Loot, loot, and a mummy made of loot

In Nicola's absence....
 
The adventure continued including fighting water elementals masquerading as versions of themselves, which they killed.
 
Some sneakery by Shadow, a statue and more elemental attacks later, Shadow shot some crystals in the statues eyes and discovered that was a good way to get rid of the water elementals.... AN investigation of the statue showed it to be Ukotoa, the satue itself was in an old old map.
 
Our adventure now continues....
 
Looking around the cave Liliana saw lots of crystals raising form the ground made of gemstones made of emerald, agate, rubies, and diamonds. Several looked like they had been harvested before and they would easily meet the cost of a monarch’s ransom.
 
The cave itself was worn down, eroded as if ancient and floodwaters had carved at and smoothed the stone. The Umberlee statue was really smooth too, its tentacles worn down in many places. Umberlee was a gender fluid, vengeful, spiteful and mean creature, the king of krakens, the queen of krakens, lovers of storms, queen of death.
 
Liliana decided that she was going to get herself some gemstones. She tried to pull them out of the rock. Then started smashing at them with shovels, as she got a fist sized ruby and a head sized diamond and a shard of emerald green, Shadow gave one of them a kick and dented himself. The wheel that replaced his leg was now bent and pulled a little to the right. He stood and watched Liliana continue to twat at the gems.
 
Shadow moved on to look at the statue and realised there was a hidden entrance, Liliana had a look and finding a depression that she could fit her hand in. She shoved her hand in the hole, found a lever and pulled it and a door clicked open on the back of Umberlee. Inside were four helmets that seemed to be made of glass, spherical in design, like fish bowls. Liliana wondered if it could be used to breathe underwater and put one on her head, it fixed to her body and seemed to envelop her, the coolness of the cave faded away and the shimmering veil from the bowl seemed to descend and coat her skin, creating a field between herself and the outside elements. Liliana told Shadow what she was feeling and recommend he try one. Shadow put one on and felt immediately…. Dry. Liliana took the other two for their friends for later.
 
Liliana dunked her head underwater to test and after a couple of oddly panicked breaths found she could breathe under water. Shadow said that breathing was not something he needed but the protection from wet was desirable. Liliana smiled and high fived Shadow.
 
Liliana mused on the helmets and the cubby hole inside the statue and came to the conclusion that these items were stored here as items worn by the priests of Umberlee for ceremonies, or loaned out to air breathers who wanted to come worship Umberlee. Liliana told Shadow what she knew of Umberlee as she learned.
 
Liliana hopped from stone to stone so as to keep her dress dry. Shadow watched with bemusement as she made her final landing, nearly missing and tearing her dress before reminding her,
 
“Liliana this will keep you dry.” After which he plunged into the water and pirates of the Caribbean walked across the bottom of the pool to the other side.
The cavern narrowed to a corridor carved by a stream, and they set off down the winding path, splashing through the water until the corridor widened out into a cave. On the other side of the body of water lay a large building, castle like but seemingly no rooves. It was built in the Paxander (an ancient elven city pre purge) style and was in great shape for a ruin but had clearly been left for thousands of years. However, as a testament to the engineering of whoever built the place, the lights came on as they entered. They didn’t give off here, and were arcane in nature.
 
Shadow looked for life and saw golden fish in the water. He used his laser pointer and got them following it like a cat, which entertained him for several minutes.
 
“Liliana, Liliana, look at this… weeeee!”
 
Liliana smiled in spite of herself as the school of fish swarmed after it. They followed his laser right up to the shore. Shadow was a little put out at how big the fish seemed to be and put his laser away.
 
Liliana looked at the lights and saw that they were in a jar shape, removable, like an oil wick lamp but arcane. She lifted one out and found twisting it one way turned it off and twisting it the other turned it back on, like a dimmer switch. Both she and Shadow took one each. Something told her (sky voice) it was called a cerulean lantern. It gave ou no heart and illuminated even when under water.
 
Shadow assessed the water and decided it was quite shallow, after a quick discussion, they decided to enter the water and walk through it to the ruins. Even dipped below the surface she could talk to Shadow as normally as if on the surface.
 
Shadow looked around him and listened but didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary.
 
They arrived on the other side and a blue glow could be seen coming from the inside of the door. Shadow checked the doors and with Liliana’s help determined that this door was one to welcome people at the end of a pilgrimage, which could be told by the iconography around the door frame. He decided it was safe to proceed and they pushed the door open.
 
Inside a blue dome glowed. Perhaps it was even a sphere embedded into the floor. The hairs on Liliana’s hair stood up and Shadow felt magnetic. Inside the dome on the floor was a many pointed star with intersecting lines. Shadow peered at it and as his hand reached out towards it, his hand stopped as if magnetically repelled. He made a humming noise to try and convince Liliana that the sphere was making the noise, but when she reached her hand forward he didn’t make the noise. Liliana was distracted and fell for it, assuming he was making the noise and she wasn’t because he was metal and she flesh, inspecting the globe, she came to the conclusion that it was like a wall of force but a ball of force. When they reached for it, the magic seemed to respond as if drawn to their suit. Liliana thought the dome was protective to keep people out, rather than to keep them safe from something.
 
Around the dome were decorative broken column and chunks of stone. However inside the dome, there seemed to be a sarcophagus, which seemed to be shimmering as if not always on the same plane.
 
Liliana looked at the dome, knowing that only a disintegrate spell could bring it down and knowing that that spell was far beyond her, (in fact even as a warlock, she had never been able to access that spell) so she began to look around for a way to bring it down.
 
On a mural in the centre chamber, Liliana saw the words, bend your knee and kiss the toe.
 
They walked through the chambers and found an eastern chamber and a western chamber leading off the central section. The decoration made of the bones of people, as was the custom, and hologram like depictions including a beautiful lady to the west and a regal and handsome man to the east. They discussed if the holograms were a form of a headstone in a family mausoleum. Remembering that they were saved by the grateful dead on the island tomb, they decided to proceed with respect throughout the tomb and bend the knee and kiss the toe of the eastern statue. Liliana was not impressed with the idea of abasing herself, but swiftly realised that what she was doing was having no effect. On impulse, while on bended knee she kissed her own toe.
 
Suddenly the holographic statue revolved and revealed a pile of scrolls. Liliana began to hyperventilate at the site of all the spells scrolls. However, the spell scrolls to reveal a mummy made of parchment, the spells written all over its form. It looked confused for a moment. Its eyes focused on the pair of them and a sense of malice passed over its face.
 
Subtly preparing a firebolt behind her back, Liliana said, hopefully.
 
“Oh, we are sorry to disturb you, we’ll just be taking those scrolls and leaving now yes?”
 
Shadow also readied his crossbow.
 
Liliana noticed a line of text winding its way around the parchment mummy which was disappearing, as it did. Liliana realised it was casting a spell, arcane energy manifested around them, and it felt baaaaaad. At this, Liliana unleashed her firebolt and it immolated, its dry parchment igniting. Great for killing it, less good for her desire to get those spells. She glanced at Shadow, whose eyes were tiny and spinning in spirals, as if hypnotised, the mummy’s spell having taken hold, while she had shook it off.
 
Casting Tasha’s hideous laughter. Liliana knocked the mummy prone with hysterical laughter and shouted, “do not burn the parchment, I want those spells!” While Shadow regained control of himself she cast shatter and shouted,
 
“Quick, hit it before it gets up”
 
“Eat it?” Shadow said, misunderstanding her accent, then added, “Ohhh, hit it!” and proceeded.
 
Shadow stepped forward and stabbed at it, piercing into it like a kebab on a skewer. He leaned around the check the blade had emerged on the other side and the mummy collapsed into three distinct coils of paper.
 
Liliana immediately surged forward to look at the scrolls, falling upon them like a starving person at a feast. The spells were:
 
Timestop (9th)
Blight (4th)
Dimension door (4th)
Divination (4th)
Raulothim Psychic lance (4th)
Ego whip (4th level)
Counterspell (3rd level)
Haste (3rd level)
Incite greed (3rd level)
Air bubble (2nd level)
Alter self (2nd level)
Nathair’s mischief (2nd)
 
At the end of the scroll was a prayer to Umberlee.
 
Several of them were a magic far beyond her skills at the moment, but the future possibilities that now lay ahead of her…..
Gibbering her excitement, she rushed to hug Shadow, then pulled back from him abashed and returned to look at the spells.