Mishok, playing his assumed role of “Dan Pemic” the rookie town guard, suggests to “Buddy” the friendly veteran guard, that one of them should stand watch in front of stable, where the “radical” Cycek is tied up. Buddy agrees to assume that responsibility, while “Dan” goes on his rounds with “Herb” the angry guard. Herb is bitterly complaining and sucking on the wound that Fuzzidohng had inflicted upon the back of his hand. Mishok recommends that Herb get some medical attention, and Herb agrees. The wounded guard splits off from Mishok and heads toward the office near the entrance of the Stoneyard, where he can clean and bandage his hand.

Mishok heads north along the perimeter of the Stoneyard where he rejoins Sartan, Davros, and Wendella. They agree that the guard whom Sartan had knocked out, should be tied up and hidden. They drag his inert form into another crevasse at the far northeast portion of the cliff wall.

Meanwhile, Cycek, free from his bonds, and still hidden in the stable begins to raise a commotion. He induces the horses to whinny, stomp, and bang around within their stalls. Before long, Buddy comes in to take a look. It is dark inside the stable, so he is at a disadvantage compared to the elf with his natural night vision. Cycek capitalizes on this. He lies in wait and then jumps out and tackles the surprised guard. Buddy thrashes but Cycek is able to keep control of him and tie him up. Cycek offers assurances that he does not want to hurt him, but ultimately has to gag the skeptical guard to keep him quiet. With Buddy finally neutralized, Cycek hatches an idea. He gathers up some burlap sacks, stuffs them with hay, and creates a makeshift mannequin. He accessorizes the decoy with the tunic and shield of the town guard, and props it up against the exterior wall of the stable, just outside the lamplight. In the dim light, and at a distance, it bears a passing resemblance of a lazy guard loafing at his post. Cycek then climbs the wall and lies hidden on the roof of the stable.

Davros dresses himself in the garb of the unconscious guard, and he sets off with Mishok around the north perimeter of the yard, following around to the east gate. As they come around the main building, they hear voices. Donnwald has returned with his guards, and an unfortunate old man. The handle him roughly as they pass by the front of the building and go around the back as they had before. The guards threaten the old man, repeatedly barking, “Tell us! We know, you know!” Mishok and Davros let this group pass by and then follow their general direction back toward the entrance to the main building. Donnwald and company pass out of view back behind the building. Mishok and Davros enter the building and their they find the guard Herb bandaging his hand. He leaves the building muttering about that damn elf and his rat. Davors and Mishok let him go by, but stay to exchange some words with the foreman. They ask him some questions about his dealing with Donnwald. The foreman reveals that he is no fan of the Councilman, and that the city is seething with unrest since the Mayor was taken prisoner. The two reveal themselves to be in opposition to Donnwald, and they gain an ally in the foreman. He agrees to go with them to stop Donnwald’s thugs from beating the old man.

Herb storms toward the stables where he would like to have an uninterrupted word with Cycek. As he approaches, he sees what he takes to be the reclining figure of Buddy in the shadows of the stable wall. This, of course, is Cycek’s mannequin. He approaches the dummy, accusing his coworker of loafing on the job, then cocks his head quizzically as he draws near. Cycek takes this opportunity to leap down on him from the roof of the stable. He knocks Herb to the ground, tussles with him, and is soon able to restrain him. He ties him up, gags him, and drags him into the stable alongside Buddy. He then heads out toward a growing commotion behind the main building.

While Cycek was dealing with Herb, and the Davros/Mishok duet were talking with the foreman, Sartan and Wendella hid behind a stone slab to see what was happening with Donnwald. He and his guards mercilessly beat the helpless old man. Wendella, horrified, realized that this is her friend and instructor, Professor Elchor Grafton. Grafton is the keeper of the Shadowfurst Visitors’ Center and Historical Society. His facility is where Wendella and Xodar had first met and bonded over a common interest in the arcane history of this region. She is enraged at the treatment of this well-meaning man, and she realizes that the Councilman is surely trying to pry the password for the City Champion out of the scholar. To create a distraction, Sartan fires a flaming arrow onto the roof of the Stoneyard main building, and the pitch-covered roof catches fire. Two of the guards run toward the outbreak, while the others investigate the source of the arrow flight. A fight ensues. Wendella hurls Eldritch blasts at the Councilman, who is caught by surprise and unable to respond with his own spells. Sartan engages in swordplay with two of the guards, dealing wounds severe enough to entice them to surrender. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an arrow strikes Donnwald in the back and he pitches forward to the ground, stone dead. Cycek, running from across the yard, had fired a single flawless shot and brought down the evil man.

The party members all convene at the site of this sudden twist of fate. They convince the surrendered guard to swear their allegiance to them. To convince them that they mean business, Sartan swings his axe and lops of the deceased councilman’s head. He deposits the head in the burlap sack. The guards pale, and nod their acquiescence. 

The fire on the roof of the building spreads and sends a column of smoke into the darkening sky.

The band of adventurers hides out in a crevasse that opens onto the west side of the Shadowfurst Stoneyard. They plan to wait until nightfall to sneak into the city under the cover of darkness, possibly to seek out Lolly Oxcart, Carver’s mother, as a safe haven and ally in their quest to free the Strongbows and reunite Wendella with her parents. They maintain a watch on the goings on of the Stoneyard. A bell sounds, signaling the end of the lunch hour, and workers reluctantly pick up their tools and return to their labors. A handful of men shovel gravel into carts, others chisel slabs of stone from large standing blocks of granite and marble, while yet others bore holes into the bedrock at the bottom of open pits. Every so often they catch sight of a town guard patrolling among the piles of stone. The guards appear lackadaisical and not particularly alert.

Hours pass. In the late afternoon, a group of men enters the Stoneyard through the main gate. The party of newcomers consists of six town guards led by a tall man with black hair bound by a silver circlet. He is dressed in a long white coat with a high collar, along with a shiny silver belt and high black boots. The guards follow in the wake of his brisk, confident stride. He leads them to the entrance of the main business office. Several of the guards enter the building and soon emerge with another agitated man. Sartan asks Wendella if she recognizes any of those men. She replies, “Yes. Yes, that’s Donnwald. Councilman Donnwald. What’s he doing here? And that other man, that’s Carver’s boss. Carver worked here, you know. That’s his boss, the foreman. What are they up to?” 

Sartan, seeking clarification asks, “He’s the guy that’s in charge of the guards?” Wendella replies, “Yes. My father has his own personal guard, but the chairman of the city council is officially in charge of the guards. Back on the road, that fisherman said that martial law had been imposed. That must be Donnwald’s doing. He does not legally have that authority, but with his influence over the guards, who are corrupt anyway, he could make it happen. After all, it was he and his guards who have enabled the smuggling and racketeering in this town. They didn’t just turn a blind eye, but also took part in the profits. They made sure the law never interfered with the activities of the gangs, and people like Hack, and well, frankly my friends, and me.”

Donnwald, the foreman, and the guards move around to the back of the main building and are obscured from view by the large standing stones occupying the northern end of the Stoneyard. In their preoccupation with Donnwald, the party has let down their guard. They notice a bit too late that a pair of guards is approaching and so they scramble to hide themselves in the crevasse. Mishok, unfortunately knocks loose some stones, and the sound draws the guards’ attention. They rush forward, demanding “Who’s there? Show yourself!” They move into the opening in the cliff wall and catch sight of Mishok, still clad in town guard apparel. They question him immediately, “Oy, who are you, then!? One of the new recruits, are you?” Mishok plays along, replying, “Oh, yeah, yeah. First day on the job. And they assigned me here to the Stoneyard.” One of the guards laughs, “Of course, they send a dwarf to be among the rocks. Is that what you’re doing back there? Having a little fun with the rocks?” Mishok laughs along and says, “Well, you know, I had to pee, and this seemed like a good out-of-the-way spot.” The trio banter a bit more, and the guards warm up to him. They ask him to come along on their rounds, and they can go get a drink later at the Yur Inn. Mishok agrees, and heads off with his newfound “friends.” As they walk, the more talkative guard mentions that there are lots of new recruits to the town guard. “Ever since they locked down the city, Donnwald has signed up every bandit, smuggler, and gangster he could put a uniform on. Not a lot of training, so it’s a good thing you met a couple veterans like us. We can show you the ropes.” He goes on to mention the mysterious “Shadowfurst Four” that Donnwald seeks, scoffing at the notion, but disclosing that, “they did supposedly spot some mysterious guys lurking around the North Gate this morning,” but that “sighting” amounted to nothing.

Mishok and the guard pass among the standing stones and come upon a curious sight. Donnwald’s contingent of guards are clustered around a twenty-five foot tall statue, closely resembling the one in the town square. Two workers are pulling away ropes and a tarp that lie tangled around its stony feet. Donnwald stands atop a metal stairway that has been wheeled up to the back of the granite figure. Mishok and his two companions move to join Donnwald’s guards, who shuffle their feet and gaze about them in boredom and impatience. Donnwald is cursing and shouting seemingly random statements, such as “Donnwald! Strongbow! Champion! Shadowfurst!” The guards chat in hushed tones. “What’s he doing?” asks one of Mishok’s friends. One of Donnwald’s guards replies “I don’t know, but he’s pissed! he came all the way out here expecting that he could wake up this lump of rock, I guess. But it’s sure not working.”

Shortly, Donnwald has had enough. He gives up on whatever he is attempting, and storms down the stairs. He orders two of the guards to stay and watch the “Champion” and he marches off with four of the others. The foreman eyes Mishok with curiosity and strikes up a conversation. He acknowledges the legendary aptitude for stonework so prevalent in the dwarven race. The Stoneyard recently lost their previous gem cutting specialist, a dwarf named Berniece, who was an unpleasant sort but extremely talented. He invites Mishok to stop by the office after his shift to fill out a job application, and discuss the possibility of coming to work for the Stoneyard. Mishok agrees that he would like to learn more about the opportunity. Satisfied, the foreman takes his leave and heads back his office. Mishok and his guard companions decide the time has come for them to continue on their own rounds. They part ways to cover more ground, but agree to meet later for a drink.

The end of the work day draws near and the light begins to fade. A worker ignites oil lamps in strategic locations, and most of the other weary workers shuffle away through the gates and out into the streets.

Cycek takes the opportunity to move stealthily closer to the statue for a better look. He throws a stone as far as he can, and the two bored guards, eager for something to do, move off to investigate. Cycek silently climbs the metal stairs and finds a metal hatch left standing open in the broad back of the statue. Inside is a stone chair, upon which rests a silver helmet attached to a cable. Cycek takes a seat and places the helmet upon his head. The helmet covers his eyes completely, and after a moment he hears a deep voice in the darkness, “Password.” Cycek ascertains the meaning of this statement, and immediately begins speaking a litany of random words and statements, “ABC, 123, change password,” hoping to hit upon one that might fulfill the request and yield some result. He is so engrossed in what he is doing, that he does not hear the footsteps climbing the metal stairs behind him. A rough hand grasps him by the shoulder and an angry voice demands, “Get out of there, you! You are under arrest!” The guard drags him out of the opening and down the stairs. Before the other guard can assist, Cycek commands his loyal weasel companion to attack. Fuzzidohng leaps at the the startled guard and delivers a painful bite to his grasping hand. The guard lets go, and Cycek makes a break for it. Mishok sees this from across the yard, and eager to maintain his cover, runs at Cycek at full bore. The sturdy dwarf collides with the fleeing elf and tackles him to the ground. He whispers to him desperately, “Play along, just play along!” Cycek does so, thrashing about as Mishok shouts in mock triumph, “I got him! I got it handled, guys!” The pursuing guard, Herb, assists in the apprehension of Cycek, while the other returns to guard the “Champion.” Herb suggests they take Cycek and lock him up in the stable. Mishok agrees and as they begin to drag him to the makeshift jail, Cycek lashes out at Herb, physically and verbally. His kicks fail to connect, but his taunting words sting, earning Cycek a hard slap across the face.

During this fracas, Davros has moved to a hidden location, and Sartan has moved into the open with Wendella. The two other patrolling guards see the commotion from across the yard and break into a dead run. One charges to confront Sartan, while the other guard, Mishok’s talkative friend, runs to assist with Cycek. The “friend” excitedly says, “Wow! You got him! good job! I knew you had what it takes!” Mishok plays along, “Yeah, I caught one of these radicals trying to sabotage the ‘Champion’ statue.” The guard expounds on this, “Yeah, this is crazy what’s going on in the city. People are rebelling, wanting to defend Strongbow. I’ve never had anything against the mayor, but the boss says he was involved in killing some guys, and even his daughter. So the boss arrests him and locks down the city while they try to find his accomplices, and people don’t like it. But the boss is the boss and we gotta do what he says right? But, we have ‘radicals’ like this who just can’t accept it. Good job, Mishok, stopping this guy!”

The other guard approaches Sartan, and yells at him, “Stop right there! Who do you think you are? You don’t belong here! You’re gonna have to come with me!” Sartan puts on an act, pretending that he is drunk and that he and Wendella were engaging in some hanky-panky back behind the Stoneyard. Wendella plays along with the ruse. The guard couldn’t care less, and moves to grab Sartan. The two grapple at each other and it looks like blood will be spilled, but at that moment Wendella casts a Charm spell. The guard falls under the enchantment and looks at her with recognition and benevolence. He says “Wendella! Hi, how are you! Wow, it’s so good to see you! Who’s your friend?” She passes Sartan off as her boyfriend, and the guard is fully accepting of this pretense. Davros comes over to join the group, and the guard placidly accepts his presence as well. The guard agrees to knock off early, play hooky from his rounds, so they can all go to the Yur Inn for a drink. They turn to saunter away together across the Stoneyard, and Sartan suddenly throws a punch that drops the guard in an unconscious heap. Wendella, Sartan, and Davros drag the guard away into the shadows of the standing blocks of stone at the north end of the yard.

Mishok and the two guards drag Cycek into the stable. They find an empty stall. Mishok whispers to Cycek as he ties him up, “Listen, these knots are meant to be loosened easily. Give us a little time to get out of sight, but then work at these knots and you should be able to get free.” He and the guards bolt the stall door and leave through the main barn door, shutting it behind them.

In the dim light of the stable, Cycek, with the help of Fuzzindohng, quickly gets free from his bonds. He is in a large building divided into about a dozen stalls, eight of which are occupied by horses. A couple of empty wagons are parked here, and on the walls hang ropes, harnesses, and other implements used in the upkeep of horses and their use as draft animals. He is surprised to see a familiar face among his equine cellmates. Most of the horses stabled here are heavy draft horses employed in the hauling of stone wagons. But one is a riding mare that looks familiar. It is none other than Sylvester, the horse lent to them by Bontelan Wright, and which was subsequently stolen from Avita Plouman’s barn more than a week ago.

The four adventurers, with their companion Wendella, rest peacefully in the beautiful realm of Celestia. They bask in the sense of accomplishment and relief at having ended the threat of demonic incursions, and having escaped with their lives. Satisfying as the rest period is, they realize, and are in fact reminded by Adara, that the time is nigh when they must return home and meet their obligation to return Wendella to her home.

Adara explains that the potential location of any new portal is subject to a complex arcane geometry. She can use the control orb to rotate or expand the position of the portals relative to a central hub, but they cannot escape the fact that at any given time, there are only certain places where they may emerge. Thus, she cannot guarantee the exact proximity of the emergent portal to their desired destination. The group expressed concern that the portal could deposit them in sold stone, or in the sky, or many many miles away. She reassures them that their emergence into solid stone is impossible, but cannot deny that there is a possibility that the resulting exit into the material plane, may not be conveniently located. She offers an alternative. “There is another path you may take. It is what you may call an inter-planar wormhole. It will without fail bring you where you want to go. However, it is no easy road, and not for the faint of heart. It will test your mettle.”

The companions consider this. Sartan speaks up, “So, we could die on the journey through the wormhole?”

Adara replies, “It has happened before.”

Cycek is ready to take the dangerous road, but his companions prefer the opposite approach. Davros expresses their point of view “If we take the guaranteed road, we are also guaranteed to have a dangerous road. But if we take the other way, we might have a longer road, and we might have a dangerous road, but we also might not encounter danger. So our choice is guaranteed danger, or merely probable danger.”

“Very well then,” says Adara, “Prepare yourselves. I will ready the portal.” She holds forth the glowing control orb, and slowly rotates it, a look of deep concentration on her angelic face.

Sartan meanwhile says his farewells to Eve, giving her a big hug, and telling her that she has been a great companion. She beams with delight at Sartan’s kind words. She says, “I will miss you Sartan, but my work must take me elsewhere. May we meet again someday.” She removes a dozen arrows from her quiver and gives six of them to Sartan and six to Cycek.

A green glows pours over the scene, and they turn to see that Adara has completed her preparation. The green, glowing portal has opened. Adara bids them step through. She says, “The time has come. Make haste. Return to your world, and bring this young lady home to her parents. You have done well. But just like Eve, your work is not done. Go forth and continue to fight on the side of good.”

The companions step into the portal and feel that now-familiar sense of weightlessness. Green light gives way to grey nothingness which slowly coalesces into a point of a blue so deep it is almost black. The weight of reality takes hold and they fall, tumbling like scattered dice onto the cold, stony ground of the dark wilderness. 

It is cold. It is dark, and it takes some time for their eyes to make sense of their surroundings. A bright half moon hangs halfway to the horizon, and stars sparkle overhead. Pale blue moonlight picks out the edges of stones and stunted trees. Cycek gazes up at the sky, and recognizing the constellations, is able to gain a sense of direction. They pull out Carver’s map and examine it in the moonlight. Looking around, they think they can see the outlines of distant bluffs to the north, west, and south. They begin hiking, moving slowly east through dark, rugged outback. The world is still. They encounter no creatures, natural or otherwise. As the night wears on and the dim glow of pre-dawn awakens in the east, they find themselves on a narrow trail. Cycek detects the tracks of booted feet on the dusty ground, so he concludes that this no mere game trail. Again consulting the map, they guess that they are on the so-called “Thieves Highway” in the bluff lands northwest of the city.

The trail gradually veers northeast and they find themselves on familiar terrain. The sky has begun to lighten, and they see a billowing cloud of orange-brown smoke and dust silhouetted against the pale glow of dawn in the east. They realize they are approaching the smoking ruins of the Xodar’s lair. The dust and smoke of the collapse is surely venting from the collapsed cavern and out the open pit in the labyrinth at the top of the bluff. They follow the trail past the back entry to the lair, through a series of ancient archways, and down the stone stairway where they had encountered the hobgoblin stone-rollers several days ago. Retracing their route, they find their way back to the location where they, in the company of Carver and Ursula, had been confronted by Hack and his minions. There is no longer any sign of a battle having taken place, as if the scene has been cleaned up. As the morning progresses, they find their way back to the road and the begin heading south. Within an hour they hear the sound of an approaching horse cart. They greet the farming couple driving the cart. The wife is wary, but the husband is open to conversation. He tells them of a situation that has emerged in Shadowfurst. The mayor has been arrested, and the guards are searching for “the Shadowfurst Four.” The gates are shut, and the guards are searching every cart in and out of the city. They had come to the city yesterday with a load of goats for market, only to wait in line so long, they ended up staying the night. Now they are heading back to their farm. The man says that he has never seen anything like it. When asked why the mayor has been arrested, the man replies that he’s not sure, but it has something to do with the disappearance of his daughter, and his implication in someone being murdered. Wendella becomes upset during this conversation and interjects that there is no way her father should be held responsible for the things she had done. The farmer, upon hearing this, recognizes Wendella. He says that he has always liked the mayor and doesn’t believe the rumors. He gives the rest of the group an appraising look, and concludes the obvious: this is the “Shadowfurst Five.” He looks around furtively, and speaks in a  hushed tone. “You seem like good folks. Be careful approaching the city. They’re looking for you. They have guards at the gate, searching people. Questioning people. And they have some kind of huge creature behind the door, intimidating people. Be careful.” And turning to Wendella he says, “I’m glad to see you’re OK. I knew what they said couldn’t be true.”

They says their farewells to the couple, but before they continue on their way, they decide that Wendella will be much too easy to identify if they are seen by city guards. Davros happens to have a makeup kit, so they decide to improvise a disguise. They make up her face as if she is some kind of traveling performer

They are still an hour north of the city, and it is mid-morning, when they come upon a man in distress. He is awkwardly rolling a hand cart, in which a boy, apparently his son, is curled up, motionless. He calls to the group for help. “My son is hurt! Please help.” Mishok moves to help while the others hang back, readying themselves in case of a trap. The man tells the story of a fishing trip gone wrong. They always come fishing in the spring, but today his son caught an unusual, aggressive fish. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It had a stinger in it’s tail. It jabbed my son, Skip. He began to shake, then fell unconscious. And my luck is not with me today… this cart is broken and will barely roll. I’ll never make it to town for help. Can you help me!”

Mishok calls upon Divoc to provide a blessing of protection against poison. The merciful deity bestows the blessing and the boy comes out of his paralysis. Furthermore, Mishok extends his hand and miraculously repairs the broken cart. The fisherman is overjoyed! In his gratitude he offers Mishok some silver pieces as well as a wand. The wand, he explains, has provided him and his son protection from bad weather, such as cold, and lightning. The wand, in fact, is a wand of Protection from Energy, and Mishok is certain it will be useful some day. Before they part ways, Mishok asks what the man might know about what is happening in Shadowfurst. The man is not sure, but he heard from some travelers that the city is in a state of martial law. The city is locked down and no one is allowed out on the streets.

They experience the Shadowfurst situation for themselves before long. It is mid-morning when they approach a long backlog of farm and merchant carts queued up outside the North Gate. Disgruntled, impatient rural folks mill about, glancing at the five travelers with some interest. The adventurers survey the scene and see guards with crossbows keeping watch upon the walls. Other guards inspect the carts at the head of the line. They discuss options to get in the gate, considering various schemes such as posing as guards, or sneaking in along the riverbank, or simply confronting the guards. Finally, they decide to slink away before they are seen. They backtrack a good distance up the road, and find a place to cross the river that is somewhat less treacherous. The river here passes over a relatively shallow shoal of rocks. Cycek leads the way and leaps from rock to rock, picking his way across. Sartan and Davros follow his route and are soon across the river as well. Mishok, however, in less lucky. He slips off a stone and plunges into the cold, rushing water. Luckily, he is able to grab a rock just ten feet downstream, and hold on for dear life. Cycek uses his immovable rod to swing over to Mishok and grab him. He manages to drag him ashore, wet, cold, and embarrassed, but safe.

Using Carver’s map, they find their way to another segment of the “Thieves’ Highway.” They take it around the west side of the city, where it winds its way down  into a crevasse before emerging at the back of the Shadowfurst Stoneyard. Wendella explains that this is where many of the smugglers and gang members in town would access the trails to move their loot discretely into or out of town. They wait in the shadows of the cliff wall and observe the activities in the Stoneyard. It is lunchtime, and the few workers they see appear to be on break, idly strolling around. They decide to wait here until nightfall, so they can move with a reduced chance of detection.

Solid stone cracks and tumbles over the edge of a widening pit at the hub of a swirling, frothing moat. A towering vortex of glowing orange gas whirls upward and out the shaft in the cavern ceiling. Hunks of rock fall smashing among frenzied combatants. Demons emerge roaring and cackling from another emergent abyssal portal, and close in on the embattled Duergar soldiers. Those very-same Duergar bellow in fury at the hated Dwarf, Mishok, who desperately hangs onto his paralyzed Elf companion, as the rushing waters threaten to pull them over the edge and into the horrifying hellscape below. They exhort their ogre companion, Thud, to seize Mishok. “Thud! Get that damned dwarf! He sabotaged the spell! This is his fault! Get him!” Davros tries to confuse the stupid creature, yelling “Hey! Those guys are the dwarves! Look at them! Those are the bad guys! Get them!” Thud, dim though he is, does not fall for Davros’ ruse. He wades into the rushing waters and tries to seize the struggling dwarf – to no avail! The slippery dwarf squirms out of the bulky arms of the ogre, quickly grabs at the metal supports of the spiral staircase, and begins to climb.

The looming presence of the ogre thrashing in the water seems to be exactly what Cycek requires to jolt him out of his paralysis. He abruptly regains the use of his limbs, just as his companion Sartan reaches out and pulls him away from the brink of the pit. The two cling to the metal framework as water churns around them. Thud turns his attention toward them.

Davros finds himself confronted by a small squadron of Duergar. The Duergar in turn find themselves menaced by Cackler demons who rush forth to attack. Davros takes his foes’ momentary distraction as an opportunity to help Cycek. He leaps onto the wall of the moat and attacks the ogre, stabbing into his bulk with his rapier. The wound has little effect on the massive creature, so Davros sheathes his blade and scrambles up the metal structure and out of the fray.

All four of the companions now look down at the fray from their perch atop the staircase. The entire structure shakes and all of its occupants struggle to stay upright. The clamor of cracking stones, shouting Duergar, and cackling demons is nearly deafening. But Wendella’s voice rises above the din. “I have to resume the incantation. Goerth corrupted the ritual! He interjected words that altered the spell. I need to try and fix it!” She picks up the fallen spell book, raises the golden skull, and commences her arcane chanting. A sudden blow to the spiral staircase sends them all reeling. Thud, still in the moat, has grabbed the metal structure and begun shaking it violently. The underlying stone begins to give way. The metal uprights buckle and bend, and several of the party are thrown to their knees. Davros and Cycek see the immediate need to remove the ogre from the battlefield. They rain down arrows from above, ultimately delivering a lethal blow. The muscular creature utters a guttural cry, goes limps and falls to the slimy, stone floor of the moat with a wet slap. The remaining current slowly pushes his inert, bleeding form over the lip of the pit and into oblivion. 

The companions’ relief is short-lived. Their attention is soon given to the sound of boots on the metal stairway. Five of the Duergar are hustling up as quickly as they can, with malice in their eyes. Rocks are falling all around them and the platform is tilting inexorably toward the brink. A horrific winged head flies out of the billowing cloud of orange fumes and dives at Sartan. Its fanged teeth snap on empty air as Sartan deftly ducks aside. Cycek whips out his sword and chops the fiend into two pieces. But he has had enough. Realizing that this platform is soon to collapse, he takes off running along the catwalk toward the opposite staircase. Davros follows. But Mishok is knocked down by a blow from falling rocks, and Sartan comes under attack by the first Duergar who has gained the top of the staircase. Davros, seeing the dire situation returns to the failing platform to help his companions to safety. Two Duergar are slain in the melee. Sartan grabs Wendella by the hand saying, “Forget the spell! We need to get out of here!” She is in no position to argue. She replies, “I think its too late anyway. Whatever was begun… whatever process was started… there’s no stopping it now. I just don’t know how it will turn out, for good or ill. It could go either way. We just have to hope and pray.”  The companions leave the platform just as it snaps off the end of the catwalk and crashes down into the yawning pit, taking the remaining Duergar with it. They feel a great swell of relief and a moment of hope. Their eyes detect a flicker of green light among the flashes of angry orange illuminating the cavern. They glance downward and see a tall, silver-clad figure stride forth from a glowing green portal. This mighty warrior dashes into the fray, hewing down demons with a long two-handed sword. It could only be Eve! She moves closer to the center of chaos, and is soon lost in the haze of orange arcane energy and the dust of collapsing stone.

The companions continue fleeing the expanding pit. Cycek, far outpacing the rest, has descended to the cavern floor and has begun investigating the now drying river that winds its way from the moat. A slimy stone riverbed now has a bare trickle of water running indolently over slippery stone and deposits of mud and slime. It disappears through a hole in the wall. Peering into the hole, Cycek sees a slick, wet cavern that soon twists out of sight. The rest of the party debate which way to go – up to Xodar’s room or down to the cavern floor. They elect to go down. They meet up with Cycek and they make the dangerous decision to run back toward the collapsing pit, and the hopeful safety of the still-glowing green portal.

Crossing the riverbed on a plank bridge, they see movement in an adjacent drying pond. There are shapes writhing in a deposit of thick mud left behind as the water drains away. They pause long enough to consider investigating, but then realize that this distraction could prove to be grave error. They turn their backs to leave at the moment a large clot of mud is flung toward them. It lands with a splat behind their retreating steps. Sartan says, “We don’t have time to deal with any damn mud monsters, or some kind of magical mud elemental, or whatever. Let’s get out of here!” They near the welcoming green light, and Eve steps back into view, silhouetted by orange smoke and dust. Several bodies lie around her feet. She walks toward the adventurers with a slight limp, and she clutches at her side, but as she arrives alongside the portal, she gathers herself upright, smiles and gestures as if inviting guests into the front door to her home.

They all rush into the orb and experience that same sense of weightlessness they did before. They float for a few moments within a formless grey space, before falling again toward a coalescence of warm green. They tumble gently out onto a green lawn. They have been here before. Their hearts surge with relief and an immediate sense of well-being. There before them is Adara. The heretofore stoic deva is almost exuberant. “You did it! It worked! The portals have closed! The gate to the abyss has collapsed into itself and is sealed! The spell was corrupted, but it was you! Your participation that held it together. It was your faith.” And nodding at Mishok, she adds, “And perhaps assistance of the great deity, Divoc, who of course supported the good work of his faithful cleric. But it was your willingness to trust in a young woman who had given you no reason to trust her. Your willingness to put yourselves in harm’s way for the greater good. Your ability to put aside your doubts, fears, and innate mortal selfishness has turned the tide and perhaps saved your world from torment at the hands of demonic hordes! There is still work to do. The creatures that have already found their way into your world will still be there, and will need to be dealt with. But for now, there should be no further demonic incursions, at least not from this source. You are truly heroes! Now, be at rest. You have earned a moment of peace and healing. Alas, it must be a brief rest, for the world continues on, and you still have an obligation to bring this young woman home. Once you have recovered, I will use the orb to open one more gateway, and will try my best to place it as near as I can to your destination.”

Sartan asks the deva several questions. She appears slightly amused, despite the somewhat flippant nature of the queries, and she replies kindly. He asks if she could give them the glowing orb they had pitched into the portal earlier. She declines, saying that it is far too powerful of an item, and they will safeguard it here in Celestia. She instead offers Sartan a magical torch. It will glow on command without requiring a source of flame, producing illumination like that of a traditional torch. He also inquires about the nature of the blessed water she had provided during their previous visit. She replies that it carries healing properties from which they will benefit upon drinking it. Finally, he inquires about the properties of the arm band that he wears. Adara senses that there is a curse upon it. The evil it bears cannot stay in Celestia, and as such, he cannot leave it behind. She recommends that he destroy it upon reaching the material world, and furthermore asserts that the responsible course of action is to ensure that it does not fall into the hands of some other unwitting soul.

With that, she bids them rest, but suggests that they think well upon where they would like to re-enter the material world. She will need to send them on their way soon.

Several hours have passed and Wendella has completed her work in transcribing and compiling the incantation that she believes will enable the closure of the randomly-opening portals to the Abyss. She has gathered most of the material components she needs with one notable exception. A large, clear gem, as she had explained to the party previously, is one of the keys to successfully powering this ritual. She and Xodar had sought the largest, clearest Shadowfurst Sapphire, they could obtain. This would be a priceless jewel, prized for its unmatched ability to harness the power of starlight, and the arcane applications such power could enable. This was the item that Hack was meant to deliver into their possession for a sizable sum. As it turned out, he absconded with both the gem and the intended payment. She and Xodar had little choice but to make use of smaller gems. Furthermore, they had no access to starlight, as they had not yet discovered the means to unlock the stone hatch sealing the shaft above the conjuration circle. Now, with the hatch open, and the stars shining, they had satisfied another of the requirements, but they would still have to compromise with a sub-standard gem. The Duergar had been collaborating with Xodar and Wendella, by running a mining operation in the lower cavern, industriously excavating, cutting, sorting, examining, and testing gems. Thus far, their efforts, while potentially profitable had yielded little of value to their arcane aspirations.

She decides that the time has come for them to proceed to the conjuration circle and attempt the ritual. They leave her study in the company of six Duergar guards. As they pass through the corridors of this place that had been the home of her colleague Xodar, and the center of her ambitions, she appears subdued and lost in thought. They pass the scenes of much destruction and death. There are black formations of solidified lava that could only have been spat there by the demon-infested portals they have come to know all too well. They pass through the wrecked armature lab, where the piled bodies of goblins, ghouls, and humans have begun to smell. The room is still festooned with tangled wires. They proceed down the hall, through the dining room, and into Xodar’s private chambers. This room too has been defiled by violence. The floor is stained with blood and other fluids from the horrible creatures that met their end here. Footsteps ring on iron as they descend the spiral staircase into the cavern. Their lantern light glows dimly on distant stone walls and sparkles on the rippling waters below. They cross the catwalk in silence, peering down through the gloom at the barely discernible conjuration platform, thirty feet below. Finally, they descend one more spiral staircase and arrive on the stone floor of the cavern. Candles are lit, and Wendella goes about setting up the ritual. She sprinkles the bone powder, drizzles the blood, and places candles at four corners of the eight-pointed star. She instructs the four party members that they need each of them to stand at one of the cardinal points of the star, holding lit candles. They agree to do so. Cycek has given her one of the gems he had in his keeping. It is a sapphire, but of low quality. Nevertheless, it is the best they have and she places it at the center of the platform.

She climbs back up the platform that overlooks the conjuration circle and commences the ritual. She holds aloft a gilded skull in her right hand, and commences chanting harsh unintelligible words, read from the spell book she holds in her left hand. At that moment, at the center of the circle, an immensely obese Duergar appears from the concealment of magical invisibility. It is Goerth, the imposing Duergar chieftain with whom they had an audience earlier in the day. He wears a leather skullcap with flaps that conceal both of his eyes. He lifts one of the flaps, doubling it back and snapping it in place atop the skullcap. His eye is a glowing, faceted orb of sapphire. He loudly announces that this ritual in not going forward without Duergar participation. He address Wendella, berating her for her and Xodar’s failure to yield a bound demon in their previous conjuration. “You were supposed to supply us with a demon that would be bound to our control, in exchange for our services. That was the arrangement, and you failed. Now, we have this plague of uncontrollable demons running through our stronghold. This ends now! I will supply the jewel you need to ensure success!” He digs his fingers into his eye socket and withdraws the glowing stone, and eerie blue lights washes over the stones and mingles with the flickering candlelight. From beyond the dimly illuminated perimeter comes the shuffling of boots on stone, and the clink of metal. A ring of Duergar guards and miners have formed a rough ring and have moved in closer to observe. Goerth holds the sapphire “eye” aloft and commands, “Start the ritual again, witch, and see to it this is no failure like your last attempt!”

Wendella commences the ritual once again. Here voice reverberates in the stone chamber. Her incomprehensible words rise and fall in the cadence of a chant. A more insistent light is kindled in Goerth’s ocular sapphire, and Wendella’s own eyes emanate a reciprocal glow. As the incantation continues, the light intensifies, as does Wendella’s voice. The candles held by the four adventures seem to blaze with an intensity far beyond what should be expected of a mere candle. Abruptly, Goerth interjects some harsh arcane words of his own. His voice is like the bark of an immense dog, or the croak of bullfrog. It is hard to tell if his exclamations interrupt or augment Wendella’s words, but they seem to correlate with some alarming developments. Orange light blossom in several places throughout the cavern. The party members realize this cannot be a good thing, and to their consternation demonic creatures begin to pour out of them. At that moment, the stone platform on which they stand begins to rotate, counter clockwise, slowly at first but steadily picking up speed.

Light beings to flood the chamber. It pours out of the sapphire orb and out of Wendella’s eyes. Cackling demons lash out with barbed chains, and vile winged heads swoop and bite at Duergar soldiers swinging picks and hammers. The flying heads unleash horrifying screams, and the Duergar bellow curses. Sartan and Davros are stricken by fear and stand rooted to their spots and the platform picks up speed. A plume of black smoke rises from the center of the platform, alongside Goerth. Soon a writhing column of inky smoke looms over him and begins to take on a terrifyingly familiar shape. Long black arms unfurl, ending in clawed hands that immediately begin to grasp at the Duergar chieftain. Black wings flap and a leering fanged face emerges. Goerth’s voice booms forth, “Unhand me creature! You are mine to command! You will do as I say!” The creature retorts in a voice that cuts like glass, “You are in no position to command! I will destroy you for your arrogance first, and then kill the rest!” The black demon claws at the Duergar, leaving gashes across his corpulent form. Goerth expands in size, nearly matching the demon in height, but eclipsing the fiend in bulk. He swings his massive mace, landing a crushing blow that rings out like a thunderclap.

This clash of titans rages as the platform begins to whirl more and more rapidly. Sartan and Cycek are flung from the platform into the moat. The water has begun to whirl with the movement of the platform, and to the horror of the swimmers, there are creatures in the water. Sartan is bitten, and Cycek is stung by unseen swimming assailants. The sting proves to be the more grievous injury, for Cycek immediately loses the ability to move. His body goes limp and he is swept away with the current.

Mishok at first is able to keep his footing, but soon the situation takes a turn for the worse. The spinning stone platform begins to crack. A chunk of it tilts inward, and he topples toward the center of the circle, tumbling directly into the legs of the giant embattled Duergar chief. He flings himself back outward and catches the lip of the stone. The centrifugal force spins his body around and deposits him in the water as well.

While the platform spins, more frightening demonic manifestations take place. Horrible giant larvae bearing grotesque human faces extrude from the surface of the spinning stone. These too are flung outward by centrifugal force. One of these lands close to Davros as he too has been propelled from the platform, and combat immediately ensues. Darvos whips out his rapier and impales the creature, but it continues to wriggle with hellish vigor.

Mishok climbs from the water, and takes a position on the stone retaining wall. He lowers a spear handle into the water and manages to hold Cycek’s inert body in position as it gets swept along. He tries to reach out and draw him in, to no avail. Meanwhile, Sartan has managed to grab the framework of the spiral staircase. He climbs up to the platform from which Wendella still chants, almost hysterically now, despite the fact that the ritual appears to have taken on a life of its own, and events are unspooling now with no regard to any of her carefully laid plans. He knocks the spellbook from her hand, and she starts to scream, as she goes down to one knee, still clutching the golden skull in her right hand. The activity atop the platform seems to have attracted the attention of one of the flying horrors. It swoops down to attack Sartan, but he swings a killing blow with Demonsbane. He hurls the slain head into the swirling water below.

Atop the platform, the furious combatants tear and beat at each other, and a column of undulating light climbs up through the hole in the ceiling, perhaps all the way out into the night sky where the stars gaze down upon a scene of horror. All around the cavern, fierce battle has claimed the lived of numerous Duergar soldiers, but reinforcements arrive. Out of the darkness, a trio of additional Duergar arrive in the company of the ogre their workshop ogre. The aggressive ogre, egged on by his handlers to attack a hated dwarf, shoves Mishok off the wall and into the water. The timing could not be worse. The cracking, buckling platform, has begun to collapse inward. With a BOOM the remnants of the stone disk collapse inward and fall into a pit. Goerth and his demonic foe plummet downward and out of sight. The water begins to plunge over the shattered lip of the broken platform, turning the moat into a swirling vortex, inexorably drawing everything inward toward oblivion.

Mishok hangs on to the paralyzed Cycek, but is being carried away by the water himself. Sartan hustles back down the structure of the staircase and into the water. He hangs onto the shaking iron supports and readies himself to grab his two companions as they float past him.

The whole cavern is shaking and stones are beginning to fall. Davros is surrounded by numerous Duergar along with the towering ogre. He yells at the stupid creature. “Why did you do that!? Pull them out of the water right now!” The ogre is not intimidated, nor persuaded, and so Davros prepares to do battle with a truly imposing foe. More demons are appearing and Duergar are running and screaming at the sight of their leader’s disappearance. Mishok, from his vantage point in the rushing waters of the moat, peers down into the pit and far below sees a blasted hellscape filled with hordes of heaving, wretched bodies that move like rivers of tortured flesh. They are herded by larger, frightful creatures, but there is one that looms above all. It walks on two feet but it appears as a massive misshapen dog with patchy hair, enormous fangs, and wild bloodthirsty eyes. It turns its head, sees Mishok, and lets out a howl that makes his blood run cold. 

Mishok mutters a quiet prayer to Divoc, asking for assistance in this time of dire need.

Having convinced their Duegar escorts that Mishok was in fact just another corrupt town guard trying to loot his former client, the group accompanies Wendella to her study. She is shocked to see the damage to her room: the burnt wreckage in the corner, and the conspicuously absent array of ritual spell components which she has expected to retrieve. In fact Mishok had taken all those items, but he does not initially say anything about it, as he is trying to remain under-cover. Cycek, however, reveals that he has many of the required items in his possession, having taken them from the bandits they had fought on their first night out of Stilport. The one missing item is salt. Wendella suggests that she spend some time in her study, while the party goes to the kitchen supply room to find salt. She must translate and re-combine sequences of phrases from the spells designed to endow the Staff of Wizardry with its planar travel properties, along with the ritual spell she and Xodar had designed to summon the Nabassu from the Abyss. She also informs them of the importance of a large, clear gemstone to harness light and to power the spell. The original ritual was designed to employ the largest, clearest Shadowfurst Sapphire they could obtain. Nothing else can take the pure light of the stars and focus it in such a way as to make the ritual a guaranteed success. It was just such a priceless specimen that Hack was attempting to procure and sell them, when it had been unwittingly delivered into Carver’s hands by mistake. Now, with the gem armature in ruins, and the sapphire gone with Hack, they must try to make do with a lesser gemstone.

Mishok, being fluent in dwarvish lettering, stays with Wendella in her study to help transcribe the rituals, while the rest of the group, accompanied by guards, heads out in search of salt. Rather than go directly to the kitchen, Sartan decides to try and lure the guards to the trapdoor down the corridor in the opposite direction. He tries to trick them into falling into the trap, but they are aware of its presence and angry that they should attempt such a ruse. An argument ensues in which Sartan asserts a claim to the stronghold, while his Duergar opponents hold an opposite view. One of the guards gets fed up and shoves Sartan, who stumbles back and falls through the trapdoor himself. He hits the stone floor 20 feet below and is knocked prone. He lights a lighter and begins exploring the passageway in which he finds himself. Davros and Cycek follow him down, and they proceed down an exceedingly long corridor. They are pursued by a Duegar who has leapt down after them, but he lags behind and eventually gives up the chase.

Twenty minutes later, the three give up and head back up the corridor to the trap door, uncertain how to get back up. Fortunately, another contingent of Duergar have arrived on the scene, including an individual named Foreman Blackvein, who is on friendly terms with Wendella. He is foreman of the mining crew which has been excavating a deposit of gems in the lower cavern. This mining activity was also in the service of acquiring a gem suitable for the conjuration ritual. The foreman is, according to Wendella, reasonable and rational, as Duergar go. She persuades him to go with Mishok to fish the trio out of the trap, using the wire they had brought with them from the demon’s lair.

The group finally returns to the study. Wendella spends some more time, and with Mishok’s assistance, after about 3 hours of work, she feels she is ready to start putting the ritual together.

Having just tumbled out of the portal and back into the material world, the adventurers clamber back to their feet and gaze around them to regain their bearings. It is difficult to understand the shifting of time between worlds, but whatever time has passed has brought a change in the weather. What was once a sunny early spring morning has become overcast, foggy and cold. As near as they can tell, they are in the vicinity of the glade where they had battled the giant spiders and thereafter entered the portal to the Abyss. Rocks and barren trees are reduced to indistinct dark shapes in the heavy mist. They debate their next move. Wendella reasserts the imperative to find the spell books containing the rituals which will enable them to close the portals. They decide to circumnavigate the bluff which extends to the northeast like the prow of a ship. The travel is slow as visibility is poor and the rugged terrain is strewn with rocks, roots, and brambles. Occasionally they detect a flickering flash like distant lightning. They cannot pinpoint its source in the gloom, but they also hear the distant muffled sound of cackling and guttural roaring. After a couple hours of traveling, they find their way back to the ancient staircase, and the path they had followed a couple days before.

They pass beneath the arches where they had first encountered the late Stringbean and subsequently battled Eve Viscerator and her hobgoblin guards. Not far beyond that point, they come upon blackened deposits of solidified volcanic rock. Once-molten lava had solidified into razor-sharp black crystalline structures. Mishok recognizes this as the same material as the fire arrors they had found days before in Avita’s barn. He collects a dozen shards that will make good arrowheads once they have been shaped and balanced. He also fastens one to his spear. They recognize this as the place where they had done battle with emergent demons the previous day, and realize that they must be close to the place where they had buried the books they had taken from Ekso’s library. 

It takes them nearly an hour, but they are finally able to retrieve the books. They go through them with Wendella, hoping that the one they need will be among the random selections they had made. She is both eager and anxious, and searches through book after book only to be disappointed, finding that none are the one that she seeks. She says that they must get to the library, and that it must still be there on one of the shelves. Mishok then realizes that he had taken a spell book, not from the library, but from Ekso’s private quarters. He still has that one in his possession. He pulls it out of his bag and Wendella gasps with recognition. That’s it! She reaches out for it, but Mishok is reluctant. Should they trust her? Sartan reminds him that she seemed to have the approval of Adara. So, he hands it do her. She flips page after page, growing increasingly excited, as she gain confirmation that this book holds the knowledge required to cast the ritual. “This is what we need,” she says, “But we also need the material components. I have them in my study.” The adventurers look at each other sheepishly, and Mishok nudges Cycek, “Isn’t that where Sartan set that fire?”

They set off toward the back entrance to the compound. Before long, they find another strange sight. They have come upon a pile of bodies. It includes hobgoblins, goblins, demons, and even the mauled remains of a body clad in the torn and bloody garb of a Shadowfurst town guard. Davros realizes that this must be the grenade-wielding guard he had fought in the lookout room. These corpses have apparently been dragged there from the places where they had fallen, presumably to be disposed of.

Before they can even speculate about who had moved these bodies, a gravelly voices challenges them, “Who goes there?! Begone intruders!” They look up to see a squat armored figure with a pale, bald head, and a coarse white beard brandishing a pick axe. Mishok recognizes this as no ordinary dwarf, but rather a Duergar – a race of dark, fallen dwarves with an evil reputation. Sartan moves to get a better look and notices another Duergar wielding a spear in the lookout window above the main cave entrance. The angry Duergar continues to order them to leave. Wendella steps forward and addresses the wicked dwarf. “It is I, Lady Wendella, apprentice of Xodar, returned home to continue the  important work of my mentor.” To which the guard replies, “Lady Wendella, this place no longer belongs to the wizard. Your plans have failed and Goerth is not pleased. We need no more of your meddling with magic you don’t understand. Ever since your experiment, we are plagued with demons!” Wendella replies, “Let me speak to someone with real authority. Send for Blackvein. I will speak with him.” The guard replies “Foreman Blackvein is busy. If you’ll not leave then you will accompany me to Goerth himself.” Wendella agrees to this and she steps forward, along with the rest of the group. The guard raises his weapon and says, “Not them! They can be on their way! And,” he glowers at Mishok with an expression of contempt, “That dwarf of yours! If he wants to keep his eyes, he will stay far away from this place.”

Some haggling occurs and the guard finally agrees to bring the entire party to an audience with Goerth, with the exception of Mishok. He must stay outside. However, the guards are both foolish and short-staffed, so as they march their “guests” down into the lower tunnel, they leave the cave entrance and upper tunnel unguarded. Mishok waits for them to move out of sight, and then sneaks into the upper tunnel and into the storeroom and kitchen. He waits to make sure he is alone and undetected, then moves on to Wendella’s study. He gets in without incident. In one corner is the burnt wreckage of the fire Sartan had built. There are wood and paper ashes, and the smell of old smoke in the air. But it appears that the fire did not damage any more than the items that were heaped on the pyre. The shelves in the opposite corners of the room still contain a variety of strange items such as a gilded skull, vials of bone dust, and more. Mishok, stuffs the lot into a sack, and prepares to move on to the safe room until he can decide what to do.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party stumbles down a long, rough hewn tunnel, steered through the darkness none-too-gently by the pair of Duergar guards. The emerge into a large cavern, vaguely illuminated by diffuse light beaming down from an opening in the high ceiling. They realize that this is the large cavern in which Ekso had performed his failed attempt to summon a powerful demon. They can see light flickering on ripples in the moat, and shining on the metal structures the wizard had erected in this area. They are led past an area littered with broken rocks, metal buckets, carts, pickaxes, chains, and other mining implements. They proceed down another steeply descending tunnel and up to a broad set of heavy oaken double doors. The lead guard swings them open.

The large room before them houses some kind of stone processing operation. Beams of candlelight are focused through glass lenses and refracted by mounted specimens of gemstones. Three surprised Duergar faces look up from their work. Colored spots of lights shine on their otherwise grey, craggy faces. Piles of stones rest on work stations, and sparkling gems shine from ceramic vessels. A fifteen-foot tall vertical drum rotates with a clunking, banging rhythm, and twin conveyor belts carry rubble to piles at opposite ends of the room. 

One of the stone-processing Duergar speaks out, “What are you doing here?! You dare interrupt our important work!? Get back to your guard station!” The lead guard retorts, “Hold your tongue! I have emissaries from the wizard’s clan here for an audience with Chieftain Goerth.” More angry words are exchanged, and the clanging drum stops turning. A huge ogre peers from around the drum, and seeing the party, lunges forward like a hostile dog seeing a stranger. The ogre, however, is chained in place. One of the Duergar scolds the hulking creature and it reluctantly recedes back behind the drum and resumes turning a huge crank, setting the drum and conveyor belts back into motion.

The party proceeds through a side door and into a dimly-lit and vacant dining hall. They walk past  stone tables set with red tablecloths, metal flatware and cutlery. The lead guard stops before the far wall, and pulls aside a large red tapestry than hangs there. This reveals a hidden door which he pushes open. The corridor ahead reaches a point where the finished stonework gives way to rough hewn unfinished stone. There is a well dug into an alcove, and a bend in the corridor that brings the party to another solid, blank wall. The lead guard pulls a rope and the muffled clang of a bell sounds. A deep voice calls out, “Who disturbs the mighty Goerth?” The guard replies, “It is Sentinel Slate. I have brought Wendella and her entourage for an audience. She offers a solution to the demon problem.” The seams of another hidden door are revealed. Sentinel Slate opens the door, bows deeply, and steps aside. The other guard takes up a position to the opposite side of the door. Wendella steps forward.

A Duergar of enormous girth peers at them from a stone throne atop a dais. He is easily as wide as he is tall. Before him is a large, luxurious bed, around which are arranged 6 chairs. It is as if he regularly holds audiences from his bed. He wears a silver-studded leather helmet with flaps that cover his eyes. What they can see of his face is a deep frown and a white beard. One meaty fist clutches a heavy spiked mace. The walls and celing of the room are covered with a disturbing mural of eyes of different sizes and colors. Even in the dark, they glow with an eerie, disorienting light. The colors seem to swirl and the eyes appear to shift, almost as if they are pushing forward into space and then receding into nothingness. The effect is unsettling enough to keep Sartan from entering the room. The others withstand the frightening effect and move  forward to stand alongside Wendella.

Wendella and Goerth exchange words. He is angry at the outcome of Xodar’s failed conjuration, particularly since there is now the problem of demons running rampant through the compound. Wendella explains that she may be the best chance at closing these portals. She is the only one with the expertise. Goerth condemns the presence of her companions. Why has she brought them here? She persuades him that these are her personal guards and she will require their assistance to perform the ritual that will close the portals. She reports that she will need to retrieve material components from her study. Goerth sends them away with the guards to retrieve what she needs.

The party takes their leave of the chieftain, and proceeds back through the passageways and into the cavern. They climb the metal spiral staircase that they know will bring them to Xodar’s private chamber. The top of the stairway has been blocked with a hinged metal grate. They throw it open, and it hits the stone floor with a loud clang.

Meanwhile, Mishok has moved into the safe room. He sees that it remains unchanged from their last visit. It was here that they broke the wizard’s staff, sending Wendella into the Abyss and Eve into the Celestial Realm. That explosion of arcane energy also blasted shelves, chairs, and beds outward toward the walls. Canned goods, broken jars, and splintered wood are strewn about. But now, all is quiet. Mishok bides his time in prayer. The guidance of Divoc comes to him, giving him strength and the realization that he has an important role to play in the salvation of the world. He must remain open to recognizing the right time to act. Shortly, he hears a clang echo through the stone corridors. This he takes as his cue to move. He quietly heads down to the Xodar’s gem armature lab. He finds that many of the wires they had left dangling have been clipped and removed. He also sees a pile of bodies. There are hobgoblins, ghouls, demons, and a couple of individuals whom he recognizes. Here lies the body of Hack’s henchwoman known as Skinny Minnie, and also the body of their brief companion, Coriander. Hearing voices, Mishok quickly decides to disguise himself. He finds the body of a town guard and quickly dons the ill-fitting armor, cape, helmet, and shield. Rather than lurk amid the wreckage of this room, he moves forward into the hallway from whence the voices come. He soon finds his companions approaching in the company of the Duergar guards. Naturally, they challenge him. Mishok entreats them to stay their hand, for he is merely a town guard. He admits to trying to loot the remains but asserts that he is no threat. The Duergar guard is unconvinced, but Sartan speaks up on his behalf, as does Wendella. An argument ensues, threats are made, and it nearly comes to blows, but, the Duergar, not fully convinced of the identity of this “guard” at least recognize that they might be outmatched at this time. They decide to accept to story that this individual is one of Wendella’s entourage, and for the time being, conflict is averted.

Cycek cautiously heads down the tunnel, until he reaches a point where he hears the hubbub of multiple voices. He creeps forward to a point where the tunnel opens into a stone chamber. The gibbering voices sound like they are right around the corner. He sends Fuzzidohnge to investigate. The tiny weasel rounds the corner stealthily, but is immediately overcome with confusion by the gabbling voices of a terrifying creature a mere two feet away. He stands transfixed long enough for the huge amorphous mass of flesh, riddled with horrible eyes and mouths, to surge forward and smother him beneath its disgusting bulk. Cycek steps forward to rescue his animal companion and slashes at the monster with a sword, causing a wound that is quickly reabsorbed by the jelly-like flesh. The monstrosity snaps at him with many mouths, but fails to land a single bite. In rage and frustration, it wildly spits a glob a fluid which misses the mark and instead hits the wall with a flash of light. Cycek attacks again and quickly inserts the immovable rod into the fresh wound. His hope is that the wound will close over it and hold the creature in place. This is not to be. The disgusting creature oozes over and around the rod, like mud over a stone, and approaches Cycek for another unsuccessful bite attempt.

Cycek calls to Davros for back up, and the rogue obliges – running down the tunnel. Sartan hears the cry for help and follows Davros toward the tunnel. Mishok stays with Wendella and the treacherous wizard while also keeping a lookout for other unwelcome visitors. Peering over the edge of the spire, he sees a portal once again beginning to sputter and blink on the conjuration circle where they had emerged into this hellish place. He also detects a surge and an apparent rise in level of the lava flows. He hopes his companions hurry in finding a way down to the lower plateau so they can get out of here.

Meanwhile, Cycek has continued to battle the blob of mouths and eyes. He slashes and deftly dodges the gnashing teeth, until he finally makes a mistake and is bitten by multiple mouths. Bleeding from many cruel wounds, the battling elf falls to the stone floor and loses consciousness. Emboldened by its success, the creature slides forward for a follow-up attack, but not before Davros arrives on the scene. He grabs his fallen companion and drags him back up the tunnel away from the slow moving menace. He begins administering first aid, while Sartan shoulders past him in the tunnel. Sartan is carrying several canisters of flammable oil, and a torch. He pours a gallon of oil down the sloping floor, where it pools around the murderous mass of mouths. He lights the oil and a wall of flame springs up. The monster is singed, and its foul, blackened flesh writhes in pain. The creature is not killed, but it ceases its forward progress.

Davros revives Cycek who reenters the fray. He fires a flaming arrow over Sartan’s shoulder, further injuring the creature. Sartan then follows up with a second application of the burning oil technique. This sends the monster into full retreat. The companions press their advantage and rain arrow and sword blows upon the blob until, finally the frightful gibbering mouths cease their noise, the eyes roll back to white, and then shut tight with one last spasmodic dying jerk.

Cycek is dismayed to find the limp, lifeless body of Fuzzidonghe, but he does not lose hope. He uses one of his healing spells, and to his great joy, the tiny creature stirs, opens its eyes, shakes off some of the slime coating its one-lustrous fur, and scampers up Cycek’s shoulder to nuzzle his pointy ear. Sartan retrieves the magical immovable rod, and explores the rest of the chamber and finds nothing noteworthy other than a pair of other tunnels leading down. They decide to abandon this direction of exploration and return to the surface.

Mishok explains the urgency of getting out of here, as the ground is shaking, the lava is rising, and the portal seems to be sputtering into a tentative existence. They decide to take the ladder. Cycek heads down while his party members remain up top and create a harness out of the wire they had brought with them. They use the harness and the immovable rod to carefully lower Wendella down the ladder. That having been done, the remaining companions carefully climb down as well, leaving the bound wizard to his fate.

Their next task is get back across the river of lava. They bring the ladder back down from its upright position and once again lay it flat across the gap to the adjacent island. The lava has risen quite high and is surging past a mere foot below the ladder itself. Using the immovable rod once again, they stabilize the rickety, warped structure and one by one cross to the other side. Mishok carries Wendella on his back, and barely makes it across, nearly falling as everything begins to shake more insistently. The portal is flashing to blue, green and white, intermittently appearing and then vanishing. They see a group of bat-winged heads in the sky, and insubstantial worm-like forms begin to emerge from the wildly fluctuating portal of light. Finally, the portal snaps into a moment of stable, green light. The group links hands, rush past a grasping evil worm, leap up two tiers of the conjuring circle and plunge into the light.

Their hearts instinctively feel a rush of relief to put that evil place behind them. They find themselves floating in a field of grey mist. A distant shadow stirs. Bat-like wings flap and recede, and the shadow seems to pour itself away into a glowing blue orb. As they stare in wonder, a green glow surrounds them, and they feel as if they are falling toward an inviting pool of warm emerald green. The glow envelops them, they feel drawn inexorably forward, and they tumble out onto a verdant green sward of lush grass. Disoriented, they gaze around, taking in the beauty of a blue sky, golden sunlight, sparkling mountain peaks, and a babbling brook. The air is a fragrant spring breeze, and wildflowers blossom all around. The landscape is like a garden, but wilder and more potent with the majestic beauty of an idealized natural world. A kind, yet almost overwhelmingly mesmerizing voice speaks to them. They are transfixed by the being that addresses them. She is a tall, luminous woman, with her black hair pulled back in a long braid. She is resplendent in fine white robes and gleaming armor plates. One white wing rises from her right shoulder, but her left is graced by only a shorn stump. She is the Deva, Adara. She bids the team be at ease, for they are with her in the Celestial realm, where all is good. She congratulates them on their success in rescuing Wendella, while acknowledging the difficulty and danger they have endured. She shares with them the serious news that the Nabassu, the enemy whom she held at bay in the ethereal plane, was stronger than even she could control. The demon broke free, but rather than return to its isolation in the Abyss, it fled through a portal into the material world. Now despite their victory, she advises that they rest here while they can, but to make haste to find a way to close the portals. The situation is becoming increasingly unstable, and more frequent and larger portals are likely to sporadically open, spilling more, and potentially deadlier, demons into the material world. They ask how they can do this. How can they close the portals? Wendella volunteers the idea that there are spells in Xodar’s library. If they can retrieve the books, and the material components, they can maybe end the results of the flawed magic that opened them in the first place.

The party discusses their options. There is some understandable resentment toward Wendella for her having caused the situation. They have an inclination to simply tie her up, cart her back to Shadowfurst, deliver her to her parents, and collect their reward. She is contrite, explaining that she was a foolish girl, lashing out and wishing for power. She never meant for this to happen. She is worried about the damage that can still occur if they don’t act to stop it. She is worried about her parents. The Nabassu constantly tormented her with threats against her parents. Adara replies that the Nabassu can be anywhere, it could be across the ocean or in the immediate vicinity. There is no telling where that portal led, other than the certainty that it was the material world.

As they contemplate their options, they hear approaching footsteps and the clink of steel. Looking up, they see a tall figure approaching, silhouetted against the bright sky. Light sparkles on gleaming armor and helm. A familiar voice laughs, and a gauntleted arm reaches up to remove the helmet. Sartan’s eyes widen in recognition. Eve Viscerator runs forth, laughing to grab him in a huge bugbear bear-hug. She says “I never thought I would see you guys again! But here we are! So much has changed! I am so happy to see you my friends! It was you who changed my life for the better!” They are amazed at the sight of this former adversary who mysteriously disappeared in the same arcane blast that sent Wendella to her evil patron. They ask her what happened, and Eve explains that there was a blast of light, and the next thing she knew she was sprawled on the grass in this miraculous place. She was attended to by Adara, who healed her. She does not know how long she has been here, but it feels like many months. She has thrived under the tutelage of Adara and she is now a Paladin of Tyr, and a squire to the Deva.

Adara gives the team some time to relax and recuperate, but shortly encourages them to take advantage of the next portal that appears. She brings forth the glowing orb that Sartan had thrown through the portal long ago. She explains that this orb is a tool that can provide the means for steering the positioning of the portals. She has some ability to exert her force of will to shorten or lengthen their individual span of existence once they have manifested. But this unstable emergence of portals is a force of nature, she cannot say when the next one will appear or whether it will lead to the Abyss or back home. She suggests that if she can steer their location to a degree, they should decide where they want to go, and she will do her best to dial in the closest location.

They wait for awhile, and then finally a blue portal begins to blink into existence, hovering just above the green lawn. She gifts each of them a flask of healing water, and then holds forth the glowing orb as the portal fully materializes. She closes her eyes in thought and rotates the orb, its radiance becoming blinding. She commands, “Now! Go before it closes! Go forth! Do good work! Close these aberrant portals! Be brave! I have faith in you. Go!” The companions leap through, hand-in-hand, bringing Wendella with them.

They land with a rattle of armor and a thud, back in the glen near to the place where they had battled giant spiders just the day before.

Standing around the lifeless and hewn bodies of three ghouls, the party admires their handiwork and contemplates their next move. They have been in this abyssal realm for approximately an hour, and have been hard pressed by foes for much of it. The unclean air polluted by acrid smoke is beginning to take a toll. Sartan and Mishok both begin to feel lightheaded with weariness. Sartan takes the precaution of donning a makeshift mask through which to breathe. 

A metallic scraping noise catches their attention. A maw demon, perhaps the same one which had passed overhead not long ago, stands on the far shore attempting to shove the far end of the ladder over which they had come into the burning river of lava. Davros and Sartan run to grab their end and pull it out of the creatures grasp. They succeed beyond their hope, for the evil creature loses its footing and tumbles into the lava where it is destroyed.

They pull the entire ladder over to their side, again bracing the base, and using a length of wire to tip it up and over onto their shore. In doing so, they come to the realization that the length of the ladder should be sufficient to carry them to the top of the spire. They lean the ladder against the steep cliff, and Cycek begins to climb. As a precaution, he uses the immovable rod to lock it into place at increments as he goes. This proves to be a wise choice. At about the halfway point, the ranger looks up to see a strange figure silhouetted against the red sky. The head and shoulders of an antlered humanoid peers over the stone lip of the summit. It grabs the top of the ladder and attempts to tip it over. Frustrated by the immovability of the ladder, it shakes and jerks at the ladder, futilely trying to dislodge it. As Cycek nears the top, the creature withdraws, to hide behind a metal cylinder that stands at the center of a dish-like plateau.

Cycek approaches, questioning this strange creature, “Who are you? Why are you trying to knock over the ladder?”

The rest of the band climb the ladder to join him, just as the creature replies, spitting out the words is a pained strangle of a voice, “Begone! You don’t belong here! My master demands it!”

This creature is a distorted humanoid, perhaps once a man. An enormous, tangled pair of antlers sprouts from a head that is deformed, damaged head. A sizable chunk of one side of his head, including the forehead and right eye is burned away, the flesh replaced by solidified stone. The remaining eye peers out from a monocle, appearing oversized and distorted. The gnarled “man” is wrapped in filthy, torn, grey ropes, and staggers about in a hunched posture. His left forearm is missing from elbow to wrist, and that absent portion of that limb is replaced instead by what appears to be a length of rebar. He leans heavily on 6 foot length of bent, rusty rod of iron.

Cycek responds to this wretched creature with hostility and scorn, as do his compatriots when they arrive on the scene. They question him, while he hisses angry words: “How dare you trespass in the dwelling of my master!” He refuses to answer their questions, and their insolence enrages him. When asked his name he replies, “My name is… Aiaaagh! Aiaaagh!!! My name… my name is of no consequence.” He doubles over in pain, as if even the notion of his name is an agony to him.

The cylindrical structure that looms at the center of this tableau is approximately seven feet tall and three and a half feet wide. It appears to be roughly constructed of unevenly bent sheet metal coarsely welded and riveted together. Five long rods with crank handles stick out of it at strange angles. About five feet from the ground, there is a small, barred opening about three inches wide by three inches in height. A woman’s voice screams from this opening, “Help me! Help me! Oh please, help me get out of here!”

Cycek demands answers as to what the cylinder is, and who is imprisoned in it. The enraged creature refuses to answer and instead issues a threat, “Begone or you shall die!”

Sartan steps up and breaks the standoff by employing his trusty fidget spinner. He holds it aloft and the antlered man locks his monocled eye on it. His hands fall to his sides, and he allows his staff clatter to the ground. He stands, glassy eyed and muttering quietly while Sartan and his colleagues bind and gag the wretch.

That threat nullified, the crew ponders the cylindrical prison, and its occupant. Questioning reveals that the prisoner is none other than Wendella. She is almost breathless with relief, saying, “I remember you. It seems so long ago. Months? A year? I don’t know. I can’t believe you’re here! Oh please, please, you have to get me out of here.”

The team is extremely skeptical. Can she be trusted? Her appeal is met with disdain, and Cycek in particular berates her for her past behavior and poor decisions. She is very contrite in her replies, and in fact want to make things right. She expresses her fear that this horrible demon, her one-time patron whom she looked to for power, is going to get loose in the material world and target her parents. She thinks she can help close the portals, and prevent more demons from getting out into the world.

Closer inspection and communication with Wendella reveals that the five crank handles are part of a contraption by which her jailers can inflict pain. When one handle is cranked out, another one cranks in, piercing her with an auger-shaped blade. The knob of each handle bears a different sculpted icon: skull, heart, eye, hand, and flame. The flame icon corresponds to a blade poised to impale the core of her abdomen, while the others are a more literal representations of the body part that will be “under the knife.” The party grows frustrated trying to puzzle out which combination of crank handles to rotate in which direction to avoid causing injury. They instead slap “Aiaaagh! Aiaaagh!!!” out of his trance and threaten him with bodily harm unless he opens the prison. He gives in to his fear and agrees. But, he needs to be untied, and have his gag removed so that he can perform the spell. They give him his staff and take positions to attack should he do anything untoward. He speaks an incantation, and knocks three times on the metal surface with his staff. The prison splits open along a vertical seam. Wendella tumbles out upon the ground, but she takes a grave wound from an augur blade in the process. Mishok and Cycek go to her aid, providing her healing magic to ensure that she does not die. The evil wizard takes the opportunity of distraction to cast a spell of magical darkness. He disappears into the inky blackness. Sartan and Mishok rush in swinging blindly, trying to bring him down, but they fail to connect. He emerges on the far side of the darkened area, running while performing another incantation on himself. The result is that he appears capable of rapidly running up a steeply pitched stone wall as if he were a spider. He is able to gain the top ridge of the spire, but before he is able to escape down the far slope, the almost equally sure-footed Davros springs into action. He hustles along the ridge and soon catches up to the fleeing wizard. He inflicts a wound with his rapier and the wretched man quickly surrenders.

They group quickly binds and gags him again, none too pleased with his treachery. They leave him on the stone floor and seek a more efficient way down from the spire, to ease the transport of a bound captive. The bound captive in this case is Wendella. The party still does not trust her, and they have no intention of taking the mad wizard with them.

Cycek discovers a set of stairs and a trail along the lip of the dished plateau. He heads down it a short way, and sees that it leads to a cave. Mishok and Sartan stay with Wendella, securely tying her up while Davros takes a lookout position and Cycek heads down the tunnel.

The party continues to debate which way to go, arguing among themselves. Cycek suggests several courses of action, which meet with the silence of uncertainty. Eventually, Sartan and Davros decide to forge ahead and cross yet another bridge to another small island, while Mishok and Cycek stay put.

Midway across the bridge, Davros is attacked by another tiny green demon which pops into view and claws him, nearly knocking him from the catwalk. He manages to pull out his rapier and skewer it before it can vanish. It slides off his blade, dead, and plops into the churning lava just below. He continues across the bridge, to land on an island that is an even filthier hunk of rock. It is strewn with metal debris like old bent nails, staples, and spikes. There are skeletons of strange creatures, scales, and teeth. There are coils of wire, hooks, and heavy chucks of metal with eyelets. Most disgustingly, there is the decaying body of a large wormlike creature, at least six feet long, party torn apart, and stinking horribly. Before Davros has but a moment to take this in, he is set upon by another green creature. This one is ineffective, and Davros immediately dispatches it. Sartan joins him on the island, and they inspect some of the debris. Davros takes about 150 ft. of wire, and some assorted spikes and nails. Sartan comes across two long iron rods standing upright, protruding from the ground. They angle slightly out over the river, and wire, secured to their tips, runs out into the flow. Both wire and rod contraptions thrum with the current of the lava flowing past. But one of them begins to quiver and flex. Sartan, curious, hauls on the wire, pulling it in hand-over-hand and piling up coils of the smoking hot wire onto the soiled stone at his feet. There is resistance at the  other end of the wire, a pulsating force, but it is no match for Sartan’s great strength. A shape emerges from the depth. An enlongated, finned body breaks the surface, and then submerges again. Sartan keeps pulling and soon a glowing, thrashing beast is brought once again to the surface. With a heave, he pulls a two-foot long glowing, flaming fish-beast onto the shore. It leaps and flops, splashing gouts of liquid fire as it does so, burning Sartan in the process. He kicks it back into the river, and the wire goes taut again.

While this is happening, Cycek and Mishok are inspecting the ladders, and discussing how they might be repositioned to give them better access to some of the larger islands, so they can continue their search for Wendella. Cycek is mid-sentence when their attention is drawn by flickering light. They turn to see the portal through which they had come flickering through color changes, and spasmodically fluctuating. Before they can even move, there is a ground rattling “BOOM!” and the portal ceases to be. Loose stones rattle and tumble hissing into the lava. Cycek turns to Mishok with a concerned expression, and says “Oh, great.” There is a moment of silence, and then the sound of distant laughter returns with renewed vigor. 

Mishok shouts across to Davros and Sartan, that if they use the last bridge they had crossed, they can cross directly back to the place where they had started rather than backtracking. He figures it is long enough to span that gap, and then also the gap to the larger land mass at the opposite side of that island. It takes some work, but with Sartan’s great strength, they slide the ladder toward them, using a thin sliver of rock mid-stream to keep it from tilting down into the lava. Then they attach a length of wire to it, stand it on end, and bracing the grounded end, lower its far end down onto the opposite shore. This is a difficult task, requiring a great deal of pivoting and repositioning as it hangs up on the overhead wires, but they succeed. Crossing over the the island where they had first landed, they are met by Cycek and Mishok who have retraced their steps.

Reunited on a slab of rock littered with the corpses of their fallen demonic foes, they ready the ladder to make another crossing on the opposite side. Brainstorming ways to better move a 70 foot ladder without catching in the wires or dropping it into the lava, Cycek remembers the strange “immovable” bar he had found in the quarters of the evil wizard, Ekso. He uses it to anchor the foot of the ladder in place, to keep it from shifting as they again stand it on and, and lower it via cable onto the far shore.

They cross this bridge one at a time. Cycek deactivates the immovable bar, takes it in hand and starts across. Halfway there, he loses his balance and topples off the ladder. By amazing reflex, he hits the button on the bar. It stops in mid air, and he holds on tight, dangling precariously, with his toes just inches from the heaving mass of deadly molten rock. He manages to crawl back up onto the ladder and with the utmost caution, cross the rest of the way and get his feet back on solid ground.

The plateau the find themselves on it at a slightly higher elevation, and it slopes upward as it nears a towering spire. The ground is all the more strewn with the huge misshapen globs of solidified lava, and the refuse of long years of demonic occupation. The begin to explore, moving upward toward the spire. Keeping a careful watch, they soon notice that a dangling maw demon is moving into view above their heads, on a wire that intersects their plateau. They take cover among the rocks and debris. A few tense minutes elapse and the creatures passes them by and continues out over the river and adjacent islands. Returning to their exploration, they find a six-foot diameter hole, bored into the rock, leading to a dank tunnel than twists downward at a steep angle into the darkness. A horrible reek rises from the hole. The see the long beaten track of bare, clawed humanoid feet leading into, out of, and all around the hole. Understandably reluctant to go in and blindly explore, Cycek instructs Fuzzidohng to go in, explore, avoid being seen, and return. The weasel wrinkles his nose, but does so. The four adventures stand at the ready outside the hole, keeping a careful watch for any foes that might appear. After five to ten minutes of waiting, the weasel comes running out of the hole in a state of great agitation. They hear horrid, incoherent shouting and scrabbling footsteps running their way. Cycek is frustrated with the poor performance of his animal companion, complaining, “I told you to stay out of sight!” The tiny creature is shaking with fright and it hides among the rocks. They quickly hatch a plan before the purser emerges. Sartan and Mishok position themselves  above the hole with a length of wire, looped into a giant snare. Cycek and Davros station themselves to the sides of the hole, swords at the ready. They are barely ready before the purser emerges bellowing with fury. Sartan and Mishok heave to and tighten the wire noose around the head of the enraged creature. Mishok quickly identifies it. “It’s a ghoul!” They have fought these before. The ensnared creature goes wild trying to escape, but it is no use. Cycek and Davros quickly stab at it, and their companions pull the wire with all their might, nearly severing its wretched head. The creature goes limp and falls to the ground dead.

Having a clearer idea of what they may be dealing with in the cave, they decide to carefully explore. Cycek decides that Fuzzidohng will be the light source for those without night vision. Mishok casts the Light spell on the creature. The glowing weasel carefully proceeds into the cave at Cycek’s bidding. It is a cramped tunnel, six feet in diameter at its maximum. They encounter a couple of forks in the passageway, and they choose the rightmost passage both times. Suddenly, Fuzzidohng’s light illuminates a stone chamber, and the shambling forms of two more ghouls. The wretched creatures immediately react to the light and rush forward to attack. The party turn and run for the entrance, except for Cycek who stealthily steps into one of the side tunnels and hides. The ghouls, drawn by the glowing weasel, run screaming past without seeing him. The other three explorers hastily gather outside the cave entrance and try to reassemble their snare arrangement, but it’s too late to do so effectively. The first creature bursts from the cave. Sartan and Mishok drop the snare around its neck, but it is not secure. The noose tightens around its undead neck, but its flailing arm tears the wire out of Mishok’s grasp. Sartan holds on to his end, barely restraining the creature which pulls like a dog on a leash. Davros is able to use this to his advantage, and he stabs the vile creature with his rapier. The second ghoul emerges and shoves past the first one to get at Davros, who successfully dodges out of reach of the nasty claws. Sartan grabs his trusty battle axe and buries it the head of the first ghoul, bringing its hell-driven state of living death to an abrupt end. 

Mishok attacks the second one before it has a chance to turn and face him, cutting into it with the antique silver sword he had acquired just the day before. The ghoul, howling with fury, whirls around, giving Davros an opportunity for a sneak attack. He jabs the point of the rapier through its unbeating heart. It screams and writhes on his blade, but soon convulses one final time and drops dead at Davros’ feet.

While this battle takes place, Cycek sneaks down the passageway, into the chamber where they had first encountered the ghouls. He finds nothing of value and presses on, through another passage which rises upward. Soon it opens into another roughly 30′ x 30′ chamber. He sees two other tunnels leading from the chamber. But, most disturbingly he sees a huge, amorphous, glistening red mound, across the chamber. It opens up an eye, another eye, then scores of eyes. One by one mouths open, and soon there are dozens upon dozens of mouths of all sizes, all gabbling in a cacophony of voices. It surges toward him, like a massive grotesque slug. Cycek turns and flees back the way he came.

He shouts to his team as he approaches the cave entrance, letting them know it is he, and not another monster to be garroted upon his emergence from the hole. The team, together again, catches their breath and begins to plan their next more.