Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

Ketch uses 3 Cleric Hit Die (rolled in game log if you wanna see) to get back to full strength.  Right after the battle ketch would have poked around if any of his Detect Magic was still up.  If it wasn't, he would ritually cast it again and then search the room, check out the crystal fragments, the wand, the cannon, and anything else he finds...  Ketch would also look over Meepo trying to determine if there was any unknown spells or curses or such upon him.

     "On the morrow I could Remove Curse on you just to be sure," Ketch would suggest.  "As is, I could try to Dispel Magic on the book right now, if you think it necessary..."

Mordekai uses 5 hit dice (36) during the short rest, and turns with a calm smile to his new little friend who he's glad to see has taken on a much calmer demeanour, "Distressing indeed.  Despite his evil plans, I am glad of the wizard's power to have provided this place of shelter, even for a time.  Tell me, friend - and I hope my ignorance does not cause offence - who is the storm father, and why is he angry?"

Meepo finds a couple things on the wizard.  The first is the item he placed on his head before turning into a dragon. It's a jade circlet worth about 1500gp.  He figures it was likely the spell component for the powerful spell the wizard cast.  He also finds the wizards spell book. It contains several spells: 

As the group sits about resting, you find....when you close your eyes, briefly to rest, each of you, except Meepo, is inflicted with visions of undeath, undead, or of bugs or insects. The ground churning up with beetles to try to consume you, or a black fog, filled with undead shambling figures. The brief visions or dreams leave you feeling less rested and a bit off, but seem to have no other effect. 

Meepo seems to be suffering no ill effects or visions. He also doesn't seem to be paying harmed by the book he touched, as of yet. Casting dispel magic on the book, or remove curse on Meepo doesn't seem to have any effect. 

The little spirit creature near Mordekai seems to whimper at the mention of the storm father, "I don't know why he is angry or who he is. I....can't..remember. I think maybe I might have known once."

"Who are you? What are you? I saw... before the storm... there were lots of you around, weren't there? You mentioned lies. What did you mean?"

"I am a spirit. Like the others you see. But....more than them. They....are basic. I am...more. I think. Lies. You keep many lies. I understand lies. Together we can make many lies?"

Even now, with the storm over, you begin to see the re-emergence of the tiny spirit creatures you've seen everywhere. There are some a couple blue ones swimming about the water pooling in the corner, while there are several black-ish grey ones that continually hover near Meepo. There are some red ones that hover near the dead body of the wizard.

"Do you have a name? What kind of lies would you like to make together?" Gesturing to those around Meepo and the dead wizard, "Are they all your friends?"

"I don't know if I have a name. What would you call me, if you had to call me something? Those things? No. They do not like me, but....I don't remember why, and I don't think I care either." 

Mordekai looks around to see if the others are watching or listening.  He leans closer and talks in a whisper - not so much to avoid the others hearing what's being said, but to avoid raising their concerns about Mordekai having a one-sided conversation with himself.  "If I had to call you something...hmm...I think Quinn would suit you.  May I call you Quinn?  You don't seem to remember much.  Is that to do with the storm?  Or does it go back further than that?  What can you remember about yourself?  Do you want to remember?"

Lionel did his best not  to watch and listening. He knew all well the feeling of talking with someone, who is very much real but invisible to anyone else around (yes, he knew how it sounds too). Who was communicating with Mordekai now is up to Mordekai to reveal, but the paladin did not suspect their tiefling's gone mad.

The strange pattern creature vibrates. "Quinn. I can be Quinn. I can't not remember from.....before. I remember....lies." 

"Hmm... Ok. Do you wish to leave this place? If you were to come with me and make lies together, how would that work? Do you have power?"

Quinn sniffs a bit, then says, "Yes, leave this place. Though...there are lies here. But if you go, I will follow. I can...I can help you with lies."

After resting here for a while, you all find that the basement is rather unpleasant. It appears to be infested, as all manner of insects, beetles and so on seem to make their home here. Skittering about. You see many small versions of the multi-limbed beetles the move about as well, hunting smaller ones. In general you've found resting on the giant sized tables to keep you away from the insects has been necessary. 

Is there anything magical about the insects and such which seems to be quickly reclaiming the basement?  There was no indication of them before and it seems odd to Ketch that they would return so quickly, even if the wizard was magically keeping them out...

"If you come with me, I should make one thing clear. Firstly, these others I travel with. They are friends and allies. I owe them my life. Quite literally, in fact. 

Secondly, what do you need...for sustenance, or shelter? Do you eat and sleep as we do?

Finally, what lies are there here?"

(Seriously, I think I've asked that three times and he's avoided the question, and now he just comes out with it!)

Mordekai gets the sense that this spirit is....very simple minded in some ways, though complex in others. Its not used to.....talking...to people?   It seems to struggle with some concepts that are obvious, while it understands other more complex ones easily. It does not think or operate like a normal person. 

Quinn to Mordekai, "Lies. Sleep? This is when you stop moving for many hours? Why do you do this? Lies here? The bugs are lies. And....that dead body is a lie." 

Ketch looks around. The bugs seem to be crawling in through cracks, and down the stairs. They seem drawn to this basement, though Ketch can not identify them really congregating in any particular area. They seem to just be milling about. 

"We sleep because we need to. To recover from wounds, and to recover expended energy. Is he not really dead? Do the spirits' different colours mean something? The black ones, the red ones, the blue ones?"

Mordekai casually stands, looks around and, seemingly out of nowhere, picks a bug at random and sends a bolt of purple Eldritch force at a bug, and another at the body of Zikram.

Attack (bug): 23 Damage: 13

Attack (body): 12 Damage: 13

Seeing the surprise on the others' faces, Mordekai says "Sorry, just checking." As though that explained everything. 

"I feel this is the time for us to go, anyone disagrees? We can simply teleport to the cave. But before we go we need to truly free Gazre-Azam. Meepo, is there anything special you desire? Because if not, I suggest requesting a way to return to our plane. Preferably the one we can use to get in and back to Sigil again at will, some kind of portal. What do you say?"

"Meepo good." Meepo says with a nod to Lionel. "Portal idea seem good Meepo." He glances to the bugs milling around. Picking one up he munches on it. "Meepo think wizard needed better house cleaner..." He comments as he pushes to his feet, the spellbook and crown in his pack.

“The wizard is dead.  If that is the wizard.  Few things survive decapitation.  Though a nice bonfire does tend to conclude even the most stubborn cases of life…”

(In case bugs did not swarm us after Mordekai attacked them)

"Then it's settled." Lionel turned to the genie. "Gazre-Azam, we wish for an item that can transport all of us to the plane we originated from and back to where we used it, should we want so."