Maggie refuses to give us any more information unless one of us eats another bowl of her soup.  I think that Maggie would make a good sideshow at my new circus and if we pass the trials and defeat the Sun Lich and Onapegro and her sister’s soul – I might come back and ask her to join.  Anyway -  I have a new ability where I can levitate as long as I am carrying less than 10lbs.  It’s not often that happens – but I guess it might be useful in a pinch or if I ever decide to be a two-story thief. 

The information is not much more than we know – we have to face the challenges of wits and bats and Vivic will give us the Lich Crusher…we don’t think it will be that easy, but then nothing ever is.

As we leave, I steal two berries from the tree outside Maggie’s hut and as Maggie is struggling to open the rusted door to the trials I steal the Lich Crusher’s finger…as Wave says, you’ll never know when it will be come handy.

Maggie opens the rusted door and bid farewell to Maggie heading into a dimly lit hallway. At the end of the hall is two suits of armor that I just know are up to no good.  And as we approach, my fear is right.  A voice rings out:

              “I stand watch in silent stone

              Over lands once bright stone

              What am I that guards so still

              Yet crumbles without will”

The battle of wits has begun and we are stumped.  We mutter to each other – gargoyles, this manor what what? Oberon in is calm deep voice simple says…a castle and the door opens.  Who knew Oberon had such a sharp wit!

We enter the room and there is a spectral figure sitting at a desk reading a book.  Two giant size skeletons guard the only other door of the room. He looks up and tells us we have to sign the log book – taps the book in front of him and goes back to reading his book…How to Kill Two Birds”

We look at the names of those who tried the challenge before us – Jonathan, Markme, Wilhelm Jr, Arden, Dudley, Himo – and sign our names.  The skeletons let us pass. 

In the next room we find ourselves in a library where a crying woman is wailing that Vivic was supposed to marry her and instead locked her away in this room.  Her name is Duchess Esmeralda, whose father is Duke Rognioff.  She has no idea how long she has been her, but when she entered the room the world above was a lush jungle.  So looks like she’s as old as Maggie and Vivic.  I tell the boys we should take her with us, but Esmeralda can’t leave the room.  Whenever she tries she disappears only to reappear back in the room.  I hate that weasel Vivic even more, lying and kidnapping a poor woman!

There are books all around, but there are four figures that are stone still that are reading the books, a full plated knight, an elf, a smirking bearded man, and a young boy still showing signs of acne.  Wave snorts as he reads the title of the book the boy is reading…How to kiss girls.”  Well, he won’t ever have to worry about that again.

On the other side of the room is a dais and atop is a tapestry the likeness of Baron Vivic, Duchess Esmeralda, and what Esmeralda says is her father, Duke Roginoff. Above it carved in arcane rune is “Enter and leave your body behind.”  Around the tapestry are bodies and on closer examination they aren’t dead.  Scorch looks at the tapestry and sees his brother.  Oberon tells him not to go near the tapestry unless he wants to end up like those that litter the ground around him.

We leave the wailing Esmeralda and continue to a bed chamber where we encounter another knight with another riddle – something about invisible weaver and threadless loom…Oberon says Fate without breaking stride.  We find 400 gp and 2 bottles of wine.  Oberon, always says never let a good wine go to waste and Grimtooth wine is a good wine.  He takes a swig and says it is excellent (5 temp hp when drunk).

We walk past the suits of armor and enter a great hall – the ceilings high above us.  There, sitting on his throne, two armor suits on either side, is Vivic – that same smirk on his face when we last saw him. My blood boils just looking at him and how he so easily swayed me.   In front of him is an engraved pentagram and sitting in the middle looks to be some sort of devil creature that we fought in hell.  From above giant bat like undead creatures come down from the ceiling and we now we’re in the trial of the bats…I liked the wits better. 

There are undead all around us – they are Vivic’s uncles, aunts, and local butchers.  We stay close to Pinroy and he calls upon our favorite goddess and many of Vivic’s court run away with their bones between their legs.  We focus our attention to Vivic, his guards, and his devil and it was close, but we were able to defeat him finally. He tells us where to find the soul crusher and begs us to kill him – we comply and take his stuff. Great sword 1x8 necrotic, Short sword that allows bless 1x per day, bat cloak, amulet controls the suits of armor

Once he is killed we are transported to a room where there is a shriveled creature chained in the center of the room missing a finger…could this be the Lich Crusher?  This pathetic creature.  Sand begins to poor into the room and we can’t find a way out.  Wave grabs the Lich Crusher in an attempt to free it and we are transported out of the room and into the desert.  Standing before us is a beautiful woman in full armor.  Her skin is pale as the moon and her black eyes flash with vengeance. She says that she has been a prisoner before the great war, and she is the sister of the Sun Lich and the only one who knows how to kill him.  The Lich Crusher!