-----In the corner to his right, he sees where a stairs would climb up to the balcony. In fact, he sees the top two steps of the stairs as they reach the upper landing. However, the rest of the stairs is simply not there as if it has been removed.
-----"I call on the Great Rager to grant us obscurement from our enemies!" Lovan says from the center of the chamber. The storm priest stands there holding his warhammer high over his head. As he begins speaking, he points his weapon to each wall and as he does a strange light vapor seems to pour from his armor. The mists continue to build as they seem to swallow him in a whitish blanket.
-----The low laughter stops now and the adventurers are addressed by a deep bass-like voice full of loathing and menace. "Your feeble attempts at resistance have been entertaining. You have destroyed my troop and I will grant you a chance at survival. You shall serve under me and live. Dare to refuse and you will die!"
-----Sol quickly smashes two more mirrors on the far wall closest to him as the vapor clouds progress out beyond the storm priest. The mist slowly begins to fill the lower part of the chamber.
-----Romney rises from where he momentarily cradled Mirian in his arms. "Show yourself, murderer! By Joren, I shall bring the Holy Redeemer's justice upon you myself!" he yells, drawing his sword as the mists begins to envelope Sarah and him.
-----Garrison, very bloodied and battered, gazes at the fallen dancer across the floor. With Romney's words, he struggles to stand on his feet. Lifting his battleaxe overhead, he yells a wordless battle-cry which seems to echo inside the castle. He is then covered completely by the white mists.
-----In the next moment, everyone loses sight of each other as the cloud from Lovan's spell fills the chamber up to about ten feet. The fire from the cauldrons does not go out, but rather casts a strange orange glow in the overwhelming fog.
-----"Fools!" comes the menacing voice, "You think to escape me?!"
-----This is followed by the sound of the double doors to this chamber slamming shut. For a few moments, everyone is quiet as the misty cloud cover remains a perfect cloak to the potential danger.
-----Then a curious thing happens! Suddenly a large beam flares out sweeping through the fog. Where it goes, the cloud appears to thin and dissipate. Luckily none of the adventurers are revealed yet and the source of the beam seems to glide somewhere over the mists.
-----At one point, the beam passes over the place where the lion statue is situated. As it does, its light momentarily flashes across the gray stone. As its source passes by overhead, the statue stands forgotten. In the next few seconds, the grayish cast begins to lighten. Its surface texture begins to take on the qualities of a living fur covered creature of nature. Those closest to it can see the frozen features begin to relax. As the big cat's paw starts to lower, its entire form begins to shrink and change.
-----As Rinda's lithe figure appears in its place, she almost drops to the floor dazed and weakened. That is, until Raven appears beside her and pulls her with him where the mists remain thick.
-----However, an overwhelming sense of danger remains as the adventurers catch a glimpse of something large and spherical in shape, maybe some four feet across, gliding over the mists toward the opposite end of the room. The searching beam that penetrates the fog shines from one side of it.
-----As the large floating thing fails to find any sign of the adventurers on its first pass, it moves back to hover over the center of the room. "You think to hide from me, do you?" it shouts in its low tone of evil. As almost an act of frustration, a beam of light erupts from atop the spherical shape striking a mirror on the wall opposite the doors. It then angles into the lightening mists close to where Sol was last seen.
-----Just then, Sarah's voice is heard somewhere near the closed doors issuing a hurried warning. "Down!" she yells before familiar tones of incantation are heard.
-----The mists fade enough that for a second, the horrific menace of the castle is revealed. There floating just above the diminishing cloud is a large orb covered by overlapping chitin plates. Facing Sarah's direction, the creature is seen to feature a huge central eye and a wide toothy maw. Crowning the thing is a writhing mass of snake-like stalks each topped with an eye.
-----Seeing the young mage standing before it, the monster turns directly toward her, its mouth dropping open in an abominable leer. It pauses as if to speak.
-----Just then Sarah's spell darts from her finger. Before the thing floating in front of her can react, the red speck of magical light streaks right into the monster's gaping maw. In surprise, the thing rises a bit and tilts up at an angle toward the ceiling.
-----In the next moment, the hellish blast issues forth from the monster; its shape bulging a bit from the explosion. Its mouth opens emitting a hot fiery radiance to pour out followed by pieces of the creature and its own blackish blood.