Curse of the Smoking Eye

Carifon says the winged critter is "Sorie" and might know of the test of the smoking eye. Jian thinks Sunie is a not quite right Astral Diva. Jean cures it and then pulls the spears out. It wakes up and says Jean's kindness will be remembered. We question it. He served Adamarcus and is only here to see who will pass the test of the smoking eye. Says a giant and another creature just went into the mountain, trying to pass the test. I ask about the other creature. Sorie describes a Raksasha before leaving. I test the pool with one of the spears and nothing happens. Sky dives in, swims down, waves and enters the tunnel. A bit later a bottle bobs up with a rope. We all follow and rinse off. A descending twisty tunnel. Hear clanking ahead of us. Follow. Spot a large giant and the raksasha. They are discussing something. I sneak up to listen. They move on. I hear pounding from a room ahead. It stops as the giant enters. They charge in and a battle starts. I move up. An automaton is fighting the giant. The clay critter falls and shatters. The room is littered with more fragments then one critter should make. They heal up. The raksasha mentions moving on while the spells are in effect. They move out. We follow again. Another battle. A chamber with a black flamed fire. Many passages exit the chamber. In the fire is a skeletal creature. The fire giant appears dead and the raksasha is fighting another critter. The skeletal thing is casting spells. The other critter is is a devil, arms covered in chains. The skeleton casts another spell, a 20' effect goes off and both the raksasha and devil go down. Jian and Jean move up and attack as the skeleton starts looking at the rasasha's remains. We move in. A dire bear appears and attacks Aerrion. Drop the bear. Jean risks life and limb to cast a raise dead on the skeletal lich. It works and it comes to life in the black fire and almost immediately dies and crumples into dust. The black fire is a negative energy nexus. Search the bodies.

Loot: Lantern, 10days food, scroll tubes with 4 scrolls of plain shift.

Continue up stairs. Opens into what is the eye socket of the mountain. Red plasma stuff vents from a rift in the plain. A golden armored mummy is standing in the middle. It wants a sacrifice to complete the test. Jian charges and Carifon yells "No!" She is vaporized then reconstituted. Carifon is weeping. Jian looks changed. She has a flame in one eye. I feel changed as well. We all have fire in one of our eyes. Aerrion and Dubious attack and kill Carifon, who turns to smoke. Our eyes emit a bitter black smoke, smells worse then Aerrion after a 3 day bar bender. While Jian is happy, I and probably Elwin think this is more of a curse then a help. How are we supposed to be sneaky and do our jobs when we glow in the dark and leave a stink trail? Damn Cuthbertians! Their paladin conned us into this. How is this supposed to help anyone in Cauldron? And just when I was believing the stuff the others were saying about how good the Cuthberts were.

Oosana

Eye effects: This is our home plain. +1 insight to hit, caster level +1, +1 ST insight bonus, -10 scent effect

Loot: Cloak of Chrisma, Wand of magic missile lvl 9, Wand of Web level 9, Bag of holding #2, Scroll of disintigrate, Scroll of mass suggestion, Lessor amulet of the planes.

XP - Story 4000