Low and Behold!(er)

After summing up the sums of gold, the party decides it may be time to plunder the other wing of the palace. Wandering about, they come to see that most items of worth are worth very little. They scrounge some coinage here and there, come across servants still chained in place in the kitchens, find a teleportation pad, discuss heaving all their loot into the teleporting hot tub – decide against it – then hole up for three days sending gold back to Dalliance’s home. After all the loot has been looted, Dalliance flips them the bird and teleports home.
Booyah suckah!
No…that was the old Dalliance. New Dalliance is loyal and leaderly.
New Dalliance springs into action when the sounds of a minor horde (or herd) is heard. The scouts report a quartet of burly minotaurs and a squad of some forty hyena-man, and Dalliance suggests a fireball might lead to a swift resolution of the dispute. ‘Boom’, and the screams of the roasting are heard again. Arrows whirr overhead like frightened quail and find homes in those still standing. Barada and Naima ply the bows while Reza, Feaster and Lubboch charge. A few moments later, it is all over. The eight surviving hyena-men flee into the woods, and it seems the palace is peaceful once again.
A day or so later, the party steps out to scout the grounds, A flying Feaster spies an archway to nowhere and Barada and his Gem of Snooping spy the hairline cracks that suggest doors are here. An inscription is found, tiny and finely engraved, that declares this to be a trade route between the King of Thracia and Lord Vilmes of the Dark. With Knock spells and Wand of Opening, the doors (massive and delicately
balanced) are swung open…to reveal a long disused waiting room.
Beyond is a common area and what might be a bar or lounge. At the very far end is a steel shutter door with a chain and lock, sealed with a lead seal.
Seal schmeal, and the lock is quickly removed. Beyond lies a ‘trail’ that winds through dead caves, narrow caverns and vast galleries, descending all the while. After a few hours, the group discusses options and decides to press onwards. After some 7 hours, the group comes to a rest stop – clearly designed for fire and sleep…but no wood is to be found, and the creepiness of the setting makes sleep a bit less than completely restful. The second day passes like the first. The third day sees some signs of life returning to the passages…the odd lichens, some beetles or other chitinous creepers wander about, there is an increasing amount of water and Reza steps in a mold covered depression and is quickly (space of seconds) consumed by the voracious plant matter. Bud, in cougar form, seizes his hand and wrenches it from the rest of his mouldering corpse. A dab of ointment and a blast from the Resurrection Rod and Reza is back amongst the living. Bud creates some cleansing fire to burn the mold off the infested gear and the group starts to talk about how to traverse the mold-filled cavern.
At that instant, a beholder heaves into sight at the limits of the party’s vision. Barada drinks a potion of speed and the rest of the group prepares missile weapons. Dalliance uses her standard opening gambit – the suggestive fireball. The fireball fails in the anti-magic beam and the beast closes, floating towards the party about 20 feet above the mold-covered floor. Feaster is telekinesed into the rock ceiling, and Barada’s armor allows him to avoid being turned to stone.
Naima is disintegrated. The next few seconds are chaos – Barada fires arrows as fast as he can knock and release, aiming at the central eye.
Reza is slain and his body is used as a missile to pummel the rest of the party – now sheltered in an Anti-magic shell erected by Feaster from his ring of spell storing. The beholder keeps up a steady stream of insulting commentary, promising pain and suffering. Noone but Barada can understand it anyway – and he is too busy to translate.
Eventually – Barada is down to 4 arrows left in his quiver and the eye tyrant departs.
There is a brief debate about whether to pursue of not – but the reality of two dead party members sinks in…along with the notion that it will be a three-day hike to get out…and the beholder might be following them. Taking advantage of the protection afforded by the anti-magic shell, the party beats a hasty retreat and tries to put some distance ‘twixt the moldy rocks and the hard carapace….