Drifting along on the waterway, the group navigates a small set of rapids before entering an enormous cavern that is heavily enchanted to resemble the outdoors. A breeze blows, carrying with it the scent of the forests that stretch into the distance. Though the sky seems real enough, the discerning eyes of the wizards reveal that the ceiling is only 50 to 60 feet overhead. Most puissant magics indeed!

The boat passes along a heavily wooded shore, where elvish archers stand on guard stop towers that run parallel to the river’s passage. The party’s boat slides under a bridge atop which sits a green dragon – with a sword protruding from its skull. Despite the sword, the dragon seems to be quite alive...

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...

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...

Descending along the trail blazed by the lazy mage’s traveling eyeball, the group reaches an intersection where the sounds of distant construction are heard. Less noisy hallways lie in the opposite direction. Forming a defensive shell, the mage sets his eye to wandering. He spots a goblin construction team building a stage, a flourishing bazaar with goblins buying and selling a variety of gently used equipment and explores a variety of other areas, including a prison and a barracks. He notes a pair of guards at each entrance, then reverses course to see what lies in the other direction. A rusty hand-pump is all there is time to spy before the spell ends. The group moves onward, eventually passing into a series of unused chambers...

The hijinks continue. The group wanders near and far, hither and yon, all in the pursuit of the elusive stairs they have heard exist. A few more days exploring has them talking to the skeletal, severed torso of a halfling chained to the wall of an alcove. He tips them to the presence of a secret wizard school or something that apparently exists somewhere below this area.

They enter a large room and are attacked by a trio of manticores, which are swiftly slain. While the room is explored for secret doors and whatnot, the wizards set about preserving various monster bits for resale or trade at a later time. During the ongoing investigation of the manticore nests, the group becomes aware of a large floating eyeball observing them from the doorway...