2015-07-27
As the last skeleton clatters to the ground the strange structure in the centre of the room draws attention once again, but no-one has any idea what it is.
Tyrus asks the dwarves what they are to do next.
"We need to do something with the thing in the middle of the room. We need to put a lightning elemental in there. Ulfgar. You magic."
Tyrus advises he may be able to help. Brannock isn't able to advise why.
Obankot volunteers to leap across the water and take a closer look at the strange structure, and advises that there are crystals inside.
Tyrus takes a stone from his haversack and releases it into the air next to his head. It begins to orbit him.
Obankot takes an arrow from his quiver and it begins crackling with lightning before he hurls it into the bottom of the structure, there's a massive cracking sound and a blinding flash of light, and the walls and ceiling briefly glow a blueish colour before fading again.
Tyrus entreats Obankot to return, and as he leaps back over the water a mononotous voice booms through the corridors, which Tyrus translates as 'The ritual of the fortress heart must be renewed. components remain in confinement.' after casting Comprehend Languages.
Brannock suggests the lightning elemental again. Tyrus says he wants to try the doors first, to see if they can find these "components". Tyrus promises to help Brannock touch the structure with his Powerglove(TM) after they've investigated the other rooms.
They head through the cracked stone slab to the east, and after a minute or so of scrambling they find themselves in a rather different looking corridor made of large slabs of dark rock. As they proceed they find a large shallow dish with a raised dias and a colourful glass lens on the top. Proceeding past they find a tight stairwell leading down which they descend.
Brannock says "Be on your guard." as they emerge into tight tunnels and Brannock advises he does not wish to proceed.
As they return Tyrus looks at the colourful lens with his magic eyes and picks up a strong aura of illusion, moderate divination and conjuration.
On top of the iridescent surface glowing orange sigils can be seen drifing in a clockwise circle around the edges. In the center there are a number of pulsing, stationary orange pictograms (see "Lens" handout).
Tyrus realizes that the image of the glyphs is magically projected, and it has been set up in such a way that it should be able to be interacted with. Obankot promptly touches ALL of the glyphs, which light up a brighter yellow and several of them set to flashing with a few of them going a darker colour and some returning to their original colour.
Tyrus asks Obankot what he was doing. He immediately realizes that Obankot had no idea what he was doing. Tyrus tries pressing one of the dark glyphs and it glows yellow on the inside while otherwise remaining dark. He casts Read Magic and the glyphs around the outside resolve themselves somewhat, though they don't read a particular message. "Network nodes. Fortress heart requires ritual. Negative energy sources in containment. Elemental sources in containment." As well as an apparent toggle which just turns the yellow node dark again.
As they re-enter the room with the clamshell structure Tyrus realizes that the south-east torch has gone out. He draws the conclusion that the strange lens controls the lights somehow and that seems to pan out.
They are unable to get through any other doors so Brannock swims across to the structure, hoping to touch it with his magic gauntlet. That does nothing. Brannock comes much closer to dying on his way back over and Tyrus summons a lightning elemental into the clamshell structure.
CLIFFHANGERRRRR!
