gogant nods more or less enthusiastically, somewhat miffed he didn't get it first.  "You got 'orse flesh ?" he asks the Elf hopefully.

In the passage below Wrukaog, Tesseryn and Brindle gather before the door, an imposing block of stone set in the black marble wall.  It has a handle but no keyhole and though the intrepid trio strain to listen, not a sound can be heard from beyond it.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

"This is the dark tower!" Brindle whispers agitatedly. "We shouldn't try to enter without the others. Let's go back up and find those prisoners instead," he suggests.

"Yes.  Perhaps this is the path the giants said was forbidden to them.  If so the prisoners may be at the end of that long passage."   Tesseryn whispers in reply.  He heads back and turns left at the top of the stairs following the black stone wall.  He recalls the merry welcome from the gnomes in the white tower, wonders what tribe may infest the black tower.  Orcs perhaps, like those that Aurion set free.  Time will tell.

"Exactly." Aurion decides to run with it. "The mayor and sheriff will put leather straps around your gold and haul it all away for themselves. But mister Isphemo and mister Haffrung would not want that to befall their loyal guards. So when the time comes, how do you think we should punish the mayor and sheriff?

Wrukaog looks at the other two as though they are mad. As though they are trying to ruin his fun! But gradually he realises there may be some merit in what they say.

"I suppose it would be best to have Moonbeak here to distract 'em," he grudgingly admits.

Still muttering to himself he follows Tesseryn and Brindle back up the stairs.

The giant's frown as Aurion warns them about the danger to their treasure trove.  Goom angrily stamps his foot, shaking the floor, while Gogant, just as miffed, takes a healthy swig of whatever unhealthy liquid lurks within that bronze bottle.  Cogwitz smirks.

"We should ... eat dem !" Goom demands, his companion nodding vigorously in assent, licking his lips.

Over by the pool, the water-snake continues to be entranced by Leisha ... so fascinated is the creature with her that one might almost think it could continue to sway and stare for hours ...

While down below ... the three intrepid explorers decide that they couldn't possible deprive those above of the opportunity to breech the Dark Tower and elect to go looking for the prisoners instead.

Heading back up the stone stairs, they head north along the passageway, Tesseryn in the lead and Wrukaog at the rear.  The ominous black marble of the west wall runs for about eighty feet, but gives was to mundane stone blocks for the last twenty five feet before the door at the end.

Brindle stoops close to listen ... but the effort is wasted for the voices on the other side can be heard clearly from without:

"I'm telling you ... it's no good just killing Avvakris and Merth !  If we're going to succeed we need to get Ollem too - he's loyal to them and too dangerous to take lightly."

"It'll take more than the three of us, though - between the Mayor's guards and the Constables ... that's more than we can handle on our own."

"Those giants won't be any good - sure they're stupid, but they'll do what Haffrung tells them to, damn their eyes."

"Haffrung !  Says he'll help us, and he's got the men ... but he'll turn on us, mark my words !"

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Tesseryn signals for Brindle and Wrukaog to withdraw.  When clear of the door he'll whisper "Perhaps we should employ a ruse, to trick our enemies into fighting each other?  These against the Sheriff, then later against Haffrung Helleyes.  Let ourselves be the spark that ignites civil war among the factions following Set."  In preparation he removes the silver Scales of Justice symbol from his neck and the ring Mitra's Favour, wraps them in his 'Let Agrela dry your eyes' handkerchief and stows them in a cranny.  He wipes soot from the black wall in a stripe under each eye and practices a sneer. "What say you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:21, Sat 18 May 2019.

"Yes, that's what they deserve." Aurion nods his agreement, with snakes smiling wickedly from his collar. "And take their gold for yourselves."

Brindle looks thoughtful and taps his finger on his chin as he considers the idea.

"What are you planning, Tesseryn? Offer to join forces with them because the Sheriff attacked us? Say we just want vengeance and don't care what happens afterwards? When the Sheriff is dead we'll be on our way?" he suggests.

Wrukaog snorts at the idea of walking away afterwards.

"Like they'd just carking let us go free and easy afterwards! That's about as likely as a frost worm in a flaming volcano! We'd have to kill the winners before they kill us! But that's the best bit of that plan, to my way of thinking. I like it!"

"Yes, treachery, of a sort."  Tesseryn squirms a little at the word, but it fits what he had in mind.  "Then we assault Haffrung knowing he'll get no support from the Sheriff or the plotters beyond that door.  We are only six, so we are justified in using whatever means necessary to achieve our goal.  It is, after all, for the greater good.  I think we can count on the White Tower to hold any prisoners we take until they can be tried."

Outside the cells, the plotters continue to plot, their discussion of treachery and betrayal led by the ex-Paladin who shows a surprising aptitude for it.  It's always the ex-Holy ones that surprise you ...

Back in the den of gambling and iniquity, the giants share a laugh with Aurion.

"Hur ! Hur ! Hur !"

"Har ! Har ! Ha ... "

Goom breaks off, scratching his head.  "But 'oo will bring us our grub den ?" he asks, displaying the sort of forward thinking that got him promoted to guard duty down here.

Those outside the cell block hear the voices within.

"Empty - get us another flask, Onoch ... and fetch out that cleric of Ishtar.  She can entertain us."

Unpleasant laughter follows.

Brindle was looking back down the corridor toward the pool where Leisha was keeping the water serpent entertained. He was clearly thinking of many other things besides the voices beyond the door.

"Perhaps we should go back and fetch the others," he suggests. "I never like to split the party like this.

"Something else I thought of, too - if the guards come this way often there must be some way to gain safe passage past that water serpent. Those coins in the pool - perhaps it is as simple as tossing in a coin each time we want to pass? That would explain why the giants have those coins in the first place."

Wrukaog is paying much more attention to the voices behind the door and he growls menacingly (not loudly but definitely angrily) when one voice speaks about a prisoner.

"Grrrr, I don't know who this Ishtar is, but if her priestess is going to entertain anybody it should be us!" he snarls.

He reaches for the door handle.