Storm King's Thunder

As flint descends, he's looking around for footprints in the snow.

Ink heads down the rope ladder once the others descend. He comments to Flint, "If you ended up preparing that magic detection spell of yours, I'd turn it on closer to the alters... You can cast it as a ritual, right?"

After looking around he says, "Seems like we have run of the place for now, so we have some time, but let's not dawdle."

Ink has Quill circle the sites looking out for trouble, but has her stay away from the giant ravens.

Crownsguard will slide down the ladder to join his allies!

No footprints exist here in this freshly fallen snow. 

Quill was already way ahead of Ink, and has been keeping her distance from the giant birds. 

Don looks up at the Ravens flying overhead?

//Whats the current phase of the moon?/

On the ground, Flint moves towards the slab, he'll wait to cast detect magic when we get to the top.

Don can make a Wisdom check to remember what phase the moon is in.

Flint and the others are able to climb through the snow, up to the slab, with no difficulty. 

Quote from DarthAvarice >>

On the ground, Flint moves towards the slab, he'll wait to cast detect magic when we get to the top.

 Ink will guard Flint as he performs his ritual.

//He was just curious, not an exact thing just a look in the sky wondering.//

"While you guys look around I am gonna sit down here and see if I can't find a familiar."

He sits down beneath the ship and begins the spell. 

Matrix will stand about 30 feet back from where Flint is doing the ritual with his gun drawn and his eye open for trouble. Last time this group did a ritual it didn't go well, this time he is ready for it

As Dontontion spends his time casting the spell and concentrating his eyes keep glancing up at the Ravens flying overhead.

//Let me know when an hour has passed//

As Flint casts his ritual, you stand in the freezing cold, waist-deep snow.

With his senses attuned to the arcane, Flint senses that there is something radiating a magical aura of abjuration coming from inside, and directly under, the stone slab altar.

Flint  describes the aura to Ink. "Smells like vigilance ta me. Be that from an item beneath th' altar or a ward o' some kind ah do'na  know. Should ah try ta lift it or d'ye  got any ideas?"

"Alright then," says Ink, "If below is where we need to go, let's get to it. I'm going to try something that should hopefully melt the snow and ice and loosen up the permafrost - I hope."

"Everyone, take a few steps back... Flint, tell me what spot on the ground around the altar you feel the magic the strongest..."

"...  Okay then... Here we go."

Ink casts flaming sphere on the spot Flint pointed out and just concentrates for the full minute on pushing it straight further down into the ground....

He calls to the other,  I don't suppose any of you know how to mold or move earth, eh?" 

Ink is able to remove the snow around and on top of the altar with the flaming sphere, completely melting and drying the area within 10 feet of the altar. 

The melting of the permafrost loosens the ground around the altar and gives off a fairly unpleasant smell.

"Well, then... That is not a pleasant smell. I guess it's a good thing the Flaming Sphere snuffed out," Ink says with a chuckle. 

"Well, unless one of you has some digging implements I don't know about, it's about to get dirty."

Ink pulls FIVE Uthgardt great axes from the bag of holding and tosses them on the ground. He picks one up and begins to use it as both pick and shovel. He comments, "Not the right tool for the job, but the best one I have on hand. Take care not to slice a foot off."

Ink starts humming an old tune his battalion used to sing when tasked to labor or taking hard marches. 

You can tell that the spell did a little bit to soften the ground, but also that these axes aren’t exactly the right tools for the job. It should take you about 5 manhours (elf-hours?) to excsvate the ground under the stone altar.

(Let me know how many people are working on this, and then we can figure out the timing of Don’s spell.)

Flint will join the digging but does it seem like we're going the right direction with this? Did the aura seem to be coming from  the ground or does it seem more like the slab is a lid?

You don’t see any seams in the slab, which is about a solid piece of stone that is about 12 feet long by 6 feet wide, and perhaps 5 feet high. 

The aura seems to be coming from underneath/inside the slab, as if the slab were perhaps formed around or placed on top of whatever is exuding this aura.

"I was hired to protect, not serve. Dig your own holes." Matrix walks up to the slab set a foot against it and gives an exploratory push