Twiggy went through the bodies making small piles of of goods off of each body, he hoped to find some types of letters or notes about the dragon cult.  Chuckling at Byron "I think I am, not much to my liking but I am sure you will like spending the gold on ale and women just as much as me. I was hoping for some type of Dragon Cult notes or items that could guide us but noting yet.  Here, let me give you a hand making making the pyre. "  the halfling then began pulling closer bodies together and when he couldnt pull the heavier ones he began gathering wood.

Twiggy, I'm not going to spend the gold on women.  I'm just going to spend it on ale preferably some good drawven ale if I can find it.  Looking at Myarra and Kali, and teasing them some in good fun.  I'm sure I might buy some good elven wine for Aliana and Amara if that is what they like to drink.

No, I have a strange feeling about this place now. These doors haven't been opened in a long time and undead may be a somewhat common encounter in this haunted place, but I want to make sure our way is open if we need to travel these halls in the future. Finding poor souls and taking their valuables, but leaving them until we have time to bury them is not acceptable this time. I will have the golem dig holes outside and we will give all of them a proper burial, even if some of them are cultists or undead.

With that said, Nolan casts a spell: Tenser's Floating Disk

Anyone who wants to help me load the bodies, please place them on here and follow me outside. Those of you who wish to continue to look for the Balance Stone, be careful.

I help by putting the bodies in the spot indicated by Nolan.

Kali nods at the support of Byron and Nolan and starts loading up bodies on the disk with a slight sniff. For the first time in the whole trip, you see no nervousness or tension about her surroundings....just a calm focus. Kali looks at Byron with a slight smile....the man was a suprise to her, and though she had fun picking on him, she did like the man.

Nolan, on the other hand, was a mystery to the girl. He was smart, but seemed distant at times.

Kali shrugged away the thoughts as she done the grizzly work

While this happens, the panther slowly pads the hallway, clearly anxious...sneaking some looks at Kali.

....and Byron.

Without a word, Roen helps load the bodies upon the magical disc. He didn't know what a "Balance Stone" was and figured that the stone wasn't going anywhere and could wait until the poor souls who died here got a proper burial.

Lennox frowns, but doesn't say another word. Once he's able to, he rises and moves away from the noxious smell.

Twiggy now helps drag the bodies to the disc not complaining about bringing the bodies to open air"So Byron, you are not going to spend your gold on women, but you will buy Kali and Myarra drinks with gold though. Ummmm, you do realize they are women right? I know you are older but if you would like me to have the talk with you about what makes a person a man or woman, I can. The birds and the bees lesson is very important in a mans life.   The halfling really hopes he has a good sense of humor as he picks on the large fighter since he can easily be ripped in two by him.  It is nice to joke and talk as the sight and smell is horrid. Lennox may have the right idea but Twiggy works on.

"I'm going to like this group." Roen said with a chuckle

"We have plane touched people," pointing to himself, Myarra and Lennox

"Several humans, a couple elf maidens and a Halfling. I'll bet if we tried to walk into a town, we wouldn't get past the front gates!" Roen laughed as he loaded bodies upon the magical disc

Byron chuckles at Twiggy.  Ling, I think you need your hearing checked.  I know a lot more about the birds and the bees than you think from growing up on a farm.

I smile at the big panther as I see him watching over Kali and me and whisper to him.  Easy big guy, I won't do anything to hurt Kali.  She's a really good girl.

Once all the bodies are properly searched, Myarra helps the others load them up.

"Among my people, the dead are treated somewhat differently.  Old age, injuries, and illness each took their share.  So after the rites were spoken, the bodies were taken away and stripped of their flesh, which was fed to the sand lizards.  And the bones were powdered and released into the next sand storm.  After a minimum of one year, the lizards were slain and a banquet held so that the spirits of the dead could find a home among the tribe, and our ancestors would always continue to live with us and provide us with wisdom and protection.

The idea of burying dead made no sense, the wind would just bring them back.  And we had very little wood, so burning them would have been impossible."

She looks over the now much larger group.  Roenthelm was right that they were quite diverse.  But she felt that was only for the good, as long as their opinions weren't too unwavering.  She'd met a paladin once.  Nice woman, but totally inflexible when it came to dealing with other people's property.

"But given that we don't know any of these people, and burying them would take far too long, I would think that a funeral pyre would be the best way to go.  We're highly unlikely to set the forest on fire."

Sister Aliana nodded, though with some reluctance, to Myarra.
"I have no problem working a shovel to help out the dead, but you're probably right.  A pyre is more practical, especially with the possibility of more undead in the works. "

The bodies are stripped of their valuables and loaded upon the magical disc for transport outside. Instead of digging holes, which would take quite a bit of time, a funeral pyre seemed to be the best bet to dispose of the bodies. When the first disc of bodies is unloaded outside, firewood is easily collected to build a pyre. While that is happening, the rest of the bodies are collected from down below.

Two things happen.

One. While collecting firewood from around the ruins of Lyran's Hold, party members find the waystone to this area. There is also a spinning stone on a pedestal near it that is being impeded by a large oak tree. Over unknown decades, a tree grew up and impeded this stone from spinning smoothly. Tree and rock are fighting and rock is currently winning. You have found a Stone of Balance.

Two. After the last of the bodies were unloaded outside and the Golem was taken back to it's place to guard the hallway, party members come back to go up the long flight of stairs, but something strange happens. The Wall of Water at the "T" intersection next to the Wall of Fire lowers, revealing a room inside with a pedestal holding a beautiful, fist-sized, blue Sapphire gem.

You all meet at the entrance to the ruins to discuss your discoveries.

Main Game Map is updated

In reply to Big Boss (msg # 40):

Looking at the tree and stone of balance.

OOC: How badly is the tree impeding the stone of balance?  Can we restore the spinning stone of balance to spin freely without destroying the tree?

Turning to look at Kali.
Kali?  Can you use the same spell on this tree that you tried on the door inside?  I don't want to cut the tree down if we can just sort of move it out of the way of the stone.  Allowing it to spin freely should help with stabilizing the way stones.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:17, Mon 31 Oct 2016.

Twiggy saw everyones interest in the stone and had to ask "So what is it these things do?"

They keep the magic in balance so the waystones don't malfunction. But, I'm wondering why the wall of water in the ruins dropped to reveal a gleaming gem on a pedestal? I detected no magic in the area anymore, except for the pedestal. That just screams trap to me.

Twiggy nods "It does, but that is why you have a pet golem to go in after things like that.  If not I can give it a try and get that gem.  It has been decades since I have put my skills to the test."

In reply to Twiggy Flinch (msg # 44):

Remember what happened the last time you put your "skills" to the test.  Deliberately being sarcastic over the word skills.

Amara decided not to speak about what was done with the dead - or rather, usually the dying - in her culture. It was closer to Myarra's culture - but with a lot more screaming, usually.

She was chagrined to find the stone of balance outside while collecting deadwood for a fire. She had not helped with the bodies, but she did help with the wood gathering. She turned to Kalliyan, but Byron had already asked her if she could do anything, so there was little more that would be of use for Amara to add. So she didn't. Instead she looked closely at the tree and rock, wondering if some of the magic of the stone might have been transferred to the tree from their long-standing relationship.

She went with the others to see what else there was to see in the Hold, although really, they had now found the object for which they were searching. "So you see no magic on the gem itself? What kind on the pedestal?" Amara asked Nolan. She could look herself easily, but why cast a spell when someone else had?

Kali looked at the tree, biting her lip slightly as she looks at it with a slightly turned head. At Byron's question, she places a hand on her hip. "Until I try, I can't truely answer, but in theory....yes, it would work. The tree is natural, so should work, but I don't know how the stone has altered things..." She left the question hanging as Raieylan padded over to the Druid. Kali absently scratched his neck as she looked at it. She turns to the others. "If you want me to try, I will."

As to the wall of water, she listens to Nolan with a smile. "That gem, to be in there alone would have some value would be significant...and I don't mean gold. If it's trapped, even more so." She looks back to the room. "As to radiating magic, it is possible to hide that as you know. If you feel your going to try for it, either wait for all of us or be sure your prepared. I myself would like to get the stone first"

In reply to Kalliyan (msg # 47):

I guess trying is going to be the best way to find the proper solution to the issue with the stone and tree then.  I wonder what other effects a free spinning stone would have on the immediate area. Byron says more to himself than Kali.

A bit out of her depth, Sister Aliana waited for a chance to help as she and her friends worked out what was happening

"A stone like that would go a long way to helping the poor in town that can't adventure like us. Does anyone have any clue who it might belong to?"

Twiggy sticks his tongue out at Byron questioning his "skills" and tries to pay attention to the tree and stone. When questioned who the gem belongs to the halfling just muttered "Us"

A gem like that is used for something other than spending. I'm sure we'll get enough coin from the equipment we stripped off the dead bodies. I'm just trying to figure out why the pedestal was radiating necromancy. I'm wondering if that's where the undead came from?

As for the stone being hindered by the tree branch, well, I'll leave that up to Kalliyan. Normally, I'd just say cut down the tree, but I have a feeling that's not an option now.