[h2][center][b][color=ed1c24]Novak[/color][/b][/center][/h2]
It appeared that Novak had stepped into a laboratory of some sort.  There was no sign of whatever he had seen peering from behind the corner, only a room filled with tables, an assortment of glasswares, and books.  Novak was equally relieved and curious as to the purpose of this room.  It seemed quite odd for a place of worship to have a laboratory.  On the other hand, if the temple's former inhabitants worshiped the god of knowledge, perhaps experimentation was just another means of gathering knowledge.  If so, exactly what sort of experiments were carried out here, he wondered.

Novak noticed two doors in the room.  The first one, located across from where he had entered, was barricaded by furniture, and an ominous looking puddle of tar appeared to have seeped underneath the door.  Somebody had clearly blocked that door, and it didn't take much thinking for Novak to conclude that it'd be wise to leave it that way.  The second door was much more interesting.  It was ajar, and light shone through it from within, indicating the room beyond was well-illuminated.  But what really caught Novak's attention was that the light appeared to be moving or shifting, strongly suggesting that something, or someone, was in the room.  Could it be Leannah, casting that powerful light spell of hers?  Until he knew for sure, it'd be wise for Novak to keep quiet and avoid drawing any attention to himself.

Novak crept up to one of the tables, trying to move as quietly as possible.  He looked at one of the books, curious as to what its contents were.  He wasn't sure if he'd be able to read the texts, but perhaps he could glean something from illustrations or diagrams.  After looking through the book, he'd don the mask again to see if it'd provide any further insight.

It was at this point Novak noticed a skittering noise behind him.  Pocketing the mask, he peered around the corner to see what it was.  It was the skull, having moved from the pedestal room to halfway through the corridor.  If Novak hadn't been trying to keep quiet, he'd have let out a chuckle.  By themselves, the skittering and the moving skull both unnerved him greatly.  Together, however, those phenomena suggested a more mundane and less dreadful explanation- that some crawling critter was underneath the skull, using it as shelter or camouflage.  There was no way of knowing whether the skittering creature was dangerous or not, but Novak saw no reason to antagonize it as long as it remained out of stabbing distance.  Perhaps it might even be useful for something.

Novak returned to the laboratory.  There was still the matter of where to proceed to next, and there were two doors leading out of here.  [color=ed1c24][i]Why was this door barricaded?  Is it a dead end meant to keep something from getting out, or was it an exit meant to keep others from getting in?[/i][/color]  Regardless, the more pressing matter was the second door, the ajar one leading to the illuminated room.  Whether Novak chose to take the barricade down or ignore it in favor of the second door, he needed to know what moving around in there, whether it was dangerous, and whether it would react to the noise that removing the barricade would create.

Novak looked over the glassware and vases, looking for anything that might help.  Perhaps he could toss the crawling skull into the room to see if it was safe.  [color=ed1c24][i]Wait, I have an idea.[/i][/color]  He drew his sword and carefully used his sleeve to wipe whatever blood and dirt may have been on the blade.  He approached the iron door, careful as to not step into the light emanating from beyond, using the blade of his sword as a crude mirror to try and see what was moving in the altar room.  Whether or not the sword was able to cast a clear reflection, Novak would follow up by carefully peeking through the door to get a better look.  If whatever in there appeared to be or one of his companions or otherwise non-living, he'd slowly open the door and walk in.  If, however, the occupant appeared both alive in any sense of the word and unfamiliar to him, he'd carefully move back, and consider heading back to the tar room to see if the others had made their way down the pit.

[@Rune_Alchemist]