The paladin stands and looks to Althena and, seeing no obvious injury offers to help her to her feet.

"We are alright. How is out halfling friend? Everyone else? I think it is time that we laid this leadership issue to rest as Maggot said. The discussion has caused us nothing but chaos thus far."

He moves to help the others that may have been knocked down back to their feet.

"How fare our mages at figureing out this door? Anything? Since it was a ghostly hand it, and given the undad we only just fought, it might be a spirit. If that is the case perhaps our divinely inspired friends might have a bit more luck."

Kenji heard a grunt from the front and a few people speaking in surprise as he turned back to see Ulthok flung at his feet crashing through several members as he was flung to stop here… he raised and eyebrow in surprise… as was his norm..

“Kenji, could you help me with Ulthok please?” Maggot said then looks down at Ulthok.
Seeing Ulthok appeared conscious yet harmed… reached down and slowly helped Ulthok to stand… noting that he appeared to have suffered some injury… he held on to his shoulders gently to steady him as Maggot assisted him.

“Be at rest Master of the shadows.” Maggot then removes a small wooden object and begins casting a spell
Kenji watched as he assumed the old man to be casting some sort of healing magic… after the healing the Samurai spoke to the Halfling.

“Perhaps you should rest and let others lend their minds to the task,” he smiled slightly at the Halfling.

Siréne stared intently at the door only to find that her magical sight could not pierce whatever mystical barrier guarded it. Hissing with frustration she turned from the door to her companions. Despite the attack from the spectral hand all seemed to be okay, for now at least.

With a slow and graceful gait Siréne moved closer to the party. She had more potent divinations that might well give them the insight they sought but she would need time to prepare them. There was no way of knowing if they had that time.

Gazing at each in turn the she elf spoke, "It would seem this strange door is resistant to what magics we have thrown at it. I know a spell that should give us the knowledge we need, it is a magic of some considerable power. Sadly I do not have it prepared and would need time and rest to do so. Unless another of you has an idea I suggest this course of action."

Sirene said it, ‘ Spectral Hand’ Maggot stood from his place next to Ultholk and Kenji. He looked at the Lady Sirene with wide eyes. His mind was racing now trying to bring back memories from long ago. Like those that have faded back into dreams, as she finished, “suggest this course of action.”

“I remember now,” he exclaimed, “There was this man who had the power to summon and hand from thin air and use it.” Maggot smiled, “One time he and I were traveling together and these bandits came upon us and I dazed them with simple parlor tricks he had enough time to summon this giant hand that he commanded. I remember laughing as he swatted them away like flies.” Maggot’s head drops a little, “but that was a day long ago and places long lost.” Maggot shook off the memory and was back in the here and now. “Perhaps the magic is not only in the room but upon the door. Is there a hand that can last after the master is gone?” Maggot looked at all the arcane masters as he asked the question.

"Hmm, I was unaware that halflings could fly." Cor saw that the others has the situation well in hand and so he took a turn looking at the door. "Perhaps I can try an augery spell. Since it is not aimed directly at the door it may not trigger any magic from it."

Cor prepared his spell and then cast it seeling divine guidance. "Father Odin would be be better for us to open the plain door than the fancy door?"

"I'll take care of Ulthok, THe rest of you becaredul."

Cynil hurries over to The Fallen Thief-mage Ulthok. She calmly and efficiently checks him out with a and used her experience to judging the extent of his injuries. Cynil will try a CLW spell to heal him first as the day is young and they did know what more they would face.

Rayne looks over but since Cynil was already attending to Ulrhok she continued her search. After checkin out wall, floor and seiling and coming up with nothing so far she hopes that another trick will help her locate any sign of an opening to somewhere else,

"Does anyone here have a candle torch of oil lamp. If their is a hidden passage the I can use the flame to perhaps show us where it is located."

If she does get something to make a flame with she used it to search the walls floor and ceiling again. Poking and prodding anything that looks like it might move or twist or turn

Conall dodged out of the way as Ulthok flew towards him and landed with a resounding crack. Some bones must be broken, but there were many more who were more proficient healers than he in the party, and so he allowed them to be the ones to deal with Ulthok.

Meanwhile, Conall walked up to the door cautiously, letting his holy senses reach out for any malicious power, as he also tried to look at the sigils surrounding the door to see if there were any clues.

"Perhaps if one of magical prowess could look at these insignias surrounding the door... Perhaps they hold the key for either dispelling the hand which has struck Ulthok, or for opening the door istelf."

(OoC: Using detect evil on the area, scanning for any evil presence)

With Ulthok’s first attempt to open the twin doors before the party a painful failure and
Sirene’s attempt to see beyond the magic of the door a second failure. The call did go out for the Mages of the party to put their heads together to find the way within.

With both Cynil and Maggot tending to Ulthok, each casting a spell of Cure Light Wounds, Rayne searching the area around the twin doors, to find nothing indicating a secret door or passage, Sirene suggesting a spell not readied and Alasdair helping any who had need of him, it was Cor who acted next.
His casting of the spell of Augury quickly bringing him a reply

Great risk behind the door, brings great rewards, perhaps too great.
The reply not a direct answer to the question asked, yet truthful in its own way, the magically protected double doors would need to be opened as ahead and not back was the only way left to go. Conall knowing this and though having not seen the ghostly fist attack Ulthok, put forth his ability to Detect Evil, directed at the door. Only to receive no hint of such in its structure, yet the veteran Paladin could sense as if an itch from a mosquito bite that something was off.

As the rest of the party was involved with other things Haila was carefully watching the door when Niamedris decided to talk after a long bout of silence.

Magic things can be un magic’d can they not.
Why yes they can She thought back.

“How about this” She asked as she turned to face the rest of the party, “Why don’t we try a Dispel Magic Spell??”...........

(DM OOC: Ok FYI just to correct a misunderstanding that you the party may have gotten from my description, which I admit upon reading it over may have given you such a mistake, but there are not 2 doors before the party only 1 double door like that leading into a throne room. One door two sides.
Ok next post next Sunday as norm.)

Cor shared the results of his augury spell with all. "No telling if the too great pertained to the risk or the reward. Guess we will find out if we get these blasted doors open." When Halia suggested a dispel magic spell he nodded, "That is as good an idea as any lass, seems we should give it a try at least."

Alasdair stood to the side, lost in thought and anxious. He too felt that something was... off. He hoped Halia's dispelling would work, but that again seemed far to simple. But perhaps...

"I may be grasping at straws a bit here, but what if these doors do not truly exist? The riddle we heard at the beginning of these trials spoke of knowing what is real and what is not. We have already seen several cases where this has applied, perhaps this is one more."

Doubtful himself of his own suggestion, he truly was grasping at the fringes, trying to unravel the mystery that lay before him and his companions.

(OOC: Attempt to disbelieve the door and any magics associated with it, assuming that fails he attempts to use psionic clairvoyance).

Failing that, he begins to focus the magic of his mind, seeking a vision beyond the door. Perhaps psionics might prevail where magic has failed.

"Remeber what happened last time you all disbelieved? Hope this time it has better results." Cor smiled and hoped it was not too soon for his joke.

Maggot thought for a moment to himself, ‘Yes ummm what was it… yes, I do remember.’ The old man remembered he did have a dispel magic but looked to the Lady, “Why yes perhaps it is the doors that are charmed and not the room.” He paused for a moment, “Yes, I did say that just not in those words.” The old man shook it off and brought his attention back to the Lady, “You might want to cast your removal of what ever charms these doors before our Alasdair bumps his head or learns to fly as our Uthlok has done.”

"Did you require any more assistance with our wee friend Maggot or have the others sufficiently suffocated him in attention? Of course you did suggest dispeling magic on the door but I fear the lasses believed you to be talking to your invisible friend and not us so they restated for those of us with ear wax that clogs our aurical canals." Cor winked at Maggot.

Halia sighed a little bit, glanced down at her cat.

They talk all too much don't they?
A feline smile seemed to be sent to her in response. She gave a slight nod in further agreement then turned her blue eyes to the door.

Concentrating and letting the petty arguments over leadership and the childish banter the group flung constantly at each other fade into the background she concentrated on the dispell spell.

The words fell quietly from her lips and she waited for it to work or fail miserably.