Cycek goes back down the corridor and examines the niches containing the skeletons. Meanwhile Mishok explores the altar chamber, seeking secret doors or anything else unusual. He finds nothing. Cycek, on the other hand, tries pulling one of the skeletons free from it’s bindings. It springs to life and screams in his face. He yanks it forward, breaking its arms. It kicks away off of him, pushing open a hidden door at the back of the niche. The skeleton thrashes its torso, banging against the stone and shrieking. Cycek takes an arm bone from another skeleton and jams it in the mouth of the raving animated skeleton. This stifles the worst of the shrieking. He moves forward into a dark stone room. He can sense the age and the evil of this place. It is clear that no one has been in this place for a long, long time. Mishok and Davros join him in exploring the room. They notice an inscription upon this altar as well. It is an eight-pointed star bearing a demonic visage that they have seen before – engraved on the stone hatch through which they entered Xodar’s lair as well as the key they used to open it. Cycek continues to manhandle the animated skull from the skeleton that had been lashed to the hidden door. Mishok takes his stoneworking tools and chisels a depression into the stone altar that will hold the chattering skull in place. After 15 minutes of the banging of hammer and chisel, they party hears the sounds of creatures approaching.
Sartan inexplicably stands around the other altar heedlessly. Before long, responding to the noise, a group of additional ghouls and ghasts come rushing down the corridor. The group in the hidden chamber closes the door, and the mob of undead rush past, charging directly at Sartan. His fighter reflexes and armor keep him free from harm. His companions immediately throw the door back open and attack the ghouls from behind. The fight results in all the ghouls being cut down in short order.
Fed up with fighting ghouls, and doubting the use of this line of exploration, the group decides to return to the church proper. They are certain that Tibault must have some knowledge of this place and some insight into what is going on. Surely he and Father Baird were aware of these catacombs under the church. They climb up the rope, up the stairs out of the undercroft and into the church’s congregation hall. They find Tibault and the surviving acolytes performing a mourning ceremony over the body of the fallen acolyte. They question him about whether he and Baird knew about the danger lurking beneath the church. He assures them that he had no knowledge of anything below the church, but he is not terribly surprised as much of the city is built upon ruins. Father Baird, he asserts, was a scholar of ancient civilizations and religions. He believes Baird may have gone down the well in recent weeks to investigate the fouling of their water supply. Ever since then, Baird had seemed somewhat odd… distracted, distant, preoccupied. Mishok decides to trust Tibault, but insists that he and the acolytes should leave the church until it should be deemed safe. Thibault reluctantly agrees. He will send the acolytes back to their homes, and he agrees to take a room at the Yur Inn. They call in some of the guards from the square, informing them of the dangerous situation. The guards agree to watch over the church, meanwhile the party proceeds to once again go below and make a last ditch attempt to find Father Baird or the missing acolyte.
Exploring the passages that Mishok had previewed, they come upon a subterranean pond of sulphurous water. Cycek notices something white floating in the water, and upon investigation he discovers that it is the body of the missing acolyte. He manages to fish the body out, and soon finds that this young woman is still alive. She just barely breathes. Cycek conjures a handful of goodberries and coaxes the barely conscious woman to swallow them. She regains her consciousness and in a tremulous voice reports that she was taken by the ghouls before a man in black robes. She barely remembers, but they cut her wrists and drained her blood, before tossing her in the pond…discarding her like trash. They help the badly shaken woman back up to the relative safety of the church and then press forward in their explorations.
They come upon a large chamber dimly illuminated by a green light. Cycek, peering around a corner sees a man in a dark robe standing before a brazier in which a one-eyed skull blazes forth with a green light, emanating from large emerald affixed it its one eye socket. Four demonic statues surround this man and the glowing brazier. Each one holds a shallow bowl which overflows with trickling blood.
Cycek makes himself known, and is met by hostility from the black clad sorcerer. The man has dark circles under his eyes, pallid skin, and sunken cheeks. His teeth and nails are decaying and falling away. He shouts at Cycek, “Begone! Obey the commands of dear St. Terragnis. You don’t belong in this place!”
Cycek casts a magical fog cloud over the glowing skull, the demonic statues, and several sinkholes. He skirts the thick fog and approaches the sorcerer. At that moment the sorcerer speaks arcane words and gestures to the crumbling crypts behind him, and three animated skeletons come shambling forth.
A melee ensues around the perimeters of the magical fog cloud. The green glow from the skull dimly pulses from within. The sorcerer reveals himself as Father Baird. He conjures a whirling aura of evil spirits that damage all who come near. He taunts the explorers, lamenting that his minions were not up to the task of turning away the intruders. “Ghouls and ghasts may be good at obtaining some sacrificial victims, but clearly not up to the task of securing the area. But soon I will have better and stronger resources. For I have seen beyond the veil, and I believe I have some allies there. And I have seen the creature that seeks you. Ah yes… you have a dangerous enemy with a score to settle!”
The skeletons do some damage but are shortly cut down. Cycek spring up off one of the statues and knocks Baird to the ground. Mishok casts an spell of silence, preventing Baird from using any further incantations. Baird continues to struggle, resorting to flailing at his opponents with a dagger, to no avail.