1: What a strange view

As Leo slowly walks the perimeter of the room while munching on snacks he pulled from the crates, the thick paint in the grooves on the walls catches his attention. So while everyone is oohing and ahhing over an axe, Leo takes one more big bite out of a piece of dried meat and stashes the rest in a pocket. He pulls out his dagger and sticks the sharp end into the groove, trying to scrape some of the paint off to reveal if there is anything underneath. If the dagger is too thick to reach in, he'll try the tip of an arrow.

Leo examines the grove, the with and depth of small coin (1 cm or 1/3 inch), and the blue paint within. It feels hard, like a lacker, but soon a section breaks off. The blue tint of the paint is similar to the bugs they have smashed aplenty.

The elf watched the other Scribe admire the artifact. He wished he could transport the relic to his study for greater examination. He instinctively summoned a quill, but he dismissed the tool when he recalled his scrolls lay elsewhere. Instead he turned to the Firbolg and stated, "By appearances, you may put the artifact to better use while we work our way to a space where we can better examine the weapon."

Then Takeshi held aloft a sphere of solid jade, touched his robes with his hand, and uttered a chant in an exotic tongue. Spirits wrapped and wove around his form before fading from sight. He continued to hold the focus as he addressed the group, "We must press through the swarm to advance. Now that we have our gear, we should have the ability to handle the pests. I suggest the more martial lead the way and we Scribes act as archers. Nirion...would do well to secure the rearguard."

Meanwhile, Akio perches on the dwarf's casket and begins to nuzzle the dwarf's head. To his master's horror, the tressym licks the brow of the deceased. Takeshi mentally commands the creature to take flight and Akio reacts as if swatted. The familiar flits around the room in a visible sulk.

Shall I peek out the door then?

With words spoken reminding the mage that she, indeed, was not qualified to wield such an implement, Paige Turner Buch, reluctantly released the axe into the ranger's hands. Once hands were freed, her thumb found itself to her mouth as the fine cut still stung.

Regaining her feet, the scholar's was drawn to the one who's privilege allowed him to bear such an item. Muttering the dwarven symbols, King Mountainsbane...Axe of Lords? On her first treck from the Tower, Turner had been involved with a party that had more than their share of dwarves! The late night drinking, the telling of tall tales which were pretty tall considering they were dwarves, and then just when you thought they were all passed out and you could have enough peace to read for a precious moment....the snoring began! Yes, it seems that name might have been mentioned.

Hearing plans to battle the bugs outside the wizard added, Several barrels are part of the inventory. Turning them on their side we could send one or more rolling down the hallway squishing a number of insects. Mayhap one of you are strong enough to heave the barrel forward allowing enough momentum to cause the velocity to overtake them or...there are boards that a ramp could be constructed.

Leo ponders it for a moment, but isn't quite sure what to make of the paint. He casts a simple gentle Druidcraft flame at the paint to see if the paint reacts to magic like the bugs did. He takes another chomp of his snacks and heads over to Turner and Takeshi examining the weapon.

Probably much to Turner and Takeshi's cringe, Leo fails to realize the importance and power in such a weapon, and wields the artifact as if it were but an ax whose greatest triumph was chopping stumps in the forest, grabbing it with greasy fingers and slugging it over his shoulder. Magic weapons and armor weren't common in his clan, and he's had very little interaction with them. But nevertheless, he smiles ignorantly and responds "Thank you, I will carry it for you guys, don't worry." "I like the idea of sending the barrels rolling down the hallway. With a little umph and maybe some assistance, I could probably chuck one or two out the door. We could also open the door just a smidge and squash 'em as they come through, leaving only enough room for them to come in single filely."

Together you roll a barrel up to the door, open the door and let the barrel crush the bugs. There are still plenty of live bugs, but nothing that can pose a treat to you guys. Turner had heard many dwarfs, sing, drink and generally be rowdy. She has never heard about this king before.

Lopeiros channels mana to cast a small spell. He can feel that the paint chip redirects some of the energy, and the gentle flame is not as stable as it used to be. There is also a small glow from the paint chip.
As Lopeiros gives the axe a practice swing, he can feel how balanced it is, and how well it moves through the air. He is almost as comfortable with the axe as he is with his bowThe barrow rolls down the hallway, crushing bugs along the way. The barrow finally stops inside a larger room. You are standing in the hallway.
To the east on the sketch, is the cargo bay
To the south on the sketch, is the crew quarters where you woke up
To the north on the sketch, is another crew quarters that Khezzik opened for a moment, where there were several young bugs. There was something behind the door
To the west on the sketch, is the larger room

The elf noted the bugs with a grim satisfaction. If only I had a vial to collect one for later examination. Their carapace's qualities would prove useful... He then pointed toward the cabin opposite their own. "Let's investigate the room across from ours to see if we find any other occupants."

Yes, perhaps they know more about this situation he nods with satisfaction at the crushed bugs. What do you say? across the hall from our bunks? or elsewhere?

Leo chuckles in amazement as the paint redirects and absorbs some of the magical energy he produces. He does it one or two more times just to see it again. "I would be careful casting too much magic in here, it seems like the paint steals a tiny bit of it, which is really cool, isn't it?" he says to no one in particular.

"But yes, let's check out the bunk room across the hall from ours, if there are more people, we could use more minds."

Turner had been holding the weapon as if wasn't a finely honed piece of metal meant to be swung and buried within the heads of it's enemies but...Leo. The ranger seemed to fumble with the weapon as horrified eyes wondered if he was going to drop it. And would it be any surprise with his hands sullied from grease of his snack? The wizard had to turn her eyes away.

But besides that misstep, things were progressing nicely. Food and water secured, bug threat exterminated, and at least some of their equipment recovered. Time to investigate more of the ship. Turner did have concerns as to why their captors had gone to the trouble to abduct them only to store them away without monitoring them. Incompetence? Well it certainly was easier to explore without a guard so she would thank the gods for it knowing her captors weren't infallible.

"Yes, other bunk room! This one did not see people but definitely something in there."

You push open the door. You can feel that something is behind the door as you push it open.

This room also has 6 bunk beds, but only one is used for sleeping. The others are used for storage. There is also a table at the end where two spellbooks lie open. Turner and Takeshi reconise their awakend spellbooks at once. It is clear that someone have studied these spellbooks, trying to copy a spell over into a third spellbook.



The bundle behind the door proves to be the skeletal remains of a humanoid, dressed in colorful clothes. Khezzik who has an eye for details recognizes the clothing as the same as the woman with the knock-out powder wore when he was grabbed.
Some of the clothes have deteriorated, but not even the ranger can guess why.

As you examine the skeletal remains and the clothes a few green dead lava falls out.

This isn't a good sign... he glances at the remains.. How long have we truly been here?

"Maybe just eaten down to skelly-bones by the bugs. Could be any time at all. They eat fast."