Once we got going, we entered the dungeon via the Pirate’s Hideout entrance we had dug out last time.  We were stopped at the door by 3 bounty hunters.  They were looking for the werewolf Druid we had killed some while back.  We noted their wanted poster quoted a 1000 gp reward whereas we only got 300.  Evidently the prices were better if you were a member of the guild.  They eyed TerStegan with suspicion, thinking he looked a bit furry.  He told them the tale of how we fought the werewolf and that convinced them.  It was a bunch of conversation that amounted to not much.  TerStegan asked if they had any other bounties but they weren’t going to give away their business.  Eventually, they just left.  So much for our hidden entrance that was instantly found. 

We then headed to the secret door to the south of one of the old guard rooms.  It was a dusty bedroom, maybe for the head guard.  The only thing that ended up amounting to anything was a foot locker.  It had a hat, pouch, and a book.  Clarisa tried to read aura on the book but it fell apart in her hands.  Dan missed a thievery roll that Clarisa was so untrained in, he didn’t know such a skill existed.  There was a debate as to why she’d have to handle it in the first place but we lost.  It was ruled too destroyed to use the first level Mending spell.  From the scraps, it had had some crafting formulas so only Xeelie really cared.  The pouch has 25 gp worth of green gems. Xeelie failed to identify the hat but took some extra time and succeeded on her second try. It was a Hat of Disguise (greater) worth 340 gp.  Xeelie already had a Scarf of Disguise but the hat gave you unlimited uses per day.  That’s probably needed for any serious infiltration.  But like a lot of these sorts of deception things, it is hard to use in a group.  I think the plan is to sell it.

The next door lead to a long corridor downish to the back of another secret door.  That opened to a walkway/viewing area around the battle arena.  The Cheery Man was still there but no one was fighting.  On the west end of the arena was a huge pile of rotting garbage.  We moved in, ignoring the Cheery Man, and up to another secret door.  It was a stone window up a bit.  With a boost, it was a one-way window that we couldn’t see through.  According to the mummy’s map, there was a viewing area behind it.  Past the Cheery Man we could see broken stone statues although the giant spider one looked okay.  TerStegan asked if anyone had a stone to flesh spell. Just in case.  No one did.  We decided to avoid the Cheery Man and the statues but when he called out, TerStegan walked up and started talking to him. “We were afraid you’d make us fight.”  “Make you? No.  But you might want to turn around.”  There were 3 Basilisks.  So much for avoiding the stone spider statue. 

The first one attacked TerStegan with a bite and rolled a 1.  And tried again and crit with a 20 for 30 points.  Brisco went next.  At the start of his turn, the basilisk used its reaction to turn him to stone a bit.  Slowed 1 on a failed Fort save.  He did his doctor visitation on TerStegan for 25.  And threw his trident for 16.  Xeelie was next but a basilisk reacted on her first.  TerStegan used his Counter Performance to use his Performance roll but both rolls would have succeeded.  She cast Loose Time’s Arrow, quickening all but distant Clarisa.  And did her knowledge thing and crit succeeded.  Unfortunately, it had no weaknesses.  Clarisa was too far away to be slowed, hit the injured one with Magic Missiles for 22 points.  The second basilisk did a petrifying gaze (not the glancing reaction) on TerStegan.  He made the 22 Fort save.  And moved away a bit.  And did its reaction on TerStegan’s turn.  He missed the save for slowed 1.  He started his aura and attacked the damaged one.  He crit for 45.  Overkilling it, likely.  He then moved with the quicken.  The last basilisk hit the flanked TerStegan for 9 and did its gaze on Xeelie.  She failed for Slowed 1.  Oakwood didn’t get glanced because he was around the corner at the start of his turn.  He turned on his damage field, quickened moved, missed with a 6 and missed with a 3.

Slowed Brisco did Rousing Splash on someone for temp hit points.  Slowed Xeeile did her knowledge thing and hit for 18.  Clarisa moved up and did the Avert Gaze action to give her +2 on the Fort save.  A basilisk did a gaze on TerStegan and he saved.  And then tried a bite and missed.  TerStegan had flanking with Oakwood and crit for 35.  And rolled a 1 on the next attack.  The other basilisk tried to gaze TerStegan but Xeeile did a reaction first.  (Her class’s reactive attack include concentrate as a trigger.)  And crit killed it.  Oakwood double moved to get flanking again and then missed.  After he saved on the glance.  Brisco cast Tangle Vine to limit its movement by 10 fearing it might flee?  Clarisa used a missile barrage on it.  The basilisk got one more turn, gazing at TerStegan.  But Xeelie got her reaction back and attacked first.  TerStegan saved and Xeelie did 17.  On its last action, it bit for 9.  TerStegan hit with a 4 and did 27, finishing it off. 

We had more conversations with the Cheery Man.  He was trying to talk us into fighting.  He had a variety of options.  Groups, single, various difficulty levels.  He offered 200 gp for the group for a group fight.  Cash whore TerStegan was tempted.  It took a while but we finally pried everyone away from him.  During all that, Oakwood healed the wounded with his Dash of Herbs.  We wandered around the level and got to an unopened door.  It was a room with old bottles and surgical equipment.  Oakwood upgraded his healing kit.  Brisco searched and found a round key which Oakwood added to his key ring. We refocused while Xeelie failed to repair a push cart found in there.  We had a retro-active discussion on the possible value of basilisk body parts.  They had no value but the blood of a recently killed one could be used to reverse those being recently petrified. But we had avoided that but it was good to know.

We moved down a hallway to more double doors that led into the viewing room we had assumed from the window.  It looked like a dining room that had been thrashed.  And there were a couple of ghosts, wearing old fashionable noble clothes.  They were throwing stuff at each other.  We could see that stone window and some glyphs used to control it? The ghosts were ignoring us.  Xeelie tried a roll to figure out what they needed but Brian put us into combat first.  They were “naturally invisible.”  Oakwood rolled a 20 Society to try to figure out their problem.  They said “they were trapped in the arena.”  Brisco deferred his turn.  Xeelie rolled her esoteric lore and got a 26.  “There’s no path to escape.”  Brian was hoping for all the answers but obviously the GM was just giving clues.  Brisco jumped into the initiative and tried to talk to them.  He offered to show them the way out but they were not being reasonable.  Stuck in their curse.  Some of us thought the runes might be the key so Brisco moved to them.  They went next and attacked.  One did a TK Storm AOE but missed on all 3 attack rolls.  It then it threw a cup and missed.  The next one tried to Fear Clarisa but she saved.  And then hit Xeelie for 17.  TerStegan missed the invisible one but the fear attack made the other one visible and he hit that one for 12.  Clarisa tried her Vitality Lash but it saved for half damage.  At least it worked. 

Oakwood turned on his fire damage stance, moved pass them and missed a sad Occult roll on the glyphs.  Xeelie crit the visible one for 46.  And hit again for 18.  13, actually since it had 5 points of resistance.  Brisco had a 1 Arcane skill but rolled a nat 20 to figure out the glyphs.  He then spent 2 actions opening the window.  And as a free action, he mentioned it to them. And they flew off.  Oakwood topped off Xeelie’s hit points and we searched the room, looking for anything of value.  Xeelie found the magic window wall.  Brisco found a small metal box, dented and locked.  It was jammed so he gave it to our thief to open.  Xeelie failed but she heard something rattling around in it.  She used the Knock spell on the skeleton key and tried again.  A 30 opened it to find a ring.  It had a small skull on it, chewing on something.  Clarisa knew that was the symbol of Nimbeloff.  Xeelie tried to identify it.  It was a Ring of Wizardry.  That’s +1 to Arcana rolls and two extra 1^st level arcane spells a day.  A pricey 7^th level object.  Clarisa was the obvious choice but Dan didn’t see any value in two extra 1^st level spells. He hardly ever used 1^st level spells and never ran out of them. The current version of Xeelie could cast arcane spells so she took it.  Extra 1^st level spells are more useful to a part time caster. Now if it did primal or occult spells, it would have been a different character wanting it.

The remaining door led down through some rubble to the next level.  That led into a tavern with live music.  That letter we found mentioned music briefly.  I think we’re done with the 5^th level until we complete the mummy’s task and get the pass key to the saw traps.  So it’s pick your poison on the 6^th level hard foes.  We’ll probably start at the tavern since no one immediately attacked us.  Plus, I’m sure TerStegan is eager to use his Performance skill.