Cor opened his eyes and saw the party in trouble. Two still held captive by the mirrors, one turned to stone and one down. "It is a trick! The mirrors project illusions. Stop fighting and disbelieve; you saw the one that was hit vansihed as if into nothing. They are not real. Cynil was turned because she believed and fought back." Cor moved to Maggot who was unconscious on the ground. "He is bad off and I fear he may be beyond help but I will try my best to save him." Cor began to cast his spell, speaking the ancient words, whirling his hammer and swinging it down on Maggots head in his usual but strange manner.

Cynil stands stone still.

Maggot is thrown back into an explosion of glass and blackness. As he lands with a thud he looks up at the once black mirror only to see nothing. Shards of glass riddle his exposed flesh. With a smirk his gaze still fixed on the once mirror, “Liar,” and with that he falls unconscious and bleeding.

Maggot’s eyes flutter open and he finds himself standing in a field of wild wheat almost ready for the harvest. A soft breeze blows in from the south west and with it the fresh salt air of the ocean. The wheat sways and mimics the waves of the near by ocean. Some distance away a woman with dark raven hair sits upon a great black horse. Her hair moves with the wind and her gaze falls upon Maggot and a smile, her smile fills his heart. His body starts to lean toward her when a voice breaks the song of he wind upon the air, “Go to her and do what you must do.”

It was the father of old. Maggot stands tall and rolls back his shoulders, “I know what must be done.”

“Then go to her but not here and not now.” The black steed now was charging at Maggot. Fire filled the ground beneath its feet. The horse had the eyes of a serpent and the once beautiful woman was now clad in black armor and was screaming as if one hundred banshees gave their voice to her. Maggot moved to the balls of his feet and readied himself for her attack but at the last minute when he should have jumped to one side; his feet became heavy with mud. Maggot swung his weapon as her mace fell upon him…

Maggot’s eyes open and his ears were filled with the chaotic sounds of battle.

Listening to Cor's words, Conall realizes the truth of his words, and the folly of his actions. The shattering of the cockatrice... It was obvious it was an illusion. All he needed to do was believe... but would that bring Cynil back?

"Cor... you better be right... But I trust you."

Conall stepped out of his defensive position to a relaxed, position, not heeding the danger of the cockatrices. If they were illusory, they would not hurt him. Instead, he walked over to Maggot, to see if there was anything that he could do to ease the pain of his fallen comrade.

Still cloaked in invisibility Siréne nodded at the dwarf's words. Illusions, they were nothing more than illusions. It made sense. If they were in fact illusions then there was magic at play and she could do something about that.

Calling forth the magic of the unseen world the enchantress spun a spell to cut through the source of the phantasms.

((OOC - casts dispel magic targeting the illusory cockatrices))

With Cor’s awaking and his yell to disbelieve, combined with Sirène’s casting of Dispel Magic a few moments later, things quickly began to change. As each member of the party still able to act, quickly did as their leader had said, they could see it starting to have its desired effect.
Within a few moments the flying undead Cockatrices vanished, and though the amber light remained as when they had first entered the test the party, though bleeding from minor wounds gained from the exploding black mirror, were once more alone.

With Kenji and Rayne yet caught in the mirror’s grasp, Cynil yet made of stone and Maggot unconscious and bleeding, for the first time in a number of rounds no foes did they face.
Cor seeing the newest member of the party hurt rushed to his side and in the manner of his healing gestures lowered his hammer to hit the unconscious warrior. In his horror Cor realized too late that his spell of healing had failed and instead of reviving Maggot the damage from weapon and dwarven strength had killed him outright.

Conall having joined Cor by the now dead body of Maggot was able to confirm that the tainted Ranger was indeed dead. However as he knelt by the dwarves side was horrified to find as they better positioned the Ranger in death that the evil sword, once a part of Maggot’s flesh, had burned its way through now dead skin and clothing to lay by itself upon the rooms floor, free from Maggot’s body once more.

During Cor’s attempt to heal Maggot and Conall’s rush to help the Elvin enchantress had cast her spell. Like the feeling of a cold icy wind blowing through the room, for a long moment whatever magic controlled the mirrors and the illusions was gone. A gasp from Haila brought everyone’s attention back to the 3 Mirror’s still standing as the results of Sirène’s Dispel Magic spell became evident. During this moment of the magic gone, both Rayne and Kenji were released from the mirror’s grasp, to fall to the floor unconscious. Clearly both were alive, and with no visible wounds upon them. Yet even as both fell the party could feel the magic’s of the surviving 3 mirror’s slowly returning, and the room once more starting to be coated in an even darker haze of amber light.

What new illusions or enemies would the party yet face once the magic of the test returned.

(DM OOC: Ok lets try to get us back to our once a week posting schedule as my next post baring RL will be next Sunday the 28th.
So far 6 players have given me the green light that they are still with us and I’m waiting on the last 4. So to everyone after the month I have had its so nice to be home once more. In the immortal words of Dragonmist
“GAME ON!!”)

"The sword correpted the spell! It is indeed a powerful evil, stay clear of it. Perhaps we can still raise Maggot once we clear this room." Cor looked around and saw the two new party members unconscious. "Quickly Connel see to Kenji. I will see to Rayne. They may need help." As he moved to Rayne he called out, "Great work disbelieving the creatures, I had feared some of you would fail." Cor checked Rayne to see what wounds she had sustained.

Rayne groggily rose to consciousness and fought to lever herself into a seated position, befores shw looked herself over. She could not see any blood no

Was it all an illusion: was she ever there in that water world fighting that copy of herself. Was it all illusion or was it real."

Rayne saw Cor headed her direction and waved him off. Her head finally clearing a bit more, "I am all right."

Looking around the room she say the one mirror destroyed but the others were still active. those As her vision cleared a bit more, she notice the amber light was much darker. She looked around and saw Cynil tuned to stone, Maggot is down, and Kenji too. She fight to get up with none of her usually gracefulness and but she does stand.

"Good to see you lass. There was a terrible illusion in the mirrors but we made it out; all excpet for Maggot. His injuries were too severe and the evil negated my attempt to heal him. I think we waited too long. Let me cast a quick healing spell on you just in case. Then we will see what we can do to get out of this place." Cor began his casting.

"I have a raise dead also but something is affecting the casting of it then I will hold it until we get out of here. I think what happened was mostly illusion, except that something wasn't I will discuss it later. Now, is the time to finish up this test. then we will have time to take care of Maggot and Cynil." Rayne says as she looks up to the source of the amber light. It had gotten darker. "I do believe that that is the source of our problem. and I believe we need to destroy the mirrors as well."

" Hmm interesting. I believe the mirrors are but a diversion to the real task. The amber light must be the key to this puzzle. I agree we can raise and 'de-stone' of companions when we get out of here." Lookign around CXor asks, "Is anyone injured? I can do a quick minor healing spell while we figure out our next move. Any suggestions?"

Cynil is standing stone still, still.

Rayne looks up to the source of the amber light well above anyone with a melee weapon could attack. and she didn't think a bow would work.

"We could try to disspell that magic but 7 you said that your magic went awry, So there is trying a physical attack but melee weapons won't reach it, I will give a try with my bow but it doesn't deal much damage. We need to get Cynil back, if possible, then she can take the form of that large creature she did earlier some of you heavy hitters got on her, I think you can get close enough to hit it. IF not perhaps with that long nose she could hold a weapon herself."

"Though I want all of you to not forget what the magic mouth said. WE needed to know what was illusion and what was real. It cave up illusion in the creatures that attacked you the nest thing that light produses just may be real."

Rayne will repeat this to any that misses her words.

Raising a hand the elf quickly moved her hand downward to slash through the magics of the unseen world that had kept her hidden. With the spell of invisibility released her form reappeared before her companions.

Stepping forward Siréne moved to stand before Cor and Rayne, "I believe you are wrong." she said in the direction of the other elf. "The key lies in looking in the mirrors not destroying the source of the amber light. Of that I am certain."

To some the events of the past hour could be said to be quite bad, yet in the midst of 1 party member dead, 1 yet unconscious and one turned to stone a spot of hope remained.
That hope, the fact that parts of this test in reality were false, would hopefully go a long way to besting it.

With 2 of the 4 Mirror gazers up and mobile the strength of arms of the party had increased, and with one of those two being the party leader, it was time to see this test over and done with. However no exit was visible so some component of this test yet remained.

The mirrors had been gazed upon, the Cockatrices found to be illusions, and the amber light thought to be the cause yet nothing the party had done so far had revealed itself to be the way out.

With both Cor and Rayne advocating the destruction of the mirror’s and offering healing to any in need, the one attempt by the Dwarf Knight Cleric to heal Rayne waved off by her. With Siréne insisting that the mirror’s, rather then being destroyed, must once again be gazed on and the rest of the still standing members uncertain of what to do next the party found itself in a stalemate of sorts. With the amber light once again its original hue it was perhaps only moments before some new threat emerged. What that threat would consist of was yet to be revealed.

In the shadowed corners of the room those same shadows moved..............

(DM OOC: OTAYYY seeing as how most of you still alive did not post I went pretty much on the posts by Keeper, Nimu and Bri. Please everyone you said you wanted to keep playing so pretty please post this week as I will post next Sunday as normal. )