Lurker Above, Lurker Below

Pressing onwards past the Drow ambush site, the group starts to wander the twisting passages of the vast underground area in which they find themselves. They are lost… They check out side passages and side-side passages and the like, gradually making their way towards the map hex marked with what certainly looks like Cthulu. Upon arrival, Barada is scouting about 90 feet ahead of the party, trying to stay stealthy and invisible. As he approaches an especially well-lichened area, he is set upon by a band of 12 rats – no make that wererats – and a pair of Mind Flayers. Subjected to two Psionic Blasts in rapid succession, Brada resists the brain-pulping and lapses into panic mode. Screaming, he runs past the rest of the party. Alarmed, Dalliance looses a lightning bolt down the corridor as the group tries to figure out what was so scary.
Eventually, they decide to try and track Barada and ask him directly.
Once they catch up to him, the news he delivers makes all of them a bit loose in the stool. They decide that it would be best to try and work around the scary scary and venture off into side passages. Along the way they encounter two bands of Bugbears with various slaves, and make relatively quick work of them with various loud and flashy spells. Worried that the noise might lead whomever (or whatever) to their location, they start to backtrack. When they hear the noise of a large group approaching, they decide that discretion is the better (and more life affirming) part of valor. They duck into a side-side passage and hunker down while invisible Barada scouts the disturbance.
Disturbingly, the disturbance is a large group – nay a caravan – of Drow. The Drow number some two dozen and they are traveling with a train of huge subterranean lizards, loaded with goods and attended by about 100 human slaves. Barada retreats and alerts the group. They decide to wait a couple of hours and then follow in the wake of the caravan. Eventually, they arrive near the site of the original Drow ambush. Much to their dismay, the bridge is guarded by a pack (cluster, group, etc) of Drow and there are a trio of large lizards blocking the bridge span.
Now the group ponders. Is it better to wait until the Drow leave (even if it means being approached from behind by some scary scariness), or is it better to assault them now and try to win through the ambush site and depart the region immediately. Pondering and pondering, wander and wonder. Maybe it is best to surrender now and avoid the hassle?

Time will tell….