The group payuses to ponder their options. Perhaps there is booty in the sacrificial pit? A rope is illuminated and the wizard’s all seeing eye wafts downwards alongside it. Alas, the bottom of the pit is a boneyard – every necromancer’s wet dream – but there is no sign of plunderables. Thai squares with the image of the writhing naked form being tossed over the edge earlier. Apparently these cultists strip the valuables off their victims before sacrificing them…very level headed.
So then – either up the secret staircase from whence they just came or beyond the webbed doorway. Doorway? Doorway. Beyond lies a long stretch of upward sloping terraces. These are climbed until such time as the party comes to a blank wall – no it is clearly a door, but no sign of a handle on this side.
This is why there are Knock spells. A few seconds later, the door is opened and a sphere of inky blackness prevents anyone from seeing inside the room. A raspy voice says some mean stuff and lightning bolts the party on the terraces. Elulyn is slain instantly, blasted into three large chunks. The rest of the group does not fare terribly well either. The mage returns fire and the cleric and Galadin deploy healing. Soon thereafter the Gal, the Elf and the Cleric charge into the inky darkness. When the sword of Torm touches the blackness, it is dispelled. The party battles with a quintet of Drow-headed earthworms of massive size. The worms are all identical copies of each other, causiung the more seasoned adventurers to begin shouting about mirror images. The battle is pitched, anbd fierce. Much damage is meted out and the Galadin nearly dies three times. In the end, multiple magic missile spells from the Malformed Mage help seal the creature’s fate for once identified, the flashing blade of Goldpiece makes short work of it. The elf mage is gathered up and placed in a large sack by the monk. The party is dismayed at the mayhem and discusses options while the cleric stabilizes and restores the paladin. It seems the best option is a trip up the rope for some hiding and healing.
No time for leisure it would seem, for the sounds of outrage echo up the terraced stairs from the sacrificial slaughterhouse below. Up the rope is the best bet, but they need to buy some time.
Thinking swiftly, the lead Tormite deploys a magical device that produces a billowing cloud of soot and ash, which the elf uses a staff to create a gust of wind to blow the choking cloud down towards the new arrivals. They scramble up the rope and hide out – only emerging for a short time out of necessity before the mage deploys another magical hidey-hole. They note that the room has been cleaned and the body of the monster removed. The doors are closed as well. Clearly someone has been busy while the group was in limbo.
They retrace their steps and veer in a different direction upon reaching the ruined obelisk. A bit of investigation leads to a mysterious lever and a secret door. The door is opened and the group begins investigation of what is clearly some sort of large house. Elulyn – restored to life in the interim – opines that this is the manor house of the Malthen family. They investigate onward and after tossing a few rooms arrive at a set of conclusions.
This is the Malthen manor house. The revelation comes after the party steps onto a balcony and recognizes the path they trod a few weeks ago. The house is empty. Evidence of a rapid departure is in the rooms visited so far. Clearly the Malthens are somehow responsible or complicit in the horrors that have been visited upon the people of the area.
It is decided that the Malthen clan and their hired help probably have too large of a head start to make pursuit an option, so the task turns to looting – er – investigation in order to see what might be learned and whether or not this has anything to do with the red-dragon-demon hiding out as a bird in a cave high in the mountains.
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