The secret door is chosen, much to the party’s dismay. For, behind the door lurks a large and angry humanoid that pulps the Lad’s head with a single blow and nearly kills the mage as well before retreating into the corridor. The party pursues and slays it near some large doors.
The doors are opened and investigated. A cavern is found and explored – a river runs through it and large boulders litter the floor. A strange substance coats many of the rocks. The substance is explained when the giant slug heaves into view. It is slain in short order after the mage transforms it into a fish and the adventurers resume exploration mode.
The party deploys the galley as a bridge and begins to cross over tot he other side. There, more doors that conceal a band of barricaded orcs. There is talk of parley but the paladin will have none of it and starts the slaughter. After discerning that there are no exits to the room, they revers course and backtrack slug slime trail to a small chamber where some partially digested bodies and equipment are found.
They wander onward through hundreds of feet of straight hallway before entering a large semicircular room, whose floor is dusty and festooned with bones scattered hither and yon. While they roam the walls, the bones animate and attack in the form of skeletal manticores. Yet, this is the group best equipped to deal with the undead and the manticores are dust within seconds. Finally calling it a day, they return to the slug room to rest int eh mage’s pocket dimension of splendor/
They return to the skeletal death chamber and pass through doors on the other side, apparently entering some sort of mage’s experimental laboratory. Cracked, split, burnt and bubbling stones contend with runes, glyphs, circles and wards inscribed willy-nilly on every available surface. A pair of fire squirting horned toads of immense stature prove to be a small hassle but are quickly dispatched.
Passing beyond, the group navigates a stretch of heavily trapped hallway and crosses a pool occupied by some strange manatee-lich thingy by floating slabs of ice on the water’s surface. Beyond lies a trophy room, with suits of armor, shields and swords on the walls. Finally they enter a large hall that is illuminated by columns of orange light. Many chest dot the walls and the group is mentally tallying the wealth when they are attacked by a large worm-creature with an elven female’s face. The battle is pitched and Ofelia nearly dies, but the plucky party pushes on and perseveres.
They exit the area by climbing some stairs and find themselves back in the monastery proper. They backtrack and return to the group floor of the tower and choose to ascend the steps. They battle with some strange sightless creatures and pass through several chambers before entering a large torture chamber.
There, amidst the instruments of pain and dismemberment, they encounter a large animated iron maiden that sends them backpedaling to prepare for a serious threat.
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