Ragnar heads for the doorway that Zira gestures at.

"Might as well get started," Ragnar says to the others.

As he approaches the doorway, while not expecting there to be traps, a cautious approach is probably warranted given the destruction at the two campsites so far. He keeps an eye out for any hazards and traps around the doorway that may be a danger to the party.

(Perception: 15  )

As he walks over he calls back to Zira.

"Do you think someone is selling Institute information?" he asks.

Erika takes lead with Ragnar, using the strange green light shining from her axe to guide the way. "I wonder what great tales of the old day might exist within the library. And what more knowledge could be uncovered..."

Perception  8  11 

History  7  (any knowledge or things Erika might have seen stored at the Institute from previous expeditions or similar libraries from other sites?)

Edit: Well that's a useless post again. I'd love to roll above a 10 on anything.

"I don't know. We trust each member implicitly. You survived the trial and you know the risks, you lived them," Zira begins with a sigh her voice quiet in this eerie place. "To think one of our own betrayed us..." she furrows her eyebrows thoughtfully. "One would think information was given under duress," she says resolutely as if unable to think of am Institute member as a trader!

"It's likely..." Gen-ga chimes in torch aloft casting a glow on their bronze scales.

Zira smiles softly at Gen-ga who smiles back.

Ragnar notices suddenly another body just beyond the ruined door. It's stumped over the rubble and has a back full of arrows!

"This place...just brings out the utter worst in every creature," Zira begins with a sigh looking at the party.

Meanwhile Erika notices that the party is making a soft but distinct echoing when they move or speak.

Several feet away Areon can see old dusty tracks alongside the ones newly made. Again like above there's tracks like a dragonborn not wearing boots the most distinctive among them. Looking around Areon's eyes train on the ruined courtyard and building beyond, he counts over a dozen ambush points but so far nothing is giving him the impression anyone or thing is laying in wait for the party.

Ted treads lightly as he follows the others into the ruined building. As the others focus on the dead, Ted scans the room, looking to see if there are any missing exhibits, oddly empty sections of bookshelf, or even any object he could take that looks grand enough for him to show off with when he returns to Zozobra. “Another ghost encounter, or do you think they turned on each other over some artifact?” He ponders. Perception 16

Ragnar points out the body to Erika.

"This is a lot of carnage," Ragnar says. "There could be another group ahead of us who hunted this party down like animals."

He then looks back in the direction that the arrows in the back of the body would have come from, looking to see if there's a trap that was triggered.

Perception: 21  

If he sees nothing, he will approach the body and check to see if they're actually dead or alive.

As Ragnar finishes his scan, Erika nods and goes to the bodies. "Maybe the dead can tell us something." Setting down her axe, she uses her free hand to turn over the body and examine it, and pulls out an arrow from the corpse. Examining the arrow, she tries to discern if it is a common hunting arrow or something designed for war... or assassination, thinking of the gang's threats before they left the city.

Medicine: 14 (How long has the body been dead? Any strange or noticeable marks, besides the arrows?)

Survival: 15 (What sort of arrow is it? Something common to the region north of the mountains, or further south, or somewhere else? Made by a smith or savage?)

Ted looking around notices the body does have a knapsack that's contents have tumbled out into the doorway. He can see a couple of books, a leather pouch, and 27 of gold.

"Careful," Zira warns the party approaching the body. 

"Maybe we shouldn't disturb them. Is there another way in," Gen-ga asks looking around.

Ragnar can see no traps. Going to the body it was an attack. The figure was obviously fleeing but was killed at the door trying to scale the rubble blocking the doorway!

Erika can't tell the time that's passed. The blood however is no longer wet and is dark crimson. The arrows seems well crafted. The fletching is unique. It's made of feathers Erika has never seen! An iridescent hue of purple with a deep green sheen. She's never seen the hard work of the arrows either.

Does she remove one to see the tip?

Erika does indeed remove an arrow.

Ragnar backs away from the body.

"Careful there," he says. "Could be poisoned."

He looks around to see how they can get around the body to get inside.

Perception: 12   

Erika sees an odd sort of natural barb on the end not metal work! It's as if the arrow was grown but then fletched!

Ragnar sees a path through without disturbing the body. It'll take more time but it's possible.

"This... doesn't look man-made. At least, it wasn't forged like a normal arrowhead." She spins the shaft in her hand, looking at the barb. "Some sort of druidic magic? Or something of another plane?"

History 18 c'mon old stories, give me a clue!

Erika slides the arrow, carefully, into her own quiver, and gathers her axe back up, slotting it into its holster. She goes to work moving the body, and some of the rubble, out of the way so they can proceed. "Come now, Ragnar. Whatever happened to this fellow has happened. He cares not if we move him from his rubbled end."

Athletics 21 

Ragnar watches as Erika starts moving the body.

"He may not care," Ragnar begins, "but it's possible he was placed there as a trap. But as you've already started, might as well get it over with."

Ragnar helps Erika move the body out of the way. Once done, he starts forward again along the route the body was blocking, keeping an eye out for traps.

Perception: 16 

Ted pockets the gold pouch as they move the body, “Not quite the riches we hoped for, but it might go someway towards our celebration drinks when we return.” 

He thumbs through the books, checking if this unfortunate soul had made any discoveries that may help them, or may have led to his demise. Investigation 6

 Erika doesn't recall any stories about the ruins and arrow making. She shifts the body with Ragnar out of the way but he doesn't notice any traps after its moved. Ted then approaches picking up the contents of the bodies pack. Thumbing through the journal it's in a language he doesn't understand but as the pages advance the writing becomes more and more irregular until it's now right odd! These newer pages and pages filled with eyes, glowing eyes in several shapes and sizes staring off the page at Ted!

Whilst the party is focusing on tasks and moving ahead Areon lingering behind makes a sudden strangled noise. Turning to face him the party is horrified to see their former companion now encased in a sudden crystaline growth!

OOC: Pause button to figure out what happened to Bob.

Ragnar runs up to the crystaline growth, stopping just shy of touching it.

"Areon," Ragnar calls out. "Can you hear me? Can you move?"

He looks around for some sign of how this happened, looking down at the ground trying to see if there are trap triggers that could have set this off.

"Gen-ga, is this more of the wild magic surge effects?"

Finally he reaches out and taps on the crystal with his gloved hand.

Erika rushes up just after Ragnar, looking horrified at Areon's situation.

"No! No no no! Damn this place!"

She takes out her axe, flipping it around to wield like a two-handed sledgehammer. Before swinging, she looks uncertainly towards Zira. "How do we get him out? How has this place claimed him so quickly?!"

"This...is new. We always assumed it was Ellyrians in these...," Gen-ga says horrified looking around at the crystalline caged figures.

"No! Don't touch it," Zira grabs Ragnar's hand just short of touching it. The fey touched half-orc points to the ground at a throbbing like crystalline growth. "I don't know...it seems like a trap but natural too," she shrugs. "We...we have to press on... I....we have to," she sighs, "it all can't be for nothing," she adds frowning deeply looking at her companion now frozen in horror behind purple crystal.

Ted stands speechless, staring at the crystal prison encasing his new friend and brother. He looks to Gen, a small black tear dropping off of his chin. "We..... we're going to reverse this right? Be the.... heroes. He..... he'll be fine.... just a little stiff. He's going to miss the adventure.... I'll have a long story for him when he gets free." Ted forces a laugh, trying to hide his wiping of the streams of eyeliner stained tracks on his face.

He pushes the book into Gen-Ga's hand desperately. "These pages.... they're written in some weird language. You'll understand it right? Maybe it will tell us how to save Areon! The book seemed to be staring into my soul. There must be some magics you can understand there!"

Erika sighs, still holding her axe. "I am afraid if I hit the crystal... it will harm Areon somehow." She reluctantly holsters it, though there is determination in her eyes. She puts a hand on Ted's shoulder. "We will find a way to free him. The secret must exist somewhere in this...  forbannet av gudene... place."