Chalice of the Holy Grail?

[Blackspear]

As Dale walked away from the campfire and his conversation with Maccabeus, he started to think over the events of the day.   As he walked, his mind kept coming back to the arachnid's lair.   He just wished that there had been more time to search it for signs of who created it and what it had been used for.   Was there more to the structure that they had not discovered?   The scrolls of arcane spells and the cloak of protection suggest the possibility of the ruin having been occupied by an arcanist.   Could there be clues about Valekai or Sorcer 'Nyx in the arachnid's lair?

Dale stopped in mid stride when he thought about the chalice that Bastion had taken from the lair.   Dale had not truly examined the ornate cup.   Could there be a clue there?  

Dale turned and walked back towards the camp looking for the priest of Sardior.   He hoped he wouldn't find him asleep.   As Dale neared the fire, he spotted Bastion caring for his horse.

Dale approached the priest and greeted him.  "Good evening Bastion.   I was wondering if I might have a word with you?"   Dale stopped on the other side of the horse and patted its head in long strokes along its mane.

[Griznuq]

Bastian was fumbling with his horse's feedbag, wondering idly what life would be like, if his diet was restricted to oats and hay like that of his horse. He decided it would be unpleasant, and shot a silent feeling of relief and gratitude to Sardior that he was not a horse.

Dale was a bit of an enigma to Bastian, though a lifetime of lust for knowledge and information yielded an education rich enough to give birth to a handful of suspicions regarding the fellow.

Naturally Bastian refrained, as he always did, from making any judgements. He always felt a man should never be judged on his profession, but rather his intentions and actions. Thus far, Dale had proven to be nothing less than honorable.

"Certainly, my good man," he said, dusting the loose bits of hay from the front of his robe. "What's on your mind?"

[Blackspear]

Dale smiled at Bastion.  "I was wondering if you would let me examine the chalice that we found this afternoon.   Among other things, I have become a student of ancient sites.   I am hoping to see if there are any clues on the chalice as to what the arachnid's lair had been before it became a ruin."   Dale let his hand pause upon the horse's back as he waited for the priest to respond.

[Griznuq]

Bastion's curiosity was suddenly sparked by Dale's mention of the chalice. Bastion had a vast passion for knowledge, particularly when it had to do with religion and this ritualistic instrument may have been extremely old.

"Of course!" Bastian said excitedly. "Truly, it's origins have been poking at my curiosity as well."

Bastian took the item from his saddlebag and removed the cloth he'd wrapped it in. He turned it in his hand, giving it the first real once-over for what could have been a very, very long time.

OOC: Ready for your description mr. GM sir.

[Wildfire]

The chalice was badly tarnished silver and bits of dirt clung to the sides. After wiping off the dirt Bastion could make out through the tarnishing some reliefs and engravings which were clearly religious...Sardiorian in fact. Around the body of the chalice were some empty "pockets" which it would seem once held jewels of some sort. Drawing on his past studies, Bastion could tell that it was a ritualistic chalice used in various ceremonies. The age of the chalice was enigmatic but spoke of an older time.

[Blackspear]

Dale looked at the old chalice in Bastion's hands.  He noticed  the empty spots where jewels had once resided.  Noticing Bastion's interest in the chalice, Dale was very curious as to what the priest knew about it.

"Have you ever seen those symbols before?   Do you know what they mean?" asked Dale.  

[Griznuq]

Bastian's eyes were sparkling with excitement and his face fixed in a broad grin. "Yes, actually. These symbols are symbols of Sardior. These little pockets along the sides once held gem stones, doubtlessly rubies. This would have been used in a number of ceremonies, no one specific rite or anything."

His face grew even more excited as he considered what to say next. "What's truly fascinating though, I can't determine how old this piece is! It's shape and style seem to predate any such item from any of the time periods I've studied." Bastion lifted his gaze and fixed a very dry, almost weary matter-of-fact look at Dale and said, "and I've studied a lot..."

He returned his focus to the chalice.

"But then it's all together possible that it belonged to a splinter group or particular sect I've not heard of."

Bastions head snapped up as if a thought just occurred to him. "You know, I must wonder if it's possible our octopedal adversary may have liberated this from an unsuspecting soul such as we were when we found him along the road? It would explain why it's the only element that speaks of religious influence in the immediate area."

[Blackspear]

Dale was surprised by Bastion's enthusiasm.  As Bastion spoke, Dale remembered the zeal that some of the wizards of the coven had for academic debate.   They would spend endless hours arguing over the finer points of summoning creatures from the outer planes or finding how to create elemental power through the alchemical combustion of sulfur and charcoal.   This inevitably led to explosions, stinking fumes and more than a few singed beards.  

 By listening to these conversations, Dale learned that there were two kinds of scholars, those that debated to discover truth and those that debated to hear their own voice.   Dale hoped that Bastion was not one of the latter.   He feared that Bastion was one to listen to himself too acutely.

"It is possible that the arachnid stole the chalice from an unsuspecting victim...However, I think it is also likely that the chalice, cloak and scrolls were secreted away long ago.  The wall that they were stashed in may have been from a very old structure.   That structure may have been built around the same time as the chalice.   This of course is all conjecture.  We will probably never know for sure.  

" Might I have a look at the chalice?"   Dale stepped around from  the horse and approached Bastion.   He hoped that he might find something that would help define the chalice's age.

[Griznuq]

Bastion pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully. He said, "You could very well be correct, my friend. My only wonder is that it took us a very short amount of time to discover the secret compartment, and we'd never been in there before. The creature, who easily outsmarted us," he stopped, remembering Dale's initial look of reluctance and suspicion when the apparently helpless man asked for assistance. "Well, most of us," he continued with a friendly nod of acknowledgment in Dale's direction.  "...obviously lived there. I find it fascinating that a creature that was smart and powerful enough to create such illusions wouldn't have known it was there in his (it's?) own home."

"But then again, perhaps the creature never considered the possibility that it might have been there!" Bastian threw his hands up in the air and grinned widely. He was obviously more entertained by all the possibilities, rather than annoyed at not having any answers. He was one of the few scholars who didn't care for debate much, only careful consideration of all facts. In the end, he was not concerned if his original theories were right or wrong. What was important to him was the truth, and he was always ready to entertain the idea that he might be incorrect.

"Be my guest, my good man," he said, smiling warmly as he handed the metal drinking vessel to Dale. "I'd be delighted to hear any possible information you might be able to ascertain!"

[Blackspear]

Seeing Bastion's good natured smile relaxed Dale a bit.   As Dale carefully took the chalice from the jovial priest, he said, "Thank you.   That is an excellent point.   Still, I wonder about all of the coins lying around on the floor.   Clearly that creature had no use for money.   Maybe it didn't value the other items either.   I am most intrigued by the difference in the wall that we found the chalice in.   It was clearly constructed, while the rest of the cave seemed to be more natural.   I would love to know what had been there.   Who lived there and why it was destroyed."

Dale let the conversaton dwindle as he intensely scrutinized the chalice.   He was looking for anything that might identify the time period of the chalice.   He was also searching for any sign or symbol that may have been missed by the priest.    Maybe Sardior would grant him a clue.

[Griznuq]

Bastion watched as Dale inspected the chalice, and decided that he'd look for answers about it at the valley. maybe someone there could shed some light on it, or perhaps he could find reference to it in a book.

"Perhaps once we find out a little more about that artifact, I'll restore it to it's previous splendor and use it during weekly services back at the temple!"

He went to his saddle bags and found some buffing rags that he'd purchased before leaving home. I'd bought these with the intention of using them on my boots. I had no idea I'd be putting these ol' boots through so much traveling though. Polishing them now just seems like an exercise in futility. Perhaps Sardior knew I'd have reason to use these buffing cloths even still!" he mused.  

[Blackspear]

Dale was hardly paying attention to the priest as he scrutinized the chalice.   He was lost in thought, trying to remember all that his mentor had taught him.   Dale's ablty to concentrate was a blessing and a curse.   He could focus so intently, that the rest of the world around him seemingly disappeared.   That same concentration, would also allow him to miss other important details.   He often would become fixated on a small detail and miss the overall picture.  "Yeah, Sardior's boots probably do need some polishing..." he muttered.   After responding to Bastion, he refocused himself on studying the chalice...

As if snapping out of a trance, he looked at Bastion and noticed that the young priest was holding some polishing cloths.   "How common is a chalice like this in the temples of Sardior?" he asked.

Dale was turning the large cup over in his hands again and again.   Feeling the rough edges and bumps of the artwork on the palm of his hand as it spun by relaxed Dale as he thought about the chalice's possible origins.   Before Bastion could even respond, Dale had resumed his transfixed state of mind.

[Wildfire]

The chalice spun around in Dale's hands dimly reflecting the orange glow of the cookfire's light. The blemished reflections cast dancing, hypnotic patterns on his face. It almost seemed as if the silver chalice wanted to be polished so that it could boast its full splendor.

In his focused state Dale looked for clues on the chalice that would tell more of what was surely an intriguing story. Lady Sondra had taught him much but that was arcane teaching. This chalice was, without doubt, of divine creation and its purpose and possible workings were not so self evident to Dale.

Still, he studied it.

Absent mindedly, he ran his thumb across one of the strange pockets on the ornamental goblet removing some of the grime- enough so that an engraving was now revealed and barely caught his eye.

With a quickened heartbeat Dale struggled to see the rune closer despite the challenge that the tarnishing and dirt remnants posed. The puzzling symbols wreathed the pocket completely. He could only surmise that they were divine runes that could have possibly invoked a spell.

[Blackspear]

"Hey, Bastion?   I can't seem, to make this script out.   It runs around the entire chalice.   Here, take a look!"
Dale handed the chalice to the priest as he stepped closer to him.   His excitement was building as he hoped that he discovered something significant.

[Griznuq]

Bastion wore a half confused, half amused look on his face as he considered his God wearing unpolished boots. Really he'd never thought about it before, but in all the imagery he'd seen, Gods were depicted as barefoot or wearing sandals. Boots were obviously more practical, as they prevented injury to one's foot. It wasn't really very wise to go traipsing around barefoot, in Bastion's opinion. Then again, Sardior was a God. Could a God stub his toe? It all certainly made for some interesting pondering! He'd have to write his Mentor back home when he got the chance.

Shaking the thoughts from his head he peered at the markings. He took the chalice from Dale, and began to polish the area around the markings.

Bastion rolled some skill checks: a 26 Knowledge (Religion) and a 18 Spellcraft.