Welcome to Gaia! ::

Okay, the silly answer first ...Avernus, Dis, Minauros, Phlegethos, Stygia, Malbolge, Maladomini, Cania, Nessus." Ruin would say as he pulled each book. In order as Kouri directed. As he silently wondered why the shortest one was reaching for top-shelf books.

Drawing his rod, Ruin would take a seat at the top of the stairs. "I will stand guard, Kuori. You guys take five... " he would state more like an order than a request.

(The party benefits from a short rest)

As the party catches their breath nothing approaches them or changes in the room. The sounds of battle outside start to die down. It seems the fighting will soon reach its end. The somber glow of the fire seemed to get ever brighter from the missing wall in the room, the tower will soon be aflame. A few minutes through the parity's rest Lionel would stand up from his reading chair. With a sigh, he would pull his strange glass orb out his pocket and walk into the ritual room. In there he could be heard talking but only Kuori could make out bits an pieces of what was being said. It sounded like he was being summoned somewhere and what more, Kuori recognized the voice coming from the orb as being her Sister's!

Lionel would walk back out of the room and beefily address the party. "Well, it looks like reading time is over. I wish you luck with whatever is down there. Hopefully, you will find what you seek and we will see each other soon." Lionel would then bolt for the opening in wall and jump out of the room, disappearing from sight. The partly is left only with the sound of burning fire and the distant din of battle.

((Kuori with her perception check also notices that the bookshelf/door seemed to be linked to a series of traps that must have laid deeper down the hidden corridor. However, due to them opening the door correctly they apear to have been disarmed. ))

Valac watched Ruin "lead" the way and called out as he followed him, "Ay, gnome if you stoop any lower you'll turn into a rat."

"I am sure of nothing, down here." Ruin would say with a sigh, giving up on the stealthy. Valac was right... "Just trying to get in and out of this place as fast as we can. If you want to lead... Take it."

As the party descends the spiraling staircase scones begin magically light on the wall. The smell of brimstones only gets stronger the further down they go until they finally reach the bottom. As they do, large scones light to reveal a horrifying laboratory of demonic origin. Metal cages and glass containers line the room as well as other torturous looking objects. Inside several of the cages lay dead extraplanar creatures and the glass containers contain either mysterious substances or the body parts creatures suspended in liquids. Several large steel cauldrons are positioned on the floor but they all look currently. The room itself appears to be devoid of any living beings at the moment but the room is too crowded with scientific objects to see all corners of it at once. Whatever was going on here its not hard to see the link it might have to the ritual in question.

Ruin would look about for anything of note...


Perception - 16
Arcana - 13