Aubrey, listening at the closed door [back in the main hallway], you hear the following:

The young noble lets out a brief chuckle and catches up with the others. "The muffled voice from beind the door back there, it sounded like a pre-recorded lecture about the invisiblity spell." He says with an amused smile. "Still, unless it has been going like that since the time of the breach something must have triggered it more recently, we should perhaps return and investigate once we're done down there." He continues, looking down the stairwell.

     "If we can learn to be invisible it may be worth going back and auditing the course," Raqisat suggests.

"I doubt any of us would be able to learn that very quickly. If it is any consolation I can already cast that particular spell, and so can Ms. Cosette unless I am mistaken." The young noble says, giving the archaeologist and acknowledging smile.

Cosette holds a finger to her lip as if to shush a secret, then she winks. How else would she sneak up on Raq so well to catch him off guard?

(Spell: Greater Invisibility)

"Well then? What should we do first?", asks the gnome. "Should we investigate the voice in the room over there, climb the tower or descended the spiral staircase? I should point out that I sensed that the magic energy seemed ‘thicker' when closer to the ground. Perhaps this means the source of the spell is to be found in the basement. Just a theory though."

The young noble gives Cosette a quick grin as she is about to prank her companion but stays silent about that, instead turning to the erudite gnome. "I suppose it could both be dangerous and beneficial to our mission to get to the core of the illusions guarding this place. I would leave the decision making on in which order to explore to Raqisat though and seeing how he already started to descend the stairs I suggest we follow." Aubrey says with a polite smile.

Grugga cradles his head in his hands as he watches the burning pit simply melt away like so much mist. "I really don't like this place. It reminds me of that damned witch!" He shakes his head as he prepares to follow the group down the stairs. "Just let my mind stay my own..." He says quietly, almost pleading. "I wonder if Gel-Nagev knows a way to..." and he trails off in thought as he descends the spiral staircase.

Grugga:

 Inspecting the newly revealed staircase, Raqisat finds that it leads down 25' to a narrow stone door.  There are no illusory torches down here and the narrow tunnel beyond the door is unlit.  A dry wooden crate just inside the hall is full of glass vials with a dark, inky residue inside.

     With no illusionary light to see by, Raqisat will need to pause and light his lantern if no other light is provided.  This place is tricky and not to be trusted so he wouldn't feel all that put out by having something real he could count on at hand...He proceeds down the steps carefully, slowly, testing each step before putting his full weight upon it, stretching out his other senses to try to hear or smell or even feel anything off, if such be around.  Trying not to rely just on his vision...

     Upon encountering the crate Raqisat would hold the light aloft (if he is holding the lantern) and move a point of shining it upon the crate from every angle.  "Someone want to check that out?" he asks after a moment or two.  "I'd rather stay at the ready just in case..."

Aubrey would use the power of his precious talisman to lift one of the vials up over by Grugga, Leelan and Cosette to see if any of the more learned team members would know anything about the dark, inky residue within.

Leelan would attempt to examine the vial and its content.  He’d uncork it and smell the dark residue, test its viscosity to try to determine its nature.

Investigation: 16

If he can’t figure it out, he’d pass the vial along to Grugga or Cosette.

The inky residue inside the glass jars turns out to be... ink!  Or what is left of it, after being stored down here in non-airtight containers for a century.  It doesn't appear to have been anything other than ordinary writing or scribe ink, though the amount would have been more than anywhere other than a college or library would need for many months.

"Well, it is good that we are thorough." Aubrey says with a small smile and an appreciative nod to the erudite gnome as the content of the vial is revealed, then motioning for Raqisat to continue down the corridor.

Cosette couldn’t help but rest a hand on Grugga’s shoulder. His personal mutterings hit a soft spot, and she was making note to be mindful to help make sure their dear artificer maintains his own mind.

Of course, Cos couldn’t help but poke at the walls around the crate, the ground below it, and as many of the vials as she could. What? She couldn’t trust her own eyes, so she’s self encouraged to touch things. All the things.

     To the narrow door it is, Raqisat thinks to himself.  Perhaps they're just cautiously exploring the storage area of the place.  It could explain why the extravagance of so much ink is just laying around but if so it could mean an abundance of more worthwhile goods could be right beyond the door as well.  Waiting for the others to be ready once again, and for Cosette to be done fingering all the things, Raqisat then signals the others and prowls slowly down the hall.

     He goes at a slow pace keeping an eye out for anything that may seem wrong or off.  It seems they cannot trust their eyes so he is also trying to tap into his other senses as well...  Perhaps he is being too paranoid.  Upon reaching the door he halts and listens at it for a moment... If he hears nothing he'll then look over the door before testing to see if it is open or not.

Perception:  17

The young noble follows along as the team returns to their standard formation, keeping his eyes open for threats and being very doubtful about what he sees.

Perception: 11

(Marching order as before, Raqisat, Grugga, Cosette, Aubrey and Leelan.)

The party follows Raqisat into the narrow, stone tunnel that twists and winds like a serpent beneath the old building.  The air grows cooler and staler with each step, carrying a faint, musty odor.  

Raqisat's lantern casts flickering light across the smooth stone walls.  In places, the walls are lined with alcoves and small recesses, some still holding wooden shelves that sag under the weight of the few remaining items left behind, and others that long ago spilled their contents onto the floor.  Dust and cobwebs drape from the ceiling and corners.

The floor is flat and level, but the occasional loose stone or debris from long-forgotten storage crates is scattered about, forcing the explorers to watch their steps carefully.  The narrowness of the tunnels adds to the sense of confinement, the walls pressing close enough to touch on either side.  Occasionally, the explorers catch glimpses of old labels or signs on the walls, now illegible and faded, hinting at the organizational system that once governed these subterranean passageways.  

It is quiet down here, the silence broken only by the soft scuffing of your boots on stone.  The further they progress, the more the tunnels seem to twist and turn, creating a disorienting maze that plays tricks on the mind.  It doesn't help that the illusion magic that permeates the upstairs hall is just as thick, if not moreso, down here.  You don't remember seeing any major branches or intersections as you move down the tunnel... yet you feel as though you have made several turns along the way, as if there are unexplored passageways behind you still to explore.

Here and there, remnants of the past catch the light: a rusted metal latch carves with butterflies, a cracked ceramic jar leaking with pitch, a brittle piece of parchment half-buried in dust.  One alcove, clearly marked with a still legible 'Archive: J' sign, holds a completely empty shelf that once held many scrolls.  The explorers' lantern reveals glimpses of ancient runes carved into the walls at irregular intervals, their meanings obscured by time but suggesting wards or protective spells once placed to safeguard the stored materials.  These old wards are cold and dead now, seemingly unrelated to the illusion magic in the air.  

That's not all you find.  They are faint, little more than tap-marks in the dust, but Raqisat is sure there is a set of recent footprints down here... a single set of heeled boots.  You are following them deeper into the tunnels.

Eventually the tunnel ends in a wider storage room. 

There is something here.

[Everyone make WIS saves, please.]

Aubrey Wis save: 12

Unless it's magical darkness, Cosette's eyes would adjust to the lack of light without much concern. Whether she sees anything better than Raq with his lantern would be hard to say, but she follows along, having a hard time trusting what she sees anyway.

Wis ST: 16