The party returns to the tee and heads north until they are stopped by a pair of double doors.
After verifying that the doors are safe to open, Pirknok opens them to reveal what's behind.
The walls of this room have been plated in iron, each plate of which bears a single rune — the upside-down, hooked “U” shape. What appear to be two ten-foot-tall smooth crystal pylons stand in the middle of the room. A rippling curtain of blackness shimmers between these crystals. On the opposite side of each crystal, strange tendrils of black energy - reverse lightning crackling in extreme slow-motion extend out from the crystals into spheres of roiling blackness in circular caverns to the left and right of the entrance. The air in the room is shockingly cold.
Pirknok's eyes widen as he takes in the scene. "What..." he mutters softly, "What is it?"
"Huh. Some sort of magical battery. This place is a charging point for negative energy--theoretically, if one were to immerse a magic item in it, it'd be enhanced."
"More magicks?" asks the dwarf rhetorically, shuddering.
*A glimpse of color, just at the edge of sight...*
Pirknok's eyes widen slightly as a slight prompting accompanies the flash of blue-green. You do not expect me to... I hate magic! Of course I use it, we'd be dead otherwise, but that doesn't mean I have to like it! Or go looking for more! Come on!
After a few seconds, he growls under his breath and moves toward the curtain, one hand clasped protectively around his katana while the other clenches and un-clenches spasmodically.
"Only negative energy? What sort of magic item would charge from that?"
Ensu studies for a moment.
"Well, I guess it could be things like lifestealer and other sorts of necromancy type effects. I have my doubts it'll be good, but sometimes you need some evil to maintain the balance. At least that's what the Uncaring One might say." he says.
Jessamy waits to see what happens.
"I'm sure it'll be OK," she tells Pirknok, patting his back.
As soon as Pirknok raises his sword into the torrent of black energy smaller violet arcs begin begin attaching themselves to its skymetal blade and it starts to vibrate violently in the dwarf's hand. As the seconds pass more and more negative energy pours into the weapon the vibration increases in intensity until Pirknok can barely hold onto it. Worried the weapon might fly from his hand, he's forced to withdraw the ancestral Kaijitsu katana. When he does he finds that tiny violet sparks now dance along its edge and there's an painful tingling where his hand holds the weapon's grip.
Pirknok's eyes widen as he nearly drops the now-more-magical katana. At the last moment, the purpleness of the sparks seems to reach into his mind and calm him... or perhaps that's an effect of the slight feeling of... approval? he feels being bestowed on him. With a twitch of his hand, he strengthens his grip once again and steps back from the dark energy clouds. "It's... it hurts, but not... not bad," he explains to the watching group.
Krojun sighs. "This whole place is cursed. We should beware its gifts, for I fear they come with a price."
Jessamy nods.
"Yeah, our weapons shouldn't hurt US!" she adds.
After looking around to make sure there's nothing else in the area, she leads the group back to the entry area, and the next corridor.
The party returns to the Runeforge's entrance and tries the northern path.
After following a long hallway ~100 feet the path dead-ends. A large iron door studded with dozens of colorful gemstones is on the eastern side of the hallway. Although the door appears to have no latch, a depression in the center contains a keyhole.
Jessamy looks to see if it's trapped.
"I can try to open it, but since there are other ways to go, maybe we can find a key somewhere in here?"
Jessamy doesn't find any signs of a trap on the bejeweled door. She does find signs of a secret doorway hidden within the dead end to the east.
"Oh, or we can go this way!" she says brightly.
"Lead on" Ensu says.
Jessamy opens the hidden door to reveal a beautiful tunnel of polished wood inlaid with silver and gold runes stretches for at least a hundred feet before ending at a wall of greenish mist sparkling with silver motes of light.
"Uhh..." remarks the dwarf, hesitating, "That looks real magical."
"Yeah, what he said. Siolad, Ensu, can you tell what it is?"
She looks for traps in the hallway so the pair can get close enough to use their own magics to identify it.
"This place is strange."
Siolad looks at the runes...
Jessamy spots no signs of traps or additional hidden doors.
With a bit of study Siolad determines that the fog is designed to punish intruders. There looks to be a baleful polymorph effect at work as well as a teleportation.
"We're going to need to deal with this fog somehow." The elf cringes. "That fog has a teleportation effect on it, mixed with a baleful polymorph. So, if we pass through that, we'll likely end up somewhere else in the bodies of squirrels."
"I do not wish to be a squirrel, Siolad. Can I request to become a landshark instead?"
"I have a couple of dispel magic spells handy." Ensu says. "Siolad do you think that will work?"
The strange mist dissolves under the power of Ensu's uncaring god. As the hallway clears the room behind becomes visible.
This chamber is paved with ivory tiles, each one engraved with a silver rune depicting what appears to be a claw gripping a gemstone. The walls and ceiling are of polished marble. A large silver basin in the center of the room contains an icy sculpture of a whale spraying crystal-clear water from its blowhole. The water cascades around it to keep the basin full, but never quite overflowing.
Pirknok studies the strange sculpture thoughtfully before turning to Jess and Krojun. "What is that supposed to be?" he asks, shaking his head in disbelief. "The head of a mutant giant, with funny hair and... are those supposed to be its ears? An' why's there water coming out of it?"
"I don't know, but it's pretty. Looks cold, though. I don't think it's a giant..." she says, laughing good-naturedly at the dwarf.
Jessamy looks around to see what else might be in the room, and make sure it's safe to enter. Or as safe as anything down here.
Considering all the arcane artifacts the party has found so far, Siolad thinks...
The fountain doesn't stand out to Siolad as any artifacts he's heard of.
Jessamy sees the silhouettes of tiny winged humanoids frolicking in the fountain's cascading water.
"I think it's called a whale." Ensu says as he steps closer amazed by the engineering to make such a fountain.
"I think there's little people in the water!" she says. "Not sure what they're doing, though, or if they would do anything if we go in..."
She tries calling out: "Hello?"
"Siolad or Ensu, do either of you speak fairy or water?"
"The proper terms are 'Sylvan' and 'Aquan', Jess." Siolad eyes the fountain dubiously. "But I do know Sylvan."
He repeats Jess' greeting in Sylvan.
Pirknok leans slowly forward at Jess' words, eying the water with suspicion and preparing to... to do something if any miniature water-people appear.
Krojun uses his ring of the Scholars to examine the fountain.
Four spritely figures with thin, leathery wings, small horns, and mischievous smiles emerge from the fountain at Siolad's greetings. They flit about the water's surface before responding to the party in unison.
"Oh look! Another group of fleshies come to slobber in our pool!”
Pirknok studies the creatures intently. "I think... I think I read about those in one of Mister Quink's books..." he begins, frowning. "But I don't quite remember what they are."
"They're water mephits." Siolad purses his lips. "Ankle-biting pranksters, but not especially malicious."
"Curious that they're here, of all places, though..."
"It says rude things. Nothing terribly offensive, just humor the level of a toddler." Krojun explains, staring at them.
The mephits stare back at the big thundercaller. One of them starts sticking out his tiny tongue.