a few moments for him to adjust.

"I'm ready now," he eventually responds, minding that he's up-front again, but aware that it is an effective strategy. "Let's make sure we find a safe place to rest."

He begins his way down the broke steps, nearly slipping on occasion with the jagged and broke stone scattered about, until his feet and ankles reach into the water. Nothing to do now but to move forward...

The party steps into the cave, the light of Tristian's symbol slowly illuminating stone and wood. While the light cannot reach all edges of the room, it is clear what the cave is: a temple.

Wooden pews line each side of an aisle. Rather than being built, it looks as if they were grown from the stone below. The aisle leads to an altar with runic carvings. Behind the altar is a podium with the symbol of a bow pointed downward, an arrow nocked and ready to fire. On either side of the podium is a pillar with a stag carved out of it.

Tristian gasps and smiles, "There is no need to worry. This is a temple to Erastil."

Malkala blinks, "Erastil? The Stag Father, god of the Hunt?"

"Correct." He responds, placing a hand on one of the pews, "But it looks abandoned. I don't feel his presence."

"Maybe the beast had something to do with it." Octavia says, stepping into the sphere of light, "I am not versed in religion, but that was no natural bear. Maybe this place was cursed?"

With a skittering curiosity, Zrak walks up and looks around the pillar, observing its structure and design. He reaches for one of the stag horns, attempting to feel its material and wear. "'fraid I don't know a thing about gods either," he comments, "but it should've been abandoned for awhile if it turned out like this."

The ratfolk continues to look at the altar, more particularly interested in the architecture and design rather than the religious aspects. "This must've been here awhile. I bet this place might've been quite the settlement before it got abandoned." A thought crosses his mind, "Hey, what's Erastil like, anyway?"

"He is one of the oldest gods, prayed to for successful harvests and hunts." Tristian answered, stepping up to the podium with an air of reverence, "He believes that groups work best with strong leadership with that being one of his best virtues."

Malkala nods, "These worshippers could have just abandoned the group. Or at least their leader. It is hard to tell for certain."

"Hopefully he does not mind us staying here for the night." Tristian kneels in front of Erastil's symbol and says, "I would like to try to restore this place to a resemblance of its former glory. Or at least pay reverence to it. Unless you wish to join me, please leave me to it."

Malkala sighs, "Fair enough. The rest of us will take turns on watch."

Zrak remains looking over the altar, still skeptical of its presence and wondering what good it'd serve now. Maybe Tristan had a point? Repairing such a shrine seemed like such a waste of valuable time and resources. And yet, they didn't have the time to look for a better place to stay. Here was better than any and repairing the shrine wasn't even a bother from a much-needed rest.

"Better leave me out of this," Zrak idly responds, noting his lack of religious knowledge. "Do what you need to do with this shrine. I can keep watch with the others. Just try not to be loud."

The ratfolk took the quiet moment to look over his supplies, then speak to Malkala in a quiet part of the room. "Sure is quite the crew we got." His ratty eyes scour around, looking at the other three that joined over the trip. "How well do you trust 'em?"

Malkala takes a look around herself. Tristan is now kneeling before the podium, hands on his holy symbol, head bowed in obvious prayer. Octavia and Regongar have taken a spot on the pews, having a quiet conversation that cannot be heard despite the silence of the temple.

"I'm not sure yet." She answers, "I'd like to just say 'completely,' but we have already had to deal with assassins at the manor. Not only that, but we are in the land of bandits right now. Most don't deal with trickery and deception, but that makes those who do all the more dangerous."

She looks back to Tristan, who is easy to see with his holy symbol glowing even brighter, "I can almost say for certain that Tristan is good. It is very hard to mimic divine magic without being a man or woman of the faith. While I am less sure of Octavia and Regongar, there is the fact that they could have done something already if they wanted. And I believe in their fear when they ran into us."

Her eyes lock onto Zrak's, "And you? I assume you're asking the question because you are in the same boat as me."

Her question releases a concerned frown from Zrak, teeth lightly chattering as if revealing bottled anxiety. "I don't trust the couple," he warns, referring to Octavia and Regongar. "They've stuck with us for now, but their priorities seem only for themselves." He briefly eyes the two talking in the distance before he looks back at Malkala. "Don't expect them to stick their neck out for us if things go to shit."

He pauses, looking back at the altar, then continues. "And that Tristan guy's nuts. I dunno how he even got all out here on his own." The doubt was ironic, for Zrak traveled awhile on his own. But out in bandit territory, any sort of priest or priest-like person would have to be beyond careful.

"I doubt he'll just run off when we need him most, but I worry he'll rush in and do something at the expense of his own life. We ought to just keep an eye on him as we travel."

That about covered Zrak's concerns, as he let out a sigh and rested on the stone ground. "Now only if this damn place didn't feel so dreary..."

Malkala smiles as she nods, "If their story of being slaves is true, I can see why. And a pious man does not always mean an intelligent one." She shakes her head, "And while I am optimistic, I would not presume they are companions yet. Trust but verify, right?"

Her body shivers slightly at the idea of a dreary temple, "I know what you mean. Hopefully Tristian can bring some warmth." Her teeth show, "Hey, once we rule, maybe we can come back to restore this place. As we explore, we can seek opportunities like this."

Zrak doesn't share the same optimism, frowning as he looks back once more at the altar. "You say that like there's opportunity here. You think this'll serve people if we do repair it?" He shakes his head at the sight. "If we got time, maybe I'll consider it. But that's a damn long ways away."

He takes one more look at the other adventurers, then stretches his arms and legs. "But enough yammering from me. I'm ready to get some rest. You first shift, me second, like always?"