Cole continues his course toward the fishman and his companions.

Seline would remain vigilant while Stachys finishes off Tetra Min ready to jump in and attack with her dagger in the event it looks like Tetra Min is waking up or going to fight back.

Anthony, meanwhile, works diligently with Gloop Loop to close the portal. Nothing was going to distract him now, partly because he finally had something magical worth his attention and partly because of his increasing awareness of the danger of this thing flooding the world...

Poor Tetra Min is definitely dead.  His gills flap no more.  His blinded eyes stare blankly into the Great Abyss.  He's bad sushi.

We have a nice break in the action.  The party can take whatever actions it wants while the ritual is completed.  Stachys is able to find the trident, although it takes a while groping in the water to locate it.

Is there anything else anyone would like to do while the ritual is going on?

If it would help, Elwood prays a lot.

Winded and frustrated, Cole skitters to his compatriot's sides, hopefully, finally reaching them.  "I may be in need of some healing..." Cole says as he tries to catch his breath.

Looking to Stachys after he finds the trident, "Shall we start opening the doors and try to allow more space for the water to go?"

The water is now waist deep in the corridor.

"Yes, let's get back to finding a drain.". Stachys agrees, hefts the trident and starts back down the corridor with Seline.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:15, Wed 22 Aug 2018.

Anthony focuses on naught but the ritual, completely enrapt in the magic moment!

Traveling with Stachys Seline heads to the first closed door that she remembers to open it up.

While half the party works its way toward a closed door in hopes of opening it to increase drainage of the flood waters, Elwood and Anthony continue the ritual with Gloop Loop.  The wizard and cleric's chanting and the fishman's tinkering with the electricity-covered portal seems to be having an effect.  The electricity is beginning to die down so that poor Gloop Loop only jerks his hands back in pain every 10-15 seconds instead of every 2-3 seconds.  The torrent of water coming from the portal begins to shoot out in explosive pulses instead of continuously.  The same volume of water is still coming out overall, but it is coming in more powerful bursts with maybe a half second pause in between.  The bursts of water are thunderous and echo deafeningly throughout the corridor and the pulses of water spray out even father than they did before.  The PCs down the corridor suddenly find the spray ending right behind them as they march west.

Gloop Loop turns to Elwood and Anthony.  "All right.  We're just about done.  To make this work, we're going to need your blood."  He pulls out a long and wicked looking curved dagger.  Disturbing runes are etched along its blade (you're not sure what they say, but you have the traditional sense of massacred innocents and violated maidens).  "Cut the palms of your hands, wipe the blood on each other's chests, then on my forehead, and then on the portal itself.  I'll jump through and finish from the other side."

Gloop Loop offers Elwood and Anthony the dagger.

Anthony turns a bit green, but complies, cutting each hand so it bleeds. He makes a little noise as he does. He then wipes his blood on Elwood's chest, then on Gloop Loop's forehead, then on the portal. "Fare you well, Gloop Loop. We will make sure you are remembered in our world."

When she finds a door, Dreya will heave herself against it with all hrr might to open it up.  There must be a door somewhere that swings out and not in...right?  Dashing water from her eyes, she continues on her plan.  "Stupid tomb full of stupid water and no stupid treasure at the end of it all..." Dreya mutters while slogging through rising water.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:50, Fri 24 Aug 2018.

The door at the end of the corridor to the west is the only door you have tried to open at this point.  The water at that end of the hallway is ceiling high now.  Trying to open that door will be extremely difficult.  On the other hand, it looks like the ritual is nearly complete.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:44, Fri 24 Aug 2018.

Elwood's initial gut reaction to the dagger and Gloop Loop's request is one of apprehension and misgiving.  However, he doesn't see any alternative to shutting down the portal.  He takes the dagger from Anthony, uses the dagger to draw his own blood, then smears it across Anthony's chest, Gloop Loop's forehead, then on the portal.  Once done, he nods to Gloop Loop.  "I hope I haven't misplaced my faith in you.  Please proceed with turning this infernal portal off."  Unless prompted, Elwood will surreptitiously keep the dagger, with plans on having it destroyed later on.  As soon as Gloop Loop leaves, he will prepare to battle anything that may come out of the portal.

Gloop Loop nods to Elwood and Anthony.  "I will now return to my world and disengage the portal.  Your world will not flood.  Be well, air breathers."

The fishman walks behind the portal and prepares to launch himself through the back of it.  He hesitates a moment, then looks at Elwood and says, "Oh, yes.  Keep the dagger."  He grins and launches himself through the back of the portal, disappearing as he does so.

After only a few seconds, the water coming from the portal abruptly stops.  The electricity coursing over the portal stops as well, but the portal's rim begins to glow a bright bluish green.

Now that the gushing waters are no longer pushing everything to the west, water begins to flow back into the portal room.  You can also feel a shift in the air.  A breeze begins to blow into the room from the west.  You also notice that water appears to be flowing back into the portal!  The flow of water increases rapidly until, after a few seconds, water is being sucked back into the portal at almost the same rate it came out for the last few minutes.  The floor of the portal room is dry before you know it and a reverse geyser of water shoots from the corridor into the portal with a rushing roar.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
12:22, Today: Castle Keeper, for the NPC GM, rolled 2 using 1d6.  Die of Fate.

---

Anthony stands by the portal, out of the way of the reverse geyser, beaming. He tries to say something above the roaring, but it's lost in the sound. He has that "kid in a candy shop" look on his face, though.

Stachys stands amazed at the unnatural flow of the water.  He starts back towards the portal room, following the tail of the water.

Dreya tries not to get caught in the swiftly retreating waters.  Wouldn't want to be sucked through that portal after all.

Cole will follow his compatriots.

The folks at the west end of the corridor can see the water is retreating back toward the portal.  Opening a door seems to be unnecessary at this point (although you can go exploring with a split party if you wish).  The heavy mist is also beginning to slowly thin.

With the portal reversed and no immediate enemies nearby, the party needs to decide what to do next.  Oswald is decapitated (one of your goals) and the portal appears to have been resolved.  The Temple of Pain's connection with the water world is cut off so the Temple has lost some of its resources.  The Temple is not defeated (yet), but you have dealt it a serious blow.

You are welcome to continue exploring the Temple, although I think a spell slot audit is going to show you are seriously depleted of spells.  You could pick a spot and rest.  Or you could return to the cemetery and regroup.  Weirder options may have escaped my imagination.

Anthony is thoroughly, completely enthused about the idea of heading back to town and regrouping.

Elwood could use some rest, and would like to have the party be rid of Oswald's head.

Rejoining the rest of her companions in the portal room Seline suggests dropping off the head by the orphans and taking a night to rest and work on what to do next.