As the others began to sift through the belongings to prepare for the cold, Siréne stepped up to the closed portal. It was time they learned something more of it.

The witch swayed slowly as she began the ancient incantation. Words of power left her lips and she reached out to pierce the veil of time, seeking what lay hidden. Fey magic poured out from her to soak into the carved stone. She would know. They would no longer walk blind.

((OOC: Casts Legend Lore))

In the morning after hours of study and rest, Siréne wrapped herself in woolen cloaks and stood behind Ulthok. As the halfling slid the gems into place, she uttered the final word of another spell. The cold of death rushed in, but she pushed it away with the life giving warmth of the Goddess.

((OOC: Control Temperature, 10' - will be keeping it a moderate, cool temperature))

With the trap door leading to the 2nd level closed and the room's temperature once more bearable the group of eight relaxed. Clear it was to them to venture down its stairs meant finding a way or ways to stay heated. Lacking any real winter attire the only solution lay in magic and to that end a few spells were needed. The main one as agreed by all being that of the spell Endure.

With the party's clerics having no choice but to sleep and once more pray for new spells the eight spread out their bedrolls and started to rest themselves. Sirene wanting to gain more insight into the stone coffins before them took a moment and cast Legend Lore upon them. As she listened she gained nothing but a sense of old age, perhaps 70-100 years old. No threat of danger, no riddle of time, or a puzzle to solve, the creation of stone before her quiet. Moving back to her bedroll she joined the rest in slumber.

The period of resting quiet, even without a guard rotation set, the cleric's, mages, and the fighters found themselves all well rested and ready to start the journey downward. Casting the needed spells on one another and dressing as warmly as possible Ulthok gathered the two gems and approached the trap door.

The Halfling Mage/Thief once more placed the gems within the two key slots and turned them to the right to open.. Nothing... A quick turn back left and a second turn to the right once more came up empty, the trap door remaining in place...


(Ok my first post of the new year. I hope everyone had a great holiday and once again GAME ON!))

Peri watched as Ulthok seemed to become concerned and maybe even angry when the door did not open again. They had planned so well and this was such a disappointment.

Flying up closer to the stone structure something didn't seem correct. As she stared at the lines of the door she noticed that it just a slight bit crooked.

"Look here... the door didn't close completely. It's a bit ajar. Maybe it is a little stuck or something from slamming closed?"

She hoovered at the edge seam and tried to pull on it. "Well ..is someone going to help here?"

With healing spells cast to free up space for spells to survive the cold, C or prayed and rested. Now fully awake, the party once more watched the thief place the gems and then, nothing. Unsure what happened, Cor stood stil. Just then, Peri moved closer and announced that the door appeared stuck. "Well, lets git it unstuck. We have more than enough muscle in this group ta move that slab." Bracing for the expected blast of cold, Cor helped lift or slide the slab.

Siréne nodded in agreement with the dwarf. They needed to press on. She had expended many healing spells the night before to return her companions to full strength. After long hours of study and prayer she had replaced much of her stronger healings with magic to control the weather. It was necessary, but it still left them vulnerable.

"All, stay close to me," Siréne cried. "I will hold the cold at bay!"

As the others worked to free the door she summoned the magic of the Great Goddess to push the chill of death away."

((OOC: Control Temperature to a moderate temp. She should be able to bring it to somewhere near 40 or 50. Not sure if you counted the spell from the last posting - she's only casting it once. Will last for about 6 hours))

As they approached the door, Rayne cast Iron Vigil on herself. Hopefully, this spell would allow her to resist the effects of the cold without worry. When they did arrive, they found the door stuck, with the hinges damaged by the heat and cold. The party began to move to the door, and try to force it open.

Rayne joined them, despite not being the strongest. Even with her strength exceeding the average, the warriors were by far stronger than she was. If they ran out of room, she would move out of the way for one of the stronger party members. They only needed to open the door enough to fit through. If it came to it, Rayne did have some oil on her. This could be used to reduce the friction between the door and the floor to make moving it slightly easier.

Ulthok nearly chuckled when he heard Peri discover the door may be stuck.

"Ok, I'll lend a hand." His Gauntlets of Ogre Power would give the Halfling the additional strength to help the other party members move the door.

When the door was slid open enough for Ulthok to pass he quickly checked the entrance and the passage beyond for traps or triggers.

(If he finds it clear he'll signal the party to follow so the door can be replace to prevent the cold from freezing the tower. If he finds it unlit he will use his Wand of Illumination to light the passage.)

Lothor approached the crypt that held the passage to the arctic and looked carefully at the damage caused to the door. He wasn't overly worried about moving the broken door given his hill giant strength and Ulthok's ogre strength, but he did want to avoid breaking it. It might be handy to be able to shut the thing again - either to block passage or simply to shut out the cold. Was there still intense cold coming through the cracks? How would it move to open? Before doing anything he inspected how the door ought to have opened.

The goal was simple - open it without breaking it. Do so cautiously so nothing attacked him as he did so and try to make sure that the door didn't slam shut on them while they were down "there" - wherever "there" turned out to be. But try to make sure it was closable. And don't freeze while doing it. Or die. That was always a key goal.

He waited until a spell caster had been kind enough to give him some magical protection from the cold and then he and Ulthok approached the crypt. "Please make sure nothing nasty comes out of this thing while we open it" he said to the rest, knowing they were all already taking positions to do so. "Cor, could you grab a piece of that door - depending on how this opens we made need to put some sort of prop in to hold it open so it doesn't slam shut on us when we are under it." In addition to the spell, he wrapped himself in his bedroll, turned winter coat and made sure his hands were well covered. Then he and Ulthok moved to open the door.

(OOC: If there is no cold coming from the gap in the door he would probably do the same thing. If the door is still on hinges he will see if they are intact enough to hold it open. If it is removable it would depend on how big it is - if it can be moved ½ off and people could still get down (and up) he would leave it half on. More likely he would take it off entirely and gently lean it against the sides of the crypt.)

Aliya will keep on the alert for the door opening, readying the spell Polymorph Self to change into a creature that would live in such a cold climate if necessary (I'll pick something if need be, just trying to get this post out there lol)

The party having secured new spells directed at protection from the below freezing cold, had only to open the gate leading downward. With the aid of both Cor and Ulthok's Gauntlets of Ogre Power the task was easily completed.

With a sturdy brace set and the spell of Control Temperature cast by Sirene, the party made its way down into darkness. As they moved down the medium set of stars, the sheet of ice covering them took few by surprise. However Lothor, though aware of the ice beneath his feet, was still unlucky causing him to lose his footing and go sliding down the stairs taking all those in front of him down also. The next five minutes were a series of groans, falls and footing as those of the party attempted to regain their feet once more. Once more standing as steady as possible the party found themselves once more in a corridor of stone it's walls covered in ice. From the ceiling hung thick sharp icicles seemingly ready to fall to the floor spearing any unlucky to be beneath them. The floor, as the walls and stairs behind them, also covered in a thick sheet of ice.

As the party prepared to move out they found themselves in a bubble of warmth, Sirene's Control Temperature spell doing its job. Yet however with such a sudden Temp increase from -40 to 50 degrees caused the ice inside the bubble to slightly melt causing puddles of water then to freeze once more as the party passed. This rapid melting and freezing causing the corridor to quickly become coated in a wet/dry fog. Though not totally blind sight for the front few members was decreased to maybe two arms length ahead.

Moving at a slow speed, headed North, with the occasional party member slipping to his knees or elbows, the party after fifteen minutes of travel finally came to a doorway leading into a large cavern area 90x80. With the more open space the fog around them thinned and the party could see around them once more. To the East could be seen a large pool of water, as if a large bathtub built for a giant or Cyclops sized creature. To the surprise of the party this large pool was unfrozen, the water within gently lapping at the pools edges.

To the West they could see a large door, again sized as if to allow the passage of a giant sized creature, that unlike the ones above was made of iron and not rotted wood. Iron as everything around it coated in a heavy layer of ice covering handle and hinges. To each side of the door rested a single decorative stone pillar 7" high of some form of slender humanoid creature, perhaps female? The ice and icicles of the wall and around the door covering them distorting both pillars true shape and gender.

To the North another door like that to the West and again like the Western door pillars of stone, their shapes distorted. With the room empty but for a few ice covered pieces of giant & human sized furniture the party found themselves alone.

((Ok first real post of the New Year hope its get your interest back up. Ok as Sirene cast Temp Control and it was enough to protect you within its range I left the Endure spells alone. However if you still wanted them cast let me know and cast by whom and who received them. Ok next post, next Sunday the 29th and I hope this post gets us rolling again.))

"Well, lets take a look around and see what this room holds. Careful ta not touch anything that looks interesting" He looked at Ulthok as he said the last. "Once we get more information we can chose our next step" Cor moved towards the statues by the west door.

Casting Iron Vigil on herself, Rayne was able to increase the distance she could move. She wasn't concerned with Iron Vigil abruptly stopping, as it had a very long duration. Nevertheless, Iron Vigil was not help for the steam cloud caused by the Control temperature spell, or the slick surface caused by the melted water on top of ice. Aside from one fall down the stairs, they managed to make it towards the room in fairly good shape, save for pride.

Cor was the first one in, and Rayne followed suit. What intrigued her was the pool of water, unfrozen despite the cold. One would assume that in these temperatures, it would be a block of ice that would be spilling out of the pool, as ice was less dense than water, unless something changed that. Possibly magic or chemicals could keep it warm, or it may be heated. She moved towards the water, keeping an eye over her shoulder at the statues. They had already been ambushed once by statues in this tower, so it would be best to be cautious.

As Lothor moved down the hallway with the group he found the ice and fog frustrating. Good solid footing was critical when swinging heavy things and he didn't like the idea of not being able to keep his feet. He considered switching to his throwing hatchets, but stuck to the Demon axe. The hall widened a bit as the moved forward, eventually opening into a large room filled with - well, not really filled with much given its large size. But certainly it was noteworthy. Cold, yet not frozen.

Still, the first thing that caught his attention was the door, or rather the lack of one. Why was the tunnel to a crypt above the only entrance to a giant sized frozen bath that lacked a door. That did seem odd. But then, warm water in these conditions was odd also. And the doors, where they did exist, did not look like they had been opened in a long time. He wondered how long it would take ice to build up like that under these conditions? Ice required more than just cold, it required water - he glanced at the pool. Was it steaming?

He glanced at the others in the group - the pool was the most intriguing place in the room and felt like the obvious place to start. But in this case, he was just going to travel with the source of magical warmth. And so, wherever Sirene led, there the big warrior would go, keeping his eyes open, his feet hopefully steady and his axe in hand. He primarily was trying to keep his eyes open for sudden intruders coming from wherever - or the statues becoming active. Spell investigations were not his role.

The party finally reached the bottom of the stair and found a large room. The group was able to stay close to Sirene and her control of the temperature had kept them warm. But now Ulthok needed to explore and check the room.

Cor then spoke up."Well, lets take a look around and see what this room holds. Careful ta not touch anything that looks interesting" casting a looked at Ulthok as he said, "Once we get more information we can chose our next step"
"Well give one of those Endure Cold spells so I can leave Sirene's protective cocoon....Peri, you stay close the Sirene and anyone else wanting to explore have Cor or Rayne give you an Endure spell too."

(assuming Cor casts the spell..Ulthok will check the pool and the doors to see how they work. He'll check table and look for any traps in the room.)

Steam swirled around them as ice melted and froze beneath their feet. The Goddess' gift of warmth held true against the chill beyond. For that Siréne whispered a prayer of thanks.

There were many curiosity's in the room before them, but it was the pool of unfrozen water that drew the witch's eye. She did not trust it. The others, it seemed, shared her sentiments.

"Come my friends," Siréne intoned. "Let us begin our search with that uncanny pool."

Taking care not to outpace her companions, the enchantress glided across the room to stand before the pool. Raising a hand she spoke a word of power, testing the waters before her for any trace of magic.

((OOC: Detect Magic - will begin her focus on the pool and then anything else with a magic aura. She is not going to touch anything, especially not that pool.))