After dealing with the "levers room" the group turned its attention to the unlocked but still closed doors. They used torches, oil and crowbar to break them and gain access to the rooms beyond. The first room was the wizard's lab from which Scarlet took several unmarked vials, flasks and jugs, some full, some empty, as well as various spell components. The second room was the wizard's chamber that was lavishly decorated with expensive rugs, tapestries, carved furniture and crystalware. When Vanon and Tamryn opened the armoire, an animated metal statue apeared from behind the tapestry and attacked them. They weren't surprised, won initiative, both hit it and killed before it could act. Then took the fancy silk robes and left for the third room. That room was filled with nine big iron cauldrons, each full with a different liquid and some with a mysterious flame below. Scarlet proceeded to closely inspect them, looking, smelling but never tasting. She finally filled a waterskin with one that certainly was beer, filled a jar with some misty vapors from another cauldron and a flask with what looked like a dark wine.
After leaving, Tamryn decided to take the rubi eyes from the idol (at last!). Upon taking them a small blue creature with bat wings and a tail ended in a sting appeared over the idol among a puff of smoke. The roll on the reaction table was low but it didn't seem right for the creature to be helpful with the thieves, so it politely asked for the rubies be returned to its place. When the party tried to bargain for help with the rubies, the creature told them they should be thankful that it was him and not other less patient that came, but, if they complied, he might consider help them. They didn't need to be asked again and the rubies were soon on its original place. Being a lawful creature, it honored the bargain and sat upon the idol's head waitin. The party asked about the wizard and the stolen statue, so the creature told them he knew that the wizard worshipped his master and made sacrifices when asking for guidance to recover a statue. When they described the statue, the creature recalled having seen it in a cavern complex. It was then when Scarlet offered it some beer in gratitude, which was accepted. The creature drank the whole waterskin of beer in one gulp and demanded more (yes, it failed the save). Scarlet told it where to find more and the creature flew there, followed by the party. They watched the creature drink directly from the cauldron until it felt unconscious. Then it was taken to the wizard's chamber and set comfortably on the bed.
The party then lowered itself down the trap to the caverns below and proceeded to explore them to the south, past the chasm where Vanon and Tamryn almost met their fate. They found an empty chamber with two exits and followed the one from which they felt a slight breeze. It led into another chamber with three exits and full of phosphorescent fungus. When they were crossing the chamber a high pitched scream filled the chamber for several instants. The group reached the end of the chamber and saw that one exit certainly led to the outside since the air was fresher and clarity could be seen at the end. When they turned to check the other ones a flock of stirges attacked them. Scarlet cast Color Spray on them bringing one to the ground, while another was taken down by Brom with an arrow. Of the rest, one latched on Tamryn, another on Vanon and another missed Scarlet. The one on the ground was torn apart by Scarlet's war dog. Vanon and Tamryn struggled with the blood-sucking creatures with punch and dagger, whilke Kratos cut the other in mid-air spraying blood all over.
After dealing with the creatures, the investigated another exit that led into a circular chamber with a single quartz-like crystal jutting from the wall. The crystal emitted a pulsating bluish luminiscence. Everyone kept its distance from the strange mineral but Vanon risked to touch it. No harm came from it but he got a strange feeling of disorder. They went back to the fungus chamber to explore the last exit and again the high pitched scream filled it for some seconds. The last exit led to a square chamber with an exit opposite to the entrance, the far half of the chamber was full of bones and broken wapons, armor and shields, and on to the left on a niche, a marble statue of Cyndor. They approached the statue and, after being sure it wasn't an illusion, tried to move it. They soon realised that dragging it to the outside was to risk damaging it. Also that the chambers and passages were wide enough to enter a cart and with some ropes plus Phillippe's help, they would be able to take it away.
Leaving the statue there, they left the cavern complex, surrounded the hill and went to find Phillippe, who they found wrapped with several winter blankets and worried (mainly for Scarlet, but she was distant to him), but alive and unscathed, as well as the mounts. They then harnessed the horses to the cart, saddled up the other horses and went back for the statue. The party was heading there when, about 100 yards away, a patrol formed by three humans (two of the with crossbows), two orcs and a bugbear came into sight. The bugbear turned to the others and pointes at the party.
Until next session!
