Episode 4: Puzzles, communication challenges, and a fuzzy faced man

When we last left this group we were trying to sort out a puzzle, and Viktor had just caused a fireball. We pick back up with us trying to figure out the puzzle. OK, most of the party is figuring out the puzzle, Selene is recording details. As a reminder, this party consists of:

Malek, Tiefling Eldritch Archer, channeling magic via arrows from afar

Thonk, Orc "alternative minded" Wizard

Lutor, Minotaur Cleric fond of protection, when provoked becomes intimidating

Viktor, the boisterous, slightly crazy, Gray Dwarf Fighter

Jack, a Tabaxi Bard with a penchant for storytelling

Selene, a Tabaxi Sorcerer fond of observing the world

After some fiddling about with the room of exploding lamp oil bowls someone, Malek I believe, realized we're still missing a piece of the puzzle so we continued exploring this crypt area. Further investigation led to the discovery that down the ladder by the dragon face sign there was actually a tunnel that led off that room, and in that tunnel there were several statues.

Malek spent a fair amount of time studying these statues and figured out they were the key to the combination lock of the upper room, so after studying long enough to feel confident he's figured out, we returned to the room with the lamp oil bowls and tried the combination.

And it worked. The forcefield blocking the stairs dropped.

Selene once again agreed to sneak ahead down the stairs to see if there's anything going on down there, and much to her surprise Jack came along. Before we could do that though, a bird flew in to the room and landed near Jack. After a bit of "conversation" (apparently Jack will talk to anything) he realized the bird was waiting for a message for our employer, so he quickly scribbled one out and sent the bird on his way.

Getting to the bottom of the stairs Jack and Selene notice a good sized room and hear a voice. Peering about we notice a humanoid kneeling and incanting something from inside a set of runes. Selene promptly noped out of there and scampered back up the stairs to report to the main group. Jack did something else then also returned.

The party started a serious of whisper-debates over what to do in this situation, figuring out what to do, when Viktor apparently decided he had had enough and went invisible somehow. We assumed he went down the stairs to the room. Soon after, Malek joined him.

So the rest of the party starts sneaking their way down the stairs after asking Thonk to guard the entrance to the stairs. Thonk, of course, thinks mightily and casts "Wall of Force" across the entrance.

Proceeding down the stairs stealthily proved to be pointless though as Jack promptly has an equipment failure. The strap on this box he keeps on his back slipped, causing the box to thump against the stair/wall with a resounding boom. So much for stealth/surprise.

Entering the room we find the humanoid standing up and being irritated at the interruption. We're also having a hard time identifying who or what he is and if he is even hostile. But the other half of the party seems convinced he's no good, even if Selene isn't as sure, and the combat begins.

Viktor's fighting style is interesting, he stands back 10' from the target and punches the humanoid, while Malek shoots arrows and spells from a distance. Jack is also fairly close to the humanoid assisting the battle, but no one can quite figure out who or what the humanoid is as yet. Selene tossed a snowball at the humanoid as well while Lutor tries to intimidate.

And then the humanoid cast "Ice Storm", which caused a lot of cold and bludgeoning damage to the party

And that's where we'll leave this tail for now!