Pizazz's Beyond Annihilation

Kari sticks close to the fire, listening to the proposed plan. "Sounds good. I think that's the only way to get Badger back anyway, so let's go kill some litches." She mumbles a bit more under her breath I might die too, but I guess that's all just part of the job to some people.

A thought finally occurs to Kari and she starts rummaging around in her bag and pulls out a glass eye. She mumbles some words, moves the eye around in a specific pattern, then finally holds it in the place of her third eye as she completes her ritual.

The massive half orc, huddled near the fire, begins rustling about in her gear.  She then performs her magical ritual, and closes her eyes, focusing on the room with the anvil.  The room is covered in a layer of frost...a new layer since the group was there. spiky thick frost coats everything, the walls, anvil, hammer, almost like an icy layer of fur.  Looking at it, the frost is built up in an interesting pattern, almost as if it originated from the one window and sprayed into the room from where they last saw Auril.  Otherwise though, there is no sign of a body.  

After spending the time to look around the room thoroughly she lets the magic fade and puts away the eye back in her pack. She listens to the various sounds from the barrier and says to no one in particular "I have a feeling that Ice person isn't quite done with us yet."

Mal lets her shoulders slump at Kari's words, "Of course she isn't why would she not just be dead and give us one less thing to worry about." then she will turn to Zendrak, "Are you done with whatever mumbo jumbo you are doing, we need to get a move on, before our enemies start forming a line to get to us."

Much to Mal's chagrin, Zendrak's 'mumbo jumbo' is not done. He ends up spending another full day with the wizards from the other groups, off in some building somewhere in the city that is now teeming with frosty undead. The continuous moaning and scratching / scrabbling / grating sounds from their bones grinding about is annoying and distracting so you all end up taking shelter within the structure beneath where the big rotating sphere called the Mythallar is stored. You manage to setup a spot between some of the massive tree like pillars supporting the tower above, and far enough away from the shady folk that you can have some privacy. The fire that Kari keeps going is like a beacon of light and warmth in this hellish ice locker called a city. 

Eventually though Zendrak and the elf wizard from the other group come around a corner and approach the group.  (another Long Rest has been achieved)

Zendrak has a grim, but somehow also joyful look on his face.  

"We have located all four of the wicked undead.  Iriolarthas was the wicked Netherese Lich that created this city and this Mythallar. His remains are here...though this wizard believes they are lost...in chambers that once sat below the city...but were crushed to dust by the fall of the city from the sky. It's likely he has devolved to a remnant of what he was, unable to feed souls into his Phylactery. This elf has convinced me he is the least of our concerns and is not aligned with the other three Lichs, Demise, Shock, and Ruin.  We have both identified where all three of these other Lichs can be found as well.  They are in different locations.  We do not know exactly where in each case, but magic can lead us to it. Demise's is in a natural underground cave system as far as we can tell. Not much more detail there unfortunately. Shock's is in an underground lake, in a jungle somewhere. Ruin's is...also in some sort of underground, but it has structures built into the cave systems. Toc and his allies are letting us choose which one we would prefer to pursue, they will take one of the others. I will take us to whatever location we choose."

At the mention of the word Jungle, Mal shudders, "I do not have any preference other than I would prefer not to go to the Jungle one. I grew up in the Jungles of Chult and I have no desire to go back, though I am sure if we do, we could probably stay safely (she shudders again) in the Laboratory of Badger, so we woudl have some safety there. At least I remember how to get in, at least I think I do, unless he changed things up."

Kurik scratches his head.  "I've heard many tales of your and father's time in the Jungles.  While it all sounded lovely, except for the heat, humidity, insect, undead, puzzles and constant threat of death...  No it all sounds terrible.  I vote for the non lake underground.  I'm confident in my ability to hold my breath but anything prolonged will be disadventageous for us."

"Like Kurik, I also would lean towards Ruin's...ruins.  Not with any strong opinion, but avoiding lakes and jungles sounds like a half-decent plan."

Kari shrugs. "It's all the same to me, ruins sound as good as any.

Zendrak nods, "Very well. We shall pursue the evil fiend that is Ruin first and crush his phylactery into dust."  

Toc nods, "Ok, when my group has returned from the tower, we will likewise pursue one of these. In the meantime, I will suggest that the Shadovar pursue the 3rd.  I will check in with Sending spells occasionally." 

Zendrak nods, "Very well. Prepare yourselves then, I will be teleporting us to this cave system." 

Each of you clean up your camp and get ready to travel once again. This time by magic, as Zendrak prepares to teleport the lot of you.  You head to the dark environs of some underground ruin system wherein lies a Lichs phylactery. Dark underground tunnels with some semblance of built structures. Or so you believe. What awaits you is something entirely different. 

With a wrenching twisting feeling, the world around you swirls into an infinite point, darkness around you, only for color and light to explode outwards. 

You appear in a dark room. Everything is silent and there is no light. Those of you with darkvision look around and see an oblong room carved out of hard dark grey stone. The walls and ceiling are roughly hewn, while the floor seems very smooth. The ceiling in this oddly shaped room is 25 feet high, and the room is roughly forty feet wide. There is a single door, made of heavy looking steel. More urgent though, you see you've arrived within a bedroom. There are two large beds in this room, both with a single occupant. The sound of their deep slow breathing indicates they remain asleep, for the moment. You can't get a good look at them but they don't appear human. They look roughly 6 feet tall, but their skin appears mottled, they have long ears and strange patterns of freckles on their skin. 

Beside each bed, you see a full suit of gleaming plate armor, its pieces carefully set aside. Each set is embedded with several gems. Large two handed blades, intricately crafted, lay nearby, sheathed in ornate leather sheaths. 

As you stand there in silence, getting your bearings, you hear faint sounds from through the door.  It sounds like a baby...no...perhaps 2 babies crying? The whimpers are moaning and drawn out as if they may have been at it for a while. 

Everyone roll Stealth. 

Zendrak : 8

Kari: Stealth: 21

Mal Stealth: 22

 Swearing silently, "Dark again with the dark, sorry all I can't see anything at the moment."

[OOC: stupid forum, rolls were not changed and I originally rolled a 9 for a total of 24, not my fault you went and changed it to a 26, creating the warning, sigh.]

As the group are packing up their things, Mordekai launches into one of his speeches, this time about the virtues of persistence and teamwork, recounting how they collaboratively managed to defeat a demi-godess, no less. Sure, she's probably not permanently dead, but that's hardly the point. He transitions seamlessly into a soliloquy about the path and purpose set before them now, until the group suddenly realise that even though they hadn't necessarily all been listening intently (or, indeed, at all) to Mordekai, they still find themselves uplifted by his oratory...a realisation that is fleeting, however, and interrupted by the discomforting lurching of the stomachs that sudden teleportation brings. 

Everyone gains 18 temporary hp.

Then Mordekai's stealth: 27

Kurik pulls his blade free and stands at the ready for the teleportation.  He doesn't light it though just incase but he felt more secure doing so.  Silently he listened to Mordeki's words and prepared for the teleportation.

Stealth 5

Mal's whispers are cut short as Zendrak's hand covers her mouth. She hears the gentle stir of someone shifting position in a bed.  Everyone else sees the woman turn over, nuzzling her face further into a pillow. As you all stand their silently, it seems you're momentarily not detected by the two slumbering forms.

Mal looks at the sleeping creatures and then the rest of the group as she slowly draws a line across her neck and then points at the sleeping creature and then shrugs her shoulders as if asking deal with them or move on.

Kurik nods at Mal.  He points to himself and then at one and then points to Mal and the other.  Kurik would position himself with blade held over the creature and prepare to strike.

Mordekai, always one to choose conversation and a deceitful ruse over outright murder, holds up a hand to tell the others to wait. He goes to stand between the beds so that both are covered within the 15ft radius of his spell, and casts Zone of Truth (DC19 CHA save for those within).

Leaving Kurik standing menacingly over one of the creatures, he motions to Kari to stand in front of the door, and then gestures to Mal to suggest waking the other creature up. 

(Does Mordekai need to make a CHA save against his own Zone of Truth?)

Mal shrugs her shoulders and slings her crossbow over her shoulder and then gently places her hand over the mouth of the creature lying in front of her and brings her face down close. Gently shaking the head of the creature she quietly says, "If we wanted you dead you would never have woken up, we have questions and you will answer."