======== Moa's Shrine ========
Group cautiously explores the shrine that the family was seen searching in the lava. A number of dead snakes and dead dragonfolk give clues of the battle that happened here. Eddie stays out of the action so Freya can keep her fly spell up and Freya ferries Lindal and Celadon around as they search the temple. Traps are found as are concealed spaces and teh party are confronted with a multitude of cubes to chose from. A lucky misstep by Lindal reveals a writing which Celadon is unable to decipher so into the maw Eddie ventures and with his magics he is able to puzzle out which of the cubes must be real but upon reaching for the cube the group get a message from the snakes mouth asking them to come visit Ras Nsi as he has the cube in his palace in the old city. Eddie face palms at this as he already had heard this message but had forgotten but between the flying and the groups caution no one was brutalized by the traps in Moa's shrine.
Traveling across the city to the last shrine the city need to pass through open ground facing the inner city. It is black marble and crystalline in nature. Looking into the inner city Lindal sees a lookout moving atop a rooftop but the lookout is watching someone or something else and misses the party despite the party's rather poor attempt at stealth.
========= Lightly exploring Obo'laka's shrine =========
The clues here refer to walking lightly and staying in the light. And there are signs of animals (bears?) all around the temple. The group go in cautiously and immediately identify some secret passages as well as a mechanism they are sure is key to the shrine but they are unable to figure out how. A reflecting chamber is found and a strange reflection therein but all attempts at solving the puzzle seem to show no result.
Frustrated Eddie and Lindal go for a walk outside to see if a new angle can lend some context to the puzzle but they are immediately set upon by the temples defenders little Zorbo creatures that had destroyed Kylorin's old shield and they appear to be able to draw power form the groups admantium armor. Lindal manages to quickly kill one bear and run back to the group but Eddie gets trapped and needs to hide magically while Kylorin and Freya slowly hack their way to him. Celadon is key to keeping them from losing their precious armor.
Eddie freed from his predicament goes back inside and sets up a prank in the fountain but accidentally triggers the magic on the fountain and disappears. Seraph who was in the room at the time saw the invisible Eddie disappear and her cries of alarm bring Kylorin running. Soon people are jumping into the fountain and the group find themselves in a similar reflecting chamber but moon themed where teh first was sun themed. A secret door is identified but no mechanism to open it can be worked out by the group. Though Celadon does find much to appreciate in the chambers artwork.
Eventually the door is opened and the cube is found as well as one of the Wizards from Eddie's family. But the wizard has been turned to stone during the act of picking up the cube. This room has some magic torches that the arty realizes need to be placed in sconces earlier in the level. But attempting to take the torches back via the fountain wash out. Eventually Freya figures out the trick to getting into the secret passages they let the group disarm the trap and the group then seize the puzzle cube. Celadon gets a sense of a very methodological mind who is concerned whether there is a quorum of the gods and what the plan is. After a bit of convincing he manages to settle Obo'laka and acquire his eighth trickster patron.
========= Spare the rod and spoil the spellcaster =========
The group then turn their eyes to the lone magician. They bind him, blindfold him and Lindal uses his new prayer beads to turn him back to flesh even as he shivs him in the back. Kylorin abstains from beating the blind magician pleading for him to surrender but when he curses them all and tries to cast a spell she stabs him rather than let him get away. The group recover some gems, a spellbook, and a unmovable rod - one of the great treasures of his family. Eddie chortles as he lays his hands on the rod thinking of the hijinks to follow.
========= Finding a place to rest =========
Not ready to enter the inner city yet the party decide to rest up and enter the inner palace fully restored. At first they head back to the mad hunter's place only to find it had been broken into by a pack of baboons who all managed to poison themselves while sampling food and beverages. Deciding to avoid the location the group find another house nearby partially collapse and mildewy but containing a beautiful crystal chamberpot. The group then make camp in the ruins of the building and find themselves rested and recharged and level 8 after the passing night
Inspiration
Everyone - level 8
Experience (challenge based) 2000 Individual => 35231 cumulative (8th LEVEL)
Moa's shrine - 800
Zorbo - 600
Oba'laka's shrine - 800
Allies
Seraph - only person not to use the crystalline chamberpot during the night
Treasure
Obo'laka's cube
Wizard's Spellbook
Chamberpot made of a strange crystalline substance hard as steel (25 gp)
Unmovable Rod