Rue d'Auseil

The next several days were spent traveling through Nexuses that were mostly deserted.  Some times small rodents were spotted.  In others larger animal life was spotted in the distance or around corners but these never approached the party.  The last three magic items were a Rod of Lordly Might, a Ringe of Spell Storing (Air Walk, Mage Armor) and a Spell Lattice (Dimension Door).

While traveling the group continued to restore sanity and reduce the possibility of further problems with Madnesses that had afflicted the party.  By the time Erich said that they were approaching the Seine River the group was back to relatively good health.

Late that day the party reached the banks of a River.  Erich wrote on his pad that this was the Seine leading to Paris.

Riot and Ruin in Rime

The party decided to head out to the rest of the underground area, firstly going to the northeast.  This led to another pentagonal chamber. A ten-foot-by-five-foot block of greenish black marble sat at the north end of this pentagon-shaped chamber. A large section of the top of the block had been cut away and lined with a strange steel alloy to form a basin or pool. A scent like a mixture of lavender and ozone lingered in the air. The walls and floor were smooth stone as elsewhere, but also remarkably clean.

The Mutate

The Elder Things cast Stoneskin on Agna and Ciprian to support their battle with the Mutate.  They also made sure the party understood that letting the Mutate escape from the Laboratory would be devastating for Bohlvarai and the heroes both.

"What else do we need to know about the Laboratory?" Ciprian asked.

"The whole complex is protected by a Permanent Wall of Force.  Additionally here are three small pentagonal stone chips cut from a pinkish translucent stone.  We are not precisely sure what they’re used for, but we know they somehow are required for a locking mechanism to the vault that holds the Star Stela."

Bohlvarai Archive

"Ursina, are you feeling well?" Ciprian asked.

"I feel slightly sick. Maybe this thin air is affecting my health now." Ursina responded.

"Should we continue on to the Archive?" Gavril queried.

"I think we need to at least see the Archive.  We can then decide to return to the warmth of the drained city to get a nights sleep if we need to." Armania suggested.

The party headed on to the Archive and came upon a long plaza at the end of which stood a modestly sized, five-sided pyramid. The pyramid was constructed or possibly carved from sandstone by some titanic force, sections of it bear rings and multicolored ripples of color on the surface. The pyramid was a little more than ninety feet in diameter. A ten-foot-wide doorway was visible on the southern face, and window-like openings were set into the sides approximately two-thirds the way to the top.

Knowledge Stone

Fighting the thin air the party finally got around to some healing.   Searching for treasure of the Wendigo turned up nothing.  So after a short rest the group headed once again toward the spire.

The trek to the site of the spire was without further incident.  The group arrived breathing hard but not impaired in any other way.

A five-sided spire stood as a monument on a ten-foot-high base that is accessible via a ramp that spiraled up the base’s side. The stone was approximately twenty feet in diameter and forty feet tall, and was marked by countless small runes, glyphs, and sigils. Five smaller triangular stone markers, all of which pointed to the center spire, surrounded the monument.

Frozen Bohlvarai

Ursina kept an eye on the penguins who remained haphazardly moving around the same area.  Agna kept attacking people or herself randomly.

"The dwarf has an insanity spell cast upon her," Ciprian stated, "We should try Break Enchantment on her."

Armania used her Break Enchantment staff on Agna but it had no effect whatsoever.

Ciprian meanwhile cut down the web at the ceiling but it had no magic or other effects in or behind it.

Erevel noted the thrown web still moving and Armania said to Erich to play a high note if he was outside the web.  She immediately heard the lowest note the viol could play.

Ambush

After standing around in silence for several minutes, Agna spoke up.  "I believe that Endure Elements or Endure Elements, Communal would do the trick.  So would life bubble."

"How long do those last?" Gavril inquired.

"Endure Elements is for 24 hours, but I would need seven of them.  That uses all my first and second level spells, not that I use them alot."

"We don't know how long we will need this protection," Ciprian piped in.  "Maybe only for a short time."

"But what if we need it for longer, like the whole day?" Gavril countered.

"I would like to be protected," Erevel added.