The Necessity of Travel

You don't have to roll for just going into another area, but you DO need to take decisive action to explore it, much like you did. In point of fact, when you start exploring there's things I have to do. First of all being...

Let's determine your marching order. Are we good with the posting order, in other words, Irwin, Tatianna, Oxana, Johnsan?

As you squeeze through the narrow opening, you can see that this cave has been split in two by a great earthquake, but more years ago than you could count, most likely. Is this the same quake that dried up the well? Would there be more of them in the future? These questions die on your lips as you look around this new area. If you thought the battle above ground was horrible, it is but a paltry imitation of this much older scene. Bodies lie everywhere, spear points without hafts driven through ribs without skin, swords rusting away to nothingness shoved into guts that have long done the same. There's several passageways that lead off from this main area, but you can easily tell than unlike the crevice you just came though, these new passageways - indeed, most of the new area in general - is carefully carved in the same intricate patterns you saw on the portal that brought you here.

Brother Irwin stops short at the sight of the mass grave. Involuntarily, his hands move to form a sign for prayer, but they're shaking and he cannot fit his fingers together.
His knees buckle as he pushes himself to approach the dead. No one have sent them on their way here with a burial hymn. It had to be done. Mechanically, the scribe forces his hands into the right shape. His mouth opens to pray.

As Irwin prays over the first fallen soldier, its bones slowly crumble to dust. Irwin, you have absolutely never seen this happen before. Have you heard of it? Is this perhaps why your god sent you here? To give rest to these poor souls after centuries?What here is useful or valuable to me? There are two distinct sides. One fought in great numbers, one in few. Those fewer in number fought the others to a standstill because of their superior armor and weaponry. One side used low-grade iron or bronze... or bone. The other used steel and... is that gold?

What here is not what it appears to be? No, it's not quite gold, although it appears to be. It's an alloy you've never seen before. And it's not just in the weapons and armor. Some of the same alloy is used in the old lighting fixtures and a few other small items that are scattered about.

What should I be on the lookout for? You're going to need to find the original source of the water before you can figure out how to get it back to the well.

Irwin, are you praying over these corpses in any particular order? Does anything they're wearing or the position they're in determine which you move to next?

Johnsan, what's the strange new weapon you've found?

Oxana, does anything you see (or something you don't) tell you which way to go next?

Tatianna, what's your take on all this? Does it remind you of anything?

You're all about to head over in that direction, when - as Irwin is praying over one of the armored skeletons, one of the few that was this well armoured - it jerks and begins to pull itself up out of the dirt, instead of just decaying to dust like the rest have. It's still gripping it's sword and shield, but it'll be a few moments before its intentions - if it has any - become clear.

If you're going to attack it and want the upper hand, you'd better do it now. There is the chance though that it's not hostile. Attacking it then would definitely cause a problem you don't have to have.

Irwin, you're closest, and your prayer seemingly did this. What's your reaction?