With the kobold remains sufficiently interred, the party continues their exploration of the area finding little else of threat or interest. The one thing of note was a large herd of several hundred antelope grazing on the tall grasses of the plain. With little effort, the group is able to eat fresh cooked meat at the evening camp.
Warren leads them back to confront the evil menace again.
"So the plan is tommorrow morning we run through the cold room and try to get past the enchantment as quickly as possible? And if anyone goes down Anwel will try to drag them out or do some of us go back too? I have a little magic that will help does anyone else have something that will protect us from the enchantment or the cold?"
Kallista regretfully shakes her head "Most of my magic is combat based, and I currently lack the tools to bypass magical affects".
"With all that said however, if we needed to drag someone away, I guess I could assist with that, although at the same time, it doesn't fulfill me with confidence in having to retreat from this thing twice"
"Pashtiel cannot snare me, and I can ward myself from the sight of whatever lives on the other side." Anwel crosses his arms grimly. "If there is a far edge to the cold and the enchantment, I will find it before anyone else steps in, return, tell you how far away it is, and we can proceed from there."
"That sounds like a wise plan, but what if there is no far edge? Would you still be able to make it back to us?" Phedre asks, concern for her companion's safety evident.
Anwel smiles a reassuring smile. "I could carry a healing draught if anyone has or can brew one." Anwel gives Kallista a prompting look, hoping she will be able to make such a thing. "And I can always turn back if the cold saps me too severely. I will be fine." He shrugs. "If I turn out to be wrong...I can think of worse ends than aiding my friends."
Kallista shrugs slightly "I'm working on it, but I don't quite have a full understanding of that particular healing formula, and so lack an ability to prepare an extract for you". Kallista has a blank look for a second, before brightening, opening up her formula book and handing it to Anwel. "I inscribed a short summary sheet, I know you struggled with the formula last time, but at least you can see what is currently available to me, if it helps"
Andrei sighs and look at Anwel "You know you don't have volinteer for every dangerous mission. You are right of course and if want to do it that would be very welcome, but please don't it from some misplaced guilt. Additionally I would suggest limiting how far you go. Stay within sight, atleast to start with. Phedre said there was something evil in there and I don't think it would be wise for any of us to find alone."
Warren says:
"We need to rig up a safety tether and use some magic to communicate. I was thinking we would rush in before the magic took hold too deeply to eliminate the source of the evil before it began to work."
"Let do this, enough talking." Andrei will get out a long piece of rope and start tying it around Anwel's waist.
Anwel tugs at the rope's standing end, feeling Andrei's bowline's snug but comfortable fit around his waist. Satisfied, he coils the remaining rope and tucks it in the crook of his arm. "If you do not mind, I shall retain this until we have returned to the room in question. I would prefer not to be led around." He massages his wrist with his free hand.
The party returns to the mine entrance where little has changed. The air is chill and dry, although the knowledge of the entity below generates a stronger feeling of danger and menace.
Returning to the icy cavern, the scene is the same as before. Two overturned ore carts along with scattered rubble and frozen rodents. There are two possible exits. One to the right and one to the left. While deciding which passage to explore, Anwel can feel the magic attempting to draw him into its sleep filled embrace.
Coming to the cavern entrance, Anwel hands the rope end off to Kallista and begins casting a whole suite of spells to protect him and help him in his task. "If I need to be pulled back, I will tug twice," says his disembodied voice. "Phedre, do you remember which path made you uneasy?" After hearing her recommendation, Anwel steps into the chamber, making his way as quickly as possible to the safer path. If she does not remember, he stands between them and studies them with his divination, trying to spot a difference in their magic auras.
"If I hear a slumping noise like you falling over or unconscious I'll pull you back too." Andrei feeds out the rope as he watches Anwel go.
"Let me look again, in case it's moved." Phedre focuses herself and observes for any more traces of the evil aura.
Phedre again feels the lingering presence of evil from the right hand passage, although it seems to have receded some from her previous experience.
Anwel feels the magic try to affect him, however, he easily brushes it aside as he moves into the cavern. The only indication of his presence is the hovering rope and footprints appearing in the frost covered floor.
His theory confirmed, Anwel scans the tunnel ahead for any information he can glean (), then returns to the others. "The cold and the enchantment do have a far edge," he says, letting go of the divination but maintaining his other spells as long as he can, "at least, in the left-hand path. Leave the cavern, enter the tunnel, and the fields end. Unfortunately, beyond that point, we will need light: fire or magic." He'll go on to describe any auras he saw in the corridor as he fortifies the others against Pashtiel's enchantment.
Phedre lights a torch and draws her sword. "Ready? Let's go then."
She takes the lead down the tunnel, her mind fighting off the enchantment. Once she feels that she's pass the coldness she continues a dozen feet or so before waiting for her comrades to finish crossing.
Warren follows, hoping to stay awake and warm.
Kallista follows, struggling to keep her eyes open "It must have been the early start" she wonders before she...
Anwel, Phedre, and Warren all make it through the chamber quickly and with little harm. Although Warren needs a few seconds to fully shake off the almost overwhelming need to sleep.
Kallista makes it halfway across the room before she moves over to the far wall, bends down to look at some frost and then slumps to sleep.
You then start awake and find yourself back in the same banquet room with the same being. This time the creature smile wide, "Ahhhh...so you have returned at last. This time you really must stay as I am so very lonely...and so very hungry..."
Andrei delays to start a inspire courage "Thanks Anwel, good job as always."
Andrei is dismayed to he is too slow to save Kallista, rushing out to pull her to safety he also feels the pull into sleep
As he goes to one knee he cries out if defiance "No, I have a job to do"
However it is all too much and he also falls asleep.
Warren makes a reluctant decision.
"We know they should be Ok for a while, we rush to eliminate this evil if we can. We come back when we know we are running out of time with them. Vrask, let's get this lady that put you to sleep last time, she is one evil b*&^!!!"
"At least let us drag them out of the cold so they do not freeze." From the cavern exit, Anwel slips the knot over his head and tries to catch it on Andrei's wrist or ankle.
"Vrask, let's get her if and while we can. Before she puts you under!!"
Warren begins rushing past Anwel as he stops.
"I'll grab Kallista!" Phedre says as she watches the two fall under the spell. Before anyone can stop her she heads back and hefts the other woman up. Looping Kallista's arm over her shoulders, she slowly makes her way back to the others.
Andrei moves to help Kallista, but falls under the influence of the spell himself and drops onto the frosty ground near the alchemist. Seeing their companions in trouble, Phedre and Anwel all move to the rescue while Warren and Vrag decide to attack the threat more directly.
Phedre easy shrugs off the evil magic, dashes in and puts Kallista over her shoulder and moves her to out of the chamber. Anwel's attempt to lasso Andrei seems to succeed at first, but the loop fails to catch properly and slips free.
As Pashitel waves her hand, Andrei finds himself in a different room, quite small as his shoulders touch the walls. Is it icy cold and nearly immediately his teeth begin to chatter.
After Andrei disappears, Pashitel turns back to Kallista. Her hand reaches out and suddenly becomes a thin tentacle that quickly attempts to wrap around Kallista's head.
Andrei looks around for a way out and finds what he thought was the wall pushing against his shoulder was infact the floor and he was awake again. scrabbling to his feet he scurries to catchup with his friends. "It was going to eat Kallista but I couldn't stop it." He mumbles.
(Can I attack it or something?)
"Kallista! Wake up!" Phedre tries to snap her friend out of slumber, slapping her face and pinching her repeatedly.
It's second attempt to Grapple also fails giving you an opportunity to strike back.
Andrei wakes up and hurries down the safer tunnel to Anwel and Phedre who are busy trying to wake Kallista. Phedre, you notice the alchemist's body growing colder as you hold her.
Kallista's eyes fly open "Kill it" she yells out as she stumbles around, disorientated, until she spots some of her friends darting down a tunnel, and she follows, drinking her Mutagen as she runs.
"Oh Andrei! you got out!" she exclaims as she sees her friend up and about, and not stuck wherever that creature had sent him.
"Yeah, well done on getting away from it. I was lucky it sent me off to a prison but waking up got me out. I'm currious if I fell asleep again if I'd still be in the prison, but there is no way I'm trying it. Lets catchup with Warren."
Anwel nods, gathers up his rope, and follows Andrei down the tunnel, guiding himself in the absence of light with a hand on the left wall.
Kallista's eyes pop open just as the demon is ready to strike again. The feel of the thing's tentacles still causing her skin to tingle as she stumbles toward the rest of the group.
Seconds later an ear piercing screech echoes from far down the tunnels. The sound filled with hatred and hunger.
The tunnel itself slopes down and continues on another fifty paces where another opening branches off to the right.
"Do you need some healing?" Andrei asks Kallista "We should catch up with Warren before they get into too much trouble." assuming Kallista say no he draws his sword and heads down the corridor at a jog until the party is combined.
Warren continues to hurrry and summons his eagles to come with a quick whistle.
The eagles stay with Warren as he and Vrag hurry further down the main tunnel. One of the eagles gives a soft chirp as they pass the side passage to the right.
Hurrying to catch up are Phedre, Anwel, Andrei, and Kallista about a hundred feet behind the druid. The druids light bobs in the darkness ahead and briefly reveals an approaching side passage to the group following in his wake.
Since they are already making plenty of noise Andrei will yell out as they hurry "Hold up for a moment so we can regroup. Everyone is safe so there is no rush, for now at least."