What Ghosts Do and Don't

As I stood in the stone passage, wondering what to do (and if there is any possible explanation of Mayir’s actions that could excuse them), a ghostly Roscoe stepped out of a wall next to the party. I gave Sprocket a startled look, wondering why she thought this would help - but she was looking as surprised as myself! The ghost actually seemed aware of us, this time, and it spoke to us, which is more than her other creations have done before. We quickly figured out that it really was the ghost from the lava lake, somehow released from its captivity (by the breaking of the geas?), and it had taken some time to track us down. Roscoe has no idea what’s been going on since his death, but happily flew - flew! - off down the passage when Mayir suggested he check the place out for us.

My brain hurts.

Between Roscoe’s reports and our own observations, we eventually decided we were on an island in a sulfurous body of water - probably the Lake of Steam. The island is a crater, filled inside with forests; the other end of the tunnel opens on a cliff face, dropping straight down to the water. The inside opening is easier to navigate, but our first look out of it showed moonlight, and the sounds of a hunting cat and its prey. We decided to stay inside the cave entrance for a time; I wanted to start building a boat or a raft the next morning, but Roscoe came back from another flight around the island. First, he told us about everything he’d seen; giant spiders, goblin totem poles, and a big green dragon. We need to be very careful, here! Next, he showed off some of the things he can do now he’s dead (besides go invisible and fly). He suddenly took on the hideous appearance of his death from the exploding altar and lava lake!

This caused actual harm to Mayir and Sprocket. Now we had to wait several more days to heal up.

After making many promises to never do that without warning again, Roscoe flew off to let us rest. Over the next few days, I guarded Sprocket on several journeys into the nearby forest to search for portals, which she says will be a faster way out of here than a boat. Roscoe found out that he can possess living creatures, and helped out by causing birds and such to come to the cave to provide us with food. This was a good thing, as we had only a few days’ rations between us. Roscoe also tried to posess a goblin for us to ask questions of... and somehow brought back a troll with it! Despite my shouts to run to the cave, the goblin ran back into the woods when Roscoe released it; the troll charged at us instead of following it, too.

Roscoe found out that his “scary face” has no effect on trolls. Nor can he possess them.

Thankfully, the troll was fooled by Sprocket’s images of flames (I even felt heat!), and we all did damage with torches and other weapons. At one point, the troll stunned me and was carrying me off, when Mayir tripped it up. How can he be evil when he does such selfless things sometimes? After some more fighting (I was in a rage by that point), the troll was weakened to the point that Roscoe was able to kill it - I’m not sure how, but he touched it and it fell. Mayir quickly burned the thing, and gave me a healing drink! We only got an hour’s rest before Roscoe flew into the cave to tell us that one, magic missiles can hurt him, and two, a bunch of goblins were headed our way. We stationed ourselves at the cave’s entrance and waited for the worst.

After an hour or so, Roscoe wandered off to check on things and didn’t return. I guess he got bored with us?

Ten days later, we were finally healed up, and to our surprise, the ghost returned! He didn’t say much about where he’d been this time, but we were all glad to be off exploring the island. (I do wonder what happened to the others; did the lich ever return? Do they know what happened to us? Is my husband still a zombie?). We headed toward the goblin village, hoping to find a sentry to quiz, when Roscoe mentioned seeing the dead body of a half-orc in the woods. Curious, we searched that first. Sprocket quickly found a scroll with a map of the island, with some interesting markings around some ruins, and despite warnings of beholders, we decided to check them out.

Elves do not like stepping in beholder dung. Neither would I!

Luckily, we saw no beholders in the flesh, though we did find a stone petrified mage, poor fellow! The ruins were overgrown, but we did find a staircase belowground that was clear. Sprocket put a “light” spell on my helmet, and we explored the halls and rooms, finding little but bones and a well which the others covered over. One of the skulls had four holes in it, which is apparently a very bad thing to find, but I didn’t ask - either we’ll meet the culprit or we won’t! Following Sprocket’s map, Mayir stared hard at the walls until he discovered a “secret” door. He opened it and narrowly missed falling into a pit trap! I tossed Sprocket across and jumped over the hole, while Roscoe flew ahead down the new passage to explore for us.

Ghosts apparently can’t tell when suits of armor are just suits of armor. We made quite a clatter killing them for him!

As we finished smashing the armor, Roscoe floated through the closed door - and quickly came back out to tell us that there was a hall with statues and a beholder on the other side! He went back in to lure the thing into our room, but before I could pull the door open, it burst into flames! We readied ourselves for a fight, but the beholder never came into our room. Instead, the door burned through and we could see flashes of light fron its ray attacks. Roscoe hollered for help, then disappeared. Mayir ran into the room, I followed, and Sprocket cast magic missiles at the thing from the doorway. Unfortunately, the beholder was able to stun Sprocket and me; fortunately, Mayir was able to chase it off.

Roscoe seems to have taken off, again. He can’t be bored, I didn’t see any stone statues of him, what did that thing do?

We explored more doors and passages, eventually finding a triangle on the floor of one. Mayir did his find-the-secret-door trick again, and this time there wasn’t a pit trap. Instead, there was a chamber with a book on a pedestal, protected by runes glowing blue, and two columns topped by spheres with red mist inside. There were chests and other stuff all around the edges of the room, too, but we didn’t get a close look; when Mayir walked in, the spheres broke open and the mists attacked us with many sharp-toothed mouths! Mayir tried to get inside the circle of runes but was prevented by a magical brick wall, and then Sprocket figured out that the mists were somehow eating magic - especially the magic in our gear. We ran outside and shut the door.

I wonder what to do next?