Vuzyl slept restlessly, he had 'slept'  for gods know how long now he just wanted to finish this so he could start to work out his own life, find out more than just a name.

Borimer tends to his weapons while watching the recovery of more items. Good, he thinks, we'll be needing all the help we can get.  Borimer speaks quietly with Kahan "Our gnome friends won't last much longer."

Kahan nods at Borimer's words, pulling out his magical ointment and giving the gnomes a dose. He will instruct them with hand gestures to ingest it, and if they don't understand or are hesitant he will ask Tahldar to explain to them that it should slow the poison and give them another day or so, hopefully.

OOC: Just for the record, I now have 9 doses left.

Tahldar speaks to the Gnomes in their native tongue that Kahan wishes to give them a dose of a healing agent in hopes of slowing the poison...

Shae takes the items gratefully, testing them out without draining any of their magic.  "What a nice surprise," she says, donning the antlered helm with a little bit of sarcasm pointed at its lack of style sense.  "At least now I can transform into more animals more often."

We should see what Evil has in store for us. Time and Curses wait for no man.

"Should we rest first, or do we not have time for that?" Shae is concerned for her companions and their poisoning, but would like to regain some spells before embarking on another dangerous journey.

"I think we should soldier on. If we have to use most of our spell resources for this test, we will be drained before we can find the dragon, and we cannot afford to keep resting, as much as I would like to," the priest responded, looking over his companions to see who was the most wounded.

Is everyone's HP correct?

So I assume you are waking up Vuzyl, who appears to have fallen asleep...?  :)

Leo pokes Vuzyl gently and adds, "Time to get this over with I am afraid." 

Vuzyl jumped up in one swift motion and fell in with the other ready for the next test.

OOC: Just 5 more minuets mum.

Borimer adjusts his breastplate and then eats some dry rations. He stands ready for more tests. "I agree, let's get to the next challenge." He looks above as though he could see the open sky. "I need to get outside again."

You gather your gear, lock the gnomes in the semicircular room, and head off to the last of the challenges, hoping your lack of rest will not have been a bad decision.

You get to another of those dragon doors, press the orb, and it rises.  As you step across the threshold, the cube lights up the last light, "EVIL," and you step into another room with a dragon pedestal.  In the maw of the dragon is a red ruby.

This room is circular, about 40 feet in diameter, and is unadorned.  The only exit appears to be the way you came in.

Kahan moves to the center of the room and, when the others are ready, he will grab the orb.

OOC: Did the ointment seem to have any effect on the Black Curse at all? Or are the gnomes still going to die tomorrow?

"Maybe we should cast some protection from evil spells on the non fighters in our group first?" Tahldar suggests, though he knows not the spell himself.

OOC: Borimer might still have stoneskin going on him.  There's no time limit on the spell.  It's good for 1d4 plus 4 attacks then it ends.

While the others talk and ready them selves Vuzyl searches the room for Secret Doors and Traps

Leo draws his blade and readies himself for that moment when the orb is grabbed.

Vuzyl checks around the room.  While not finding any secret doors or traps, he notices that the floor and wall are not connected.

Kahan grabs the ruby gem (not really an orb), and as he does so, the door behind you closes and the floor begins to turn and lower.  Grooves in the lower level of the wall spiral down.  After dropping about 30 feet, a doorway comes into view.  When the floor stops rotating downward, the doorway is directly in front of you (opposite to the door you entered).

The doorway leads to a descending set of natural stairs carved into the floor.  The air from the far passage is damp and moldy, very different from the dry, stale air of the temple above.

OOC: The ointment slows the process, giving them one extra day before the Black Curse takes hold.

Should Leo or myself take a look? Vuzyl asks everyone.

"I cannot cast a lasting protection spell on you, it is only temporary so it will have to wait until the evil is already present," Kahan remarks to Tahldar, looking down the stairs as he places the gem into his backpack. He will let whoever holds the light source go first and will gladly go in whichever place in the marching order the party wants him to go.

"I am happy to take a look...well, maybe not happy, but I will."  Leo winks and heads over to the door and takes a careful look down trying to be as roguish as possible.

queue the mission impossible music

Borimer waits for the light-footed folk to scout ahead, his hand on the hilt of the Godslayer.

Vuzyl follows Leo down the steps quality

Tahldar waits next to Borimer, not liking the change in dampness at all.

Vuzyl and Leo move silently down the stairs.  The air gets more muggy and hot as they descend into the darkness.

PM