Bizenghast: Sorceressjcftao wrote:Claudius smiles at Otis's questions about bats, ogres, and barrow wights...but takes keen interest in Bizenghast's boldness.
Turning to her, he bows gracefully and says, "My captors wished for me to remain here within this fort. I've always been guarded by at least one of them at all times. When you attacked the guards at the gate, my jailer ran to help his kin."
"Young miss, I see you have magical knowledge within you. And you travel with a magical creature (he nods towards Moonglimmer). I am a sentinel, more of a glorified watchman than anything else, I suppose....
but I am old, my knees are achy and my back is bent under the heavy toll of time. No more shall I do the bidding of another, my time has come to take another path."
"This standing stone beside me is a marker of ancient magic...not powerful in its own right, but it serves as a sign post to a sizeable fortune and magic knowledge...enough to keep all of you in fine comfort for the rest of your lives. The wizard that set this here has long since died, leaving his fortune to any able to decipher the standing stone and follow the clues. Riches are no temptation for an old man such as myself, but I will help you decipher the stone. What you do with the knowledge is up to you, I will be traveling south shortly...I hear the climate is warmer and sunny shores await beyond the sea."
Claudius turns to examine the standing stone and he studies the symbols..."See this one here? It tells of a hidden passage within this very ring fort! Look...this part is the key to open the door..."
Claudius's voice grows soft as he tries to follow the faint scratches on the stone.
Actions?
Knowledge-Arcana! Out of self-obsession, Bizenghast steps again to Claudius, interrupting his concentration just as she realized the significance of what Claudius described, his experience here... "My heart's desire is you remain here and help me, help us, unlock these secrets." Momentarily lost in her memories, she places her hand on his old and tired shoulder, "I am sorry for my selfishness. I was a prisoner in the Harridlands, a slave of the Harridans. That is a torturous fate I wish upon no one, so... I wish you freedom, Claudius, happiness and freedom."
Like a child entranced by a Christmas Tree, the Sorceress stares and studies the stone and its runes, taking mental notes on which Claudius identified and their functions.