Other than Ike's body, the rotting undead corpses and the surprisingly present body of the bone devil, Magma notices nothing else.
Nowzai analyzes the device, a minor artifact of relatively recent creation (several years old), it is a permanent portal connecting two points well distant from one another. You realize that permanent closure is difficult requiring individuals of equal alignment on both sides of the portal to both touch the portal and speak the command word simultaneously to turn it off. It can then be turned back on in the same manner. If individuals of opposite alignment do that, then the portal would be permanently destroyed.
After a minute of analyzing the portal magically, Nowzai explains to the others. "It seems permanent destruction would require a person of diametric morals. In the case of you and I, Epik, that would mean a treacherous and evil soul -- certainly no one we could cooperate with." He shakes his head, thinking. "We could turn it off temporarily, however. If I pass through and then we both touch the portal from our respective sides, speaking aloud the command phrase, it should cease to function. It is not a permanent solution, but perhaps will buy us the time we require to deal with other matters. That is, assuming we find need to travel to Kurran-Kural."
"Sounds good Dalamus, be careful"
Sam will detect magic
Dalamus waltzes up to the front door and searches it for traps, finding none.
Epik looks at Nowzai with concern. "If we shut down the portal, do you have a method to travel back?"
"Hmmm... that may prove to be a difficulty," Nowzai muses. "With the amulet of the planes, I could make it back easily, or..."
Dalamus will salsa back to the others and tell then that the door seems clean, but he still feels that is not the correct entry point. The windows still seem like the much better option.
"Sam if you fly around up there, do you think you could find another way in from that angle, either the roof or a secret ground passage?"
... I believe Kurran-Kural is on the material plane. If my understanding is correct, I can simply teleport back to Cauldron after we disable the portal."
Epik nods, "Then go forward Nowzai. May Iomedae walk with you."
He places his hand on the portal.
Nowzai nods and explains the command phrase to Epik. Before he steps into the portal, he looks around, "Tlanextic, are you with me?"
i can go with you Elder.
"I don't plan to stay there long, but your company is welcome should events go awry. Epik, you could come through as well -- to clear the far side of potential foes -- before returning to deactivate."
Epik nods, "Yes of course, that would be prudent."
He steps through the portal with Nowzai.
The celestial serpent's thoughts appear in all your minds.
According to the letter we found, someone is researching something related to that cage in those ruins. Who is to say that they can't reopen this portal with help, and yet we know not what they are looking for. This may be our last opportunity to search it
Two of your most regarded Temples in town infiltrated by evil entities of some sort. We assume they are related to the same conspiracy, yes?
The party steps through the portal into bitingly cold air in a convergence of lava tubes, apparently underground.
Ancient flooded lava tubes open here into a pair of smaller, air-filled tubes that lead to the east. The temperature drops alarmingly to the east, and the two passageways merge just before they are blocked by an enormous wall of ice. A narrow tunnel has been hacked through the ice near its southern edge, allowing access into a larger area beyond.
The portal looms to the northwest, cold water in the lava tubes behind it.
"I believe so, yes, but hard evidence linking any of these events has been elusive," Nowzai replies with a nod. "Tlanextic makes a cogent point. If we have the opportunity to learn more here, it behooves us to take advantage of it."
Sam nods to Dalamus, "I was actually thinking we should maybe move around the backside of this building and I can cast Dimension door through one of the walls on the upper level, that should surprise anyone there"
Sam will also scout the upper levels to see if he can see through any of the windows or see if there is anyway in.
He will cast fly to make moving around easier
Perception -
Epik detects evil on the immediate area and then moves forward, towards the western door, and performs a cursory search for any threats. "Yes, we may as well explore the area while we're here."
If nothing seems amiss he will open the door.
"Not a bad idea, but you will be alone on the dimension door, or can you bring us with you?"
"I can bring all of us"
"We should find a good location to do this and prepare any spells that make sense"
Nowzai moves up with Epik, scanning the door for magic.
Detect magic
"I am ready to go now. We just rested in preparation for this."
Sounds good to me, I'll cast longstrider, draw my bow and be ready for a fight. If it's helpful, I can also take a few seconds and check and see if anyone has been moving in and out of the building at least via the ground.
Sam flies around and cannot spy a single thing through the darkened glass but as he goes to land, he notes a tiny triangle missing from the corner of the glass on the second story window above the front door. . It's no more than 2 inches wide.
Moving through the door, you find it non magical and unlocked. Although Nowzai detects magic through the door as it opens. Both from the lights (moderate evocation) in the ceiling and the glass circles (overwhelming necromancy).
Pale blue lights, set flush in the ceiling, light this hallway. The walls have a subtle curve, and the entire length is etched with disturbing images and symbols. Strange glassy circles, each roughly five feet in diameter, checker the length of the hallway’s floor. Under each disc, a six-armed humanoid figure hangs motionless as if suspended in fluid or encased in glass. At each end of the hall, a pair of frost-rimed metal doors stands closed.
"That marking is most likely, just an indicator to the Last Laugh guild that this is one of their hideouts. I guess we could climb up there and inspect it more closely though."
Epik studies the hall looking for any trigger mechanism for releasing the humanoids. "Surely this is a trap."
Epik searches the room for a trigger, and as he moves near one of the columns, the body inside jerks away from the bottom of tube, seemingly recoiling from Epik. It only moves for that exact moment and then staysin that recoiled position.
perception
will be rear guard unless something attacks Epik
"Beware," Nowzai warns, pulling Epik back. "Those circles are infused with powerful necromantic energy."
Epik will detect evil on the humanoid that moved. He moves around it and taps the glass to see if he gets a reaction. "I assume these are the same six armed creatures that we've encountered before."
He turns to Nowzai. "Unless you have a better idea, we may as well get this over with."
He draws his sword and says a prayer to Iomedae.
Dalamus will climb the building to examine the window with the marking and the hole in it.
Climb
Only a hole, the marking was just for the Roll20 Map.
Dalamus will climb the building to examine the window with the marking and the hole in it. Climb 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34
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"I could dimension step us past them to the end of the hallway. It might bypass whatever this is without combat," Nowzai suggests.
Portal
Epik taps the "glass" and his hand passes right through the edge of the column into freezing cold air.
You quickly realize the two discs are creating a column of cold, necromantic energy between them. There is no other physical barrier.
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When he looks at/through the hole is there anything he notices or do you want a perception check?
Perception
Dalamus scales the building easily and peers through the crack in the window. He sees a tipped over wooden chair and a small table with a mug of some sort of drink. Behind that, it appears there are several crimson curtains hanging throughout the room, blocking view of beyond.
Epik rubs his hand, "Yes, let's avoid the fight if we can. When ever your ready, Nowzai."
Nowzai nods, placing a hand on both Epik and Magma while stepping forward. In a disorienting blink, the three appear at the other end of the hall.
If nothing happens, Nowzai will concentrate on the door.
The party dimension steps across the hallway, encountering nothing but their own breath misting in front of them.
Nowzai searches the door and finds nothing of interest. Beyond the door he gets multiple sources of strong evocation magic.
Does the window look like he can open it and enter? Does it appear to be trapped?
Disable Device
Epik prepares to open the door on Nowzai's command. "Is it safe to enter?"
He takes a moment to listen at the door.
It appears jammed shut, but not trapped.
Dalamus will look to Sam, I am just going to open it up. Looks like it will open and it's not trapped.
Sam will whisper
"Let's wait a second and let me scout inside. I think I have a way to get around unseen and with no way to set off any traps that are in there."
"It's safe to say that they know we are here, we took no real precautions to hide our approach, I worry if we just go room by room, your friend may just get killed and our query will just escape, give me some time to see if I can see what room he is in, and then we can teleport right to that room."
"Trust me"
Sam fly up a little bit above the roof in case anyone is watching the windows and cast a few spells.
Heroism
Invisibility
Gaseous Form
After that he will fly in through the crack and start too explore
Epik prepares to open the door on Nowzai's command. "Is it safe to enter?"
Nowzai shrugs, "I sense more magic beyond, but cannot say what it is."
Epik shrugs and opens the door. "Iomedae will protect us."
"Ok, don't be gone too long"
Dalamus will climb down and join the others hiding in the shadows and waiting.
You push the door open to a blast of freezing air. This chamber is nearly circular, although two sides are made flat by thick walls of ice. The entire room is filled with a lattice of thin icy strands, each flickering with faint magical energies.
Standing on the otherside of the room is a towering insectile monstrosity. A pair of frozen, multifaceted eyes coldly judge you, a vicious spear in its hands.
Sam dissipates and flows through the crack in the window. He finds five thick red curtains hanging from the rafters. The curtains divde the room into a maze of 5 foot wide passages. Tied across each curatin are seven tinu bells. Set into the NW and NE corners are two wooden trap doors. In the SW corner, there is a small table with a hooded lantern and a locked chest resting on it.
You spy a secret door in the southern wall