Three strong, padlocked chains secure the prominently central sarcophagus, either because the contents are too valuable, or the contents are too dangerous for nosey adventurers. Nosey adventurer Watc detects residual magic around the chains, but nothing compared to the rich emanation of abjuration magic beneath her feet. Ten-blessed Sqyylarr and Barika muscle the chains off in a totally noncompetitive way that Barika totally wins. They ease the heavy stone lid off the final resting place of some stone stairs proceeding downward.
Barika leads the party down into a plush little office with a desk and a few chairs. Stone etchings adorn the north and south walls. Sqyylarr reads a helpful note on the desk: One door to knowledge, One door to power, My name holds the key.
Ander speculates one chair might represent knowledge and another power but finds they both represent only a comfortable seating position. Ten finds a list of curated books in the desk and notices a possible Ulrozax acrostic among the highly amusing titles.
Ash, drawn to the conspicuously under-utilized wall behind the desk, locates the hidden latch that opens a secret panel concealing a bookshelf. Ten helps Sqyylarr with her letterin’ as she and Barika pull the seven Ulrozax books partially out where they lock into place and glow affirmingly. The north etching, attracting Watc with a beacon of detected magic, begins to shimmer portal-like.
Ten and Ash unflinchingly reconnoiter through the shimmering portal and find a heavy, rich curtain between them and an elaborately plush conference room where six spectral attendees convene around a table of documents. Barika, afraid of no ghosts, steps through the doorway which sets off an alarm as well as a personal announcement welcoming her to her death. Barika dodges.
Ander ballistas a specter back on the table and scorches the spectral team-leading wraith. The specters mob Ander who seems impossibly immune to their life draining attempts. They pivot to Barika without much improvement. Ten summons a spiritual weapon and utters some words of radiance that prove fatal to one specter. Barika and Sqyylarr crash into the specters with supporting artillery from Ander and Ash. Ten radiates words and his spiritual weapon claims the final, fatal strike on the wraith leader.
The documents central to the undead meeting seem to be correspondence from field agents concerned with optimizing access to the astral sea, uncoincidentally also the purpose of the sapphire-activated astral throne.
The next room through the western door is a library containing an apparently domestic cat, to which Barika runs, and a fine collection of books, to which Ander runs. The cat remains on a chair studying the history of smells on Sqyylarr’s well-travelled fingers. The books go into Ander’s extra-dimensional storage for later study.
Ash’s interest focuses on the pair of henceforth unnoticed war mages observing the obnoxiously bold intruders from a sitting room to the south. Ash greets them optimistically. The diplomatic outreach is rebuked by firebolt. Ash rebuts with a fatal, pushing, sneaking, vicious arrow.
For the second war mage, Ten tries diplomacy the other way around, starting with a death toll and a ridiculously debilitating harm spell and ending with a demand for surrender. A fireball is the war mage’s answer to the proposed surrender, so Sqyylarr blinds him. The war mage’s final words before Barika chops him down are, I R BLYND which must be the name of his supervisor or something.
Watc collects the cat with a mizziumed finding of familiar. The cat supposes its name is Steve, but Watc recalls recently being boiled by a dragon turtle of similar name and instead settles on Honorable Taco-Cat Not-Steve Duke of Cuddles.
