Story - Part 2 - Icespire Peak

Looking at the model Garic tries to plan their route to the crystal below the keep

She isn't sure if the table insulted her or not, but Vienne tries to focus on the map.

Vienne and Garic both do their best to interpret the model of the castle. Garic identifies the cavern where the crystal most likely is. It's a huge dome right under the castle's main tower.
He points at it and Vienne quickly figures out the optimal way to get there. The spiral staircase from where you came from should house an entrance to the caverns below. You just have to find it...

Vienne excitedly points it out to Garic, and heads out to find it. "Right, find a new entrance. We can do that!"

Garic ponders outloud to Vienne The throne room sealed once we stepped inside and the stairs are outside of it so we need to open the door or get around it somehow. Right? He studies the map to that end.

If we can't find it on the map then I guess we will have to check out the door ourselves.

While Garic checks the map again Vienne goes to the spiral staircase leading down to the kitchen and checks the lower floor for any entrances. She doesn't find any. At least directly. But what she does find is that behind the staircase there is a 3x3 grid of tiles. One place in the grid is free and the other tiles slide freely so that you can change them around.

The grid currently looks like this:

HLF
NZU
ET

Garic meanwhile finds out that the only way into the caverns seems to be the one Vienne found on the map

As Garic slides in the last tile the whole area around the tiles begins to glow.
After a brief flash of light they disappear and instead a staircase leads down
Vienne and Garic go down the staircase, Vienne taking the lead following the path she remembered from the map of the castle.
The tunnels are dry and silent. You don't hear anything but your own footsteps, don't even see spiders or rats.
After half an hour of navigating through the tunnels beneath the castle the path ends at a massive iron door.
Runes are engraved in the stone around the door.

Vienne is thrilled when Garic solves the puzzle. Puzzles weren't her forte. The tunnel is...unnerving but the giant door was more so. "Why does this keep getting creepier? Think we can read these? Maybe they're magic?" She studied them, and tried to see if they contained any kind of magic.

Vienne checks the runes. She doesn't think they are magic but she also can't decipher them. After all she knows those could be a magical incantation as well as the words 'restroom down the hallway'

Let me take a look Garic tries as well. In addition he tries to sense magic on the door.
If it is locked we can try using the potion of Flabbiness to make the door soft enough to push open.
But when we get past the doors we need to crack that crystal as quick as possible if defenders' try to stop us.

Garic can decipher the meaning of the runes.
Victor on land and sea, wielder of magic, brother of the gods, leader of the army, bringer of piece, his highness, the emporer

Garic touches the door. It doesn't seem to be magical. At least he can't sense any magic. But the door is locked...

Garic looks for a keyhole or other point of failure on the door Not sure how much of the door will be affected by the potion and I am not skilled in burglary he comments with a chuckle. Unless you have another idea lets see what the potion can do

Vienne thought for a moment, before nodded. "We might as well, I'm not skilled in burglary either. I probably know as much about locks as you do. Hopefully it works."

Garic applies the Potion of Flabbiness to the area around the lock. After a few seconds the door softens and he is able to easily pull the lock and bolt back. With the bolt no longer sticking inside the door frame you can easily swing open the door. Luckily there seems to be no trap or magic on the door.

Garic and Vienne step into a huge domed cavern. The floor is littered with skeletons all in some kind of armor. The walls are chiseled smooth and decorated with runes and depictions of historic events.
But the centerpiece of the cavern is a huge red crystal in the shape of a hexagonal bipyramide hanging about halfway down from the ceiling 30ft/10m above you. Six massive iron chains run from fixtures in the ceiling to an iron ring that is holding the crystal. While there is no light source in the cavern the crystal pulses with dim red light that is bright enough to illuminate the cavern. If you watch carefully you think you can see a ghostly white figure swirling around in the crystal.

Just as you admire the scenery four of the skeletons on the floor rise up, with rusty spears in their hands and you hear a whispering voice from the crystal.
Whooooo dares to disturb my chamber? Are you with the empire of Nezhulft? Then swear fealty...

Well, she had to assume that crystal was the important one. But it also seemed to be plenty guarded, unless Vienne was wrong and these weren't magical skeletons. Maybe it was a mix of undead guards and dead intruders? She jumped when the four stood up, but tried to see if she could figure out anything that maybe linked their armor. Might help figure out how safe the room was, in general. "Um, what happens if we don't?"

Garic looks for a secure place to face off the guards while attacking the crystal or the chains that hold it. IF the armor advances Garic is going to immediately attack them

The ghostly figure in the crystal stops swirling for a moment.
Then... you'll learn, nurses... the voice responds
You have a choice. A choice between greatness, learning and helping to bring peace to this world or letting the world descend into chaos, without the abilities to help by yourself....

Scrol sent a note to Miss_Sadie

Scrol sent a note to Psybermagi

Soooo what is your choice?

The skeletons sway on the spot but don't advance...

Garic snarls Learning and helping to bring peace to this world is what I shall do but not the way you want to do it. Garic says as he unleashes his magic at the chain.

Vienne shook herself after the scene. She readied her chakrams, and tried to line them with magic to make them sharper and stronger. "I don't need you to be able to protect those I love. Even if I fail, I'll do my best to protect them from you!" She aimed for the ring that held the giant crystal up, and threw.