142
Read to everyone:
The inside of All-Mother Mountain is dim, lit by innumerable candles. The air is a little too warm, and humid with a mixture of scents: sweat, a faint metallic hint of blood, and an overwhelming melange of herbal notes. It’s quiet, but as your eyes adjust you’re startled to see that there are many, many people here. Most are laying quietly on sturdy cots, or sitting on matching chairs or stumps. There’s constant motion as people shift in their places and eat dinner, and the low murmur of whispers from hushed conversations, but the acoustics of the cave seem to break apart the sounds into tiny, indistinct hums.
Other than the hip-width path deeper into the cave, every inch of this place is occupied and in use. Cots, tables, seats, multi-level bunks, hanging herbal censers, jugs and larger urns of fresh water, wash basins, piles of furs and woven blankets, and on, and on. The sheer density of this place is disconcerting.
As you walk down the path, people notice you and nod, acknowledging you briefly before turning away, in that learned behavior of too many people jammed in together, doing their best to let everyone retain the illusion of privacy and dignity.
That’s when you begin to notice the injuries. None of them seem fresh, and many seem well on the mend, but most are quite serious. You see several bandaged stumps of amputated limbs, one man with bandages covering most of his face and skull, and any number of limbs which seem to have whole shapes, but are heavily wrapped with faint red spots in assorted locations. Some people shift in discomfort, but none seem to be in severe pain.
Most of the injured people have paint and tattoos which would mark them as Nora, though there are more than a few Carja and Oseram here, as well as a number who don’t have any markings and could be from anywhere. It takes a moment to recognize, but the injuries seem to get worse the farther you walk into the cave. In the distance, you can see the path branch off at least twice, making you wonder how bad the people in those areas must be.
You notice a small group heading your direction. These people seem to be checking on the injured. It’s time to get out before they notice you.
If you got in via stealth or other misdirection, you may need to resolve another skill challenge to get out unnoticed, unless you can come up with something else. If so, it should be against the same difficulty at before.
If you can get out without being noticed, return to dinner with 109. Otherwise, if you try and fail, continue with entry 151.