The adventurers are in the midst of a chaotic fight with the hobgoblin “grandmother” who wields arcane spell casting ability. She has called down bloodthirsty flying creatures who join the fray, harrying the embattled explorers. She casts a spell on the creatures which seems to spur them to greater frenzy, and several of them inflict wicked puncture wounds on their prey. Meanwhile, her hobgoblin cohorts, including a deadly accurate archer, continue to battle for her defense. However, the party has a spellcaster of their own. Mishok effectively calls upon Divoc to hinder the abilities of his enemies, and soon the hobgoblins and bloodsuckers are failing. One by one the creatures fall to blade and arrow. Grandmother throws a flask of alchemical fire, but misses widely. Green flames leap up from the sticky substance, but cause no damage. Her ethereal spear continues to wreak hovok, but Cycek, performing an incredible feat of acrobatics, leaps into the air and falls upon the hobgoblin shaman, knocking her prone. They finally put her to the blade, and the last of her life bleeds out onto the stone floor. They find two additional glass flasks of the green flammable substance on her person. Sartan takes one, and Cycek takes the other.

The battle ended, the members of the team go separate ways to explore this large cavern. They discover a rusted iron gate in one wall, and a large iron door at the far end of the chamber. Mishok cautiously examines the door and some curious items in its vicinity. There are the skeletal remains of three hobgoblins here, all looking charred, and none too recent. He notices several small holes crafted into the stone wall, about eight feet from the floor, over the door. He decides not to investigate further.

Meanwhile, Cycek and Davros have backtracked through “grandma’s” chamber into the cavern where they had left their prisoner. The find that the blocked passage leads back to the iron gate that Mishok had discovered. They break open the gate, opening a clear route back to that cavern should they need it. Davros and Cycek harangue their captive for information. They threaten to kill him. He calls them dishonorable and suggests that he will accept his death with dignity. They ultimately hogtie him and leave him tied to the table in “grandma’s” room.

The explorers have received some injuries, but they decide to press on and find a safe place to hole up. They head down the broad stairway and find themselves in a narrowing passageway. A swift but narrow stream crosses their path. Mishok begins to explore it but finds that the footing is uncertain, so he decides not to pursue it. They continue down the stairs which opens onto a large cavern bisected by a stream. It is dark, but the lights they carry illuminate fascinating natural rock formations. As they gaze around, getting their bearings, they are again beset by flying bloodsuckers. They do battle the on the stairs, losing some more blood, but ultimately prevailing.

Still feeling uncertain about the safety of their situation, and their wounded state, they explore the cavern, seeking a defensible place to rest. They notice reptilian tracks in the vicinity of the river’s outflow through a hole in the south wall of the cavern. They tie a rope to Cycek and he floats down the hole. He passes through a short tunnel, but soon emerges in another large cavern. He has time to notice a horrible stench and can see the flayed carcasses of animals and hobgoblins rotting on wooden stakes, before he is attacked. Two well-camouflaged bipedal reptilian creatures spring out of the shadows, biting and clawing at the ranger. He is wounded but he fights back. He also yanks on the rope… a signal to his colleagues to pull him back. They do, but he is followed by the creatures. They emerge from the river tunnel, and they bring their disgusting stench with them. Several of the party are sickened by the nauseating aroma, but they give battle. Soon the reeking reptiles are slain.

Having no desire to explore the stinking den of the reptilian creatures, the move on to a passageway leading to the southeast. The passageway opens onto a high stone shelf overlooking a vast cavern. The rock sparkles with flecks of crystal, and 25 feet below, the floor of the cavern is aglow with faintly luminous fungi. A veritable forest of weird mushrooms and blankets of fungus fill the cavern, but a few paths wind throughout the prolific growths. Nearer at hand, the flat stone outcropping on which they stand houses the sepulchers of Durgeddin’s people. There are about 20 stone sarcophagi here, bearing the names of dwarves, and warning that a curse will be upon any who disturb these noble dwarves in their repose. The explorers take these words to heart and decide not to mess with the crypts. They do notice, however, that the dust in the area has been undisturbed. They see no evidence of reptilian, or any other tracks. They have a clear view of the cavern, and a couple of escape routes should they be attacked. They decide that this will be the place where they rest. They spend eight hours resting, attending to their wounds, and preparing for another day of exploring this dangerous place.

Their rest period passes without incident. They arise and Davros sets out to stealthily explore a passage in the south wall of the cavern. He finds a cavern carved by a fast moving stream. The floor near the stream is coated with a slippery slime, making movement dangerous near the water. At the east end of the cavern, the river plummets straight down a sinkhole. The roar of falling water and mist fills the air. Nearby, a stone spiral stairway leads down into darkness.

Single file, they descend the stairs, follow a short tunnel, and emerge into a room filled with the roar and wet of the waterfall. Glistening dampness covers everything, the thunder of falling water fills their ears, and a mist fills the air. This is a natural, irregular cavern, but the east side has been worked into a perfectly flat wall, with two iron-bound wooden doors. The doors are swollen with dampness, but Sartan is able to force them open. They first open the southernmost of the two and find a series of three rooms. Inside they find some minor wooden debris from broken crates and barrels, but nothing else. They open the northernmost door and find similar rooms filled with stored goods: grain, salted meat, wine, cheese… all long-ago spoiled by age and dampness. Mishok is moving through the old storage rooms when a wet patch on the ground suddenly leaps up, quick as a snake and lashes him with a slimy, acidic pseudopod. His skin burns and his steel armor sizzles. He runs for the door, and the amorphous gray blob pursues him. He escapes, and slams the door behind him, suffering no further damage.