The Shaman sees the Blackfire still consuming Max and Fin. Ody is unsure what will stop this life energy drain but he puts his faith in Mother Earth and calls upon her to grant him the healing power he needs to help his companions. Placing a hand on Max's shoulder the healer draws forth a cure disease spell in hopes it will end the drain of life. If this works the same can be done for Fin. Once the Blackfire is stopped other healing can be applied as they escape.

Ody was wondering if he might have to help the Dwarv leap the pit to escape down the side tunnel.

Seeing the black flames consume two of their companions, Lun moved to act. Wordless intonations to Sehanine flowed from her lips as the priestess made her way to Finarsil's side. Laying a hand upon her elven sister, she guided the healing magic to flow through her and into the bard.

((OOC: Cure Disease on Finarsil))

Maximus hurt, his skin burned, whatever was inside him felt like cold fire stealing his life from him. Try as he might he fell to one knee straining to stand for to kneel before these creatures was to beg for death and the ex-gladiator would never do that. Then he felt hands upon him and the flow of healing magic into him and could only hope it would help him to stay in this fight.

Jarenion watched his wall of stone slam into place blocking off the back two wights. Thankfully the other party members were able to finish off those on this side of the wall. They didn't have long - maybe 15 minutes, before the wall disappeared. He wanted to start planning how to deal with the wights when the wall came down, but held his tongue so the healers in the group could try and save the others. As they did their best, he kept his eye on the one passage still open to them and thought about his best plan for quickly killing the wights.

There would be no end to the horrors, it would seem. Where once Arien would have never flinched, no matter the odds, he now felt melancholy weigh heavy on his soul. I'm getting too old for this, he mused.

These undead... Arien had never seen their like, though he had heard tales that spoke of frozen skeletons that bore black flames that would consume life itself. If these were the same creature from those tales, he despaired at the chances of his companions to live much longer.

"We must regroup," he called. "Hurry, friends - into the tunnel."

The knight well knew that they could be hurrying to their deaths - but the way the odds currently stood, if they remained here, the party would almost certainly meet that grim specter.

"We need to keep moving. We can try to heal on the move but I really don't want to be here when the magic barrier goes away. Maybe we can lose them further in the cavern." Sparrow called out.

Trying to aid their fallen friends, Lun and Odyson call upon their deities and attempt a Cure disease to extinguish the flames, but as soon as they touch their companions, the Blackfire flares up and jumps upon them, spreading to consume their lives as well. They feel the burning cold spread through them and move back quickly, rolling away from the fire instinctively. Luckily, the fire does not seem to take hold and dissipates on them. Yet, of their companions, Finarsil fires burns even larger now while Maximus' flames seem to be weakening in strength. Although injured and in agony,. The Bard and Thief manage to get to their feet and can at least walk.

"We must regroup," Arien called. "Hurry, friends - into the tunnel."

Kadrin nods a quick agreement and leaps the shortest corner of the pit into the corridor. The dwarven warrior feels the strange metal door and examines its construction. It has no lock and basically is a metal doorway designed to pull up.

OOC:
Maximus: Seriously wounded and down four constitution points (11)
Finarsil: Critically wounded and down five constitution points (8 )
Odyson: Light wounds
Lun: Light Wounds

Check your PM for hints Ody and Nimu

Once the party is beyond the doorway - and assuming there is no attack waiting for them - Arien moves to address the immediate threat.

Having seen the results of the healers' attempts to administer to those burning, the knight summons his ability to state the obvious. "We must extinguish the flames, or they will die. But we dare not touch them, lest the fire spread to those who would heal."

Frowning in thought, the knight considers how one would deal with a magical fire. He then wonders... what if one were to deal with it just as one would a normal fire, simply allowing that this is a much hotter version?

"Lun, Odyson," he asks. "Can you summon water to extinguish the flames, or earth to smother them? Granted, these are no mere campfires, and the sorcery may be immune to such mundane solutions... but would it not be worth a try? If so, might we not simply use a great deal of water or earth to deal with such powerful fire?"

If this would not do it... well, the solution was beyond the knight's ken.

The Shaman had called forth the strength of Mother Earth to cure the disease that drained the life Max. But when he laid hand to cast the spell the Blackfire flared up and attempted to spread to him too. Feeling the burning cold spread he move back quickly, rolling away from the fire instinctively. Luckily, the fire does not seem to take hold and dissipates. The Shaman now knew this was no disease, it was a pure drain of energy to the negative plane. Ody had never dealt with trying to sever such a connection, but he had learned a spell that had been used as a protection.
Max and Fin had regained their feet but Ody felt they needed this fell remnant stopped quickly if they were to cross the pit.

Ody heard, "Lun, Odyson, Can you summon water to extinguish the flames, or earth to smother them? Granted, these are no mere campfires, and the sorcery may be immune to such mundane solutions... but would it not be worth a try? If so, might we not simply use a great deal of water or earth to deal with such powerful fire?" Turning to Ariens, "This is no fire, must sever connection."

So once again calling on Mother Earth this time to grant him the use of the spell and to allow it to be used to break the energy drain to the Negative plane.

Shouting to the others to close their eyes and cover their ears he laid hand on Max as he chanted the calling of the spell. Risking once again exposure to the Blackfire, Ody cast "Negative Plane Protection". His hope was to open a channel to the Positive Energy plane and thus let the two planes negate and sever the connections.

(O.O.C., for the lurkers here is the spell that Ody will attempt although using it differently than usual. Let's hope he rolls a natural 20.)
( Level:3
Sphere: Protection, Necromantic [Abjuration]
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 1 rd.
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: None

This spell affords the caster or touched creature partial protection from undead monsters with Negative Energy plane connections (such as shadows, wights, wraiths, spectres, or vampires) and certain weapons and spells that drain energy levels. The negative plane protection spell opens a channel to the Positive Energy plane, possibly offsetting the effect of the negative energy attack. A protected creature struck by a negative energy attack is allowed a saving throw vs. death magic. If successful, the energies cancel with a bright flash of light and a thunderclap. The protected creature suffers only normal hit point damage from the attack and does not suffer any drain of experience or Strength, regardless of the number of levels the attack would have drained. An attacking undead creature suffers 2d6 points of damage from the positive energy; a draining wizard or weapon receives no damage.
This protection is proof against only one such attack, dissipating immediately whether or not the saving throw was successful. If the saving throw is failed, the spell recipient suffers double the usual physical damage, in addition to the loss of experience or Strength that normally occurs. The protection lasts for one turn per level of the priest casting the spell, or until the protected creature is struck by a negative energy attack. This spell cannot be cast on the Negative Energy plane. )

Jarenion moved quickly into the side passage as the healers attempted to save those burning in the blackflames. He cast his mind over his own spellbook wondering if perhaps a mage could do what the healers could not. This was likely not his fight.

Still, he needed to do whatever he could. If this fire was not a disease and could not be healed, then perhaps a mage was what was needed. So he readied a simple "dispel magic" spell. He'd let the healers do their thing first as it seemed the best chance at success. But if they failed or had no options, he would try dispel magic. It just might work. And perhaps he had another bullet in his arsenal as well. Maybe. Maybe.

They needed something to work.

As he stumbled along, helped by Ody, he knew the shaman's magic had failed to remove the dark fire from him and the pain only seemed to get worse. A sudden new surge of pain once more dropping him to his knees he wished only to stay there, his desire to continue sapped by the magic slowly killing him. Looking to Ody he attempted to tell the rest to go but was unable to speak, the pain to great.

Sparrow saw the effects of the black fire and failure of the clerics to heal it. Once again she was glad she was not one who chose to fight at close range. So far she had avoided the worst of things. There was nothing she could do to help at this point so she simply stood guard, arrow at the ready in case the wall came down unexpectedly.

Lin recoiled as the ebony flames rushed to claim her. She moved with elven grace and agility avoiding their embrace. It seemed odd that the swiftness of motion here worked just as it did with mundane fire. Perhaps there might be other similarities as well.

It was a leap, but blind as they all were she would need to take the chance. So she lept.

Drawing the divine will through her being, Lun conjured a torrent in water and let it rush down upon Finarsil.

((OOC: casts create water))

Kadrin, not familiar with the magical flames, dared not make any assumptions as to a solution to put them out. He would leave that to the mages.

Keeping watch on the two barriers that are holding back enemies, he also searches for a lever that will open the door. If he cannot find one the door will have to be "manhandled" and opened manually.

"This door opens upward. If a switch or lever cannot be found to open the door, the strongest among us will have to team up on it to open it. I'll use my hammer to keep it open until we are on the other side."

He also stands ready to defend the wounded if the wall comes down before his comrades are ready to move.

(OOC: I assume that the reason the keyless doorway was pointed out, is that it could be a mode of escaping the present situation or the only way to escape. If I'm wrong, i'm wrong. Feel free to edit my post to gel the best with the story. I'm having trouble imagining the layout. But in any case, Above is what I say and do.)

Both clerics attempt their own methods to quench the fires that burn the life force of their companions and both require time to cast the spells. The others of the party stand guard so that the they may work the prayers. As they chanted and moved their hands in intrinsic patterns, Jarenion cast a dispel magic on both of them. Maximus flames seemed to sputter and weaken but the Bard's flames only burned greater.

Then Odyson cast his protection spell on Maximus. There is a bright flash and a sound like a thunderclap as the Cleric dares to touch the gladiator-thief once again. The flames are extinguished and the foce of the thunder is enough to prevent the blackfire from spreading to Ody.

Lun casts Create water above flaming bard and while the water appears to be working at first, Finarsil screams a bloodcurdling cry and disintegrates into black soot before your eyes, washed away with the flow of the water- leaving only her equipment behind, untouched by the flames.

The first member of this adventuring party has met a gruesome end. How many more will fall?

OOC:
Maximus: Critically wounded and down four constitution points (11)
Finarsil: Dead and cremated
Odyson: Light wounds
Lun: Light Wounds

Sparrow heard the thunderclap and saw the black flames extinguished. It seemed whatever the cleric had done worked. Her relief was short lived as the water spell failed and her companion turned to cinder. Sparrow knew enough of magic to know there was no coming back from such. Still aware that she had nothing to offer in the healing, she decided to take a closer look at the door.