In the meantime, Valgrim narrows his eyes and takes a look around the room, focusing on the bubble and the metallic spike in the ceiling.
Knowlege Arcana
Spellcraft
The spike seems to generate some sort of electricial shock and Allustan is held in Temporal Stasis. That's about all you can ascertain so far.
"There's a powerful magical effect holding Allustan f-f-frozen in time f-forever. I don't know if you're powerful enough to dispel it, F-father F-f-f-feres. Oh, and you might get an electric shock if you walk down there, but that's pretty obvious."
"I'll go in." Vulcan says as he flies into the room, careful not to touch anything at first.
"There's a powerful magical effect holding Allustan f-f-frozen in time f-forever. I don't know if you're powerful enough to dispel it, F-father F-f-f-feres. Oh, and you might get an electric shock if you walk down there, but that's pretty obvious."
"Fortunately my spell to dispel magic functions at a respectable range," Feres replies to Vug. The stout priest prepares to cast his spell, but before he can utter the first word...
"I'll go in." Vulcan says as he flies into the room, careful not to touch anything at first.
"Be careful, Vulcan!" Feres warns, ready to cast a spell to aid the sorcerer if something goes wrong.
Valgrim hopes Vulcan's flying keeps him safe and that if not, his command of lightning gives him some resistance to electrical damage.
As Vulcan flies into the room, he is hit by a bolt of lightning from the spike for 28 points of electrical damage (Ref 20 halves).
Reflex
"I told you so," Vug notes, matter-of-factly.
If Friar dispels spike/bubble, Valgrim readies to rush in and grab Allustan and run out as fast as possible. "Come on Friar, you can do it."
"Vulcan, if you come back I have an elixir that can protect us all f-from lightning," Vug suggests.
Vulcan makes a sound that is half groan, half growl.
"You know what would have been great? Telling me that BEFORE I flew into the room."
The sorceror flies back to the entrance.
Vug gives everyone a sip of Communal Resist Energy (resist electricity 30 for 22 minutes each).
Feres gives Vulcan a couple of taps with the curative wand when the sorcerer returns to the group.
Feres gratefully accepts a sip of Vug's elixir. "We should be prepared to rush in quickly if I'm able to dispel the effect holding Allustan... He may be susceptible to one of those lightning strikes once he's freed from stasis," the stout priest warns.
When the group is ready, Feres closes his eyes and offers a heartfelt prayer to the Dawnflower, beseeching Her to dispel the magics holding their friend.
"I'm the strongest so I should carry him!" cries the dwarf, as he prepares to run (x4 speed = 120) toward Allustan.
Feres's magic brings the globe down and with Vug's protection, Valgrim is able to destroy the spike without so much as a tickle from the bolts.
You are able to grasp Allustan and carry him out before the globe reforms. He's at negative hps and starts bleeding once the stasis is dispelled, but Feres can easily heal him back to consciousness, and he seems to be his old self, thanking you profusely but seeming a little confused about how you got here and how you got past the dragon.
"I should have had more f-faith in your magic, F-father!" Vug exclaims as Friar Feres dispels the globe.
"Allustan, we killed the dragon, although the dragon killed Valgrim too. Can you tell us what happened since we last talked to you?"
"Tell us everything!"
Valgrim mumbles.."Yeah, I died..but what happened to you? How come we never saw this portion of the Cairn before?"
"Let's get Allustan back to town and let him rest up. He can tell us everything on the way," Feres suggests. "We can return tomorrow to look for the Leng spider's undead 'friend'."
"Hopefully, the big spider will let us pass without incident."
The spider does let you pass without incident.
Allustan is a bit rattled after his ordeal, so he's not entirely coherent, but he explains that: I discovered a portal in the cairn several days ago. Obviously you found it too, since you are here. And oh, that's a very big spider. I don't remember any spider being here as I passed through. Anyway, as I was exploring and returning home I was attacked by a dragon, real fearsome one. You killed it? Oh really. And it killed Valgrim. Of course it did. *nod* Anyway, I barely managed to escape back into the tomb. I think this is none other than Icosiol's tomb. Icosiol? He was one of the legendary Wind Dukes, and I thought there may be some powerful magic buried with him. That wouldn't be unusual with the Wind Dukes. Actually they forged a powerful artifact to help their battles with the Queen of Chaos, the Rod of Law. But then it broke, of course, so that now it is known as the Rod of Seven Parts. Of course I couldn't resist exploring such a famous tomb. But then I entered that accursed room and zap, that's all I remember until you came along."
"Well, we're glad you're okay, Allustan. So perhaps we should go look for Icosiol's powerful magic in his tomb and hope he does not mind. We also gave our word to the spider to get rid of some undead, the Marquis of the River, or something like that? Ever heard of him? Maybe we can find some clues as to the where the pieces of this Rod may be too. Let's rest for the night and we'll head out first thing in the morning. What will you do Allustan? The dragon is no more but I don't know if your house is still up."
Allustan is devastated as he realizes that his house is destroyed, but he is able to find accommodation with friends for now. "Well, let's face it. You go about slaying dragons, raising the dead... there is probably nothing more I can teach you. Congratulations. And no, I don't know any Marquis, although there is rumored to be whole cities of ancient ghouls deep underground. Maybe he came from there. I never got farther than the accursed room where you found me, so I guess you're on your own for now. But I still think you might find some useful stuff if you are able to locate Icosiol's tomb. But watch out for that spider. It's up to no good."
"I say we rest up and go back in the morning and take out all the evil left, even that elder black pudding, if we wish it. I can smash it with my morningstar, protected against acid, of course. We also have some loot to find and that undead ghoul to take out."
"You're going to kill Blackie??" Vug asks, horrified. "Murderer! Why can't we just, you know, herd it to some place where it can be lovingly studied in the spirit of peaceful science?"
"Anyways, I have some new elixirs I've brewed up. F-for starters, one summons a magic eye that we can use for scouting ahead."
"I agree that we should return to the tomb and remove any evil influences that may have moved in. Does anyone have any preferences regarding the Dawnflower's blessings you would like for me to prepare?"
"Time to get the treasure, boys and girl."
We then head back in until we reach the statue with the sword, where half the party was hit by a spell and paralyzed, right before we got attacked by the fire elementals. Valgrim warns the party to stay back, at least 50' and then he moves and grabs the greatsword. Hopefully, even if the trap goes off again, the paralysis is the worst thing that happens but he is immune due to FoM, like last time. He packs the greatsword in his bag of holding and we move on.
We go to the black pudding room. "Are we going to attack it or not? If so, I needs to protect meself from its acid, while the rest of you stay back. No sharp or piercing weapons." He pulls out his morningstar and looks ready to attack with its blunt side.
"Let's leave the black pudding again f-for now; we can air walk over it again. Later on, we can try luring it outside with a trail of chickens or something," Vug suggests.
"Why kill the poor creature if we don't need to? Although it is mindless, killing it for no reason wouldn't be that bad I suppose."
Feres nods in agreement with Vug and Bubba.
Gingerly you make your way back into the tomb, which is as you left it. Valgrim manages to pry the sword loose from the statue (the trap goes off, but that matters little now). It is a mithral greatsword.
You pass the black pudding without touching the ground and open the doors opposite the ones that led you to the spider's den. They open into a small room, only 10 by 20 feet wide, and with no visible exits.
This small but well-appointed room has a delicately arched ceiling. The walls are painted with garden scenes featuring two Wind Duke lovers, and the center of the room contains a large urn with a dark red glaze and gold decorations. Six small boxes, each carved of some black substance bound with corroded metal, line the back wall. Chairs sit in each corner.
Since you will probably want to know, the boxes are all locked with complex locks. Only one of them radiates magic (faint transmutation), while the urn radiates strong necromancy.
"It wouldn't be for no reason, it would be so it doesn't devour some poor hapless bastard that wanders in here."
The urn is trapped with some sort of necromantic rune that triggers on touch. The other boxes seem to be clear of traps.
"The urn is trapped, boys and girl. Leave it alone, unless you have a way of disarming it and I don't really want to know what treasure could be in an urn anyway, so I'm not messing with it." Confident that his sharp eyes have not let him down, Valgrim opens his bag of holding and grabs the six boxes and puts them in. "We'll figure how to unlock them later, time to keep moving."
We head toward the Leng spider room and there was a room to the south so we investigate that, assuming the spider allows us. If not, we head back to the room with the statue with the gem eyes.
As you leave the room, you notice the black pudding is stirring and blocking your way out. Roll for initiative.
"Blackie! It's your old f-friends!" Vug pleads hopelessly.
Looks like you all beat its initiative (5) so go ahead and throw all you got at it.
Round One:
Calling upon the blessings of his Goddess, Feres fires a searing ray of white-hot light at the black pudding.