Part 5: Return to the Moathouse Ruins

"Well met Mr. Bramblecatch, I am Maloria Stoneforge, Cleric of Saint Cuthbert, but please, call me Mal. As late as it is, we should perhaps head topside and make camp for the night. I would take a watch shift if some of you lot care to join."

Eltrezar doesn't introduce himself, but does agree that heading upstairs would be in their best interest. He lingers behind for a moment to speak to whichever companions are near, out of earshot of the prisoners. Hrmph! "I must admit, I am a little concerned by their claims of more men and other creatures. We have not yet found them down here, and by their own admission the bandits we slew were too afraid to come down here. That, and all this "Flaming Eye" talk... I fear there may be more going on down here than we had known. And with the number of secret passages we have found as well as the fine state of many of the doors, I suspect there is more here than meets the eye."

Mal helps to bag up all the coin the group has found in the ogre chest and does one final search of both the ogre room and the hostage closet before heading upstairs with the others.

The rogue replied with a curt nod, "Norris" he replied- there was no need for a surname. Who knows who he knows- don't want too much information flying around out there. There are still a few darker sorts out and about who would rather the thief's skin be used as an area rug. First names were enough for now.

Instead, Norris opted to query the captives a little further. His curiosity had an appetite, and at the moment, it was famished, "Are all of you accounted for?" he asked, "Was there anyone who was brought in at one point... and was later taken? What do you all have in common?" he prodded, clarifying the previous question. There was certainly more to this riddle and while he was convinced the prisoners weren't actors in the play, there was certainly a script being followed. There was intent here- these men had to have greater value or purpose than as a snack tray for the lumbering behemoth.

"I'm Bors the Fighter, and this is the most useful member of our party, my sword Ogregnasher. Oh, and this is Grandpa Surly Beard, our wizard. He's useful, too, sometimes," Bors gestures at Eltrezar in an off-hand way.

Maloria stifles a snort and nearly has a stroke suppressing her laughter. Not a peep escapes her lips, but her face turns beet red with the effort.

"And I am Gilly. Gilly Puddlefoot. Adventurer for hire.

Gilly to the humans. The elves call me the Unseen! Bandit-bane to the dwarves!" she announces, stealing the wizard’s bit.

Harumph!

Norris nods in turn with the key points in the man's story, "...and you're confident that, while you may not know who the gutteral voice was, you're sure it wasn't the ogre?"

He pauses to contemplate this, then chimes in openly, not directing his voiced thoughts at anyone in particular, "There's someone orchestrating this. Someone that has a plan and you fine men are a part of it, one way or another. If you were simply ogre-feed, then you would have probably known about the other guy... Footsy, we'll call him" he pauses, maintaining a straight face.

"A firey eye. A symbol with an eye, on fire, ablaze... does that symbol sound familiar to any of you? Have any of you seen such a thing?" he prods the former captives, dead-set and confidence that the symbol is a critical component to solving the mystery.

"Is it safe to speak here? Should we go up to our hidey hole and wait for the sun?"

Gilly doesn’t even try to figure out the meaning of the symbol. That stuff would be decided among the wizard, cleric and the rest!

Hrmph! "Let us return to the surface before speaking too much more. Who knows which walls have ears down here..." The wizard begins herding the larger group back towards the stairs leading to the first floor of the moathouse, but holds back for a moment to speak.

He lingers behind for a moment to speak to whichever companions are near, out of earshot of the prisoners. Hrmph! "I must admit, I am a little concerned by their claims of more men and other creatures. We have not yet found them down here, and by their own admission the bandits we slew were too afraid to come down here. That, and all this "Flaming Eye" talk... I fear there may be more going on down here than we had known. And with the number of secret passages we have found as well as the fine state of many of the doors, I suspect there is more here than meets the eye."

Norris seems very agreeable to the wizard's observations, "I know we wanted to press our advantage here, delve deeper and see what we find, but now with these wards in our care, and the need to investigate the significance of this eye...." he trails off, obviously pondering the options, "It seems the gods are nudging us back to town, don't you think?".

He glances at the cleric to gauge her opinion, now that religion has been introduced into the conversation.