Emerging from the place of security, the intrepid band resumes adventuring in this seemingly endless maze of tunnels, doors and rooms full of either nothing or attempted murder.
They begin by examining the scene of the recent battle, scooping up all loot that seems to be worth scoping and investigating the locale. They run across a pair of rust monsters and slay them before examining a long hallway of increasingly dense spider webs. Eventually the occupants are found and set afire. They also engage and slay a set of animated stone column-golems and poke around in a dead end. Following up on the contact made earlier, they use the drow’s intel to prepare for and destroy a beholder in the service of one of the warring factions. They quickly press on and find, engage with and slay a human female warrior, her sparring partners and all the bandits they encounter, along with a few stray bugbears they run across. Having vanquished the occupying force, the group returns to treat with the drow they met earlier. He’s pleased and there is a bit of back and forth discussion whereby the party becomes aware of the fact that there are several warring factions trying to assert control over various areas. Following the chat, the group departs – making sure to check for anything that might be following them – then has a quick overnight up the rope before descending and resuming exploration.
They find some animated ballistae that try to perforate Goldpiece but defeat them eventually. They also gain access to an ancient dwarven brewery, where they fight and destroy an undead beholder. They investigate a trap laden hallway that leads them to find a pyramid of barrels of ale and a similar pyramid that is partially collapsed.
Pressing on they eventually find stairs that lead down, but also another door. Must. Open. Door. Off they go to investigate a huge hall filled with the skeletal remains of dragons whose bones have been wired together – a la natural history museum dinosaur exhibit – and then find their way into a strange collection of petrified creatures, each in it’s own storage space. Beyond that, a pair of owlbears proves resilient, though they are ultimately defeated. The group also runs afoul of a giant pinball trap wherein a stone boulder that is pointed to look like a giant bloodshot eyeball crashes into the party members and deals grievous injuries. This prompts another extended stay for healing and reflecting upon one’s life choices. Eventually they descend the stairs they fought so long to find.
After descending they wander through some collapsed caverns and investigate the tumbled down remains of a village in a partially collapsed cavern before stumbling into a drow encampment. Initially, contact is made with a strange voice that demands ‘shinies’, and after the group tosses a handful of silver they venture onward. They enter into another cavernous room with more buildings within. These are in better repair and many bear traces of spiderwebs. An initial spider sighting morphs into a running battle with spiders, strange dogs, a drow in a latrine – which involves a fight with a bucket of feces and the resulting brown-stained drow corpse – and the chimera to which they paid shines earlier. The group battles their way free then ducks around a few corners before retreating to the rope. They reverse course and make their way back towards the stairs they descended. Passing beyond them they enter an area reserved for storing the bones of the dwarven dead.
They poke around and do some eyeball spying, eventually finding a drow guarding an area where troglodyte miners swing pickaxes. The group plans the assault but the drow is gone once they arrive. Undeterred, they investigate further and eventually enter a large hall, dimly lit by softly glowing globes, Therein, thousands of small spiders crawl about and egg sacs adorn the walls. At the far end of the hall a sextet of the black elves. The party seizes initiative and rains destructive magics into the room. The druid then encircles herself with a fiery wall and gets to roasting spiderlings. Having thus vanquished the drow and their spiderlings, the party retreats to a distant corner of the less traveled regions and once again spends a bit of time up the rope. What awaits them on their descent?
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