Fellowship of the Dice

Varuthil says, "Let me see if the stones will tell me anything." She approaches the ruin of the arch, keeping a wary eye on the gore crows, and places her hand on the ruins. She hums to the stones as she strokes them, then leans close putting her ear to the stones. She is asking the stones about any wayfarers who have passed through or camping among the ruins.

While Varuthil speaks with her rocks, Gerwald scours the ground looking for any signs of someone passing through the area. He focuses on the edge of the water and especially looks for tracks leading to it. It would certainly make an excellent place to dispose of some unwanted dwarves.

"Well," says Finn, looking at Hild. "This is indeed a strange an ominous place. I hope the Dwarves did not go this way, and yet I do not like the thought that they could be still deeper in the marshes."

He follows Gerwald, looking for signs of the Dwarves passage in the mud surrounding the ruin.

"Do we continue on the trail, should we find it, or go back to our own purpose?" Glirion asks the others. "Ours is a pressing need."

Varuthil frowns. "You are right." She looks at the ruins. "I fear if we find nothing here, we should continue with our original plan."

Heva looks at her new companions, "If we find no clear sign, it seems we must assume the dwarves lost, though I'd wish it were not so." She continues looking for dropped gear, or broken metal, anything to indicate that the dwarves, or any good folk, have been through here.

The search begins.

Varuthil runs her hands over the stones and gains a far away look.

The rest of you search the edges of the pool and the various ruins. As you are doing so the soft ringing of a bell begins. It is slow and far away: it seems distant and remote as if coming from under ground.

Finn, Hild and Heva, Men of these parts, turn their ears to the soft ringing of the bell and slowly begin to move toward the center of the deep dark pool stepping with purposeful feet into the icy waters.

As Finn begins to feel pulled into a trance, his feet move without his own volition directly toward the water.
Within a moment Gerwald has put his hand firmly on Finn's shoulder, and Finn awakes as out of a dream.
He notices the hand on his shoulder and that he now stands several paces from where he had been . . . but the dream itself and the ringing of the bell have dissipated into the meres and shadows behind the ruins before them.

For a moment he is confused, and then he sees that Heva and Hild are continuing to move toward the pool.

"Hild! Hild!" he cries out, but the woman does not hear him. Within moments her purposeful steps have taken her into the dark pool, and she disappears.

"I'm going in after her!" he says; he looks to the others for a momentary pause.

"Stop Hild; I shall endeavor to stop Heva," Glirion answers, moving swiftly in an attempt to stop the woman from going deeper into the pool. "Heva, stop. Do not follow this bewitchment!" he says, trying to gently but firmly catch hold of the woman's arm.

Gerwald sees the effect of the enchantment on some of his companions. He had for the briefest of moments felt the urge to sink into the lake himself, but that shadow passed instantly. He manages to stop Finn with just a hand on his shoulder, but the others continue into the dark water. As he sees them submerge themselves, he prepared to dive in after them and drag them by force out of the depths.