Two horsemen ride up to a tavern...

At another pulse from the crystal, Kou and Kaed begin to freeze up, their muscles becoming rigid and unmoving. The two warriors are paralyzed.

Panic sets in as his limbs lock up, refusing to heed his mind's command. Chiding himself for not keeping his mind focused, allowing himself to fall prey to the crystal's magics.  Letting go of the self recriminations he reaches deep into his core, finding his center he harnesses his spiritual energy. Spreading it's rays throughout his body using the energy to revitalize himself and slowly he is able to move his limbs. 

The undead being that Callahan has claimed was dead stands back to its feet, uttering a curse under its breath. The world goes dark for Ascian, Thrandimir, Callahan, Kaed, and Katrin. Bitter coldness laps at their limbs and whispers pull maddeningly at their ears. The occasional brush of something wet and oily roils past their bodies.

Something cold and unnatural sweeps over Ascian's vision and for a moment he thinks he's finally been taken fully, that the world he sometimes seems to slip into has claimed him at last. It's awful and painful and dark, so chilling it seems to burn, and he runs instinctively as horror begins to set in – not back, as sense seems to dictate, but forward . There's resistance, as something blistering and slimy clings at his ankles, and even a brief moment where he thinks he's run headlong into something solid. But eventually and suddenly light floods his vision, the noxious panic that had built to a breaking point coalescing off him in now-familiar wisps of smoke. Spurred on by a mixture of fear and relief, they spear towards the undead mere feet in front of him, where they dissolve harmlessly upon impact.

The cold and dark engulfs Thrandimir and he bolts forwards into the room, his legs moving like he's wading through molasses as he seeks to escape the warp in the fabric of space. Finally, the wizard bursts into the light and is immediately confronted by the enormous resiq crystal in the centre of the room. His eyes widen as he realises the implications. "Katrin! Kou! Callahan!" Thrandimir yells. "Combine your powers and hit that crystal with as much healing as you can!"

Ascian's vision returns just in time for an arrow to graze past his arm. The skeleton it came from shudders, its jaw clacking.

The darkness surrounds Cal, entrapping him in a world of inky blackness. The chill of the void traces a path down his spine, and he quickly throws up a ward around himself to shield against it. The sounds of battle muffle and grow distant, as he stumbles backward, finding his primal instincts overriding even the celestial form he was in. He can feel his heartbeat catch as a growing panics wells up, sweat forming on the edge of his brow as his senses fail one by one. Even the light of the stars - the one form of guidance he had left - faded from sight as his vision failed him. No. Don't leave me. He calls out in his mind, reaching for that greater consciousness, but finds nothing. Don't leave me here, please. I... I can't find my way without you.  He holds a hand up to his face, squinting into the nothingness hoping to catch even a glimpse, an outline of it. But nothing. His hand, like everything else, had been swallowed up by the abyss. Sounds grew fainter, the chill grew stronger, and he was alone. Please... He clutched at his chest, feeling his heartrate spike, and shuddered in relief just to know his body was still there. Then he felt it. Cold, but familiar: the amulet. The old clockwork amulet. A gift from his father the day he set out to sea. The old metal felt rough to the touch, worn over time and battle. Of course. Clutching the amulet in one hand, he reached another out, in what he hoped - no - had faith  was the direction of the undead. Please...  was all he thought as a solitary burst of radiance burst forth from his hand, invisible to all. He waited. A second passed. Then another, and another. Breathing shallowly, he opened his eyes, straining against the darkness for a glimmer of light. I know you wouldn't lead me astray.  Another moment, and another. But the darkness does not fall. The creeping chill that numbs him grows. He almost doesn't even feel the first tear run down his face.

Another cold pulse emanates from the crystal, washing over everyone in the room. The only one spared from the cold touch is Callahan, who was dealing with the cold touches of the tentacles.

"Keep evocation magic away from it," Thrandimir adds as the wave of necrotic energy sends them reeling. "It will absorb anything cast at it, but it's brittle. We can smash it, but it could release the power that has accumulated within!"

"Oh, gods. This stuff is horrible!" Katrin charges out of the writhing mass of shadows and tentacles to come face to face with the crystal. She glances at Kou, and looks around for Callahan as Thrandimir calls out to them. "On your mark, Cal!" Katrin holds her sword loosely in one hand, the other preparing to reach out and touch the crystal at Callahan's word.

Kaed finally feels the paralysis leave his body, limbs gradually moving again he feels the sweat beading on his brow  the feeling of helplessness feeding his anger. The magical darkness his enhanced vision cannot penetrate surrounds him and he stumbles forward, eventually wading out of the morass of stange creeping tentacles.  He sees the creature who he attributes to casting the spell, and decides to try and finish him, firing a hastily nocked arrow which sinks into the creature but nothing seems to happen. Kaed locks around him as the party seems to be preparing for something magical. He takes a second to quickly drink a potion of healing which floods his limbs with recuperative magics. Feeling better he calls to thd group, " Whatever you are planning, the time is now!"

Kou nods slightly as Thrand and Katrin announce the plan. In his left palm he gathers the power Tempest bestowed upon him. A swirling ball of healing magic forms in his hand, taking on the appearance of a small thunderstorm. He then takes a defensive stance, his clawed gauntlet held in front of him and the left hand held low.  Betting that his speed will buy him the time he needs.

The snarling creature takes a look at Kaed and raises its arm. Two bolts of eldritch energy fly...and miss the barbarian. The thing's arm cannot bend enough to hit Kaed from this angle -- a consequence of the arrow lodged in its shoulder.

The liquid Ascian drinks from a bottle at his belt is the first such substance to pass his lips in days, and his tongue is rewarded with the taste of chalk for the effort. Had he really enjoyed this sort of thing once? No, not enjoy, he supposes dimly; one might guess that just by looking at him. But there'd been a time when he at least hadn't minded . Now even the tingling warmth the potion fills him with is lackluster and fleeting, quickly replaced by the cold of the dark he'd just escaped that won't quite leave his bones. Restringing his bow, he tries to shake the sensation, but there's a lingering panic in him that continues to build the longer the dark void behind him gapes open. Hands too experienced to shake draw the string back, loosing it at the undead thing  in front of him that seems to be responsible for making a cold heart grow colder. The arrow flies true, and behind him the darkness folds in on itself with all the abruptness it had arrived with. In front of him, Ash watches the creature responsible for it crumple and shift back into something almost human. He doesn't have to wait for it to fall to know that the nausea and panic the void had brought won't go with it, and like the elf in front of him, those effects are here to stay.

Stepping around the crystal, Thrandimir twirls his staff through the air, swinging it once, twice, three times at a skeleton across the room. Pale blue bolts of energy fly from the end of his weapon, repeatedly striking the skeleton with unerring accuracy until it finally falls to the ground.

When the darkness dissipates, Cal is on his knees, shaking. He almost doesn't register the light at first until his senses flood back in, nearly overwhelming him. How long had he been in there? On some level he realized it hadn't been more than a dozen seconds if even, and yet while he'd been in there it'd felt like... Suddenly he could see. And feel. And hear. The sound of Katrin's voice broke through to him, dredging him out of his own thoughts as he looked up to see her and the Keeper positioned near the crystal, calling for him. And just like that the swirl of stars amassed once more around him, clouding his fears with facts. "I see it, Lady Katrin," the voice calls from him, "ready yourselves. On the count of three." He raises his hands up before him, crossing them on top of each other, palms up, like he was cradling a bowl. Within it, a swirling galaxy of stars spun themselves into a frenzy.  "In 3..." He takes a deep breath, allowing the energy to well up within him. There isn't much remaining now, he can feel it.  "2..." The energy radiating off the crystals swells up, as if in anticipation. He casts a quick glance to the undead creature that twice now had fallen.  "1..." A great hum fills the air around him, and he grimaces as the last surge of power flows into his hands. He raises them up towards the crystal, turning his palms outwards. "Now!"  The energy flows from him, directed towards the glowing formation in the center of the room,  "By the light of the heavens and the wisdom of the stars, cleanse this place of its evil!" 

Kou and Katrin release their healing spells with Callahan. Divine energy courses over the crystal, the fractal lines reflecting strange shining patterns across the walls and ceiling of the workshop.  The golden energy fades. The green light of the crystal dims. A sound like a crashing wave fills the room, then dissipates.  The crystal swells and pulses with energy again. It washes over the party members within the room...and their cuts and bruises begin to heal.

The familiar feel of life returning to her invigorates Katrin. She looks at the turned undead, glances over at Kaed, then Thrandimir. "We're not finished yet, friends." She strides towards the skeleton and zombie by the wall, beginning to turn away from her as she approaches. She smiles widely. "That's right, run. Run to your second deaths."  Her sword cleaves upwards, slicing through the skeleton's ribs. It staggers, but still does not fall. 

The tribesman gathers himself and rushes to aid Katrin, the rage not quite reaching that familiar point where he feels faster and stronger but his frustration at the magical captivity and the battle in general spurs him on.  First with sabre and then with the spiked boss of his shield he lays into the zombie, its weak pallid flesh coming apart under his attacks. Damaged badly, but not destroyed, the creature turns its head slowly towards Kaed.

Smiling as the crystal shines with the combined healing magics of his companions. Kou set's his sights on one of the remaining zombies. Charging at the pile of flesh Kou ducks low bringing his claws up in an upper cut slashing through the rotting flesh as he moves. Spinning he taps into his spiritual energy and slashes at the creature twice cutting from opposite angles, until the last semblance of life gives out and the undead falls to the floor in pieces.

Feeling something almost akin to warmth wash through him, Ascian blinks, trying to hold on to the sensation that is all too fleeting. It spills over the cold the lingering darkness had seeped into him, and then disappears into the cracks beneath that he doesn't understand and still somehow run colder. Lips pressed into a faint, thin line, he sidesteps the crystal and sinks an arrow into the zombie thrashing between Katrin and Kaed.

Thrandimir snarls triumphantly as the crystal's polarity is successfully reversed, his eyes scanning the room for remaining threats. The single standing skeleton catches the wizard's eye and, invigorated by the burst of energy from the resiq, he charges the undead creature with a roar, bringing his staff down on its head with a sickening crack . The pile of bones crumples to the floor, transforming into a floppy Elf as it does so.

Cal moves forward, reinvigorated by the sight of Thrandimir's uncharacteristic charge, and makes a similar attempt with his own staff. The enchanted wood comes close to concaving the zombie's chest completely inwards with a sickening crunch, but after a moment of hesitation, it restarts its shamble.

The two remaining zombies lash out. One goes at Katrin but its thrashing arms smash carelessly across the dwarf's armor. The other attacks Callahan, but it's not very effective. Another burst of positive energy washes across the party.

Katrin ducks to the side as the zombie reaches out for her, but dead hands scrabbling at her armor causes her sword to whistle past the zombie's head, missing entirely. "Kaed, finish this bitch!"

"With pleasure." Kaed moves quickly, his weapons an extension of himself. Striking almost simultaneously the sabre drops one of the zombie and he rotates between the pair of them, the shield's edge landing a moment later, crumpling the side of the last zombie's head. Both corpses fall, and Kaed feels something change in the room, although he cannot tell exactly what it is. He shrugs, "I hope you are satisfied with my work." his easy smile for Katrin, at odds with his gore covered weapons and the experience they have all just shared could seem odd, but Kaed's youthful exuberance never seems to be held down for long.

Breathing heavily with excitement and exertion, Thrandimir pats at his face to smooth down his beard, before standing back to look at the enormous doors ahead of them. "I believe that there were two keys... ?" On closer examination, the doors that lead further on are ornately decorated with a symmetrical design made of welded iron. Within the ornate flow of metal-welded ribbons and cloth, there are three small slots that could be keyholes. "The key was attracted to the last door, was it not?"  The wizard muses as he inspects them.

Katrin sheathes her sword, watching Thrandimir carefully. Something about him wasn't adding up. But now was not the time to dwell on such matters. There would be time when this was over. If they survive.

Cal stoops down to lift another object off the finally-still body of the elven mage. "I believe this may be what we seek."  Approaching the small warrior on his way to the door, he hands it to Katrin, "My lady, if you would be so kind."  He continues towards the door, beckoning to the Keeper to join them. "Time to see exactly what lies at the heart of this place."

Katrin accepts the rectangular key from the tall druid, and turns to the door, slowly following Cal.

The three step close to the door and can feel the strange, metal keys vibrate in their grasps. The keys seem to reach out, guiding themselves into the three keyholes. The door groans open, revealing darkness behind it. Bright yellow flames burst into life, casting nice light across five rows of shelves with a large, ten foot wide path that splits the rows running neatly down the middle. The shelves bear faded scrolls and strange objects. A heavy layer of dust covers everything and cobwebs arc from shelf to shelf. It's immediately apparent from the smell of musty, trapped air that this place hasn't been seen since the fall of the Tollanian Empire.

Thrandimir claps his hands together gleefully and steps forwards, holding his staff aloft to illuminate the shadows amongst the shelves. The wizard begins to weave his familiar incantation for detecting magic, but before he can step inside an arrow whizzes past his head to strike the wall at the far end with a dull tink . Thrandimir glances back over his shoulder, arching an eyebrow at Ash, who's only response is a neutral shrug. Once inside the vault, the wizard quickly goes about assessing the magical auras of the items within. Ancient scrolls of conjuration, transmutation and necromancy. A divination medallion, a conjuration bag, a necromancy amulet and an abjuration shield. Carefully, Thrandimir gathers the items up and brings them out into the workshop, before beginning to inspect them. "This shield is enchanted to provide additional protection," the wizard tells anybody who will listen, before sliding it in the direction of Katrin. "This bag leads to an extradimensional space and is thus bigger on the inside. However," Thrandimir pauses dramatically at this point, lifting the conjuration scroll for emphasis, " this is exactly what we came for. Ancient Tollanian magic for producing food and water." He tucks the scroll away safely inside his robes. "The rest of the items will take more time to identify and that gold and other jewels are merely material wealth, although I am sure that they will fetch a lofty price. Still, these research notes are most interesting."

Katrin leans down, picking up the shield in her hands. "Hmm, got a nice weight to it." She sets it on the ground, leaning it against her legs so she can unfasten the buckler from her arm. She slides off the smaller shield, and hefts the larger one onto her arm. A slow smile spread across her face. "This will do well. Thank you, Thrandimir." She puts emphasis on his name, her eyes raising in a 'we need to have a talk' face, or as Rose liked to call it: her Mama Hen face.

As Katrin finishes her statement to Thrandimir, the clipped, dulcet tones of Marianne's voice float into her head. "There's been an...incident. Don't worry, Rose is okay. Please refrain from telling any soldiers you find about what you may have found. They're keen."

Katrin goes cold as Marianne's voice drifts through her head. She slowly sits down, everyone in the room suddenly feeling very far away. "Well, she's safe. We'll be heading back soon. We found the scroll. I hope I won't have to kill anyone when we get back." Katrin looks up, her eyes landing on Thrandimir. She gets to her feet again, feeling unsteady, and walks quickly over to the wizard, speaking quickly and quietly. "Something's happened at the Fireblade, an incident with the soldiers. We need to keep this knowledge hidden from them. Marianne said they seemed.....rather keen." It's difficult to keep the fear out of her voice. Not for herself. If something happened to Rose.....

A reply soon comes to Katrin's mind.  "Hurry back. They've been...adequately punished. But things are tense. Rose requested that I tell you, 'Come back soon, Kit-Kat.'"

Katrin's heart aches at Marianne's last words. "We'll be there. Tell her.....that I'm coming home." She sends the reply back while as she confers with Thrandimir.

Thrandimir nods solemnly in understanding, gathering the items in the bag of holding and heading back towards the cave.

The party returns to the cave to find Fliek and Flimm sitting comfortably with Bo and Terry. The four of them seem to be passing a pipe around and the smell of fragrant pipeweed wafts about the cave. As the group approaches the four, they can hear Bo say, "...that's when I said, of course  I don't have any potatoes!"  Laughter echoes about the cave and Flimm looks up from his pipe to see the party approaching. "You all took your sweet time. Found what you were looking for?"

"Tabaxi, I had thought for sure you would have killed them by now!" Kaed strides into the room a note of disapproval in his tone. " We should get it done quickly, waste no more time" , he steps forward blade drawn closing on the closest bandit, " unless we are going to spare them for a little while to use them as bait? Is that still the plan?"

With a speed that belies her size, Katrin steps in front of Kaed, staring up at the tribesman with his drawn blade. "And what, pray tell, would that solve? Other than satisfying your bloodlust?"

Kou's face falls as he sees the tabaxi, treating the bandits as if they were old friends. Responding to Kaed but looking both the merchants in the eye Kou adds  "It is a poor way to honor their fallen, the man who less than a day ago gave his life to protect them from the very scum they joke with." Looking to Katrin, "They are proven murders, Tempus would demand justice. I hoped to solve the hobgoblin problem before returning to Fireblade but time is against us. I believe  their fate should be decided here"

Kaed stands still, lips pursed, " Does there need to be something else?" He smiles though, as he sheathed his sabre. " I was only playing with them. Callahan took a great deal of effort to explain how they might be more useful to us alive than dead, and I do not wish another lecture on the subject, so I will not execute them." He looks down at the pair, disapprovingly, " I still think they will be more trouble than they are worth."

Bo and Terry both shrink back in horror at the sight of Kaed's drawn blade and Kou's statement. Flimm stands up, drawing a blade of his own. The tabaxi speaks:  "Nobody will be killing either of these men. Neither of them are murderers." He looks at Kou. "Do you think the world to be so black and white? They had no choice in what they did, except to die. The big man outside killed our guard, and he paid for that. Bo and Terry here, they were forced into the service of this Gesrik. Would you..." Flimm trails off as a trill echoing whistle fills the cavern -- one long high tone followed by an even longer lower tone. It continues on for almost 15 seconds before a voice follows it. "Hallo in there! Why don't you come out? I think we have things to discuss!"

Katrin steps back from Kaed, nodding gratefully to Flimm, her blood running cold as the whistle rings out. She looks over the hot-headed beings before her, then turns her attention to Ascian and Thrandimir. "I think we should keep our blades sheathed. For now." She looks around. "Anyone have any problems with that?" Without waiting for an answer, she turns to the cave entrance, beginning a slow walk towards the opening.

Kou face twist as he prepares to rebuke the tabaxi but the whistle echoing through the cave stifles any response. Looking to the bandits he demands in a quiet but cold voice, "Do you recognize the voice!"

Bo and Terry's faces have gone shock-white at the sounds echoing around the cave. Bo says, "We never heard his voice before...but the whistle...that's him."

Kaed moves to join Katrin near the entrance, nodding, face serious. Turning back he gestures for the others to spread out. "Let us hope you don't have to put that new shield to the test." he says quietly as he settles into a prepare but not overly hostile stance.

Kou nods once and begins walking after Kaed & Katrin saying calmly as he unleashes his claws,  "Tempus has smiled upon us, the wicked have come to us." Gathering Tempus' might as he walks he forms a shield of energy around his body as he moves towards the caves entrance.

The group progresses outside. The afternoon light is dwindling, but still bright enough to highlight the array of men and women standing before them. A semicircle of leather armored thugs surrounds the cave entrance, each bearing a longsword and a shield. Behind them, two robed men grasping staves and two leathered men armed with scimitars and daggers flank the zenith of the semicircle's arc. There, at the center, kneel two familiar faces -- the faces of the bandits that Kou had let run free. They are kneeling, fear in their eyes, bound in front of a burly grey-skinned hobgoblin.  Scars mar his grey face and red eyes burn like cinders set deep back in his skull. But he smiles pleasantly at the group and nods as Bo and Terry exit behind them. "Ja, I thought I might find you both here, Beauregard und Terry," he speaks, his voice gruff and tinged with a slight Holdfaerian accent.  He paces back and forth slowly, a sabre made of blue crystal resting on his shoulder. "So you all have been killing my companions," he continues. The non-mute bandit from the roadblock shouts out. "We didn't have a choice!" He looks at Kou. "I didn't break my oath. But he found us!" "Ja, I did," the hobgoblin says. "Because I take care of my own. But I don't take kindly to betrayers." He turns to the bandit. " Did  you betray me, Francis?" The bandit now known as Francis whimpers, barely eeking out a "No."   The hobgoblin looks at the group, his eyes meeting each set of eyes. "Is that true?" he asks.