Berato's spell reveals a small magical source coming from a bag camouflaged against the stairs under the water. Examining everything more closely no one sees any cause for concern as Anthys pulls the bag out and hands it to Berato. The cleric drops the contents into his hand, a single gem that changes color, moving along a spectrum of four, red, blue, green, and yellow. While his spell is still active Berato examines the gem closer and discovers it is a Gem of all elements.
Following the main corridor to the left again leads to an ossuary. Niches in the walls hold stone boxes containing the bones of the dead, though many have been opened. Fragments of bone are scattered throughout the room. Sitting unused in an alcove below a wall carving of a paladin is a lamp and a statue of a demon. The lamp is inscribed with the following "In Purity Is Our Refuge from Corruption."
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"If I recall correctly, there was this old Tien folk tale which said that 'even in the brightest light, a demon always casts a shadow.' According to the tale, it is best, then, that the shadow be cast upon those with the honor and valor to withstand it. Now, I wonder if this tale has some kind of application here. Let's light the lamp and move the shadow of the statue upon the paladin's engraving shall we?"
With the lamp lit and the shadow of the demon cast over the paladin a sense of peace rushes through you. As it does so the words engraved on the lamp glow faintly, an icy blue luminescence showing something is happening, even if you can't be sure what.
Continuing through the corridor you return to the large room where you began your journey, now knowing that at least some of the corridors connect back with this room.
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Vindlér's eyes dart back and forth as the party ventures through the corridors of this ancient burial site. When they return to the large chamber they had first entered, he moves toward the small opening he sees in the southeast corner of the room and peers down inside. With hand raised to direct the cone down into the darkness, he tries to sense any evil presences within, and keeps an eye out for anything that looks suspicious.
If he sees nothing concerning on the stairs and doesn't sense any evil presences, he moves to the foot of the stairs and checks again for anything out of the ordinary.
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Draconic and celestial symbols are etched into the walls at seemingly random intervals in the room Vindlér checks. An unadorned stone table stands in the east side of the room. Shelves worked into the walls are full of old books.
Vindlér doesn't find any traps but does notice an old leather thong leading to something under the table. Tugging it out brings a small sack filled with materials inside, a holy symbol, a small pouch full of dust, and a wand.
The holy symbol is of Shizuru and has some Tien writing on the back. Marcus is able to identify that the symbol belongs to someone called Michiko.
Each step you take within the library puffs up more and more dust from the floor, shelves, table, and generally everywhere within the room. It very quickly has a light haze within as you continue to move about.
Elaril's and Vindlér's examinations of the runes reveal them to be part of a larger abjuration effect. A quick casting of detect magic reveals that the runes are faintly magical, as is a book fairly untouched by the ravages of time, unlike the others here. It is titled Barricado Arcanae and also radiates faint abjuration magic. It is legible, but in fairly archaic Taldane.
The effect on the walls appears to be in place to prevent magical mishaps from damaging the room.
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As Vindlér was one of the first to enter the library, he had been breathing in the dust the longest, and it wasn't until it was too late that he noticed how much he had inhaled. Before he is able to react appropriately, the dust has already worked its way into his lungs.
Coughing violently, Vindlér turns his attention to the text of the magically protected book.
Seems the dust has a touch of Mindfire lurking within it. Certainly something to keep an eye on, but something Vindlér's hearty constitution will likely work out of his system.
This long and winding hall contains the crypts of three major houses; each section has a single stone sarcophagus for the most prominently interred ancestor. Recesses in the walls hold other, less important family members. At the far west end of the hall is a monument to the Yohanatotsus’ ancestors. It has not been defiled, but it is in disrepair and grimy.
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Marcus raises his shield to cover his mouth, avoiding breathing in the worst of the diseased dust. He keeps his mouth and nose covered, standing silently while Elaril investigates the tome.
As the group approaches the monument, Marcus takes note of the sad disrepair. "These Ancestral markers are meant to be kept clean, an honored remembrance for the departed." Marcus removes his thieves tools, selecting a flat piece of metal. "Vindler, if you would be so kind as to hold a light so I can work, I will remove this grime. This memorial should be restored to its original glory."
Marcus quickly cleans the monument with feather light touches and a deft hand. Soon it is restored to its former glory and more than just a wave of peace flows through you. The light gets brighter, your steps are more sure, and you feel something divine helping to guide your movements.
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Vindlér pats Marcus on the back as the divine energy radiates around him, "Yes, well done, lad! You know, ye'r not too bad for a human. I'm beginning to like ya! Hahaha! *coughcoughcough*."
The group moves around the corner to the next small chamber and Vindlér peers inside, continuing to check for traps or hazards of any kind.
This chamber is bare of all things, down to the last empty alcove. Vindlér's sight feels funny, his spell is detecting a magical presence, but it is difficult to determine where exactly it is coming from. It is only when he feels a tiny prick against his nose that he focuses on the space directly in front of his eyes that he sees the aura of invisibility emanating from an extremely small creature.
High pitched, rapid-fire speak quickly reaches everyone's ears, "Who are you? How did you get in? You're not the spirit-you're not her servantsyouhaven'tbeenherebeforethisdoesn'tmakesensethedoor'sbeenclosedfors olong." Rapid inhaling can be heard from the space in front of Vindlér's face, "WHO ARE YOU?!" the voice demands once more.
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"We come in peace, as my friend Berato can explain better than I. My name is Anthys, and I am a soldier of Lastwall. We come to see if an evil force has corrupted the resting place of heroes of the Shining Crusade. And if it has, we seek to purify this crypt. It is our wish that the spirits of the Yohanatotsus should rest in peace as is their reward."
A tiny looking humanoid with wings flicks into existence holding a bow and arrow against Vindlér's nose. It appears to be a pixie, though its wings are different than you remember from illustrations. Instead of being a clear fine gossamer this pixie's wings are a solid black with red swirls moving throughout. In addition its clothing is ragged, its hair is unkempt, and the entire thing looks beaten and run-down.
The pixie laughs a little harshly, "Yeah there's an evil force here. A rift that brought down the entrance with it popped into reality, trapping me down here. So that mood lightening was you? No wonder the spooks started getting restless..." He lowers his bow, releasing the tension in the string, though he still has his arrow knocked. "You never answered my other question, how did you get here?"
Vindlér and Elaril both come to the conclusion that this pixie is probably from a region of the world where an Erlking resides, granting it stronger, more malicious abilities than a typical pixie. For one it uses pixie dust on its arrows that confuse and befuddle rather than charming or sleeping their target. The stranger, deadlier, ability is its ability to turn people into chickens, fish, and other forms of small animal life, usually to great effect.
"Fustbickle?" the pixie snorts, "That hack? No rhythm, rhyme, or scheme to his work, he was just putting fancy words to his observations." He rolls backwards in the air, wings buzzing to keep him afloat. "Yes, I've been down here for a long time. It's not easy to survive when the dead don't give a damn about pixie dust. From your being here, I take it the entrance is open again?"
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"Yes, the entrance is open. I believe you are free to leave if you wish."
Anthys speaks slowly, choosing his words carefully. He doesn't know much about pixies but knows that you have to watch what you say around fey.
"Will you tell us about the 'spooks'? Are these the spirits of the Yohanatotsus, or of others buried here?"
When Anthys mentions that the entrance is open the pixie very nearly vibrates himself out of the air with excitement. When it is asked the following questions it stops and takes a breath or two to wash away the joy and bring back the hardened instincts that allowed it to survive for so long down here. "You folk have done me a good turn, so I'll do one for you. The rift that opened up here disturbed the rest of one of the crusaders. She came back from the Boneyard, angry and changed. She continues to use the armor and weapons from her life, and even brought back some others with her, though they only reside in their own armor now."
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Anthys winces at Berato's words. In a fairy tale, the pixie goes off on a murderous killing spree, and says it was 'commanded to hunt' by the priest with the cold iron hammer, and all the blame is laid at Berato's feet. We aren't in that fairy tale, are we? I wish I knew the rules of dealing with these creatures.
He turns to the party. "What do you know about Graveknights? How do we fight them?"
The pixie flits about the room, flickering between visibility and invisibility. "The rooms ahead are hard to breathe in, but I've done my best to avoid the undead around here, so I can't tell you much more."
They can also command the nearby undead, giving them advanced battle tactics and preventing the mindless mobbing the unintelligent undead are prone to. They can unleash massive blasts of energy, have skeletal mounts, and seem to be able to control the elements through their weapons.
Because their spirits are tied to their armor the only way to truly destroy them is to destroy the armor. But with this Graveknight being raised from a rift opening in the area that may destroy it as well.