Kahan moves up towards the ghost and points to the screen, bowing in apology to the gnome before casting a spell.

Kahan begins casting a spell.

OOC: The spell description is not clear, but I will allow you to cast this on Flint if you want, since Flint now understands Gnomish for a short time.  I don't think Kahan speaks Gnomish.  Typically, this spell is also cast on a corpse, not on a ghost itself, but I think this warrants an adjustment, so I will treat it like a spell at your level.  This means you (or Flint) may ask the ghost 3 questions.  It will not allow you to perceive his talking otherwise, as you will see when the spell takes effect, not while in the material plane anyway.

Yes, Kahan would realize the spell does not cross language barriers and would cast it on Flint and the skeleton in the corner.

So Flint can ask three questions.  Technically, the questions are being directed to the skeleton, not the ghost, even though the ghost belongs to the skeleton.

I will proceed tomorrow with the questions Flint proposed unless someone else says otherwise.

Flint asks, "Can you tell us how to operate the Ark to take us to Allevia?"

The corpse's dead voice responds in Gnomish, which Flint translates while he still can:  "The Time Ark cannot work properly with the Venue Ark unless both gems are in place.  I never had both gems and could never get it working again, else I would have escaped this prison after the curse."

The ghost of the gnome, in hearing his own voice as if out of nowhere, stops his ravings, confused, and looks around for the location of the disembodied voice -- which is his own voice but which is not coming from his incorporeal mouth.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:03, Thu 20 Sept 2012.

"Of course we don't know where the other gem is, either, except 'in the future'." Kahan responds, shaking his head a little. He looked at Flint, expecting him to have another question to ask.

Turning to Kahan, Flint comments "Yeah, notice he didn't exactly answer my question though...we already knew that two gems were missing and that it wouldn't work without them...but if we find the gems how do we work it?  Should I ask him that or something else?"

As continuing an answer to the previous question, the voice responds, "The numbers must align to the place and time you want to go.  Then you touch the Time Ark to travel through time or enter the Venue Ark to travel through time and space.  Or so the scholars say."

OOC: I'm not sure what more you were trying to get out of him with your first question.

Flint asks, "We know where the Time Ark is, but where is the control room for the Venue Ark?"

The incorporeal voice states, as translated by Flint, "Control room?  What a strange word.  This temple was erected to send men to all places and times. The Time Ark was perfected first, and the Venue Ark was built into the center of the temple.  The crystal focus rooms transfer the energy into the room, and the glowing sphere will transport any who walk through it to the place of the numbers.  It is a room of strange proportions, and the gods cursed us for our hubris by sending the temple into ruins.  But the codes were brought to us by a man from the future.  We wrote them and put them in our library.  His name was Azaron Ashe.  Most of our order used the Venue Ark, never to return.  But then the gems were gone, and Azaron Ashe disappeared -- taking them with him, I presume -- and we were cursed by the gods, and never found the gems again."

The voice seems to wait.  You have one more question.

The ghost is paused, listening to his own voice in sadness.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:04, Thu 20 Sept 2012.

OOC: Ok, some of you may not like this, but I feel it is in character with a Lawful Good character....so I'm going to abscond with the last question.

Bowing to the gnome, Flint says "Thank you Master Gnome for your answers.  We will try to make use of them as best we can.  For my final question, I would ask if there is something we can do for you or your remains so that you may rejoin your kind in the afterlife?"

"Burn them," he says.  "It is our way."

Hearing his own voice say this, the ghost seems to go berserk, curling its claws into hands as if to attack the nearest people (Kahan and Flint).

"Borimer, please take care of this ghost before he attacks us." Kahan states, sounding a little worried. He wasn't a fan of undead, especially the kind that had just killed his friend. Drawing his mace, he prepares to strike should the ghost move towards them.

Harak had been standing silent and hidden amongst the shadows, but his form suddenly comes into view in the corner of the room as he stops to pull a torch from his pack. "I say we burn the corpse and its cloak like it told us to do."  He is also pulling flint and tinder to strike aq fire to the torch, and he is pouring oil from a vial over the torch.

"Just get to it then. Hopefully if you burn the corpse the ghost will go with it." Kahan replies, nodding, eyeing the ghost carefully.

Borimer moves as soon as Kahan voices his concern and attacks the apparition with two quick swipes of his longsword.

Harak quickly gets the fire set and sends the sparks and flame onto the cloak over the bones, which instantly ignite.

The ghost attacks Flint, but Flint dodges out of the way just in time.  It also reaches out to strike Kahan, who also steps out of the way and returns the attack.

Borimer steps into the small room and swings twice, hitting the ghost.

Between Borimer's swings, Kahan's Mace of Disruption, and Harak's flames, the ghost vanishes.

You now have a flaming pile of robes quickly filling the small 10 foot by 10 foot room up with smoke.

Those in the room (Harak, Flint, Kahan, Borimer) begin to cough from the smoke.

Borimer begins stomping out the flames with his armored boots while softly cursing in Allevian.

Kahan quickly steps out of the room, preparing to close the door once the others are out. "The flames won't be able to spread once the air supply is cut off." he states, motioning for the others to follow, in between coughs.

Borimer stomps his way back out of the smoky room.

Flint follows the others out of the room but remarks "Let's make sure the door remains unlocked...I have an idea for using the other golem if it's still in working condition"

"So we're just going to let that room burn? Fine then, but what about the door on the other side? I didn't get a chance to look at it or open it up. For that matter, where should be go now? South? West? Flint? Kahan?

"Well we need to let the fire burn itself out...unless you want to choke to death on the smoke?" Flint coughs as if to emphasize the point. "I'd like to investigate it further as well, but we don't have much choice right now.  In the mean time we can check these other doors...." Flint indicates the other two doors in this hallway

"One's as good as another I suppose."

Borimer listens at the west door and, if nothing untoward is heard, opens it.

"If you think it will help, I can create a large volume of water. I have no idea how that will react with the other things in the room, though." Kahan mentions.

"No, what's done is done." Flint points out that Borimer is already on the move.  "Let's just follow Borimer's lead....by the time we get back here hopefully the fire will be out...it's just some bones and some old clothing...hopefully it won't burn too long." Flint moves to back up Borimer at the west door