The group shrouds themselves in protective magic and utilizes their vast array of magical devices to make this trip to a lethally inhospitable place a bit…anticlimactic.

They fly through the poisonous gas and lethally hot atmosphere without a care. When they encounter five salamanders they casually destroy them with chain lightning spells, barely slowing down in the process.

They spy the partially ruined keep in the distance and swoop in for a closer look.

Another group of salamanders and a pair of exceptionally large fire elementals are dispatched in short order.

The group presses on, using a password to bypass the exceptionally large and annoying doors. Once inside they confront the dread lord of the place. Resembling a towering demon made of smoke and ash, it attacks vigorously...

There are spells running and since the ship is tilted at a 40 degree angle, flying is really the only way to get around quickly and quietly. Off they go!

The group investigates a chamber once filled with barrels of fresh water – now a lot of broken barrels and a large puddle. They look at the cargo piled up to the ceiling and think about how to excavate the space behind it – where it seems there is a room of some sort. But, then again…tick tock, tick tock… so off they fly.

They swoop through hallways and find doors that lead to rowing benches – full of deceased rowers and one troll who has survived by eating everyone within range. The group is oddly merciful and leaves without slaying it...

The aether yields scraps and the War Wizards do their bit. The spymaster gathers a few threads and the bibliophile monks of the Singing Swans give the greatest part of the puzzle, but when all is assembled, it looks like the name of a powerful storm giant clan is involved. The OG Stormbringer was reviled for his raids on the seaports of the Sea of Fallen Stars. Eventually, the loss of income was too much to ignore and the merchants pledged a large sum to whomever could restore peace. Peace came once the patriarch was beheaded and the clan scattered.

It looks like the offspring are back and looking to avenge dear old dad with some sort of naval assault . Or maybe they are working for Coburn to destabilize the region...

The search for the missing drow proves fruitless, even with the aid of an arcane eye or two. There are too many doors and too many passages to be sure of anything. There is a fair bit of head-scratching about how this is all supposed to fit together. Giants (Hill, Cloud, Stone) are in league with Coburn to destabilize Cormyr’s western flank, but the party found a teleportation device that brought them somewhere hot and volcano-y. Unsurprisingly, it is a home for fire giants (and apparently seafaring stone giants, and maybe visiting frost giants?). OK – the giant trail continues.Following the trail of the giants introduces wererats and drow into the story...

They continue careening around the understreet passages and continue slicing and dicing anything that seems like it might pose a tangential threat. It does seem that the opposition is getting a little more organized, for a fireball detonates in the group at one point. Well….how rude!

The response is disproportionate. Malchor vaporizes an intersection with a massive fireball and then they charge-shuffle through the narrow passages and encounter the temple guards. Mr. T brandishes his scary whacking stick and starts a retreat. As his opponents flee, he chases them and beats them savagely – to death in fact. Goldpiece tags along looking for an opportunity to kill something...