" Wait let me take a look at it first, after all I'm the one who went through the trouble of touching that gross slimy fish." He wipes the slime off his hands on his pants, and grabs the wand in the bag.
"Hah, that aura you see is one of the many benefits of being a devout follower of Inconsequentia!" "Anyway, maybe what the statue said is related to what the wand does?"
"That's quite a possibility Danton. You probably still want to smash the statue don't you? What better way to honor your god than taking a gift from an opposing one then turning around and smashing it? Yeah? Unless everyone wants to just move on, I'm not partial to either option." Hort sits on the dungeon floor.
Torma takes a closer look at the wand. " So Danton if you re used to that aura, maybe you can tell us more about what those colors mean ?" " And nobody touches that statue, for now it has done all the things it has promised. "
"As I understand it, the color of your aura is based on your outlook on the world and your behavior. For example, being the helpful guy I am, mine would likely be white or light blue. Rantic, on the other hand, being a necromancer (inherently evil and all that) would have a red aura."
Torma scratches his beard " Hmmm strange. Rantic's not acting that bad but maybe you're right, wizards are probably a bit evil by nature. As of my own white aura, its surprising ! Helpful doesnt comes to mind." He shakes the wand in the air. " How did you do it Hort, I want to see your color too ! " Adds Torma with an amused look.
" For 50 pounds of disgusting fish, it's gotta have more than one." says Torma as he tries different gestures in the air with the wand.
Rantic has been leaning against a wall all this time, a bit uninterested in all the proceedings. He's been thinking about the evil cult, the implications, the possibilities, their grasp of and their level of control over this dungeon, the best way to continue and many such grave matters. Now however he's shaken up by hearing himself being described as evil and goes to stand in the room. "Hey new guy, I don't know why people just assume Necromancers are all automatically evil, but I can assure you you're wrong. I have had plenty of time to think about my position in the world, being the outsider I was. I realized that different groups of people have different moral standards and customs. Actions can be good or bad according to the belief that's behind them. I know that. So as a result I just follow my own rules, and I'm good according to my own standards. That doesn't make me evil. Maybe the aura's relate to the possibility to think in nuances. White meaning that you are a very black-white thinking person. For instance, you actually wanted to cause harm to a God just because some other God probably tells you thinks are different then this one does. That's pretty evil and self-righteous, no? Glad Torma was able to keep you guys levelheaded and smart. Listen, this dungeon is hard. Possibly the most dangerous place any of us have ever been in. It's no time to reject help or to randomly stumble around. It's time to think things through and optimize our chances of getting out alive. As for the wand..." [arcane knowledge +11]
" Damn stupid thing !" Torma is about to throw the wand to the ground when he realizes Rantic is trying to identify it while he was shaking it around. " Oh. " He hands it to Rantic. " So anyway, what would a red aura mean then ? That you' re a red thinking person ? I also understand what you mean about having different standards and customs, however I do hope that what's good for you isnt wicked for the rest of us. Heh !"
Rantic takes the wand and looks it up and down. "So far that seems not to be the case. If you guys are with me in stopping that cult that will undoubtedly continue. In any case, I realize I'm not alone anymore, so I'm open to discussion about decisions. My only concern is that we don't make stupid mistakes." He closes his eyes and holds the rod by the tips. He seems focussed. He opens his eyes again and taps against the head. "Hmmm." He holds the wand's head against his forehead, closing his eyes once more. "Got it," he says, opening his eyes and lowering the wand. "It's usable twice a day." "Oh and what it does? Easy: it can tell you whether someone is lying or not, by displaying variances in their aura. So the colour has nothing to do with it, it's about the disturbances you see. Hort should still be under the effects... Now's the time to ask Danton questions Hort." Rantic smiles. "Or me, or anyone else. Of course. Also, I would like to hold on to this one, does anyone mind?"
"Thanks Rantic, your knowledge is of great help... but I do mind, I went through the trouble of getting that reward -wether you considered it hard or not. I'd like it to be a group asset." " Questions or not, we should move on soon."
Berz nods. "Yeah. Listening to you all talk for so long makes my thumbs itch. Can we break something soon?"
"Hey guys! Hey guys! Everyone tell me how handsome I am" Hort starts smiling again "But really, I think next we should go through that portcullis." Hort says pointing in the direction of the portcullis on the western wall.
"All loot so far is group loot, and they're all our collective assets. What I meant is that I want to carry it around for now, that ok?"
"Thanks. Hort, I don't think it matters all that much right now, but I really dislike the potential situation of being surrounded. Brax's shop is about as safe as we can get so far, I think, so I'd like a clear path there for potential retreat. There are two doors eastwards, one in a corridor below the 'Giant room' and one in that 'Giant room'. I'd feel a little more at ease if we do those first and then methodically follow that same formula. Let's also piece our knowledge of the dungeon together. Danton, did you make a map?"
Danton hands Rantic his map. "Here you are. There's a room full of rats that I decided I didn't want to deal with, so they're still there." "Also, I collected a bunch of stuff when I was alone, and I'm not sure if any of it's magical. Maybe we can take a look at it when we're in a safer place?"