At the bottom of the stairs, they discovered a room completely shrouded in darkness. Tala quickly conjured a light spell, but it quickly faded, given her exhaustion earlier.

"Allow me" Vespion conjured a second light spell, and the room lit up. It was a large, rectangular chamber filled with tables, platforms, stands, and receptacles. On these platforms were dozens of books, wands, mirrors, and other artifacts. 

"Is this a treasury of some sort?" Larek wondered.

"It isn't officially a part of the temple, possibly a later construction by a later group which once inhabited these ruins. It may have been a part of the temple at one time but was sealed up and forgotten later. I don't know. Look around, but please do [i]not[/i] touch anything until I inspect it! These items could be cursed, you know. Unlike the items from the temple proper, I have no idea about this place as of yet." Vespion hoped that his warning would be heeded. "That said, you can look all you like. If something moves or tries to attack you, defend yourself."

----------------

"Well, what do you think I should say?" Orna wondered. She hadn't been married to Tran for long, so she still had yet to figure out all of these little odds and ends about him. "Also, I have been trying to figure out where he carries his stress. It's so much harder to tell in males, you know. He doesn't get under my thumbs very often, so to speak, so I haven't been able to tell."

----------------

"My father taught me since I was about three" Kos explained. "I practiced almost every day after my schooling and chores."