Bromsby cautiously follows the golem who has resumed patrolling around the moat that traces the temple pyramid. Unconscious Theren has been thorn whipped out of the water. Haerelben boops Sehanine’s wound curative into Theren’s Lefty-stabilized nose. Meega studies the golem to learn its number of seasons and to quantify its well-being. Satisfied with the golem’s further disinterest, the party retreats to the Flametongue throne room for a badly needed snooze.
Lefty times a quick bath in the moat, avoiding the golem patrol, to remove the previous day’s gore splatter. The party explores a walkway north where a giant statue of Moradin stands at a crossroads of what was once a network of underground shops, now fallen into ruin. Haerelben ponders [critically failed arcana] a perpetually illuminating lantern the statue holds aloft. He gets a headache. Meega, eyeing discarded cultist garb and indications of bloody struggles, remains vigilant. Theren enters a long-abandoned jeweller’s shop and finds no valuables in the rubble. Something about the lantern continues to tickle Bromsby’s curiosity and he returns to examine the statue, much to Haerelben’s annoyance. Headached Haerelben, having thoroughly examined the statue and lantern already, dissuades the others from wasting any more time on it. Bromsby persists after encouragement from Meega.
Meega climbs up Moradin. Bromsby tosses Iron Oath up. Meega deftly breaks out the top crystal facet of the lantern exposing the brightly burning rock centered within the lantern by a spork. Lefty runs up Moradin to have a look for herself. Bromsby shifts to a giant bat and critically inspects the phenomenon. He squeaks excitedly, takes the temperature of the stone, and shifts back into a svirfneblin who cannot safely fly back to the floor.
Nearby shuffling is heard.
Meega retrieves the burning rock with her smith’s tongs. With Lefty’s help, Meega transfers the burning rock to her double gloved hand. The burning rock burns into the gloves. She transfers it into a cast iron pot she’s been lugging around. Haerelben, despite his disadvantageous headache, confirms the arcanic significance of the artifact, quite possibly one of the anticipated elemental foci.
Haerelben holds up the iron pot and dashes toward the shuffling noises to test the artifact’s channel of sacred flame. Lefty explores ahead and quickly locates an umber hulk. The radiant energy of sacred flame erupts into the umber hulk, but no differently than usual. Disappointed Haerelben returns the pot to Meega. Bromsby, using Iron Oath to make enough sand to extinguish the burning rock, maneuvers to erupt earth under the umber hulk. The umber hulk creates a zone of confusion. Lefty gets doubly confused and attacks the umber hulk. Theren, with perfect clarity, pours crossbow bolts into the umber hulk. The umber hulk burrows away.
The party gathers around the burning rock artifact to collaborate, but ultimately cannot reach a conclusion as to the nature of the item.