Returning to the scene of the slaughter, it seems clear that their actions have been detected, for the bodies of the slain are missing and there is a palpable sense of emptiness, as though the area has been vacated.
They pass beyond the last remaining door into an area that must be a sort of prison, judging by the barred cells and the fact that there are prisoners still imprisoned within the cells. One of the prisoners was kidnapped from the streets of HIllsfar while working as a lamplighter, one is a hobgoblin, one is a dead tentacled brain, and three are male drow that appear to have been lashed to within an inch of their lives…perhaps guards that should have stopped the party? *shrug* Moving on. Wait – before moving on, they free the lamplighter and tell him to tag along and they will return him home safely.
Moving on brings the group into a series of interlocked chambers that are clearly designed for tiorture most heinous.One room includes a magic circle that is used to send supplicants to the abyss, where they will meet with the great demon queen, Lolth. If found lacking, they are transformed into driders and returned to serve the worthy ones.
They search the torture rooms and find llittle of interest besides the circle, then deploy an eye and have it pass through into the tunnel of wailing winds that lies beyond. A drider is spotted and the path eventually leads to a beach on the shores of an underground river. The eye investigates further and discovers markings that point towards a pirate hoard. This information intrigues the party so they plan to cross the caverns. The druid stills the winds and the group advances at a rapid clip until they encounter the drider – which is promptly disintegrated – and pass beyond to the shore.
The folding boat is deployed and they move upriver, disembarking on the opposite shore. They are true to their word and before they ascend the rope of repose, Malchor teleports the lamplighter back home. Boy will he have a story to tell.
They sneak up the passageway, having been warned by the eye guy that there are beasts within the area. A peremptory fireball kicks off the festivities and Malchor hastens along the ceiling, being chased by the fields. They follow him right to Goldpiece, who cuts one in twain with a mighty blow. The party’s combined efforts bring about the rapid demise of the second creature and they are free to go a looting!
There is a puzzle to be solved and Malchors asks the dead bones how they came to be here. A story is told, the puzzle is solved, the loot is piddly. So, they reverse course and head in the opposite direction, returning to an area partially eyeballed earlier. They disembark and proceed into the caverns, arriving in a large cavern filled with bubbling pools and spurting fountains. It is all rather allegorical. The room’s occupants claim to be shell sellers, but the gem of seeing shows that is in fact a lie. The trio of old ladies are instead quite large and green skinned creatures. The party parleys and discovers some interesting information. They buy a few shells and go on their way.
The characters cross the river again and make landfall at a storage place for rafts. They creep around the area, noting the drow village now lies to the north, so they have successfully circumnavigated that threat. They encounter and swiftly slay a few hobgoblins and investigate a room full of partial carvings. They find, surprise and slay a giant xorn and uncover some treasures in a hollow block of stone. Another eye reveals that there is a watchpost overlooking the river on both banks. The watch posts are manned by drow. Not far away is a large and ornate landing that has a black gondola moored at the water’s edge. The hull is covered in carvings of eyeballs and the boat is piloted by a robe clad skeleton. The group nopes away with great haste. The adventurers circle back around and under the cover of a silence spell, atack one of the outposts and slay the watchers. They then return to the raft room and discuss a plan by which they can evade the watchers on the opposite bank. The planis apparently successful and the galley peacefully glides along, carried by the sluggish waters of the underground river…
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