The magic sword glows, bathing everyone in the group with the warm light of heaven, lending fortitude to their weary bodies and conviction to their hearts.

(The effect, sufficiently experienced adventurers will notice, is about the same as a Virtue cantrip.)

Awed at the feeling, she does her best to sing the angelsong from the ?flashback?

When she finishes what she remembers, she takes a deep breath. "Deskari. Deskari killed Lariel, right here. And he left the last specks of his power in his sword, hoping someone would claim it, some day..."

(her voice is thick with emotions; grief, and pride, and wonder,)

Seelah listens to the angel-song, joy on her face.

It is making her feel things and she does not like it.

Birds chirping.

There's awe and wonder on Lann's face. "The light of heaven. We all saw it."

(If Venn notices a difference in how her companions react, she doesn't let it show.)

She smiles at them. "Ok! Sword found." 

Then she turns to Lann and Wenduag. "How far are we from the Shield Maze?" 

"About twenty sangs. We'll want to go back to the tribe first, though." He grins. "This is a sign from Heaven. When Chief Sull sees it -"

He breaks off because Wenduag is glaring at him. 

Venn smiles. "Stopping back at the tribe first makes sense! Let's you and I chat along the way - there's a lot I'd like to learn about what things are like down here, and of course about the Shield Mage specifically..."

(She catches Wenduag's eyes for a moment, but doesn't bother saying anything beyond the implied trust me, I'll handle it)

Wenduag doesn't trust shit.

"I'll be glad to." 

Better the singing girl than Camellia. These people smell even worse than commoners usually do.

As they walk, Venn asks him a wide variety of questions ('what is life like down here, how big is your tribe, what kind of contact do you have with the outside world, how much of the Shield Maze have you mapped out and what did you find'), nodding thoughtfully at the answers and adding her own commentary.

They pause for a bit as group stops to make short work of another pair of giant bugs; Lann and Wendaug get their first taste of song-sorcery.

"How many people in the tribe are about as skilled in battle as you or Wendaug?"

"We're the two best hunters in the tribe." It's easy to believe, watching how fast and accurately they shoot.

She nods. "...based on what you've told me of the dangers of the Shield Maze, it seems to me that it would be safer and wiser to clear it out with a small team of skilled adventurers" (she gestures at the party) "and only bring the tribe to the surface once we're sure it's safe. A large group can be a liability against dangerous foes, even if their hearts are strong, and if we go slowly enough to keep the entire tribe protected, I worry we'd be too late to save the children." 

(Wenduag might be right about the kids already being dead. But they don't know, and Venn doesn't want the bravery they showed to be rewarded with death.)

Lann can't argue with this, but - "Well, of course we want to start with just the hunters! But the more archers we have the better."

She shakes her head, frowning. "In many situations, yes, but - demons are very dangerous. Do the other hunters have cold iron arrows? Without them, it's all but impossible for an ordinary archer to wound even a weak demon." 

She pulls an arrow out of her quiver and hands it to him to inspect. "I have only a very few, myself - enough to share with this group, if we're lucky, but definitely not enough for anyone else."