Darian rolls over and quietly draws his frostbrand.
Niko awakens with a start. He draws his flame tongue and looks ready to cast a spell with his free hand.
He looks around to see why Varlen has disturbed his sleep.
Gonzo awakes, and disappears into the inky blackness, his groggy senses grasping for any sound or indication of danger.
He hears nothing and senses nothing.
Al just turns over and slobbers on himself.
"Woof," is heard from him and then he turns over again, going back to sleep.
When everyone has been roused by Varlen, he leads the rest of you as quietly as possible - which is none too quiet for many of you - back to where Occa sits.
Niko casts Detect Invisibility. Looking around first, he then cautiously circles around to face Occa to see what's the matter.
"What is it Occa?" hisses Darian.
"It is the gnome. Anyone have a detect evil or know alignment?"
Darian shakes his head. "Sorry."
Occa then casts a lightning bolt in the direction of the sound that he heard... or approximately.
"Yeow!" you hear Nroda say, from some 50' away, and in the momentary flash you see his robed figure.
Then, you hear the pitter-patter of little feet, retreating rapidly into the Avernus night.
Occa says, "Well, since we are all up, let's break camp and move on."
Niko peers out into the night ."Should we kill him? He might become a problem later..."
"I have considered it...I expect we will have to at some point. He is obviously in league with the daemon."
"And are you sure you want to break camp? It's awfully dark still."
"Yeah, all our shifts are almost over, so we need to move on. We can't wait forever for dawn to break."
A light goes on over Occa's head.
Occa calls out, "Nord...come on in. We can hear you out there. We won't harm you."
Gonzo snickers... "Me dinks dat one will keep his distance... fer now... any critter in dis place dat kin take Occa's 'lectric and only say 'yeow' ain't no small cheez-whiz."
A voice calls out of the darkness.
"The name's Nroda! N-R-O-D-A ! And you look really stupid with that lightbulb shining over your head!"
The gnome shuffles into your view...but only just.
Occa reaches up and grabs a silverish chain. He yanks on it and the lightbulb goes out.
"Okay, Nroda, come on in to the camp. Let's talk."
You return to your camp. The gnome follows reluctanly...like a small child caught with his fingers in the pie.
"Nroda, why were you spying on us?" asks Niko.
"Spy? Spy? A criminal you call me? I not spy on you like some common thief!" he retorts, "I was...guarding you while you sleep. Avernus dangerous place it is. Nasty creatures abound they do. Gobble you up before you have time to stop snoring!"
He throws a significant glance at Niko at this point.
"I know the ways of the dark creatures...the soldiers of the daemon. A dangerous place you choose to camp. They could capture you and take you before His Awefulness! Distill you down to an ichor he would...the Soul Juice he calls them! He collects them, and in little bottles he stores each Soul in his dungeon. Sometimes he trades them with other daemon and devil lords. The Soul Juices of certain people they particularily value. Paladins, cavaliers and clerics of good dieties are in great demand."
He glares at Occa.
"Near-worthless are the souls of mages."
He pauses.
"I know this because I have seen them."
It takes Niko a moment to understand before he retorts, "Hey! I don't snore! It must have been Gil or Darian!"
Niko looks at Occa. "Salaam?"
Niko also takes the time to swap his ring of invisibility for ring of truth on his finger.
"And will you show us where you have seen them, Nroda?"
"I may."
Occa says, "Calm down Nroda. We need a guide and you seem to know this place well. Can you guide us? If you do so, we will take you out of hell when we go."
Nroda ponders.
"I will guide you...for a price. Out of Hell I will not go."
"What is your price then?"
"Baubles...shiney baubles. You have some, yes?"
The gnome's eyes sparkle.
"I think we can find some for you." He pulls out some pearls and diamonds from a pouch. "Things like these...."
He holds them up and says, "Will you guide us now?"
"Let me see them! Please?"
"If I let you see them, will you guide us?"
"If they are worthy, yes!"
Occa shows him one of the pearls (worth 100 gps). "There are a lot more where that came from!"
He looks over at everyone else.
Niko nods. "Oh, yes...a lot more! But only if you prove to be a worthy guide, that is. Do we have a deal?"
Darian nods as well. "Yup. I've got a few rolling around in one of my pouches."
Nroda takes the pearl off of Occa. He peers closely at it, bites it, tastes it and rubs it against his tattered robes, before scrutinising it again.
"This will do," he says, and pockets it.
Without further ado, he turns and hurries off into the darkness, back towards his Buick.
You hustle about, gather up your packs and equipment, and hurry after him as best you can in the darkness.
After a short while, you relocate the Buick. Nroda stands outside one of the rear doors (open), looking impatient.
"Here at last you are! Hurry! Before light finds us!"
He hops into the back of the car, and flips up the rear seat cushion.
Underneath it is darkness.
The gnome jumps down into the black pit.
Carefully, you bare one of your magical daggers, revealing a narrow shaft going down into the bowels of Avernus. A ricketty ladder, made of scaps of metal and other odd materials, clings to one wall.
Sending one of the expendable elves down first, you follow Nroda. Al brings up the rear, at the end of a leash that Gilstrock holds. He drools on those beneath him.
After a long and wearying climb of some several hundred feet, you reach the bottom of the shaft. The air is even more hot and stuffy down here than it was on the surface. From the bottom of the shaft a narrow tunnel - obviously natural - winds away out of your sight.
"Follow me! This way!" says Nroda.
Before you set off after the gnome, though, Orlon lays a hand on Occa's sleeve.
"Can you teleport me and Al back to Sandas, first, so I can heal him?" he asks. "We might need him."
Occa grumbles but teleports himself, Orlon and Al back to the Prime.