Tapestries of Time beyond Perilous Archways

The group took a quick rest to recover from the Wraith attack.  Continuing to scan the chamber of archways they decided to reread the message received from the dripping of the ichor.  Pretis and Gofin decided to try and reach the teleportation circle on the ceiling, maybe they could pass through it to another area.  Meanwhile Mara checked for secret/concealed doors between the archways, where she found none.  Gofin caught a grappling hook in a chain near the center of the chamber and Pretis climbed up to reach the chain.  Taking damage from the black ichor she continued upwards to the runes on the ceiling.  


This was all to no avail as she could not pass through the circle from this side.  Clambering back down on the rope she took no more damage.  Demin thought about entering the other archways but was dissuaded by Alhellara and Melisana.  Using his history lessons Lythandar recalled that the green diabolic face was Acererak's most infamous symbol, but it had never before been pictured with its eyes closed.  Mara used her small piton hammer to attack the stone covering the left eye.  All she managed was a small chip in the stone.  Several party members attempted further attacks on the eye and finally Lythandar successfully broke the stone revealing the open eye beneath but also taking Arcane damage.  Melisana noted that the black sphere of darkness had disappeared.  Alhellara strode over to the mouth and looked in.  She saw an opening on the bottom of the mouth which she prodded with her staff.  It appeared to be a cylindrical opening going down farther than her staff could reach.  

Pretis broke the stone covering of the right eye, taking Arcane damage, as Alhellara was lowered with a rope into the tube below the mouth.  Alhellara was in an alcove which opened into a larger chamber.  It seemed to be a large feast hall shrouded in shadow.  A number of tables were scattered in the area, each set with fine silver and porcelain plates and heaped high with succulent roast meats and sweet fruit.  Brightly colored tapestries hung along the walls and between the tables displayed scenes of battle, with hundreds of heroes of a dozen races races rendered in life sized detail -- all of them swarmed by swirling shadows as they fought for their lives.

Alhellara motioned quiet upwards and indicated the party should follow.   Demin descended into the mouth along with Pretis.  Gofin then clambered down and as she reached around half the distance the sphere of darkness reappeared and severed the rope dropping Gofin 10' to the floor.  Lythandar noted that the stone covering the eyes had reformed and with a might smack he smashed the stone again.  Mara, Melisana and Lythandar then joined the party below.  

The tapestries hung between the tables came down to 5 feet above the floor.  Peering under them the party saw a fire pit in the center of the room, blazing with bright white flame.  Cautiously moving into the room Demin moved north and west while Mara and Alhellara moved toward the fire pit.  Gofin skirted the southern edges of the room.  Alhellara noted that the armor and livery of many of the tapestries' heroes seemed out of date.  Those ancient warriors fought beside others whose gear and garb was entirely contemporary.

As Mara and Pretis neared the fire pit the white flame of the fire pit suddenly dimmed, a haze of smoke and darkness rose to take the form of 7 shrieking creatures.  Their indistinct forms took to the air on wings of shadow.   The party moved to battle formation as Pretis planted the standard to protect against fire damage.  The group soon determined that the nighthaunts were insubstantial and undead.  Demin and Gofin found themselves grabbed by the whispering haunts.  Then Demin was engulfed by darkness.  Gofin took damage from Life Leak and Mara was the recipient of a Terrifying Vision.  Melisana moved up and unleashed a devastating Rebuke Undead which pushed several haunts away and dazed them.  

Alhellara, Pretis and Melisana found themselves attacked from behind, where there were tapestries.  They were taking ongoing damage and felt sluggish.  Mara shook the earth while Lythandar attacked over and over completely exhausting his encounter abilities.  Apparently the haunts were the recipient of Lythandar's rage over losing his magical items.  Pretis moved slowly among the creatures causing little damage.  Gofin and Demin escaped the grabs of the creatures and shifted to continue their attacks.  Alhellara blinded the nighthaunt shrine while Gofin immobilized some of the whispering haunts.

Quickly the battle was over as the last of the enemy fell.  The party applied some healing and took a short rest.  Looking around they saw that tapestries covered all of the walls except where the group entered.  Seeking a way out Lythandar used his mage hand to move the edges of the wall tapestries, making sure to stay at least 10' away.   On the western wall about a third of the way up he found a stone passageway leading west.  Ducking through Lythandar found that the backside of the tapestry had no images so he held it open for everyone to pass through.

The passageway led  west for around 50 feet but Mara tripped a floor trap door at about 20 feet in.  She caught herself on the edge before falling though and smelled necrotic essence emanating from the 10 foot pit.  The party grabbed a table from the Tapestry room, leaving all the luscious food laying on the floor.  The table was used to span the pit and Mara moved across confidently.  Stepping off the table another pit opened up, this one 20 feet deep but again Mara grabbed the edge of the table and clambered back on top of it.  Another table was grabbed to span the second pit.  As Alhellara moved across she could see liquid in the bottom of the pits.

Gofin now moved forward checking for additional pits but found no more as she entered a oddly shaped room.  Cracked onyx altars, carved as sarcophagus were set around the crumbling chamber, each piled high with a cluster of blackened skulls.  An opening left the chamber on the far west wall.
Lythandar and Melisana looked around for magic, and noticed something in a pile of skulls on the northern altar.  Lythandar and Alhellara scanned for alternate exits but found none.   Lythandar used the mage hand to scatter the skulls uncovering a pair of Bracers.

Scorecard:  The party received 1371 XP for the night and now have 57228 XP and have moved to 15th level.  They now need 11772 XP to reach 16th level.  The Level 17 Skull Bracers have not been claimed at this point.