Grenk does a double take at the slime pouring out.  He reach back and pulls out a hanky.  He holds it in Mal's direction saying, "You got a little... something on your sleeve.  This might not be big enough though."

Mal holds up her arms looking at all the slime, sighs, shrugs her shoulder and lets her arms drop. You can clearly see something in her snaps and dies as the luster in her eyes dims.

"I do believe that robe was another hinderance," Silas states as he pinches the bridge of his nose and massages it. 

Badger watches speechless. So more of these trickster gods are trapped here, he thinks to himself. And one has attached itself to Mal. The poor human probably doesn't have the will to resist like I did, right Obo'laka? Will probably be dominated and possessed, and lose control of her own identity. I could have helped her avoid such a tragedy, of course, having foreseen that this would occur, and if she would have been willing to follow the required steps. But it could have been worse. At least it's not that mongrel I'jin. Oh, how I hate that almiraj! 

Then Badger again looks to Sickle to see if the druid will do his creature-searching magic again. The wizard wants to watch closely, being a supposed expert on divination, to see if he can detect any tricks and develop such a spell himself...

"Speaking for myself, i would like to request a short rest. Those undead beasts were not easy to hold off," Silas states, "and I believe it would be a waste of my divine magic to heal while a good rest can be just as good,"

Badger nods in agreement. Although he is unharmed, he can make use of the time to refocus his magic.

Mal nods her agreement to a short rest and wanders over to a corner to sit down. Holding up the sides of the robe to inspect it and see if the slime is still around.

Slumping her shoulders she falls asleep quickly to rest a moment.

Fighter HD: 13

Rogue HD: 27

Silas finds a wall to sit up against as he tries to keep his insides inside.

9 + 4 (4d8 later i have healed ....13

The slimes pours forth and attempts to seep into Mal.  She seems to mentally struggle with this, but eventually her will asserts itself and the slime seems to seep back into the robe.  Checking the sleeves and so forth, Mal doesn't find any sign of the slime inside or outside the robe.  The shiny colorful thing continues to scintillate. Whatever was there...seems to have gone...or...retreated.

Obo'laka whispers in Badgers head, "Oh...she's rejected him.  That's sad.  We could have really used his help I think. We're in a lot of danger, more help is safer right?  Anyway...you're sitting a little close to that acid pit, it's probably wise to move up a couple stairs...don't you think?"

The group takes a short rest sitting on the stairs near the acid pit. 

"We have been forced into grind for the wretched keys I believe," Silas comments as he gets up from his sitting position, still banged up but better, "We got a robe that very strange when you tried to locate a key. Do you believe it was due to how this tomb was constructed or we miss something?"

Obo'laka whispers to Badger, "I didn't want to say anything, to you know, ruin your day or make your friends upset, but....magic that lets you know things....divinations...they are not going to work properly here....this is Acerack's domain and his influence is counter to those types of things....sorry.  I was hoping it might work, but it seems clear you've been misled."

Badger again silently shakes his head with pity as he contemplates yet another weak-minded fool who can't effectively wield strong magic and dominate another mind as well as he can. Is there another way? he whispers back to Obo'laka. Are there any means by which we can access the mind of Unkh and draw on their knowledge and experience?

As Badger rests and recovers what little of his mental faculties have been stretched so far, and hearing more of Obo'laka's whispers, he ponders them over in his mind until he can no longer recall whether they were originally his thoughts or someone else's. As the rest period ends, Badger announces to his companions: Urgh, by means beyond your comprehension, I have learned that some spells are of no effect here. The influence of Acererak prevents accessing knowledge through divination. Only I alone seem able to pierce the barrier. Hence why Sickle's location spell has failed to locate the creature we seek.

Happy to have a rest, Grenk slumps to the floor heavily.

Hp recovery 37 lets do another 10

"Seems like we are forced to your original plan.  We tried to go to the end but we need the keys.  You tried magic to find the keys and that doesn't work.  Guess we have to go room by room."

Obo'laka gives a mental shrug, "Your companion could welcome the gracious presence of Unkh....or....someone else could put the robe on." 

The short rest done, and the sudden insight that locate object will do no good and you're forced to go room to room in this place sinks in.  It would seem you've some exploring to do. 

Which way?   Reminder on your current level you're on: 

Sickle’s eagle form shimmers and he returns to his normal half-orc self, scowling at the thought that he had led them here in vain.  “I’m not sure where to go here.  The heck with the bad luck.”  He scowls again.  “Clearly I am still struggling to master this ring, and others of you have an outside influence as well.  I have a spell I can use tomorrow to help with that perhaps...but I need diamond dust. Not sure how to obtain that, but it’s on my list.”

Mal shakes her head and then stands up, hand on her scimitar and approaches Sickle, "Which reminds me, that is the second time you have attacked your friends because of that ring. As powerful as it is, why don't you take it off for a bit as I do not want to have to worry about being attacked from behind while fighting an enemy in front of me."

My companions don't seem to trust you and your colleagues like I do, Badger thinks to Obo'laka. I'm sure they will all resist. Perhaps if needed later on I will take matters into hand myself, but for now we cannot vacillate. 

Turning to the argument in progress, Badger says to Mal: If you don't wish to be attacked from behind, then you'd better let Sickle go in front. The ring is treacherous, no doubt, but it seems in the balance its power is too beneficial to ignore. 

Then gathering his things and adjusting his helm once more he says: Let's move along. The central staircase is near, and we ought to <HWAARGH>... Badger's sentence is cut off as the nauseous feeling that has been building in his stomach finally surfaces and a small green frog rises up Badger's throat and into his mouth, which he promptly spits out and onto the floor. He stands there looking at it in surprise.

"Where your intelligence fails you Badger, probably since you mistakenly got sucked into that stupid maze is the last time he attacked us, he WAS in front of us and then turned around and blasted us with the ring." Mal states and then stares incredulously at Badger as he i about to get sick and then spits a frog out of his mouth.

"What the nine hells is wrong with you now?" Mal states as she recoils from him in disgust.

"There's a frog.  I think a curse.  I remember hearing about frogs and curses."  He tries to box the frog in so it can't escape.  "Quick pick it up Badger, you need to kiss it."

"At this point, that is not that strange," Silas comments as he looked around the area, "We have no direction, just an goal which is already grinding us,"