Titaani pulls a face. "I would rather we didn't get on the boat."

You are on the third floor of an (apparently) four-story tower. The top floor has the 8x locked door seeking a name. This floor has a crowned-hart-locked door. The second floor has one open exit and another unexplored stairwell down, as well as a gaping hole in the wall.

Matilda wasn't as worried about the boat as Titaani but it didn't really enthuse her at all with the weird stuff in the water.....

Would you like to use your 7th chime on the level three tower door, head downstairs and explore further in that direction, or try something else?

Titaani will head downstairs and explore further in that direction. 

Pud follows Titaani to investigate down stairs. While they explore down below, Pud attempts to strike up a conversation.

"Hey, uh, Titaani. Back there by that boat and those heads you said something about your nightmare..." Pud nervously stutters and stammers. "...and you don't gotta talk about this if you don't want to. Just say so and I'll shut up. But you said that some people people were...dead. Who were you talking about?" 

The party, led by Titaani and Pud, descends to the second floor of the tower. 

This floor, once a study, is still littered with debris from the explosion. (Splinters of wood, along with some loose papers and two halves of a shattered blowing horn, are suspended in the air.) There are no sign of the hags, nor anyone else. The stairs continue down to an unexplored lower level of the tower.

Pud peeks through the open archway to the south. It looks like another windowless tower, similar to the ones you explored earlier. He can see an enameled blue coffer resting on an alabaster pedestal in the middle of that room.

Horatio tries to get ahead of Titaani and Pud in case of another ambush. He will try to stay in the lead from now on if Ben is not. If Ben is, he will take up the rear. 

"Well...it is hard for me to talk about. But I guess I owe you an explanation," Titaani replies to Pud, wrapping her arms around herself. "I just...looking into that water, I could see, like, faces of people staring back at me. It really freaked me out. You know I don't like water anyways, so.."

She pauses to take a breath, and Tiny pushes his head into her hands, nuzzling his face against them in an attempt to comfort her. 

"It just reminded me...I-I don't remember my birth parents, but sometimes I dream about them," Titaani continues, looking up at Pud with sad cyan eyes. "I dream about them, and..and how they died. Only a year or so after I was born, a dam near where I live broke and flooded the village. Both of my parents lost their lives trying to save everyone. And it's funny, I was just a kid, but ever since that day I think subconsciously, I've associated large bodies of water with death."

"You don't owe me anything, Titaani. This place it really weird and I just thought maybe what you saw might've been some clue for us. Something that could help us figure out this mess and get outta here.I shoulda just let it go.

Let's see what we can do in this tower. Maybe we can figure out a way from having to get in that dumb boat...."

Pud stops and peeks into the southward facing corridor.

"Hey! Look at that blue treasure chest. Maybe there's another gem inside that one!"

Pud runs over to investigate it. He looks for any obvious signs of traps or signs that it's been tampered with. If everything looks clear, he'll open up the blue coffer.

Perception check: 20

An enameled blue coffer rests on an alabaster pedestal in the middle of the windowless turret, connected by an open archway to the main tower. The coffer contains a plum-sized jewel made of transparent blue crystal. It has a tiny, Z-shaped crack in its core. (Pud: make a Wisdom (Insight) check.)

The turret has neither windows nor other obvious exits.

The only clearly visible paths out of this place are the staircase continuing downward and the gaping hole into the void.

Insight check: 9

Pud calls out.

”Hey, in we’re. There’s another gem in this treasure chest.

This one has a ‘Z’ shaped crack on it.”

Pud takes the gem, holding it close and considering using his magical know how to investigate the gem.

DM: can I cast Identify as a ritual all while walking with the crew or so I have to remain still and in one place to focus on the casting? If so, I’d like to do that. 

Pud can walk and cast. It takes a few minutes, of course, but nobody here seems to be in any rush.

And he learns something. While Pud doesn't pick up anything about Zybilna or any symbolism involved here, his ritual does shine some light on what this gem can do:

This jewel has a single conjure fey spell embedded in it. The spell can be cast as an action by knocking the jewel three times against a hard object or surface. No other components are required to cast the spell. You do not know, however, what creature might appear. The jewel will vanish when the creature appears, and the creature will disappear after one hour.

Matilda was getting antsy.....she wanted to get her brother out of his trap.....and this palace was not helping her do that...

Ben:

”Let’s continue downwards if we aren’t going to unlock the door on the second floor from the top,” suggests Ben, preparing to lead the way.

Unless anyone has any further business, Ben begins to lead the group down the circular staircase.

But then he pauses partway down the stairs when he hears a voice echoing up from the chamber below, speaking in Common – a male, human voice, in a conversational rant to some quiet second party. But he can't make out any of the distant, echo-muddled words, other than the word "staff".

Ben isn't far enough down the stairs to see anything of the chamber below yet.

Ben:

Stopping and trying to be quiet, Ben indicates there are live people below.  He invites someone stealthier than he to scout if they so desire.

After hearing Pud speak about the stones (referring to discord) Titaani looks excited. "Do you think if we knock the other gems three times against something, magic will happen as well?"

She stops short as Ben gestures that there are people down there. She sends Tiny forward to investigate: Stealth: 13

Unnoticed, Tiny spies a throne room. A ring of marble pillars sculpted with images of fairies and demons supports the arched ceiling of this circular chamber. Seven archways spaced evenly around the room’s perimeter lead to chambers in the base of each turret.

Near the middle of the room, a short, gray-bearded man in black robes reclines on a gilded wooden throne with clawed feet. The man grips the leashes of three small, scaly, birdlike creatures. A muscular, armored man stands next to the throne. He wears a helm that conceals his face except for his red, glowing eyes, and his sword he holds is wreathed in flames.

A statue of an unarmored elf stands in front of the throne. The statue is posed as if ready for battle, with a shortsword gripped tightly in each of its hands.

Tiny remained unnoticed, the two figures engaged in quiet discussion.