Abraxxus holds the emerald up to the light. " This is pretty.  They tried to hide this for some reason. This is why it is important to be thorough with your inventory. " 

Blau laughs and says "That's the third Eye of Vetra-Kali that we need for the ritual. That completes the set, neatly. Let's rest up as Eya says and heal from the ravages of the undead, then start our plans. "

The next morning, Blau petitions his Lord's agents through prayer, asking for the divine blessings needed to restore their battle-worth, since they have all proved their worthiness ten fold, in their recent efforts. He then uses the magic granted, as well as his own knowledge for healing, to restore the troop's undead-torn spirits. 

OOC - Over night healing of HP =2 HP per level and 2 CON points restored from Heal skill for everyone (up to 6), Points recovered from spells = 1, 3, 1 - unless the spells aren't needed, Blau will still be down 2 CON after the first day. 

The night prior, when Abbraxxus calls Eya, "daughter of Tiadora," Eya just sighs and sits next to him on the pile of gold items. Looking up at him she says, "Abraxxus, I really appreciate you being a part of this team and protecting me. But please keep it a secret that I'm Tiadora's daughter, okay? And please, please try not to fall in too deep with her. You will get hurt, and not the kind of hurt that heals easily." She runs her hand through some of the gold, "See how wonderful this treasure is? With it we will be able to defend this place and make ourselves even stronger so that we can find even more. Let's focus on that, okay big guy?"

She also checks in on Grumblejack, "Hey Grumblejack, are you okay after that last fight? I know it frustrated you. Sometimes there are nasty creatures that can't be harmed unless we use magic. I know that magic makes you uncomfortable, but I hope you are getting used to it a little bit at least. You are a good boy, and thank you for protecting me. Next time, I will try and prepare something so you don't feel so helpless. For now, just rest up and recover your strength."

Eya spends some time in the treasure room setting up a small work area. She has her spellbook out, and is using her magic tools to create something. A small purple light radiates in the corner as she works. Four hours later, she holds a small white pearl with a slightly purple hue to it in her hand. She walks up to Blau and hands it to him, "Here you go Blau, a small token of thanks for your help so far. I appreciate your healing and thank you for getting rid of that awful divine aura earlier. Anyway, this will help you recharge some of your divine power when you really need it. It's a pearl of power, just channel your power and take its energy when you need it."

Finally, she turns in for a long rest as she sets up her bedroll. She also makes sure Grumblejack is comfortable before resting for the night. She sleeps soundly.

---

In the morning, she prepares her spells for the day as she eats a small amount of rations. She sits with Kiven as he prepares his spells too, and says, "So we have all three eyes of Vetra-Kali, how are you feeling about this mission so far, Prince Aloro? And how is Celarel managing? We still have so much work to do here. And we still need to figure out this thing." She glances at the mysterious black staff they found earlier, "Do you want to try taking another look at it together before we continue exploring through this place?"

She spends some time trying to identify the staff as her eyes light up with that purple glow.

To Respar, Eya says, "I know there's a lot of weird magic in this place that may not sit well with you. What do you think about helping fix the traps in this place? There are some pits we could turn into spike pits, or even Acid pits. I can help with procuring the Acid. We also need to figure out a way to keep an eye on Elise...I do not trust her still. Perhaps when we travel to sell some of these items, we can figure something out in town. Perhaps hire some spies? What do you think? Oh and, did you want that magic lens we identified last night?"

Once the morning routine is done, Eya stands up and dons her mage armor as the familiar purple shimmer courses around her body. "Okay, time to continue exploring. Let's see if we can find where to start the ritual at least."

To 'Andian', Kiven holds the symbol and says "I bind you to me and me alone."  "You will also obey Blau, Eya, Calarel or Respar as long as nothing they request of you conflicts with my orders.  You will not directly or indirectly harm me, Calarel, Blau, Eya, Respar, Abraxxus, Grumblejack, or Snowflake unless I say otherwise.  You will do nothing to directly or indirectly interfere with our plans.  You with not leave this spire without my permission and you will not hide from me at any time.  You will report to me daily while I am here for any further orders.  You will defend this spire against any of my enemies, including the Mitrans and any beings living in this forest, and will defend Calarel, Eya and I against any and all obvious threats to our vitality, me first and foremost.  You are otherwise released from any and all prior directives."

"What more would you ask of me in this arrangement?"

In the morning, Kiven asks Calarel "what can be done to quell your torment?"

To Eya, Kiven replies "I am not enamored with the current path we follow, but it is a means to an end that we will see through."  "We have made good progress for a day, but there is much left to do.  I would prefer to deal with this forest protector sooner than later, before more threats arrive.  What are your thoughts?"  Regarding Calarel he replies "she is opening her eyes to the truth of our world.  She has potential, but also seems troubled by this place... as am I."

Fallback Strategy cast and then Spellcraft on the staff:  19 plus 2 from Eya

Respar will accept the lens, eventually hanging it around his neck on a leather thong, and thanks the others.  Especially Blau for helping restore his health.  To Eya he shrugs and says, "Sure, I'll work on the traps.  I'm much better at avoiding them than I am at making them, though."

OOC:  What rolls do you need, Dai?

Eya responds to Kiven, "To be honest, I think this plan has potential. So far, we've poked some large holes in the public's perception of Mitran government's ability to protect its own people. They couldn't keep prisoners locked up in Branderscar and they couldn't protect Fort Ballentyne from the bugbear horde. Now we just need a large-scale event like this to fully sway public opinion away from the incompetence of the Mitrans. I'm sure some will die, but how many would die in an all-out war? Way more I'd imagine, and we actually want to have some people around to rule, don't we? We want to show them an alternative, a better path, but we need something big, something undeniable to get their attention."

"Regarding the forest protector, I agree. I can place more alarms around soon. I also have some more mundane tricks I can setup. We also will need to sell this treasure back in town and may run into this protector as we make our way back through the forest. Remember her weaknesses I mentioned before, and lets prepare our spells accordingly. Any way to screw up her spell casting will help us, or protect us against charm magic."

The nature of the staff continues to elude those researching it, its magic particularly advanced. Kiven gets the sense that it is a focus of sorts, enhancing spells cast with it, but its exact effects and how to properly make use of it are unclear.

In response to Kiven's instructions and following question, Vexor speaks up, "Well for one thing, you forgot that time limit that we discussed. For another, making sure we get to flex our claws a bit every once in a while would be nice, waiting for toys to come our way can get tedious."

Celarel looks up at Kiven as he asks, speaking for the first time in a good while, "I don't like this place, there's so much death and suffering, the walls practically sing the screams at me. I understand that we have to do this, but could we at least camp outside?"

Eventually, the group presses on, investigating the area that the two Daemons had emerged from. The next room appears to have been a nest of sorts for them, with a large bedding area composed of piles of well preserved leather, pillows and threadbare silk sheets. The room also features two winding staircases. One going up, the other down.

The group proceeds up. If the daemons are invited to join you, they will state that they are unable to do so, and that forcing the issue could result in their destruction.

The staircase winds its way upwards through the rock, going up and up, and up. Several hundred stairs up, you finally spot a greenish light above, and then emerge into a grand space, rising to a dome at the top, fifty feet high at its peak. Low partition walls section off two ritual preparation chambers. To the west is a balcony of sorts. Some manner of enchantment on the stone has turned large sections of it transparent, allowing one to see out over the landscape and observe for miles around. Based on the view, its clear you are very close to the top of the Horn.

The area is dominated by a statue and altar carved from hard green alabaster. The demon prince holds three knives and three bowls. His empty eye sockets leer over the altar at you. The entire thing reeks of evil. A small basin at the bottom is filled with water that likewise seems tainted with evil.

But there is another presence competing with that evil. Entirely out of place are thick silver chains wrapped around the statue, connected at the front by a large disk of silver, a silver seal pressed with gold, in the shape of the sunburst of Mitra.

Upon checking the basin out, and seeing the seals, Blau nods and pipes up "And so we can begin. Eyas right - let's deal with the protector first, staying just outside the temple, and see about starting what we came to do." He steps over to the transparent window, orienting himself towards the entrance they came in and looks for a sign of the rumored foe.

Perception 16

"Well, this seems like it's definitely the Seal and where we start the ritual to remove it," Eya says to the group. "Nice view up here too."

With Blau's help, Eya inspects more carefully both the alabaster statue and the seal, being especially careful not to touch the seal, in order to try and learn more about them. She fills an empty flask with unholy water that may be useful later.

Once that is done, she says to the group, "Well, it looks like we've explored every bit of the temple minus a few areas in the caverns at the bottom. We have a lot of options now, but my vote is that we start fixing this place up and fortifying it. This Lillend forest protector will likely be coming for us, but we can certainly try to search for them first. However, I'm not sure how we would go about searching for her. If we can spot her from up here, that would be incredible. Still, let's try and get an inventory of what we would like to fix in this place from top to bottom. Whatever supplies we need, we can make a list and take trip back to town to retrieve them. Perhaps we can hire some help while we are there. For now, let's tell the boggards to keep an eye out for this Lillend or for any other suspicious individuals. We need to know if anyone makes their way near this place."

When the group is ready, Eya heads down to speak to the boggard shaman and ask him to set up watches for the Lillend or anyone else who comes near this place. She also asks Kili to keep an eye out for anyone approaching from the skies. She makes him more ice for his service.

Kiven stands and examines the magic of the see-through walls, the statue, the seal, etc. with his arcane attuned eyes.  This magic is certainly very powerful and worthy of some study.

Returning his thoughts to the task at hand and Eya's words, Lord Aloro says "we will let the lillend come to us, as you will not find me out needlessly hunting in this forest."  "After that, I am willing to go with you to seek out capable craftsmen, defenders, and the like.  Perhaps even a minor spellcaster or two would be useful for trivial daily tasks including various alarms and illusions.  I ponder the type of men who would agree to these various requirements, given the nature of this place."

"As far as the ritual itself, we must discern if our new friend will suffice as the 'one of our own blood' referenced in Kappelbrenner's book, or if the requirement is more specific.  I fear if we are incorrect on the first day of the ritual, we will waste a great many days before we find out.  We must be completely confident we will have the blood, the true believer, the king's blood, and any other requirements I may have omitted."

-----------------------------------------------

The night before, to Vexor Kiven replies "yes, I did indeed forget, didn't I."  "Very well, what time allotment do you prefer and where would you like to 'flex your claws'?"

Vexor shrugs and replies. "As with the instructions for my dear brother, your deaths seem like a good default. Could be tomorrow, could be a couple centuries, either way, I don't particularly care to be stuck sitting around here or wherever else you have me guarding when you go.

"As to the other thing, I'm sure opportunities will come up, for instance I find there's nothing quite like keeping the minions in line like making an example out of the slackers. Just let us handle it from time to time. And then there's always the fun to be had culling a village." The daemon gets something that might be interpreted as glee on his face. "Some always ask why this is happening to them, we just love coming up with fun answers."

---

Kiven manages to glean some insight to the complicated magic that allows for the rock window effect. The concept is fairly simple, divination magics scan what is outside and then it is projected as an illusion on the rock face within at the same time.

The statue and the seal elude him however. The magical energies behind them are more complex than almost anything the young mage had ever seen. Eya gets a bit more about the statue. It feels to her like there's a hole in the world. She thinks that this was at one point a relatively ordinary altar, magical in the same way as the Mitran shrine from the second floor. But some... presence was forced within.

Eya takes some water from the basin and bottles it, but later finds that it has lost its potency, and the vial is simply full of water. Foul and nasty smelling water to be sure, but it has no magical punch to it. Some experimentation shows that the basin can easily be refilled with ordinary water, and that it swiftly becomes imbued with the dark energy of the altar, but without a medium to carry the charge, it fades within about an hour after removal.

Kiven folds his hands behind his back and begins casually pacing, replying to Vexor "you will find that I am a kind and generous Lord."  "I am likely to grant your individual requests for hunting and assorted torments of others, and will instruct the stone man to grant your companion the same freedoms upon each granted request.  Regarding a time limit, it seems you would benefit greatly from my early demise, and I have little practical reason to allow any time limit at all.  I am a Lord most inclined to grant you this desire, however, so I propose a bargain in which your protection of my life is mutually beneficial.  You are bound to guard this place for one thousand years.  For each year I live, four years will be deducted from that number.  Your freedom is thus achieved most quickly by ensuring I achieve the 'couple of centuries' you have suggested.  Of course, you cannot conspire to bind me in any way to ensure my health and safety.  You also can never harm me even after you are no longer bound to this place or any other you are instructed to guard.  What say you?"

Vexor frowns, "Meaning no offense, but you mortals are fragile. I've seen some of you lot trip over your own shoes and break a neck. No matter how hard I fight to keep you alive, you could shuffle out of that fleshy body of yours tomorrow and saddle me with a thousand year sentence."

Kiven grins "you are wiser than you look, and thus worthy of giving no more than is required."  "Same bargain, working back from the two centuries you suggested, rather than a thousand.  You could be free of this place in forty years.  Plenty of time for me to establish my kingdom."

After carefully examining the statue, Eya says to the group, "There's a...powerful presence in this statue that shouldn't be inside. It's as if they forcefully sealed Vetra-Kali inside this statue, literally. This is powerful magic indeed. It's no wonder the ritual to release him is so arduous and involved."

Eya sniffs the now-normal water in her flask. She recoils a bit at the smell and pours it out on the floor. "Well,  that's unfortunate. Seems like we still need silver to preserve the magic. The good news is that we have a literal ton of it now. If we ever have need for unholy water, we can certainly make a lot of it."

"If we're going to lie in wait for this Lillend to show herself, I'm going to set another alarm spell near the entrance and have the boggards and Kili set up watch. Then, I'm going to start working on fixing up the alchemy lab and making supplies to repair that golem," Eya says to the group.

After speaking with boggard Shaman to set up watch for the Lillend or anyone else apart from our group,  Eya sets another magical alarm near the entrance of the horn by the caverns. Then, she harvests some acid from the acid pool and makes her way to the alchemists lab to set up shop. She spends some time cleaning the place up with prestidigitation, throwing out all the broken instruments and vials, and getting her workspace ready. It looks quite orderly and professional once done, though some more supplies and delicate glassware are needed before it can be fully operational. For now, she at least makes the place workable by setting up her portable alchemist's kit.

Blau responds "Since this unholy water doesn't last long, we can use it for the ritual. It's needed three times a day, so that's fortuitous. I have a few warning spells and such I'll set up , as the days go by. It is also possible to enhance some of the  tools and equipment we use with power provided by Lord Asmodeus that will make our work here easier. Time is our ally now." When Eya asks for help "As long as it doesn't interfere with my own duties, certainly. We seem to have a lot of the basic elements for any alchemy we'd need to accomplish - pure, clean water, acid and the like."

Once time allows, Blau will explore the other end of the spiral stiars with Respar's help, learning the secret of the other exit and relaying it to the others. 

As time passes, Blau will make use of the readily available cursed water and his own magics to desecrate a chosen, empty cavern. Within it's unholy area, he gathers the bones and bodies of the dead, empowering them with his Lord's energies and putting them to use as undead of various kinds, the dark energies given greater power from the direct aura of the Lord of Contracts. 

OOC - Building a shrine to Asmodeus somewhere outside the main temple - in the caverns. Desecrate spell the area and creating Undead as bodies allow to get to the 20HD max. Preferably 5 undead of 4HD (+2 to Hit, +2 HP per HD) or as close to that as possible, The undead will be commanded to guard and warn, within and without the cavern, just not moving until needed. He'll also cast Sentry Skulls and have one in each room, as the parts become available. While it only works within 30', he'll have one in every room of the caverns and the cavern & temple entrances. The trigger will be if anyone living, other than the group and boggards, approaches/appears. 

OOC 2 - He'll also make any tools into masterwork, if needed, via the spell. 

 Vexor nods, "Works for me, 2 centuries wouldn't be too bad if things go badly. Oh, by the by, a little tip to celebrate this new arrangement. Those eyes you've gathered? They're rather useful tools, but they can't be used properly by mortals unless doused in blood about once a week. Doesn't take much, no need to drain people dry for it as fun as that might be, but it does need to be from a sapient rather than just some animal."

---

The next day, Snowflake comes winging in from his semi-permanent perch at the top of the horn, seeking Eya out, "Uh, mistress? That winged snake lady you wanted me to watch for? She's here, and she's not alone. Four you sized people in light armor, I'm pretty sure they're elves, didn't want to get too close and find out how good they were with those bows. They were poking around outside of the cavern where the big tree guy died."

Eya nods to Kili. She inscribes an infernal rune that burns into her forearm then casts a spell to cause a shimmer of dark purple energy to flow across her body. She finds the group and communicates in their minds via Message, "The forest protector is here with four archers near the front of the cavern. Use protection spells and get the daemons ready. I'll try to lure them deeper into the caverns for an ambush."

Once everyone is ready to go and in position deeper in the cavern, Eya casts a spell to have sounds of merrymaking and laughter come from a specific area in the caverns.

She then summons two earth elementals and commands them to flank the Lillend when she appears but to hide in the earth for now. They disappear without so much as a ripple into the stone ground. 

Hearing the message in his mind, Blau grins widely, eager to pit himself against a new foe. Grabbing his Haversack with it's store of scrolls, he calls his undead and demonic forces behind him, his small army rattling in formation. He then meets up with the group and prepares for the assault. Gulping down his potion of Barkskin, he casts Life Pact, and Bless  on the team. Once the spells are in place says "We must hurry and attack, if she doesn't venture inside. My Lord's aura on the weapons is short-lived. I will put a protection on us as well as the dark Blessings on our bows, just before we charge out." He then positions himself and his troop out of easy sight and around a corner for the ambush.