Lucanor walks down, eyeing the set up, "Yay verily, I'm feeling a might paranoid with this set up..."
He's cautious about, and trying to make sure there are no hidden traps as they move along
"This whole complex is a trap Luc, and we're just thrashing round like a fly in a web." Silas adds cheerily, before walking down towards the ominous looking furnace. On the way he whistles a tune of seeking, looking to see the atheral currents of any magics that might linger.
He avoids touching anything until completing his sweep of the room.
"And I thought I was the gloomy one"
"I know of a brandy that can make you the merriest man in the world, after 3 cups. Erastil knows i'm lucky not to have drank it, as my colleague was joining the scantily dressed ladies dancing on the bar."
Hecktor grins.
"We nicknamed him 'Happy Feet' afterwards."
Gilmork heads on down slightly and wiats before Silas finishes his sweep.
He points down to indicate he will go down first and takes a stealthy approach to see what lingers downstairs.
That did't say if Jaxom went into the new room...
However,
Jaxom, Silas and Gilmork step into the room and walk around, suddenly the air is cloying and sweet smelling. Something belched from the cauldron is poisonous!
Nothing in the room reports as magical...or rather nothing has an aura.
Jaxom stumbles away from the cauldron. "Cover it!"
Jaxom gets a water proof tent tarp from their camping gear to cover the poisonous cauldron.
Lucanor moves forward to disable the poison gas
Hecktor steps in last.
He didn't want to get the team to get snuck up on from where they themselves came.
With Lucanor seemingly having disabled the cauldron, he stepped in.
Lucanor motions them back and tries again, this time casting guidance before hand.
Before Luc tries again, Silas calls out with a grin, "You can do this Luc! I know it, and you'll have a fine story to tell to boot!"
Some of his confidence rubs off on Lucanor, whose hands move with assurance.
Lucanor manages to disable the cauldron on his second attempt. The poison gas quickly disperses with no new poison being added to the air each second.
Silas and Gilmork need to make 2 more saves vs the poison DC15 or take 1d4 CHA damage from the poison gas for each failed save.
"Thank you, Silas... almost didn't have it there," Lucanor doesn't know how the bard manages to get the best out of folks, but he's grateful for it.
Feeling slightly woozy, Silas mutters, "Uhhh I have got a headache, although it's clearing a bit now the gas is cleared. Good work Luc!"
"This gas is absolutely not good for your health. I wonder where the wizard, alchemist or witch is that was brewing this foul concoction."
The tall elf rubs himself on the face and feels it's quite itching and lumpy due to the toxic gas.
"If we need to get rid of these effects I'd welcome it myself. I'll go ahead and scout afterwards though."
The poison effect is ended on the first successful save.
You have two choices on how to proceed, South or West.
Gilmork scouts west and comes across a pool of water, he thinks it might be deep enough for something to lurk in....but doesn't notice anything amiss.
He can continue west down the ancient hallway, or turn South.
Gilmork notices the deeper pool and continues one room further west before heading back to the others.
Gilmork stalks forward and sees what's in the next room
In the center of a thirty-foot-diameter antechamber is a large green transparent crystal. Large iron chains extend from the crystal into the ceiling, holding it a few feet above the floor. Within the crystal is a heavily tattooed man dressed in a hooded robe of archaic style. A piece of the crystal is broken off, exposing the man’s hand, and tiny fragments of the broken crystal are scattered about the floor.
Gilmork doesn't get close enough to inspect anything closer before he turns around to report his findings.
"Uhh that's can't be good!" exclaims Silas, who ponders what the significance of an apparently crystallized spell-caster might be. Unfortunately nothing comes to mind.
"Encased in a crystal?
That sounds like either a safeguard or a prison."
"My thoughts exactly, cautious Hecktor. In either case, beyond our current expertise. Though I hope he is not awake, that would be maddening."
"I could try to sense evil on him, but if the magic itself is evil, it might mask things."
"Indeed, perhaps if the man isn't evil we could attempt to free him by shattering the crystal itself. Before that room tough, there was a room with a rather deep pool. I wouldn't be surprised if something lurks down there, but I haven't seen anything yet. I'll go take a look to the south now, see what's what."
Gilmork explores the southern way this time, staying on his guard and taking a look as to what dangers lurk around.
Gilmork ventures south and sees that the tunnel splits left and right as well as continues straight.
Silas nods, "Lets try that Luc, who knows maybe it's some unfortunate soul that needs rescuing." With a grin he adds, "Yeah I don't believe that either, it's probably some hideously evil mage who wants to gnaw on our eternal souls. Still you never know!" Nobody could quite tell if he was serious or not.
"We've been prepared thusfar, you think he drops us all when we shatter the crystal?"
"Got an idea... " Lucanor says, and then tries to detect good from the figure, since that would stick out more in this place. After that, he'll try evil again.
The figure is TN. At least, that's what his Aura reads. I'm assuming no one has gone into the room and Luc is doing this from 60' away.
"Huh. For once, no evil. No good neither, but there you have it. Maybe we should rescue the poor fella."
Jaxom detects magic. After reading the auras, he moves into the room.
Silas replies, "We can try. Lets get a feel for what sort of magics are involved here first however, and perhaps you could check for traps because maybe that's what happens if you don't..." He points at the figure and then hums a seeking tune.
Jaxom and Silas detect powerful magic auras but nothing they can identify.
If anyone approaches the figure they "hear" Youuuuu youuuuu, youuuu are not with the Tyrant. Youuuu are not with the reckless one...Drazmorg he calls himself
Silas frowns, first he had the seal stone whispering in his mind and now a crystallized mage... With a heavy sigh he tells him plainly, "No but we're doing something equally reckless. We're hunting him... Not the healthiest of hobbies but somebody's got to do it. Anyway you appear to be, kind of stuck. Can we help somehow?"
I am.... the creature seems confused, and then bemused I am a servant of the Lady. I exist, existed. To keep watch over the Seal...the Seal has been broken. The Whispering Tyrant knows that the Seal is broken...he knows! He works to break the remaining seals...I...I... you feel a cold wind enter the room. Drazmorg sees! He watches through my eyes! He SEES!
The crystal begins swaying menacingly and the figure is "silent"
".....yes, if that is so, then he knows of our being here and our intent to topple his plans. Seem like evil possession to anyone here?"
"Well that is a grave subversion of intent. Who is this Lady? Some human goddess?"
Jaxom will cast Protection from Evil on the figure invoking the power of the Firstborn.
"It may not drive the evil from his mind completely. But, it may give him a respite."
It was a wonder, the lad had spent the best part of a year with them but didn't know the major players. Patiently Silas told him, "Pharasma. She's a big deal, the goddess of the dead. Abhors undead, regards them as an abomination. I don't think she'd be impressed with this either."
"Pharasma would be an ally in this situation," Lucanor says, "I'm not crazy about the way that crystal is swaying now."
Hecktor motions at the bow on his back.
"Well we can talk from a distance, and keep a few arrows ready in case he goes ghoul on us, sort to speak."
The crystal continues rocking menacingly while the party watches...suddenly the Cold Wind that blew through the area coalesces into a figure that expels itself from the crystal
Round 1
Jaxom
Dread Spectre
Luc
Silas
Hecktor
Gilmork