Ashlyn staggers as the blast hits her, but manages to retain her footing.  Zertin's words causes her to glance at Qvar, but as the priest determines to hold his ground, so does she.

Swinging her sword, the Lightbringer summons all her resolve, putting all her bodily might and the strength of her faith into the blow.

With no magic at his disposal, at least none that seems likely to harm the thing, Caesius follows the retreating party members.

If he can't do anything to injure their foe, he can at least try to bolster the spirits  of those who might be fearing for their lives, and their souls.  "Hold steady!  Faith and strength will prevail here!  Mark how Qvar's light burns the thing!"

Zertin launches another barrage of glowing orbs at the roiling mists, then leads the retreat down the hill, away from the horror, Violet dragging Ireena after him to safety while Caesius covers them, guarding the rear even as he tries to prevent fear from causing a headlong route.

Saeko holds her ground, not entering the fray, but poised to ward Ashlyn and Qvar should they choose to fleee, or be forced to.

The priest steps back a pace to steady himself, the armoured woman at his side as he challenges the cloud of tortured souls to set themselves against the power of Light.

The ghostly cloud rushes forwards, mouths of the trapped souls therein open wide in a silent scream, attempting to consume the pair, to incorporate them into its own insubstantial form ...

... but just as it falls upon them, Qvar raises his hand, as if to push it back, summoning the power of Pelor in a surge of radiance that envelops the cloud, rending the darkness and destroying it utterly, the screams of the dead now made real as finally they are freed, Ashlyn's blade passing through naught but empty air.

Silence falls on the hilltop as the winds whipped up by the creature's passing die down and the dust settles.

"Woo!"  Qvar hugs Ashlyn then steps back and grins at Saeko.  He pats down his ectoplasmically spiked hair, laughing, then calls to his friends gathered safely down the hill.  "We did it!  You did it, Zed!  They're gone, and us not with them, may they now rest in peace.  And Pelor assures me there are no others like them in the ruin.  Let us search!"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:11, Mon 17 May 2021.

Zertin breathes a sigh of relief when Ashlyn and Qvar's heroics don't prove suicidal after all. He grins back at Qvar as he climbs back up the hill to the ruins once more.

On the way he seeks out Violet to ask her a delicate question or two.

"V, do you have any skill with the use of magical devices, by any chance? We found a wand of magic missiles earlier and discovered the command word but as I can only use one at a time it is not being used at all yet. It is not quite as potent as my wand but it would be a good weapon to have available in situations like this, if you are able to use it at all."

Caesius's stirring words touch Violet, but the rushing advance of the cloud almost breaks her; her stomach clenches, her knees melt to water, and it's possible that it takes both the knight's support and the paralysis of fear to keep her in place long enough to witness its ultimate fate: dispersed by the brilliant display of Qvar's holy might.

And it's over.

The weakness, however, is not; Violet sags in place, knees clicking together to hold her on her feet.  For an instant her eyes close - but only an instant, and they snap open again, darting left and right, on the hunt for further preternatural threats.  Qvar's assurances fall upon deaf ears; her spine and gut have learned there is no safety in this grey-gloomy land of fog.

But she does hear his request, and with a weary sigh, pulls herself upright.  "Stay strong," Violet whispers to Ireena (and in part, one might expect, to herself).  "And stay close to one of us."  A grimace twists her lips for an instant.  "Qvar would be your best choice."  Wincing in anticipation of further horrors, she slowly pads forward to take the van of the group, eyes flicking over the ruin before them.  "I...I shall search; if others do, be wary of surprises others may have left."

Then Zertin moves to inquire.

For an instant, Violet almost takes offence.  Her?  Have familiarity with the use of the devil's trappings?  But the question is an honest one, from as honest a sorcerer as Violet has ever thought to encounter.  So she only eyes the thin stick with trepidation, then shakes her head.  "I beg pardon, but no.  I have...no such skill."  Her smile is a more of a twitched grimace, but she makes the attempt for politeness's sake.  "But thank you."

"...oh, and Praise Pelor!  You helped too."  Qvar adds hastily with a sheepish glance skyward.  He musses Zertin's hair when he reaches the ruin.

Violet's advice seems good, though Caesius doubts that the woman is thinking of precisely the same sorts of surprises as he is.

There is no rest yet.  Not while they are in this accursed Barovia, where every moment shows them new horrors.

Qvar assures them that there are no further undead in the area, at least.  The paladin walks forward into the ruin, scowling.  "The place reeks of blasphemy." he growls.

It isn't immediately clear if he speaks of Barovia, in general, or this specific portion of the land.

He starts to search, turning towards the right, where the remains of the structure seem to hold promise.

The young woman cradles the Phylactery in her hands, managing a small smile as Violet offers words of comfort.

"Thank you," Ireena tells Violet, quietly, "you saved me."

She looks down at the holy object she holds. "I think your gift helped too.  More than my blade might have.  It seems there is a yawning chasm between knowing how to use a sword and being able to when fear takes full hold."

"I shall do better next time," she resolves, following after Violet, if with more determination than confidence.

"May I return the favour ?" Ashlyn smiles at Qvar, moving more freely now after that gods-touched hug.

"Aye," the armoured woman voices her agreement with the assessment of Caesius.  "If such a horror as that can abide here then whatever powers of good once warded this place must linger no more.  Yet perhaps this day we took a step towards reclaiming it for the Light."

"Perhaps that thing consumed the witches that this hill is named for ?" she suggests, optimistically, even as she joins the search of the ruins, electing to examine the circle that Violet pointed out.

Rain begins to fall as the storm-front reaches Lysaga Hill, though with the foe vanquished it now seems more cleansing than threatening as you comb through the ruins.

Zertin and Qvar keep watch while Ashlyn inspects the stone circle, the armoured woman confirming that it seems to be a sacred circle, though of questionable efficacy as the engravings that mark it are weathered and damaged.

Caesius searches inside the remains of the building to the east, by luck his choice protecting him somewhat from the chill wind that accompanies the rain, and luck again when he finds a glass lens, miraculously intact, a metal rim about the glass covered with symbols that he recognises as holy.

Violet, with Ireena at her heels and Saeko watching over them both, works her way around the perimeter of the tower, her keen eyes finally alighting upon a wooden trapdoor, mostly buried beneath the rubble, but swiftly cleared ... a more mundane discovery than the others, but perhaps the most important.

Surprisingly the trapdoor opens easily to reveal a ladder stretching down into darkness through a narrow shaft in the rock.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Violet can't exactly disagree with Caesius, regarding the blasphemy; he may be a heathen, but clearly the warrior knows his light from dark.  With a swift, silent nod of agreement, she moves into the ruins, slowly searching hidden objects and dangers.  "I merely dragged you a touch further out of danger," she murmurs in reply to Ireena.  "T'was Qvar and the others who...ended the devil's spawn."  A pause, and she looks back to face the other woman.  "Training is good, but we all get what we train for," Violet slowly begins.  "And the best training for fighting is to fight."  Now her lips shift to a thoughtful moue.  "Sadly, that often leaves one unable to fight again, and un-dead specters are poor partners for any beginner.  No shame; they're beyond me, as well."

A sigh follows.  "I'm glad that the gift was helpful.  I wish it weren't needed, but...please don't be quick to try to 'do better'.  'Better' is 'alive', and I'd say you did well enough at that."

And then, the young woman discovers the trap door.

With a faint sigh, she squats at its rim, looking down.  "Well," Violet finally whispers, "I think we may have found our next challenge."  It should sound wry, but the effect is spoiled somewhat by the quaver in her voice.  Casting about, the young woman catches up a chunk of old wood; after a few moments of search, she removes a small, steel flask of lamp-oil from her pack.  A few sprinkles of the oil goes on the wood, which she then lights.  A grimace twists her sharp features for a moment, then the quiet woman tosses the burning wood down the shaft, leaning over to mark its passage.

And eventual terminus.

Zertin had a look over the sacred circle and the lens that Caesius found.

He offered to detect magic on the lens and if Caesius wants to take him up on that offer he will use his wand to cast Detect Magic.

Eventually he joins Violet and friends at the trapdoor.

"Thank you."  He beams at Ashlyn when she offers to heal him in return.

Qvar too peers down the trapdoor.  "Oooo!  Missed him by this much."  He grins at Violet, holding hands apart to show about one foot.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:59, Fri 28 May 2021.

Caesius studies the lens, turning it to examine the symbols around the metal rim.  Something about them seems almost to spark some recognition, and he wracks his memory for something, anything, that might cause that sense of familiarity. 

Finaly he holds the object out for Zertin to examine, but still his mind searches for the meaning of the symbols, and of the item itself.

Zertin examines the symbols around the rim of the lens to see whether he can decipher their meaning or recognise them at all from his various previous studies. Then he casts detect magic from his wand to determine whether the lens is actually enchanted or not.

Using this peaceful interlude, Qvar casts Bless on his companions, just quietly "By the Light."  Not much light here on this gloomy hilltop, but enough.  The Sun is always there, just above the clouds.

Calling on Lythander, Ashlyn touches her hand to Qvar's shoulder, infusing the Cleric with the healing grace of their god (though both know him by different names), while he in turn calls upon Pelor's blessing upon all of you. 

Meantime Zertin and Caesius examine the lens that the paladin has found. The wizard's spell confirms that the item contains a faint trace of magic from the Divination school, and Caesius recognises the symbols engraved upon it as the same as those he has seen inscribed upon priestly scrolls upon which are writ spells of undead detection.

Violet offers Ireena words of advice and comfort as she considers what lies beneath the opening she has uncovered, throwing down a lit brand to discover that there is solid ground about fifty feet below ... and that the ladder is anchored to the wall and seems reasonably intact.

The makeshift torch burns away undisturbed, revealing no sign of any creature within range of the light it provides.

Pursing her lips, Violet considers options.  They are few.  Finally she shrugs, glancing around to ensure others are decently prepared.  They aren't, not just yet, so she waits.  "Will need to go down," the young woman murmurs.  "Slowly - can't go down without light."  It's a ladder; ten feet would be manageable, but fifty will require both her hands, which means a lamp attached to her backpack.

Which leaves the potential for sloshing oil from the lamp; not palatable.

Thus, a slow descent.

With a small shrug, she accepts the fact that it is her place to go down first.  She might not be the most heavily armored, but she has the best chance to hear if something lies in wait, and in a mad scramble to leave the shaft via the ladder, Violet would bet on herself to arrive at the top before any other in the group.

Hearing Violet's comment about the need for light, Zertin walked over to peer down the shaft as well.

"I can provide light that will last for at least an hour, if you will allow me to enchant an item to glow for you. No flame, no heat, just light bright enough to illuminate out to 20 feet from the light source. It can be anything you wish to use as a light source - whether it is something you want to carry, or something you can wear so your hands remain free, or something you can throw ahead of you, or anything else at all," he offered.

Qvar nods encouragingly at Violet's bravery and at Zertin's suggestion.  "I can offer a little more Protection on behalf of Pelor." He holds our his hand to touch Violet's arm if she agrees.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:51, Sat 12 June 2021.

"I shall be right behind you," Ashlyn avows to Violet, appreciating that the young woman's caution is more appropriate here than her own forthright approach.

The armoured woman nods to Saeko, with that committing her to ward Ireena.

Moving towards the edge of the pit, Caesius turns the glass in his hands.  His fingers trace the outlines of some of the markings, as he studies the device curiously.

Finally he stands on the rim of the opening and, raising the lens before one eye, he peers into the depths.

Violet winces at the thought of taking Zertin's sorcerous light with her.  But...  If he speaks truth - and he seems proud enough of his magery not to lie about it - it is naught but light.  And carrying the devil's light for a short time seems likely a touch safer than burning oil and a ladder. She glances around herself.

And I am already in hell.

Qvar's blessing, heathen that it is, concerns her far less and would be more welcome; she has seen the light he carries and how it burns the Un-Dead.  A pity the blessing will not grant her that light as well.  "Very well," Violet finally decides.  Pulling out a single arrow, she offers it to Zertin.  "I will...accept this gift."

Politeness costs nothing, after all.

"And yours as well,"the young woman continues, with a bow for Qvar.  But her eyes shadow slightly as she turns to Ashlyn.  "Perhaps not...'right' behind me," Violet suggests.  "If I need to climb the ladder to escape what lies below, it might be good to give me room to do so."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:52, Tue 15 June 2021.

Zertin smiles and takes the arrow that Violet offers. He plucks a tiny speck of something that glows faintly from one of the pouches on his belt and briefly shows it to Violet.

"Phosphorescent moss is one of the items we can use to help focus the magic for a Light spell," he explains. "Fireflies are another option, if they are available."

He gently rubs the arrow with the faintly luminescent moss as he intones a brief incantation, then hands the glowing arrow back to Violet.