In reply to Aladin Sufran (msg # 28):

Aladin continued to co-operate.

"I would ask them, if they were here. They must have told you something, though. I mean, why were you assigned to gaurd them? What were they doing that was important to you?"

Keira just followed after the rest of the strangers, looking confused and clearly uncomfortable about this whole situation. Ancient tombs, weird rituals, strange new abilities - not to mention being naked again and having spears pointed at them - none of this boded well to her.

OOC: Guess we should head downstairs, but Keira is definitely not going first.

I wouldn't waste your breath talking to the help, they likely don't understand enough of this to make it worth your time." Harnan says to the man talking to the soldier.

Harnan pointed out the futility in talking to the legionnaires as he and the rest filed past Aladin and headed down the other set of stairs. Their Spatial Awareness dark beyond the walls, floor, and ceiling.

As Aladin tried to continue his conversation with the officer, he was just interested in getting the Bedouin to follow the others down the stairs.

The corridor at the bottom of the stairs had a number of doors at various locations on one side or the other. The corridor also ended in a door. And beyond that door were a number of pools of water. Each pool with a different temperature.

"Clean yourself up," the other officer said who had led the first decade following the five and the dog. He pointed out where they could find bars of soap and towels. As well as clean clothes they could wear afterwards.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:17, Tue 03 May 2022.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 33):

If we were being followed down the stairs, Aladin would ask the same questions of the officer who accompanied them.

"Keep on moving," the officer responded.

"I am, but why am I moving? If you serve demons, I should be obliged to escape. I will not allow myself to be forced to serve demons. Death would be better."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:28, Tue 03 May 2022.

The officer started saying something, but stopped, and just continued to push the group forward towards the pools.



[OOC: I updated a previous post to clarify that all the legionnaires followed you downstairs.]

Spoil the fun...I therefore had to modify my post. Since there is no one leaving us, the conversation would have continued down the stairs.

Keira took a quick dip in a pool as far away from others as possible, and then headed straight for the towels and the clothes. As she was getting dressed, she began to wonder just why there were pools of water, towels and clothes in a tomb in a middle of a desert? Just what was happening here?

Once she put on some clothes she decided to try to get some answers from the officer in charge. Maybe he would respond better to her questions? "Who are you people? And who are they?" She pointed at the other strangers. "And why am I here?"

In reply to Keira (msg # 39):

Aladin did not trust them at all and moved straight to put on clothes. Nothing seemed right, and he certainly did not want to risk that liquid not being water.

He looked for any other exits, keeping away from the water but taking a towel and soap in case it might prove useful later.

Aladin picked up a towel and soap.

There were no other exits.

And from Keira cleaning herself up, at least that pool was actually water.

After Keira got dressed, finally that compulsion had ended, she approached the officer that had offered his mantle to her.

"We are legionnaires," the officer said. "I don't know who or why any of you are here. You would have to ask them about that." Them obviously referred to the six robed figures.

"Hey, you," one of the legionnaires shouted at Aladin as he was trying to put some clothes on. "You need to wash first. No clothes before you clean yourself up."

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 41):

Aladin ignored the man trying to give him orders and continued to dress, listening in to the conversation.

He only picked up the towel and soap after he dressed. If he is not allowed to dress, he will still be holding the clothes, trying to put them on.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:36, Wed 04 May 2022.

The ogre followed the elf woman down to the pools. He picked up a towel and a bar of soap. He placed the soap in the middle of the towel and rolled it into a makeshift club.  While she bathed with as much privacy as could be managed; he stood menacingly in the doorway to block access and obscure the view of anyone trying to look past him. While the towel in his hand was hardly lethal, it could possible make someone think twice if they got smacked with it.


--------------
ooc:  Small edit to better clarify things. In regards to the towel, think back to the blanket party scene in Full Metal Jacket.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:06, Wed 04 May 2022.

Three legionnaires moved in on Aladin, with spears pointed at him, to force him to take a bath.

As Gurth placed himself in the doorway, a handful of legionnaires joined him. Not so much to obscure things as to keep an eye on him.

There was no one in the corridor.

Nothing about this made sense to Keira, and she realized she would get no answers from the legionares either. So while the soldiers were busy forcing someone to bathe for some reason, she looked around the chamber they were in. If there were any light shafts or passages leading to the outside, she could use them to escape. But even if she did so, if they really were in the middle of the desert, where would she go? Perhaps it was best to play along for now.

Keira looked around. The chamber was well lit. But other than the pools and people, there was only the clothing.

Six sets of clothing in varying sizes. All in the same style. All designed for men. All of it made out of wool. Underwear, but no bra. Socks. Lose-fitting pants. A lose-fitting, white, ankle-length, collarless shirt. A sash. An open robe. Boots made out of brown leather. And a headscarf. With each set of clothes, there is also a curved dagger.

There were no shafts. No other doors. No ways in or ways out. No corners. Or hiding places.

"Excuse me," the officer said to Keira and headed to Aladin. "The faster you clean yourself up, the faster your questions will be answered," he told the cleric.



[OOC: The headscarf looks like the one in Aladin's picture]

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 46):

"Before I make myself presentable, I need some indication that this is not serving demons. I serve a good God, and I would prefer to die than to be part of some diabolical plan. Baptism through water has significant religious overtones and I could never willingly partake and still serve my God."

"Unless you are the demons, there are no demons here," the officer said.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 48):

"Then what manner of devilry brought us here, and why do you want me to wash, at pain of death? How do I know this is not some sort of ritual, like the last one I was unwillingly involved in?"

"You would have to ask them about that," the officer said. "They want you to clean, so we make sure that you clean up."

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 50):

"Why? Who is they? If we are in a desert what does it matter? Happy for a sandbath, but no ritual washing until I know more."

"We're legionnaires," the officer said. "We have been assigned to be here. There are no rituals. You can wash yourself any way you like. There's no sand down here though."

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 52):

"Then you will accept me rubbing myself with a damp towel, with no immersion?"

"If that's what you want to do," the officer said. "We only have six of them though."