Sorry to Interrupt, but a Peek into the Ziggurat: Some Wins, Some Loot, and a Bit of a Scary Situation, eh? | Jan Teschner

The Forbidden Ziggurat, on that Forbidden Island – The old ziggurat was standing there all imposing and silent, if you don't mind me saying, eh? As the group prepared to head down into the depths - pardon our suddenness - the party took positions just like Mad Matt asked. He put himself in a “tactically advantageous” spot, which basically meant staying right at the back where it’s nice and safe, eh? We were looking for some guidance from Auralis, that ancient spirit tucked away in the golden idol, if it isn't too much trouble. The spirit warned us about some nasty heat and walls moving around - a bit of a bother, really - but also mentioned some lovely healing waters scattered about, which offered a bit of hope amidst the chaos, eh?

An Unexpected Pal, Sorry to Say
Before we went down either of the two visible staircases - pardon the intrusion - we bumped into a lovely little figure: a halfling cleric looking over a cryptic note. He introduced himself as Eldrian, and he was a bit confused about his memory, poor guy, eh? The note he had was from a previous adventurer, and it mentioned Auralis, the golden idol, and some treasures that might still be hiding in the ziggurat, if you can believe it. Even though he wasn't quite sure where he was, Eldrian was ever so polite and eager, making him a wonderful addition to the crew, eh. Given what the note said, Mad Matt made a little arrangement with A personally. If we could just free the spirit from that golden prison - if it wouldn't be too much trouble - we would be allowed to keep the idol. So, with that understanding, we headed down, sorry for the rush, eh?

A Few Tricky Traps and Some Loot, if You Don't Mind
The left-hand staircase led us into a bit of a dead end, apologies for the disappointment. Thanks to Auralis's helpful advice, we discovered two hidden passages - quite handy, eh? Behind one wall was a little dragon statue, but it had a nasty spike trap, which was a bit much, really. Tiyana and Deva worked together very carefully to bypass the danger; Deva used her Thorn Whip to trigger the trap and Tiyana used her Mage Hand to snatch the idol safely, eh.
The next room split into two paths, and Mad Matt, being the delegator he is (sorry, Matt!), assigned us roles. He sent Marina and Eldrian to explore the left path while Tiyana and Deva took the right. Predictably, Matt stayed behind, claiming he was "guarding the stairs," but we all thought he was just taking a little nap, eh?

Marina and Eldrian’s Little Find
Marina and Eldrian's chosen path led them to a room with a skeleton lying amidst some rubble, if you can believe it. They were a bit curious and looked through the bones for treasure - so sorry for being so greedy, eh? - but they didn't find much. Eldrian felt quite bad about his outburst of greed, so he took a moment to properly tidy up the remains and say a little prayer for the dead, which was very respectful of him, eh.
The next room had a glowing red circle on the floor, which looked a bit intense, if you ask me. Eldrian suggested we be careful, but Marina, being a bit bold, stepped in - sorry about her! She felt a sharp, needling sensation and decided it was best to retreat. They went back to the main staircase to wait for the rest of us, eh.

A Bit of a Mess with Deva and Tiyana
Meanwhile, Tiyana and Deva followed their staircase to a chamber with a pool of green water. Auralis warned us that the liquid was quite tainted and certainly wasn't one of those nice healing waters, which was a real shame, eh? Deva went to look at her reflection, but oh dear, it turned into a nasty slime that surged out of the pool to attack! It was quite a struggle, sorry for the drama. Deva used her Flame Blade to fend off the creature, but the slime didn't mind the heat much, eh? Tiyana tried her best with Magic Missiles, but we really needed help. When Matt heard there might be "treasure," he ran down - sorry, Matt, but you were supposed to be guarding! - only to see the grotesque sight of the slime getting all over Deva's armor. He used his power to destroy a good portion of the slime, which was quite helpful, eh. Once the creature was a bit weakened, Deva finished it off with her Flame Blade. We were all a bit shaken, if we're being honest. We saw an ominous hallway and decided to head back to regroup. However, Deva decided to use a favor she had from Mad Matt long ago - sorry for bringing this up, but it was quite something. Even though we had forgotten what it was for, Matt complied and went ahead to check the hallway with arrow chutes. He skipped through the first two sets just fine, eh, but the third set caught him right in the hands! It was quite painful, so sorry to hear that. He eventually found a hallway with a snake mural and some doors, eh.

Getting the Group Back Together, if Possible
Mad Matt decided it was time to gather everyone up, and soon Tiyna, Deva, Eldrian, and Marina were all together in the hallway, eh. Behind the first door, we encountered some roots with a bit of unnatural life. These writhing tendrils grabbed Marina and Deva - pardon the intrusion! Marina managed to hack away at a tree node to clear the path, which was quite a feat, eh.
The next door revealed a familiar sight: that same glowing red circle on the floor, radiating magic. Matt thought it might be some warlock's doing - sorry for the speculation - but before we could plan, Deva, being a bit impatient, stepped into the circle and triggered two flaming birds.

A Bit of a Scuffle with the Flaming Birds
The fiery creatures were quite aggressive, unfortunately, and they scorched us a bit - sorry about the burns! Tiyana, learning from her earlier mistake, avoided using fire this time, opting instead for Magic Missiles, eh. Marina charged forward with her greataxe, while Eldrian tried his best with his mace, though he was a bit off the mark, eh.
Mad Matt’s icy tentacles really helped turn the tide, since the birds didn't like the cold much, eh. He even made a little rain cloud to help Marina finish one off. The second bird was quite desperate and managed to hurt Tiyana and Matt - sorry about that! Eldrian tried to heal the wounded leader, while Deva unveiled her trump card: the Potion of the Small Puddle. People had teased her about it before, but oh my, it worked perfectly and put out the flames of the remaining bird, reducing it to bones, eh!

A Peek at More Troubles Ahead
With the birds gone, we looked at that glowing circle again. Could it be the key to freeing Auralis? The spirit said it wasn't enough, sorry to disappoint, eh. She pointed us toward the ziggurat’s fifth floor, where a better spot might be found.
We were all quite exhausted and decided to have a little rest within the circle's glow - if you don't mind us taking a break. As we prepare to delve deeper, we know there are more challenges ahead, but we'll do our best, eh?