If the Seer's robe and cloth eye piece remain, Apple will quickly slip on the robe, shrugging as he looks at Korvin. "You've got a knife." He'll wrap the cloth strip around his hand for later consideration.
Apple smiles at the tracks. "The path is always before us it seems." He'll follow them up the steps.
The inside of the temple is cavernous and dimly lit. The footsteps continue, wet with snow on the cold marble floor. They make their way up to a raised dais with some sort of altar. Where they stop, there appears to be a small pool, made of the same marble as the temple, and frozen over with a thin layer of ice. The ice is cloudy, obscuring the water beneath.
Apple's sharp eyes notice several droplets of dried blood around the edge of the pool.
"Think he is in there?" Korvin says pointing at the pool.
"Let's see."
Apple will quickly approach the pool, watching the tracks and area surronding the pool. He's looking to see if the tracks tell a story about whoever made them entering the pool (Was there someone else there? Do the tracks stop or just walk off the edge? Etc.)
He'll try to peer as well as he can through the ice. Then he'll cast a quick spont CrIg to keep his body warm for the dur. of sun. Lastly, he'll use the hand that is wrapped in the seer's bandage to start punching at the ice in the pool to try to break it up.
"Let me use the knife to break it up. Might as well not risk your hand."
Korvin uses the silver knife to break up the ice.
Between you, you pound and work away at the thick ice. It is surprisingly tough and resiliant, and your first several swings have almost no effect.
Thump! Finally, a thin crack appears in the ice. There is silence for a moment, and then a windy scream as the chill wind picks up and rushes through the temple, the door lit by the light of the now-red moon. As the crack spreads through it, the ice appears to fill with mist.
Then, the mist clears, and there is a familiar face - that of the Oracle. His eyes glow red beneath his bandana
He looks up at the two of you, smiling humorlessly and showing a single tooth here and there. "Wait! Spare my temple! I will grant you a boon if you will agree to leave me in peace. One of your wizards has already stolen the use of my pool, and to give it up again would kill me and defile my temple even more.
But I have information, yes. I can show you your magus, or answer a question about him, yes, that I can do. You need only leave me in peace." He looks up at you, smiling up to his gums while turning his head nervously, like a submissive dog.
I believe Apple is down near his last fatigue level.
(Both Apple and Korvin have The Tireless Flight cast on them so they do not feel the effect of fatigue....yet)
"One answer will not do. How can we find Cato of Jerbiton and what is this prophesy that he tries to complete. "
If the Seer tries to negotiate, Korvin will begin working on the ice again with the knife.
Apple will let Korvin take lead, sitting back for a moment, trying to ease some ache from his bones. He's going to also take a moment to study the temple, and keep an eye out for the deer men.
The Oracle's voice becomes wheedling as he sees Korvin raise the knife, but he has the tone of an experienced haggler. "Fine, two then, and some free advice. It is not in my nature to give more. I'll even give you an advance on the advice: if you destroy me, you destroy the temple as well, which will eliminate any chance you have of finding the path again and getting out of here."
"Very well. Answer the questions. If we are successful, perhaps you will get the use of your pool back. If not, you will be safe from us because we will be likely dead. "
The Oracle rubs his hands together, a view which is partially obscured by the cracked ice. "Very well. I will answer."
"Find Cato of Jerbiton by finding Jacopo, for a man is closer to his worst enemy than his own heartbeat."
"As regards the prophecy, I will give you the same answer I gave Cato, many years of your mortal time ago. He asked me if the spirits of the dead could be returned to life. I told him that, on one night, those souls who wander outside the sway of the God's Dominion can return. In order for them to do so, a mortal must sacrifice his home, his father, and himself." The Oracle chuckles, a harsh, grating sound. As he does so, the icy pool begins to swirl with mist, obscuring the his toothless grin.
To Apple: You were right about them being linked. I will try to cast the spell since you are looking bad. I'm not sure we have time I would would like to rest for a minute or two before I try.
(Looks to see if the deer men are still threatening. 10 Minutes would be fine for Korvin)
[[I think we are screwed on this because we do not have the ability to case a lvl 15 spont InCr]]
Apple shakes his head. "Where's a man? Where his body is? Or where his spirit is? Remember, I still have Jacopo's voice. And," he holds up his arm to expose the dry blood, "we have his blood, at least a bit."
"I don't know. Cato's father is Jacopo? That doesn't make sense. His home? Hmmmm. There might be reason we haven't seen the others. Himself?" Apple sighs. "Who would be worth it? Who do the two of them want back so much?"
Apple frowns. "Maybe Cato hasn't killed his father..."
He shakes his head. "Too many questions. And we have little time.
"We can try to contact the others.
"We can try to contact Cato as we did before.
"We can try to contact Jacopo. Maybe he's passed on..." Apple narrows his eyes and considers, then again shakes his head.
"Which do you think? I'm for trying the others and then Cato. Maybe we can gain some information from him. Or at least stall him."
"Jacopo is the father of Cato's hate. So perhaps it is the symbolic father. Or perhaps he was just preventing Jacopo from doing what he is about to do."
Lets contact the others. if we can.
Apple wearily nods. "There's one other thing I can do I guess. Let me see the knife a moment."
Apple will try to cast the same effect he did before to communicate with Cato through the knife. If he needs to, and can, he'll rest a bit longer before trying it.
[i]Assuming he can, he'll say, in his regular voice, "Cato. It's Apple. I've just had the most interesting conversation with a blind seer. He told me all about this special night.
"Cato, I've killed my father. I destroyed my home a long, long time ago.
"Do you think Jacopo is dead yet Cato? Do you think a wandering priest came by and splashed him with holy water?
"I'll bring him back Cato. I'll do it just to spite you. I'll do it so I'll win. You should know enough about Tytali to understand what I mean.
"What can you do to make it worth my while not to?"
Apple will hand back the knife and slump down. "Maybe that will buy us some time."
Total before fatigue is ReIm 18[/i]
You do not appear to be in any danger from the deer-men, at least not here inside the temple. The red moon's light still spills in the doorway, but whatever malevolent effect it had does extend to within the temple. Since they seem safe, Apple is able to rest for about an hour to recover enough energy to cast his spell without passing out.
You cast your spell successfully, thanks to your facility with the magic of voices. The temple is silent for a moment as you send your voice far away, and then... nothing. There is no visible effect. On the other hand, there is no evidence that it has failed either. Perhaps its intended recipient is ignoring you? Or plotting something nefarious? Or neither?
Sometime during your rest, you both notice it - stretching out from the door of the temple, a path has returned, like a sheepish child at dinnertime.
"Shall we?" gesturing to the path. " Or do you want to rest some more?"
Apple stretches, still feeling some ache, but hoping that's been enough rest. "You are right I think about the logic of this place. Each step in the road...
"No sense waiting longer. I can rest while we walk." He heads out with Korvin on the path.
Apple will be unusually quiet as he walks with Korvin down the road. He scowls quite a bit and finally, stops, and looks at Korvin after a moment.
"Friend. How do we know that Cato isn't planning to die himself? In other words, why do we need to kill him? If he's meaning to bring back someone from the dead, won't he have to kill himself? Are we concerned he won't?
"Before we proceed into the teeth of it, let me ask, and I'm not trying to be fateous. Do we know what we're doing here?"
The path wends its way along. There is a feeling of comfort about it, as if it intends to convey you somewhere you want to go. Your knowledge about the lore of the fay is sketchy, but you think maybe the Oracle created (revealed? discovered?) this path with the intent of sending you home.
(Feel free to continue your conversation)