As the party watches from their vantage point on the slopes about a mile distant, they notice a few figures wearing robes that the sharp-eyed elves identify as being similar to the ones they set on fire in the wine closet. The figures mill about for a minute or two, then return inside the obsidian temple.

‘Now or never’ and the party is off, jogging across the intervening space to enter the temple and wreak havoc. Elulyn and Malchor are plotting how to best loot the powerful mage and the biggest worry is the prospect of a large pack of hellhounds. As they draw within 50 feet of the doors, the wand of trap detection comes out – and lo – the doorway is trapped...

After a quick survey of the scene by remote eyeball, the party hustles up the stairs and starts investigating a book nook when one of the elves notices a cleverly concealed doorway. The opening mechanism is sussed out and the party enters an unadorned hallway that ends in a concealed door that opens into a small storage closet. A wine rack (the door), some dining implements, a few candelabras and a pile of robes. A plain door is on the other side of the small chamber.

Goldpiece and Thelonious advance cautiously, and the gas-huffing elf opens the door ever so slightly, then a little bit more and finally most of the way open...

Upon returning to the temple of the scalding waters and depositing the glass pane with the high priest, the group and the mace they carry are sent to an island near the far off land of wizards. There, upon the island is a temple to a god of justice, and his high priest has information of value. The group makes some educated guesses and uses the power of sorcery to deposit them within a few miles of their destination. .They arrive and by virtue of the mace they bear, receive an audience. When they enter the inner sanctum, they trigger an event. As they watch, words and images flow across the surface of a crystal that imprisons an angel...

Now what turns into “Lets hide out in our extra dimensional space, emerging only to send for the wizard’s eye to scout the dangerous mines until we find the pane of volcanic glass we seek”.
The strategy seems to be a solid one as the wizard’s roving eye wanders up and down corridors and connecting passageways – discovering a plethora of opportunities to gain that sweet, sweet experience but bypassing them all – until an intact pane of glass is discovered.
Experience be damned. The mages teleport to the pane of glass, shrink it to a portable size and then teleport party and pane to the temple of the scalding waters. The glass is delivered and a message to the bearers of the mace of faiths scrolls across the crystalline statue of a fallen angel encased in glass...

Following up with the War Wizards in Suzail, the intrepid heroes barter intellect devourer parts for spells and hopefully information – but little is forthcoming from that quarter. The Cormyrians have plenty of intrigue within their borders and see no need to worry about external affairs for the moment.
A journey to see PEarsay in Sembia is a bit more rewarding as a powerful spell is obtained in exchange for the trove of mind flayer writings.
Additional information is revealed – namely that the mace of faiths was originally in the hands of a monastic sect in the Thunderpeaks.
Thus it is decided and the group tears off for parts more local than the desert of liches. They journey by mount and by flying and lawyering until they arrive in the area...