- Remnants of Steve's soul are sucked into the black gem she has kept since exploring the Tomb of Horrors. - Ellette tears up a piece of bedroll to pick up the gem, it is cold to the touch - Kyo can sense undead energy in the gem, using Divine Sense - Ellette suggests consulting with Dagna and Isolde, and possibly Quinten - The group suggest that Cedric break the news to Big Guy - We speak with Dagna first - Dagna is extremely apprehensive at the sight of the gem - She calls it evil, unnatural and claims it was formed by magic - Danga wants nothing to do with the gem, offering little help - We search instead for Isolde, who we find talking to her raven - Isolde believes the gem to be a form of Phylactory - Kyo threatens to eat Isolde's bird if she does not pay full attention to us - This causes Isolde to turn, before sending the bird away - Isolde reaffirms the gem to be a Phylactory. We next head to the temple to speak with the clerics - The clerics pray in unison at the sight of the gem - The Clerics can attempt a True Ressurection spell to bring Steve back - 50,000 GP and 5 diamonds would be needed to achieve this - As the group discuss the gem, we recall that Acererak built the dungeon and is likely the lich who created the Phylactory - Ellette uses a Sending Stone to speak to Elminster, asking for advice - He believes the clerics can likely cast the spell to bring Steve back, seeing no reason why they couldn't - The party agree to divert funds from Alexandria to pay for Steve's resurrection. - The clerics cast the spell in a circle. Steve's body begins to form - her soul emerging from the gem - Her body forms, the soul beginning to merge with it. The clerics begin to struggle to maintain the spell - her soul is sucked back into the gem. Four of the clerics pass out, appearing to have aged - The Head Cleric suggests that he can open the way for us to enter the gem ourselves, but is unsure how we can emerge - A small Goblin walks into the temple - Kronk. He wishes to come with us to save Queen Bee - Kronk is adament about coming with us, tapping a guild licence - We agree to bring Kronk with us - The Head Cleric opens the gem, causing an unstable crack to form within it. We each crawl inside - The surroundings crackle with necrotic energy as we emerge in a small vault-like structure with blackened walls. - There are two open hallways and a locked door - A deep voice snarls as we enter, seeming pleased that we've arrived, "You came" - The walls around us disappear, leaving a plaform - and endless sky above and an endless chasm below. - A number of dim lights shine sporadically from the room to the left - There appears to be some kind of blurred script on the locked door, but it moves about and is illegible - Kronk leads the way towards the room with the moving lights - This chamber resembles a large library, with a number of scattered gems - housing trapped souls - Each prisoner has a plaque that tells their "true name", "year of imprisionment" and "soul strength" - Older prisoners are higher in the room, while newer arrivals are lower down - We find a memory of Steve in one of the gems. This one is crystal clear, untainted by the black veins ensnaring the others. "Diamon Emberfoot. Present Day. Soul Strength - Exceptional" - The final plaque mentions "Lord Robiliare. Imprisioned 937 years. Sould Strength - Prime." The plaque also lists a number of severe crimes - Cedric believes Lord Robiliare to be Acererak's first victim. All of the linked gems are likely to be adverturers who have timed in the Tomb of Horrors - Cedric vaguely recalls stories of Lord Robiliare - Kronk leads us to the other room, drawing his sword - We find twelve versions of Acererak kneeing around a black crystal, a soul being divided into fragments and consuming the soul - Graxen reaches for Steve's gem, pulling it from the wall - Kyo searches for a gem with an undeserving soul, taking someone who died in one of the pits in the Tomb of Horrors - attempting to loot the chest - The twelve Acereraks have emerged from the room, demanding that they "feed". We roll the other gem towards them, they accept this and return to their chamber - Approaching the door with Steve's gem steadies the writing, we can now read it - The first truth is never chosen, the final truth is never denied. Declare - The jailer enters only with his prison - We place the gem holding Steve into one of the holes, it holds it firmly in place - The answer is "Diamond Emberfoot is dead" - The other hole looks to have a handprint at the far end - We insert a different crystal and speak its name in the same style of answer, choosing to keep Steve with us - Cedric inserts his arm into the hole, but the fingers in the handprint are too long - Ellette uses Alter Self to shape her arm like Acererak's, placing it in the hand print. This opens the door - On the far side of the door is a podium with a plaque reading "One soul enters, one soul leaves" - Kronk and Graxen pull free the gem holding Lord Robiliare. All the other gems become unstable - Kronk places the large gem in the centre - turning the room blood red and filling the air with negative emotions - Kronk places his hand on Lord Robiliare's gem, leaving Graxen with his sword. - Kronk's soul is removed, leaving his body limp. Graxen lifts his body - the party running from the room as the vault begins to shake and dissipate - We emerge back in Alexandria. Steve's soul has been released, but the cleric claims to not have enough marterials to place it back in her body - He requires 10,000 GP and 1 diamond - We again divert funds from Alexandria to fund this - The spellcasters aid the cleric in restoring Steve's soul into her body, she begins to breathe. - Kyo uses one of his diamonds to revive Krunk - The dust from the gem begins to swirl, with a whisper saying "Thank you" - The docks are slowly repaired over the next few days, at the cost of 25,000 GP