Face screwed up in a moue of disgust that the priest has accidentally tasted blood - and what else would be appropriate in this place - Violet edges forward, studying the box.  "I have...some skill with such things," she admits.  The ladies of Chaville did keep their jewels in locked boxes, and often they held hidden surprises.  Poison needles, for examples.

Or Kashmir Handspiders.

"If you like, I might have a look," the young woman offers, with a wary glance over her shoulder into the darkness.  "If someone else keeps watch."

Qvar hands the box to Violet with the promised heartening smile.  "I'll keep watch."  He looks into the darkness, then at Baba Zelenna, then at Louise ... much distracted watching her dig ...

"It does radiate a magical aura but it is only faint," Zertin reports.

He turns back to Baba Zelenna.

"You said that the Master came and buried the symbol of light beneath the Mountain Fane, You said it still lies there, with the bones of the saint. Now, show us where it is buried," he tells her.

Violet takes the box, turning it over in her hands.  Carefully.  She grimaces at Zertin's observation, all the more disquieted at having to handle an enchanted item.  Even so, this is somewhat in her area of expertise, so she'll do her best to assist.

Even if it feels likely she's handling a particularly large and disgusting spider.

Perhaps that's why she's extra careful, diligent in her perusal of the small container.  Pursing her lips, Violet runs her fingers over the box again and again, seeking any possible triggers.  She studies the opening mechanism, cracks it a hair open with a thin blade and runs a tiny wire all the way around the space between.  Even the hinges are inspected.

Search Roll: 30.

Caesius watches Violet at work for a while, then slowly expels the breath he hadn't realised he was holding.

While he has inspected the box, albeit less closely than Violet is currently doing, there is still that constant niggling concern that a simple needle dipped in asp venom, or the like, is not intrinsically evil...

It can, however, leave a person just as dead as the vilest of liches.

Troubled that the reliquary which Qvar passes to her is both bloody and magical, moreso than the mere matter of a mundane trap, however inimical, but perhaps her fears are assuaged somewhat by Caesius's insistence that it is not tained by evil,  Violet still is most careful and thorough as she examines the box, taking all precautions before she cracks it open.

While the young woman works, Zertin confronts Baba Zelenna once more, but the Hag bridles at his questions.  "The bones of the saint lie in that box," she hisses, glaring at the weasel.  "If there is aught else beneath the mountain fane then it is known only to the Green God and has has been long forgotten by all else, even by the Master." 

Qvar keeps watch, if perhaps less attentively than he should, like Caesius drawn to what lies within the box ...

The lid peels back, with less than theatrical silence as the hinges, untarnished despite burial and age make no protest to reveal a silk lined interior holding a folded piece of thick parchment within which you hear the scrape of what sounds like merely dust as the box tilts slightly.

And atop the parchment lies a platinum amulet, shaped like the sun, with a large crystal embedded in its centre around which are inscribed symbols of light and truth.

The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind.

Zertin bows his head ever so slightly to Baba Zelenna and murmurs, "Thank you."

Then he turns to Qvar.

"Is this truly it, Q? If we have what we came for, I suggest we leave now and trouble Baba Zelenna no more."

"Yes that's it.  The Sunstone."  Qvar replies, reverently touching his forehead and smiling with relief but making no move to take the box back from Violet.  "And here it is, unharmed even after I burned my church down around it to keep it safe.  Some fool protector I've been ... but Ireena, is this not also the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind?"  He looks in wonder towards the young woman, still perplexed by the mystery of the holy artefact being simultaneously in two worlds.

Looking back at the box he asks Violet, "Are the bones of blessed Ecaterina there also?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:20, Sat 12 Mar 2022.

The bones of a saint?  Here, in Hell?  Trapped or stolen, no doubt, Violet concludes, assuming the hag speaks truth.  But interestingly, no traps - nothing at all, not even a lock.  Which...might bear up the claim of what lies within.  Blinking twice to moisten her eyes, dried from their focused study, the young woman eases open the box.

And low, a king's ransom sits within.

Had she opened a jewelry case in Chaville and discovered this beauty, Violet would be set for some time.  Not for life, not even close, but for weeks, if not months, even counting the markdown for fencing the precious item?  Most certainly.  But here, in Hell, it is worthless as such; gold cannot buy her way from this land.  Without hesitation, the young woman carefully holds out the box to the shining holy man.

"If they are truly the bones of a saint," she quietly states, "and this...sunstone be yours, then it is you who should examine them."  A faint shrug rolls her shoulders a hair, and she sniffs once in faint, despairing amusement...making certain that the small gust of breath goes nowhere near the open box and its dusty contents.

"I would not know hallowed remain from common...or profane."

The young woman steps forward at Qvar's urging, to nervously examine the amulet within the reliquary, taking care to tread safely clear of Baba Zelenna.

"It is !" she asserts, relief evident in her voice that the lost family heirloom has been found.  Reaching out, she tentatively touches the metal, but pulls her hand back sharply.

"But it is cold ... lifeless," she declares in confusion.  "It lacks the comforting warmth that it has always had before.  What has been done to it ?"

"That is enough, for now. We have what we came for. It is time to go. We can do nothing else for the sunstone in this dark place. The answers lie elsewhere," Zertin declares.

"Everybody out, now."

He starts to move toward the exit without further delay but is obliged to move slowly because he keeps his eye on Baba Zelenna and his wand ready in case it is needed.

OOC: i've written several rounds of actions here so that Qvar does not hold up the game with small details.  Please interrupt or add whatever you like.

Qvar is reaching forward to examine the contents of the reliquary at Violet's invitation, intent on testing Ireena's claim that the holy relic was not whole, when Zertin issues his warning.  After a moment's pause he looks at his brother, puzzled.  "Agreed, Zed, but we should take only what we came for and leave the bones of the saint to rest where we found them."  He looks pointedly at Baba Zelenna, guessing she'd be only too happy for the saint's bones to be removed from her lair.

Moving quickly now he lifts the Sunstone from the box and places his hand upon the folded parchment.  "The Light of Lathander be with You always, Blessed Ecaterina."  He closes the lid and takes the box from Violet, simultaneously placing the Sunstone in her hand.  He meets her unreadable expression with his own of trust.  "If you would be so kind, Violet, please carry this with care, as you did the holy phylactery, until we may examine it without haste."

Bustling back to the centre of the circle he kneels and places the box back into Louise's hole beneath the rune-carved stone, scraping the scattered earth back into place.  Rising he dusts off his hands on his robe, smiling at the weasel.  "Good job, Lou Lou."

Finally, following Zertin he says "Lead on Zed.  Let's find somewhere less dark, and maybe some answers."

Zertin pauses and calls softly to the weasel.

"Good girl, Louise. Come along now," he tells her.

The weasel immediately scurries over to him and he scoops her up and tucks her back inside his  coat before he resumes his cautious retreat.

Caesius stands, facing Baba Zelenna.

"You live now only because my allies would question you, and because you have proven somewhat... helpful, and may continue to do so in the days to come."

"We go now to deal with a greater threat than you, but we will not always be so engaged.  Should word of your further misdeeds reach our ears in future, then we shall return, bolstered by the might we have earned today, and there will be a reckoning."

The paladin lifts Razor before him.

"This I swear on the blade of my forefathers, and before the unwavering gaze of Heironeous."

Then he lowers his weapon, turns, and follows the others.

You return the saint's bones to their resting place in the hope that whatever sanctity they may yet retain might counter the darkness that has claimed Lysaga Hill as its own.

Baba Zelenna does not seem perturbed by this ... but then the Hag seems almost a broken woman, muttering over and over a litany of jumbled words and phrases concerning the Green God (though nothing new reaches your ears regarding that entity).  She cringes and cowers as Caesius delivers his warning and promise, daring no reply to the Paladin.

With Violet given charge of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind (which Qvar named Sunstone) you follow Zertin's urging and retreat from the cavern, keeping watch over both Baba Zelenna and for any sign of the return of the demon-creatures you fought off.

Yet the Light and Heironeous are with you, and you make it safely back up the ladder to the ruins, and thence down the hill, cold rain lashing you as you descend though the mists to the forest below.

There, sheltering just within the tree line, Randal awaits you, and Hammer, his hooves slick with blood and a corpse at his feet.

On the way back down the hill, when they are well clear of Baba Zelenna's hearing, Zertin explains why he wanted them to take the holy symbol and leave straight away.

"Do you remember what Madame Eva said about the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind? She said you must bring the symbol home, to the last remaining shred of sacred ground in the defiled castle. In the grounds of the castle there once stood a chapel. Perhaps it yet holds some remnant of goodness.

"Of the Sunsword she said, To wake it, bring the sword to join the other treasures of the castle. She claimed to see a blazing fire protecting the place where the lord hides his wealth.

"Now that we have both of those weapons our next destination is within the castle itself, to reawaken both of them so we can then confront the lord of the castle himself to finally free this land from his thrall."

When they finally reach Randal, Zertin barely spares the corpse a passing glance.

"Who is your friend?" he casually enquires.

Caesius follows down the hill, nodding at Zertin's explanation, which makes perfect sense.  The demon that rules this land is the next obvious destination, and if they can get there before his thralls warn him they are coming, then all the better.

At the bottom of the hill, the corpse receives scant attention, as the paladin moves to check Hammer for injuries first.  Patting the horses neck, he whispers to it, and finds a carrot hidden in his belt pouch to serve as a treat for the animal.

Only then does Caesius show more concern for the corpse.  "If Hammer felt the need to kill him, I doubt he was a friend.  Did he say aught, before he died?  Or after, for that matter?"

Qvar treks down the hill, the cold rain dampening his spirits not at all.  He grins as he replies to his brother "Ah, yes Zed, that is why you were summoned here, to make sense of all these omens.

Walking beside Ireena for a while he seeks to reassure her.  "Ireena, your family heirloom is in good hands, and by Lathander's grace it will be restored when we reach Strahd's castle, as foretold.  May we rest again at your home tonight?"

Arriving at the forest he smiles widely at Randal "Good to see you alive Randal!  Are you hurt?  What happened?"  He stoops to examine the corpse.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:01, Sat 02 Apr 2022.

"Not a scratch," Randall assures Qvar smiling with relief at seeing you all again, matter not the foul weather.

"Nor on him either - he earned that carrot," he assures Caesius, somewhat bemused that Hammer submits to the Paladin's concern.  "Not my friend," he tells Zertin. "The man is of the Vistani and whatever he said as he drew his blade I know not for I do not speak their cursed tongue."

"Though your steed took exception to that !  Tell me, was I set to watch him ... or he me ?!!" he grins broadly.  "I'd have rewarded him myself with some morsel, but I feared to linger too close to either those hooves or his teeth !"

"His arms and armour are of good quality," Randall tells Qvar, gesturing towards the corpse and it's scimitar, chain shirt and buckler, "save for a few new dents."

"The Vistani's pouch contains a few coins and a couple of vials," he informs you all.  "Nothing that might suggest he was after aught but what little wealth I have, though he reckoned without my guardian here," he looks fondly, if warily, to Hammer.

Ireena listens attentively to Zertin's explanation, nodding her head as the mage recounts the way by which her family's heirloom might be restored, and smiling in thanks at Qvar's reassurances.

"Of course," she allows as the priest requests shelter for the night, scratching at the marks on her neck at his mention of the Master's name. "I insist.  My father has some supplies set aside which will provide sustenance for all."

Zertin finally spares the corpse more than a passing glance.

"A horse thief, perhaps? Shall we bury him rather than just leaving him to be eaten by the local wildlife? If some of you would like to start digging a grave or gathering rocks for a cairn, whichever is easier, I will try to work out what is in those vials he was carrying," he suggested.

"Actually, let's see whether any of his possessions are enchanted first," he adds.

He pulls out a wand, points it at the corpse and speaks the command word to activate the wand.

OOC: Detect Magic. Zertin will spend enough time to detect any magical auras, their strength and if possible what school of magic is involved. If the contents of the vials are magical he will use Spellcraft to try to identify each one. (DC25 Spellcraft checks. Zertin is at +14 on that skill. If anyone else has Spellcraft they can try to aid another (DC10) to add +2 on Zertin's spellcraft checks.

Unsure as to why Qvar requests she carry the sunstone, Violet nevertheless bobs her head in swift agreement; taking it, she stows it away in her pouch, and follows the others as they remove themselves from the underground dampness.....into the dampness above ground.  It's not an improvement, though she's more than happy to be free from darkness that may yet hold demons in waiting.

She's somewhat amused by the sight that greets them, and pleased Randall is safe despite the assault.  Hammer receives and appreciative - and wary - look, then Zertin is drawing forth another of his accursed (literally) wands.  Violet shuffles away as he aims it at the body, with some distress.

'See whether any of his possessions are enchanted'?  Probably not to bury them, more's the pity.

Having no shoved with which to dig, and thinking this task beyond even Louise, Qvar gathers rocks.  Placing a big one carefully over the dead man's face he offers a prayer to comfort the departed soul.  "May Lathander forgive you you sins, and may those you loved once again know the Warmth of The Sun."

Caesius shakes his head, smiling, "To the best of my knowledge, he doesn't understand this Vistani tongue.  Though the drawing of a weapon seldom indicates a friendly greeting in any language, and would be enough to bring a reaction from Hammer."

He pats the horse's neck again.

Violet smiles, grimly amused.  "Wise horse," she murmurs.