Before -
After some short discussion after leaving Naomi Copinger and The Angry Fist, we decided to look for the Chalice first. With Naomi giving us a deadline after all. She talked about a place called Revered Halls. I know of those place and am not really confident we would find anything there. It's abandoned for too long and people and beasts alike have raided that place more than a dozen times. Still, it is our best clue.
We got ourselves some horses and followed the roads to get there as soon as possible the next morning. When we reached the place, I couldn't help but be disappointed. Normally ruins hold secrets, and most secrets meant riches. But this place is not even hidden. It's big, pompous, and probably as empty as... I don't know. A hole? I am not really optimistic, but even I have been surprised.
Not really knowing ho best to proceed, we decide to round the building first. Just to prepare myself, I cast one of the magics Jirunda taught me. Old ruins might mean riches, but they always mean trouble and danger. Mostly fights, and sometimes even ambushes. It just pays to be prepared for the worst. And right I was. There was a big Troll sitting in front of the main entrance. And apparently it's grilling a deer-carcass. How did I not smell the stench before. Euck. I agree with Ratyn and Sett to be ready for a fight, but best to sneak around it, finding another way inside.
But Oris had other plans. As always. He casually walked towards the thing, after somehow convincing us that talking might be the best course of action. It absolutely is not, and I don't know how he managed to do that. He took Aggma with him, and for whatever reason, it seemed to work. I swear to whatever gods are watching us, they're playing dirty. We were finally let in by a troll that doesn't even fit through the door. If we had just sneaked around, we could have saved ourselves the hassle of having a Troll tell us we have 10 Tocks time. Whatever measurement of time that is. I am absolutely sure the only somehow interesting thing that stinking thing said was the mentioning of Dorito Dorrian. Father of Pippa Dorrian. Somehow connected to the Dukes daughter. I might dislike the fact that talking to that thing actually got us important information. But as people say, there's more than one way to beat a dead horse.
The ruins were just as expected. Ruins. Empty. Rubble everywhere. We all took some looks around. Sett and Oris climbed the tower, Ratyn went one direction, I the other, and Aggma a third. After some thorough searching we found... Nothing. Or more precisely, not what we were looking for. Until Aggma called out. Apparently she found a hidden way down. Interesting.
With the help of Sett, who returned with Oris from the tower, we managed to move the wooden planks and were greeted by a hole down, with nothing but a ladder leading down. Oris asked Ratyn to lead, and me, eager to find out what this is, follwed her. Apparently Sett and Aggma didn't. They went to go towards a cemetery? I did not pay attention at all.
We reached a door, that Ratyn tried to unlock, but the small rabbit had other plans and dug a hole underneath it. I wanted to ask about a dozen questions, why this seems like a better way to get through there, seeing as he is with two people capable of getting locks open. Maybe he just wanted to show off. It's strange. But not just Oris is strange. The whole demeanor how Ratyn is behaving is strange as well. What is going on here? If Sett and Aggma behave strange too when they get down here, I won't mind leaving this place sooner than later. Maybe there is a weird magic going around, that Jirunda shields me from? I have no idea, but let's just get this over with. The sooner we leave and are done with this place the better.
After going through the tunnel under the door, we're inside a grave now. Or more a mausoleum of sorts. Caskets everywhere. An untouched place in those ruins. A place full of possible riches. I disregard the other two and get close to one of the caskets on the side. Opening it is not really possible, as far as I can tell, but I grab some jewels from there. They might look old and dusty, but nothing that couldn't be fixed.
Oris is uncomfortable, joining Ratyn really soon, and then going off somewhere. Deeper in I guess. I decide to look at more of the caskets, until I am in front of the biggest one yet, right in the middle of the room. Apparently the burial ground from the late Duke and family. Good thing Sett and Aggma join me, because there is no way I will get this thing open on my own. After Aggma telling me Sett was really weird for some time up there, after they met a weird ghost or whatever, she asked me if Ratyn was weird, seeing as she was also in contact with that thing above. No, Ratyn was the same as always, please now let us get this coffin open.
Sett and I, but mostly Sett, managed to get it open. And lo and behold, the Chalice was there! And a flask of perfume that caught my attention. Some other things and some more coins. We managed to get all of it out of there, when we heard weird noises. Seems like I robbed enough graves and disturbed some creatures slumber. Oops.