Two hobgoblins remain on the road. Sartan fakes an arrow wound and calls for help. Hobgoblins split up and approach Sartan and the group.  Mishok incinerates one hobgoblin with a single sacred flame. Davros in the treetop finishes the other with a shortbow. The team drags the bodies away to conceal them. A young girl in the house with a cowpen implores the team to get in the house. Wicklow and a large hobgoblin come down the street, and suspect something is up. Wicklow retreats to fetch four more hobgoblins Sartan and Mishok retreat into the house. 

Wicklow recognizes Cycek and is glad to see him, tries to persuade Cycek about his hobgoblin allies.
Hobgoblins arrest Cycek, and start searching houses.  One hobgoblin enters the house, Mishok throws Silence spell. Sartan dispatches the hobgoblin with halberd. Mishok and Sartan plan to have the girl lure three more hobgoblins into the house to be ambushed. Hobgoblins are persuaded and Sartan finishes all three with halberd.

Young girl mentions Dara that constable Dara is still working incognito at the tavern.

Wicklow and large hobgoblin lead Cycek to the tavern to meet big hobgoblin boss. Greasy rag lets slip that the group has killed a lot of hobgoblins, so Cycek is in for rough treatment. Davros descends the tree and begins stalking Cycek and his captors as they make way to and enter the tavern.

The party, attempting to float the treasure hoard across the lake using their makeshift boat are set upon by another of Nightscale’s swarms of magical stinging insects. They withstand the damage, and after several trips across, they manage to get their entire haul divvied up among them. Coins and small items are dumped into packs, and the weapons are rolled in bedrolls to keep them safe. They find that this method needs to be temporarily abandoned when it comes to climbing the ladder back up to the Foundry level. Instead, they tie them along a length of rope, so they can more easily haul them up. They proceed to carry out that plan, only to find that Nightscale has re-entered the chamber as they leave it behind. She must have followed to river upstream from the cave where it issues from the mountain. They hasten their climb, but Nightscale manages to grab the end of the weapon-festooned rope. She pulls off the last few swords, but the party manages to drag the rest into the adjacent corridor and slam the door shut.

They gather themselves in the bed chamber of the late “Goerth” and take the time to rest. An hour or so later, they experience a rude awakening in the form of several troglodytes intruding into their makeshift safe room. It become apparent that these troglodytes are acting on the behest of Nightscale, who occupies the throne room, unsuccessfully trying to force her way through the less-than-dragon-sized doorway. A fierce battle ensues. The adventurers keep out of acid-breath range and manage to dispatch the dragon’s reptilian minions.

Realizing that they now have no safe access to their one known escape route, they decide to attempt the door to the north… leading to the area that the Duergar had called “haunted.” Their hope is that they will find some other path out of the mountain, and they can make their way home with their treasure hoard.

The passage to the north ends at a blank wall, which Mishok immediately recognizes as a hidden door. He pushes it open and sees a hall littered with dead bodies. They have clearly been here a long time, the aftermath perhaps of the battle a century ago in which the dwarves fell to the hobgoblins, and Durgeddin was cast into exile and obscurity. An eerie moaning catches Mishok’s attention, and he notices a formless blue glow in the air above a stone-lined pool, filled with foul, murky water. A mournful voice speaks from the glow, exhorting Mishok to leave this place. He obliges, backing out of the room and closing the door. He reports back to his colleagues, warning them of an apparently hostile spirit, but also sharing the observation that a corridor runs to the east and west. They decide that dealing with the spirit might be safer than dealing with the dragon, so they agree to risk the haunted area of Khundrukkar.

They enter the chamber and are again verbally accosted by the spirit. They attempt to engage it in discussion. It takes on a somewhat more discernible shape. This appears to be an elven being, clad in tattered robes, like those of a wizard. The spectre admonishes the group to renounce their foolhardy adventuring ways. His name is Isherfezzin and he raves about the horrors of undeath, and how he is trapped here, bound to this place. He’s not like the atrocious walking dead infesting this place, but he is cursed to linger here, and driven to defend it from further defilement. “Ah me… an elf of the woods, streams, and meadows, here bound to this dismal place… aieeeee…. I won’t allow any more to meddle here. Leave this place, leave your “adventurous” ways – it only leads to death and torment! You see what happened to the others!”

The party explains that it’s not that simple. They need to get past an angry dragon, and they can use some help. Isherfezzin decides to provide some limited assistance in the form of information. He explains that there are two doors down the corridor to the west which open upon the throne room, and he knows of no other way out. But, there may be some tools or weapons in the nearby rooms that they may find helpful, if they must battle their way past Nightscale. That advice delivered, Isherfezzin dematerializes, and the party is left to a silent chamber, strewn with desiccated corpses.

They head down a long corridor to the west, past several doors, and through another chamber with a stagnant pool, much like the one where they had met Isherfezzin. There is a large door on the south wall, and they realize it likely leads to the throne room. They take note of its width, and wonder whether it will allow  Nightscale to enter. Father to the west the corridor ends abruptly, at what. Mishok again recognizes as a concealed door. He decides to investigate while his companions guard the corridor behind him.

Through the door he finds a desecrated chapel. Once dedicated to Divoc, this chapel is now filthy, and covered with crude graffiti scrawled in the goblin language. At the far end of the room, beyond the hacked and broken benches, sits a low stone altar. Atop the altar, arms folded over his chest, lies the ancient corpse of a dwarf warrior in plate armor. Bones lie heaped around the altar’s base, and at its foot crouches the desiccated body of a hobgoblin in studded leather. Mishok approaches more closely, and some of the bones begin to stir and assemble themselves into a pair of towering skeletons clutching greatclubs. The dead hobgoblin warrior looks up at Mishok and grins evilly, green fire burning in its hate-filled eyes as it stands. The three undead creatures advance on Mishok, and he realizes that he had best withdraw from the room. He does so quickly, but first notices that there is a doorway to the south, presumably another door to the throne room. He slams the door behind him. He and the rest of the group, wait, expecting the undead foes to follow Mishok, but they remain behind the closed door, in the chapel.

The party begins investigating other rooms, hoping to find something that will help them escape. They open one that appears to have once been a barracks. There are half a dozen smashed bunks, and a number of skeletal dwarf corpses. Of course the skeletons rise and attack. The adventurers lure them out of the room a few at a time and destroy them methodically. Within the now vacant room, they find a crystal throwing axe with an exceptionally sharp blade.

Shortly, a banging sound reverberates through the stone chambers. Dust rains from above. Nightscale has heard the fighting and has begun trying to smash her way in, weakening the stone door frame with acid and tearing at the crumbling walls. The party decides to take their chances with the undead and they flee into the chapel, where they are immediately attacked by the two towering skeletons and the evil undead hobgoblin. A ferocious melee ensues, with warriors on both sides taking damage. Mishok battles his way to the altar where he channels the divinity of Divoc, and sends the undead assailants running for the east door. His teammates open the door, allowing the weakened undead to run into straight into the path of the enraged dragon, who quickly dispatches what is left of them. Davros, seeing a golden opportunity, takes a shot down the hall with his bow, and deals a substantial wound to the black dragon. She glares at him and roars, “How dare you take arms against one such as me? I will devour you!” About this time they hear the magical stairway alarm sound. Concerned about what new opponent this might herald, they hesitate to leave the chapel, even though the south door seems to be their best escape route, while Nightscale continues smashing her way through the adjacent room trying to reach them. The newcomer reveals himself to be none other than Krago. His presence distracts Nightscale sufficiently that Mishok is able to take a few moments and retrieve some noteworthy items strewn among the bones at the foot of the altar – including a couple of scrolls containing powerful incantations invoking the healing power of Divoc. Mishok drags the armored body of the deceased dwarf lord from the desecrated altar. Krago suggests that they should give the ancient warrior a dignified burial. The group slips out through the western door of the great hall and down the stairs to the Glitterhame. They fight their way past another of the nasty wormlike cave predators they had encountered earlier, and escape into the outside world. Mishok gives Krago his old pitted armor, and takes that of the dead dwarf instead. Mishok conducts a brief but respectful ceremony and they lay the old dwarf to rest. Divoc is pleased with the party having rid the chapel of the undead abominations dwelling within, and he blesses them with his favor. (The characters gain a level of experience). They follow Cycek deep into the forest and hunker down for the night, out of sight of the searching eyes of Nightscale.

The next morning, the five travelers rise feeling refreshed, despite having heard the the angry roars of Nightscale on the wind through the night. They begin their journey back to Blasingdell. They move warily, staying under cover, keeping an eye to the sky. The dark shadow of their winged pursuer passes over them several times, but they slowly cover ground without being discovered. They stick to game trails deep in the woods, but after a few days Cycek detects the recent tracks of others having used these same trails. At first he notices the track of booted feet, and has the suspicion that hobgoblin soldiers have recently passed this was. More concerning however are the more animalistic tracks that seem to converge upon and follows the hobgoblins’ trail. Cycek is an expert in the ways of gnolls. He knows their tracks when he sees them and that’s surely what these are. He also knows that gnolls are utterly vicious creatures. Spawn of the demon lord, Yeenoghu, these creatures are like insane hyenas on two legs. Unlike hobgoblins who, although ruthless and militaristic, can be reasoned with when it suits them, gnolls are relentlessly violent and destructive. They exist to kill and consume. The party continues forward with redoubled care.

They move through territory littered with the remains of the ancient culture that thrived here long before the founding of the Provinces. The terrain undulates, and find themselves climbing up hills and descending into valleys. One night, nearly a week into their travels, they hear a howling caterwaul on the wind. Cycek and Davros sneak forward to a perch atop a bluff, overlooking a valley strewn with rocky outcroppings. In the darkening dusk they see the ruins of a crumbling tower, nestled into a shoulder of rock not half a mile away. They see humanoid figures moving about on an apron of flat stone at the tower’s base. They hear the unmistakable clink of armor and weapons, punctuated by eerie gibbering howls. Watching carefully, they discern what they take to be a skirmish between the tower’s occupants and a hostile band of marauders. Cycek considers moving in for a closer look, but Davros questions the wisdom of putting themselves in harms way, or getting involved in a conflict that is none of their concern. They quietly withdraw and find a safe place to settle in for the night.

In the morning, they continue on their way. They travel for two more days, remaining careful to avoid detection. Eventually the thick woods dwindle into meadows dotted with isolated copses of trees, which in turn give way to rustic agricultural lands. Cycek leads them from game trails to a narrow farm track and then to a rutted dirt trail. They pass a couple of small farms and soon find themselves approaching the outskirts of town through thick wheat fields, ready for the harvest. But they detect something amiss. Cycek doesn’t like the look of some of the footprints on this road. They bear a striking resemblance to that made by typical hobgoblin soldiery. Cresting a low hill before they enter the town proper, they catch the glint of evening sunlight on steel. They stop in their tracks. Hobgoblins! They see three of them guarding a makeshift barricade adjacent to the first home in town. They quickly duck into the wheat, and begin to shuffle their way deeply into it. In their haste they make some noise, and the hobgoblins come over to investigate. Krago, nearest the road, decides to play the decoy, and surrenders to the guards, acting the part of an aged traveller looking for work in the mines. They strip him of his weapons, take him into custody, and march him roughly away toward the center of town.

Using the wheat field for cover, the remaining four stealthily move closer to the nearest house. The wheat field gives way to fields of grass, dotted with scattered shrubs and trees. Davros scouts ahead, darting from shadow to shadow. He climbs a tree and surveys as much of the town as he can. He sees hobgoblins guarding barricades at not only the west road, but also the south. He sees a couple more hobgoblins overseeing the work of the town blacksmith. He cannot see the far end of the east road, but he spots Worg riders in the streets, and goblin archers on rooftops. He sneaks down, and finds a way into the the nearest house. There he encounters a frightened lady and her young son. She tells him that the hobgoblins take the men to the. mine every morning to work them like slaves all day, and bring them back in the evening. “It was that idiot Wicklow who led them there, insisting that they were great allies who would rescue them from the inevitable invasion of evil gnolls. And furthermore, these hobgoblins claim to have been granted full rights and possession of the mine by the owners, the Wend family. Now they have the town locked down, people are afraid to go out. Several people have gone missing, and harm has come to those who resisted. Look at what happened to the sergeant of the town watch!” Peeking out the window, she gestures toward a petrified form of an armed man standing in a defensive pose in the town center. She pulls Davros back from the curtain and whispers, “Shhhh… watch it! There’s someone there!” And sure enough, Davros sees a goblin archer just around the corner of the building. They withdraw from the window, and she continues, “They say constable Dara is working as their serving wench in the Salt of the Urth. They’ve taken over the bar, and they’ve taken over Kheldgan Tor’s store. Both Urth and Kheldegan haven’t been seen… they probably have them slaving away in the mines too.”

Davros, having learned as much as he can, takes his leave, sneaks back out the cellar door and returns to his teammates. They unload their Durgeddin weaponry in the middle of the wheat field, to enable quiet, unencumbered movement. They move farther into town toward a particularly ramshackle home. They sneak across the debris-strewn backyard, and are greeting by a wiry wizened man with wild white hair and unkept clothes. He leans from his doorway, and bids them enter quickly before they are discovered by a patrol. The place is filled with books, glassware, rumpled clothes, and other odds and ends. Amid the mess prowls a large tabby cat named Puss-Puss. The air carries a strong aroma of pipe smoke, alcohol, mustiness, and cat litter. The man introduces himself as Vroman, and as he saunters around the tiny house finding places for his guests to sit, he hums and plucks the strings of a lute. He hates the hobgoblins, as do many of the townfolk, but he warns that some have been taken in by Wicklow’s insistence that the hobgoblins are Blasingdell’s best chance of survival when the gnolls come. The party makes plans to visit the tavern and hopefully rescue Krago. Vroman is willing to help. He will distract the hobgoblins if necessary. The strange old man sings them an awkward song in a scratchy, warbling falsetto. It sounds absurd, but somehow it bolsters their resolve, and as they set out toward the tavern, they feel all the more confident in their ability to succeed. They take note of a mounted hobgoblin passing though the street. He is riding a ferocious-looking wolf-like creature. It bares its great fangs and sniffs the air as it prowls the street. That in mind, they carefully sneak out the back door and out into the wheat fields again.

They group retraces its steps back through the wheat field, crossing the road west of town, and circling back around to the north of the Salt of the Urth. They seek positions where they can survey the scene while remaining hidden. Davros again climbs a tree, from whence he sees Krago marched out of the tavern and pressed into service with the blacksmith. But the winds, or the winds of fate, seem to have finally turned against the party, for their scent apparently draws the interest of a worg rider. Suspicious, the rider spurs his mount toward the hidden adventurers. Davros, from his hidden perch, sees an opportunity to take out this lone, suspicious enemy, and he lets fly an arrow. He slays the rider, but the mount howls in distress. This in turn arouses the attention of the goblin sniper, as well as the barricade guards. Soon they are locked in frantic melee with a number of foes. They try to dispatch them quickly before any reinforcements can be called. They almost success in this… but don’t quite.

Moving on from their explorations of the looted and spoiled storage rooms, the explorers move south through a passageway into another natural chamber. Here another fast-flowing underground stream joins the one flowing from the waterfall. The combined waters rush past and exit noisily through a hole in the west end of the cave. A sturdy arched stone bridge spans the river. Mishok examines it and finds that it is structurally sound, and appears to be of dwarven make. On the opposite side of the river, they find a shallow stairway, leading down into stagnant water. At the bottom of the stairs, they see a door ajar just around the corner, most of its height submerged. Curious, but wary of the water, they devise a way to get a peek into the flooded space behind the door. Cycek acrobatically secures his “immovable rod” in mid-air just outside the door, and swings from it by his knees. Using Ekso’s old “staff of wizarding” which has been illuminated by Mishok, he nudges the door open and peers inside. He can discern, as near as he can tell, a set of three adjoined rooms, similar to the vacant storage rooms they had recently encountered. It is difficult see to the far reaches of the room, and the light does not fully penetrate the dark stagnant water. Seeing no compelling reason to further explore the room, Cycek dismounts, taking his immovable rod with him.

They follow the river upstream to where it emerges from a hole in the cave wall. Here, the cavern narrows and a set of stairs winds upwards and to the east. They follow these stairs and emerge into another cavern, again bisected by the river. The far side of the river features a number of stalagmites. As they enter the cavern for a look around, long tendrils lash out from the largest stalagmite, and entwine each of them in a a clinging grasp. Before they can react, the tendrils retract, dragging them roughly off of their feet and through the river. Mishok is yanked close to the stalagmite, which opens up a single great red eye, and more horrifyingly, a gaping fanged mouth. Mishok struggles, but the maw bites down on him, causing a bloody wound. Sartan and Cycek try to break free, straining against the rubbery bonds and hacking at them with their blades. Davros, however, fires arrows at the weird cave monster’s deceptive body, managing to pierce it’s horrid eye with several well-aimed shots. The desperate adventurers barrage the creature with a flurry of attacks. Neither blade nor fire seem to cause much harm, but they do drive the creature to uproot itself and take evasive action. It begins slowly scaling the cave wall behind it, pulling its captives off their feet and holding them aloft, while it continues trying to devour Mishok. Davros lands another damaging arrow shot, and the creature casts him into the river. He is swept downstream, into the adjacent cavern, but he manages to pull himself free from the current and back onto dry land. Cycek tries to limit the creature’s ability to move, by forcing the immovable rod between his lower back, and the encircling tendril. This keeps him from moving, but the creeping stalagmite-monster unspools more length of tendril as it moves further away. Davros runs back into the cavern and delivers yet another devastating arrow shot. The creature, having gained the ceiling, finally falls dead, its prey falling as well, landing with a jarring thud on the stone floor.

Sartan hacks into the fallen creature to ensure that it stays dead. In doing so, he slices open its digestive tract and sees something shimmering in the pale light. Looking closely, he see’s a number of gemstones. He eagerly retrieves them from the revolting gore and stores them in his pack.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Poking around the cavern strewn with an assortment of cots and stolen loot from the countryside, the adventurers detect the approach of more potential adversaries. Davros, the sole member of the team fluent in the goblin language, can hear a hobgoblin’s insistent voice, “they crossed the bridge… they freed our prisoners… this way!” They are shortly accosted by a huge hobgoblin captain, accompanied by another hobgoblin soldier and two chained dire wolves. 

The captain demands that the party throw down their weapons and surrender. “You know I cannot allow you to leave. But, you have proven yourselves to be capable warriors! Throw down your weapons, and join the Impaled Heart!” This demand is, of course, met with flat refusal and insults. Captain Ulfe releases Zak and Thrag, the dire wolves, and an intense battle ensues. An additional soldier, lurking in the shadows, joins the fray. The fight turns against the hobgoblins, and ultimately, Ulfe, Zak, and Thrag are all gruesomely slain. One soldier remains alive, and he is taken captive by the party. He reluctantly offers to take them down to where there are other dwarves, like Mishok, if they don’t kill him. He suggests two options: talk to “grandma” or go through the blocked passage. Asked why it is blocked, he asserts that it is because of “little stingies.” Rather than have him unblock the passage, they decide to tie him up and explore a side passage. Sartan and Mishok discover secret passages that lead to a small room occupied by an elder hobgoblin woman dressed in the robes of a shaman, and two attendants. This is “grandma” and she is none too pleased to see these intruders. She commands Sartan to fall, and he does. She conjures an ethereal spear which deals serious wounds to her opponents. One of her attendants is slain, but the other stations herself in a favorable spot to pepper the intruders with arrows. Ultimately, the explorers gain the upper hand. The shaman shoves open a door and flees into an adjacent room, putting some space between herself and her attackers. This large room has a high ceiling lost in the the darkness and a broad stone staircase leading down a crevasse into the blackness below. She casts a spell and immediately shadowy, winged shapes descend from the ceiling. They flap around the party members, sinking their long sharp probosci into any exposed flesh they can find, drinking as much blood as they can.

In the aftermath of the battle, there is much debate over what to do next. They are in need of rest, and they consider retreating to find a safe place for the night, but are reluctant to give up their hard-fought gains. As they discuss various options, they can faintly hear the muffled sound of far-off raised voices. Realizing that the hobgoblins will eventually regroup, they decide they should find a place to hide where they won’t lose ground. They hit upon a risky idea. They will lower themselves back down into the hole, and let the webbing support them as they rest. 

One by one, they carefully descend to the webbed section of the chasm. Davros will be the last to go. His job will be to untie the rope from the top bridge support and instead tie it to the the dangling end of the severed bridge, where it is unlikely to be seen or draw suspicion. However, by the time the rest of the party is out of sight, and Davros is left alone on the ledge, the door on the far side opens and a pair of hobgoblins emerge. They fire arrows at Davros, who returns fire. He is able to kill them both. He then descends into the depths as well.

The group successfully rests amid the hobgoblin bodies shrouded in the spider’s webbing. After a time there is the sound of activity above. Davros is able to translate the words he hears. The hobgoblins are rebuilding the rope bridge. They have thrown a grappling hook, snagging the dangling bridge and pulling it back to the far side, where they reattach it to the supports with lengths of fresh rope. One of the hobgoblins notices the adventurers’ rope hanging down into the depths and pulls it back up, leaving the group stranded. They have no choice but to wait it out in the dark chasm.

Eventually, all sound of activity ceases. Wondering how they are going to climb back out, Sartan remembers the Emergency Escape Balloon that he has worn on his back since purchasing it from Frandlehoobin the Gnome in the spring. He pulls the rip cord… and nothing happens. At least not immediately. There is a pause for a few seconds, and then the balloon quickly inflates to an enormous size. Then, rather than simply lifting Sartan into the air, it releases its air in a flatulent gust, rocketing him upwards with the sound of a resounding fart. He lands safe and sound on solid ground. But the noise has attracted attention. A pair of hobgoblin sentries standing watch in the adjacent room rush in and Sartan again is forced to do battle. He prevails, and quickly lowers a rope so that the rest of the group can ascend before more foes can arrive.

They decide to move more deeply into the lair. They cross the newly repaired rope bridge and traverse a corridor, arriving in a natural cavern strewn with rough bedding and what appears to be boxes, bins, and barrels of items looted from the countryside. Several other passages lead away from this cavern, and from one of them they hear the sound of a woman calling for help. Investigating, they find a human couple imprisoned in a makeshift cell. Branches have been lashed together with rope and leather to form a barred gate, behind which this half-starved and battered couple has been left to languish.  Nestled between them, Cycek is overjoyed to find Fuzzidong! Questioning the couple, they learn that their names are Geradil and Courana. They were kidnapped from Shadowfurst weeks, or maybe even months ago. The abductors seem to have specifically targeted Geradil. He works for the Shadowfurst sewer service and they took a map from him, which detailed the Shadowfurst sewer system.

Davros picks the lock and releases them. They are overwhelmed with relief and implore the party to take them home. The party declines, but offer to take them with as they continue their quest in Khundrukkar. Wicklow, however, steps up and volunteers to escort them back to Blasingdell. He offers an emotional farewell to the party. He tells them that this has been an adventure of a lifetime for him, but also by far the most frightening experience of his life. He has to admit that this is not the right direction for his life, and that he has been more of a burden than a help to the party. He gives Sartan the Durgeddin blade that he carries, and takes a bandit scimitar in its stead. The party sees Wicklow and the Shadowfurst couple safely over the bridge and out to the Mountain Door. Then they return to the explorations in Khundrukkar.

Nightscale, under the influence of the “Love Potion” and at the behest of Krago, has left her lair, to perch atop the pinnacle of the Stone Tooth. The group, realizing that they have about ten minutes to take advantage of her absence, rush to loot her hoard before she returns. Before they go their separate ways, Krago slaps an odd-shaped piece of metal into Mishok’s hand. He explains that there is a lever in one of the side caverns beyond the dragon’s island. Throwing that lever will drop a portcullis, closing off the inlet to the subterranean river. This is the passage through which Nightscale accesses her lair. If they can close the gate, they can keep her from coming back in that way. There is a locking mechanism which keeps the lever in place. Working from memory, he forged this rough key on the sly while building components for the ballista. It may not work, but it gives them a chance of unlocking the lever and denying Nightscale access to that underwater passageway.

Mishok takes the key and prepares to run down to the Black Lake with the rest of his team. But first, wondering how they are going to get across the lake with the loot, Mishok looks around for something they can use. He spots a wooden wheelbarrow and pitches it down the waterfall, hoping that it will both survive the fall, and prove reasonably seaworthy. That done, the rest of the group hustles back though the late Goerth’s chambers and clamber down the chain ladder, alongside the thundering waterfall. 

Sartan and Krago run through the main hall and down the stone stairway back to the Glitterhame. Their goal is to reach the outside and keep an eye on the dragon. On their way through the immense, fungus-filled cavern, they encounter the wormlike, tentacled cave-monster they had battled several hours earlier. It is feasting on the remains of its deceased brethren, but it cannot resist the instinct to attack fresh prey. Sartan swings his sword at it as he runs past, but fails to make contact. The creature strikes at Krago and delivers a serious wound to the already frail dwarf. Sartan puts himself between the creature and his companion, and turns to fight the assailant. Inspired by Cycek’s athleticism, Sartan springs off the stone wall, does a flip, and slashes at the monster. It lets out a shuddering squeal and dies. The two run down the tunnel with renewed vigor… they have wasted valuable time! They hasten down the passageway where they had released the captive bear the previous day, and soon find themselves blinking in the mid-day sun on the wooded north flank of the Stone Tooth. Peering up through the tree tops they can see Nightscale basking contentedly in the sun, her serpentine body curled around the fang-like pinnacle for which this geological feature is named.

While they run, they hear Greasy Rag pipe up from the depth of Cycek’s bag, in his usual breathless exuberance.

“Wow! I never met a dragon before. That was so cool.  But, she wasn’t what I expected. She seems tough and mean, but she’s really afraid of a bigger, scarier dragon that kicked her out of the mountains in the northwest. Killby the Blue. She’s always afraid that he’ll come after her and take her hoard. I asked her what she’d do if he came after her, and she said she’s got a gate she can shut, like underwater, so nothing can get into her lair that way. Some super-strong thing the dwarves made way back in the old days. She says she simply has to burn away the chain with her acid, and the gate will slam shut. But she has other secret ways in and out. But anyway, she’s weird… she thinks she’s some kind of queen or boss or something. Always being so benevolent to her subjects…. But it sure seems like she changed her mind about Durgeddin, huh? She let him go and then came after him again. So, yeah… she’s kinda flaky, but she ain’t stupid. I mean, she’s a good story teller. You know how I like stories! She told me her story about where she came from, the mountains, the big scary dragon, and I told her where I came from… the city, the Yur Inn back in Shadowfurst, and about you guys, and the great big gem that Hack had… she seemed interested in that, she really likes gems apparently… and then she got kinda sick of me I guess and gave me back to you guys, and demanded a gem instead.”

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the chasm, Mishok and Davros find the wheelbarrow bobbing in an eddy. It looks like it may actually float, if somewhat awkwardly. They manage to pull it to shore, costing more time than they wanted to spend. They take it and run down the passage, over the acid-pocked bridges, and to the stony shore of the Black Lake. Cycek, Davros, and Mishok peer out across the water, seeking a sign of the island in the distant gloom. Deciding that Davros with his lock-picking expertise is the best candidate for opening the lock, they send him paddling the makeshift vessel toward the island. He disembarks and takes a quick look around. He sees a split-open wooden chest spilling coins onto the slippery, craggy rocks where Nightscale made her home. Peering into the gloom of his flickering torchlight, he sees another small cavern on the far side of the lake. He boards the cumbersome craft again and paddles across to a shelf of stone alongside the river’s source. He leaps ashore and begins searching for the lever.

Meanwhile, Mishok doffs his armor and leaps into the cold, dark water. Cycek follows suit and the two swim to the north end of the cavern, seeking other possible sites for the lever, should Davros’ search prove fruitless. Davros does, however, locate the lever and attempts to open it. It is a difficult task, and he repeatedly fails, devouring precious time before finally unlocking the mechanism. He attempts to throw the lever, but it is rusted in place and will not budge. Cycek and Mishok swim over to him and lend their muscle to the task. The three of them working together finally slam the lever open, and a length of chain suddenly rattles upward, disappearing into a hole in the rock some thirty feet up the cavern wall. It clinks to a sudden stop, as the rusty chain kinks and jams in the hole. Time is running short.

Outside, Sartan and Krago keep a low profile in the woods, and keep a close eye on Nightscale. They notice her looking restless, and then shaking her head as if groggily waking from a deep sleep. Fearing that the potion may be wearing off, Sartan uses his sending stone to warn Cycek. He speaks into the rock in low tones, telling Cycek that Nightscale seems to be coming to her senses, so they had better hurry. 

Cycek climbs the stone wall and tries to wrench the kinked chain free. Having poor leverage, clinging to the rock wall while heaving against the ponderous weight borne by the chain, Cycek tries and fails to free the chain. Thinking fast, he pulls out the immovable rod, snaps it into place, and hooks his legs over it. Now hanging upside down, but with two hands free, he yanks the chain with all his might. It budges enough to unkink. It tears out of his grasp and goes rattling up into the hole, and then stops and goes slack. There is a muffled clank. He disengages the rod, and drops to the ground. A moment later there is a another “clang” and then another. The water flowing into the chamber begins to roil with waves and foam. The three realize that Nightscale must have just come home and found her front gate shut.

Indeed this is the case. Sartan and Krago had just moments before witnessed the dragon snapping out of her charmed state. She unfurled her wings and leaped into the sky with a roar. Krago trembled with terror and threw himself to the ground. The scaly, black terror arched far overhead and then plummeted like a falling star into the lake just to the east of the Stone Tooth. The water there seethed for a few moments and then became still. Sartan was hoping that Cycek would report back via sending stone… that is, if he and the rest of the team were still alive. They intend to stay put and watch for the dragon should she re-emerge from the lake.

Back in the cavern, Mishok has put his armor back on. He, Cycek and Davros try to work out how they can transport this structurally unsound chest of coins in a makeshift boat, to the far shore, without losing the whole thing to the untold depths of the dark lake. While Cycek and Mishok load in as much as they think the wheelbarrow can safely carry, Davros discovers a fissure in the stone. He squeezes his way in and finds a small cave. Inside is a sizeable cache of fine weapons. He examines the pommel of a sword and sees, to his delight, Durgeddin’s Mark. He begins passing weapons out to Cycek, while Mishok continues loading the boat. They intend to make several trips, floating the wheelbarrow across the lake with Cycek and Mishok swimming alongside to stabilize it.

The cache includes:
12 longswords
2  greataxes
6 halberds
2  war hammers
1 morning star

The treasure chest, including recoverable scattered coins includes:

6,200 sp
1,430 gp
2 garnets worth 20 gp each
1 black pearl worth 50 gp
1 wand of ???,
1 potion of ???
a +1 shield

Cycek and Wicklow are barely alive, tangled in webs, and dangling some one-hundred feet down a chasm beneath the cavern where their companions do battle with the hobgoblin occupants of Khundrukkar. Davros hangs nearby from a rope, calling out to them in the dark. Cycek can see him and he can also see an enormous spider sizing them up from the gloom a mere ten feet away. Wicklow cannot see in the dark, but he catches a glimpse of the eight-legged horror when a glowing shield tumbles down from above and hangs in the webs for a moment before plummeting down into the inky black darkness below. In a panic, he manages to break free of the clinging webs and begins climbing toward Davros’ rope. Cycek too struggles free from the webbing and begins climbing up as well. The commotion triggers the instincts of the oversized arachnid. It springs forward, and shoots a stream of webbing at the fleeing elf, failing to connect.

Up above, Sartan ties a second rope to the bridge support, giving his fallen companions another life line. They continue to climb, pursued by the spider. It catches Davros, sinking its dagger-like venomous fangs into him.

Meanwhile, Mishok fights a pair of hobgoblins on the far side of the bridge. He directs his ethereal sacred weapon to attack them, while he attempts to cross back over. He takes a moment to magically repair the severed support rope, but still finds it extremely difficult to cross while under attack. He clings tightly to the swaying ropes, but cannot make any forward progress. The attacking hobgoblins hack at the bridge supports, severing them. That side of the bridge falls, and Mishok, clinging to it, falls with it. He swings like a pendulum and smashes against the stone wall thirty feet down the opposite side of the chasm. His grip is tight that he manages to hang on, and immediately begins climbing upward. He sees the spider pursuing his companions, and he unleashes the sacred flame upon it. It recoils in pain, scuttles away back down the hole, and disappears into darkness.

Cycek is the first to clamber out of the chasm. He is immediately struck by an arrow, and he falls to the floor, unconscious and bleeding. Two more hobgoblins emerge from a hidden door and give battle to Sartan. He puts one to the sword and shoves it off the edge. But, a moment later, Sartan in turn is shoved into the gaping hole. He too is fortunate, and hangs up in the webbing, rather than plummeting to almost certain death.

Davros, having finally climbed out of the hole himself, kills the the remaining hobgoblin on their side of the chasm, while the attackers on the far side withdraw, slamming a door behind them.

With no immediate threat, Mishok is able to take a moment to extend a healing blessing to Cycek. Sartan soon also succeeds in climbing out of the rift.

Krago and the Duergar immediately begin work on constructing the ballista. Mishok initiates the ritual that will empower a glyph of warding on the very edge of the chasm. Sartan and Davros go in search of netting or other materials that may help them get the upper hand in their potential skirmish with the dragon, while Cycek remains vigilant in the great hall. The Duergar and Krago are immediately at odds, arguing ferociously and nearly coming to blows. Mishok’s intervention helps avert an outright battle, but it also slows down his work. Meanwhile, Sartan and Davros discover an abandoned kitchen and store room. In it, there are crates upon crates of spoiled food, cook stoves, pots, pans, cutlery, and the like. Sartan moves to the center of the room and is attacked by an enraged table. The animated piece of furniture rears up like a horse and kicks him with its sturdy wooded legs. He fights back, flipping it onto its back like a turtle and lopping off a leg. Davros enters the fray, but before he can help with the table, he is assaulted by an animated beer barrel. The bizzare keg stomps out of the corner on stout legs made of pipe. It bears the visage of dwarf, fashioned out of wood and metal. It is covered with glowing dwarvish runes. The aggressive barrel takes a running start, then flips on its side and rolls swiftly at Sartan, knocking him down. Davros puts an arrow in its side, but it turns and sprays him with a blast of spoiled ale. The toxic, ancient fluid sickens Davros. Soon, Sartan is back on his feet, but so is the table. It has managed to right itself and it resumes its attack. The battle carries on, and in time the barrel is smashed, the table is splintered, and both wooden creatures lie still. Battered, bruised, and soaked, Sartan and Davros commence their search. The discover a flimsy, but possibly suitable net, and they return to the foundry with their find. Krago tells them that many years ago, when his people made this their home, they would use nets to fish the black lake below the mountain for food.

Sartan had taken quite a beating, so he takes some time to rest and recover while the rest of the team continues their work. Once Mishok finishes his ritual he gathers his battle-weary team and bestows Divok’s healing power upon them. Krago becomes more agitated with the Duergar. Frustrated at the slowed pace of their work, he exhorts Mishok to get to work crafting the incendiary obsidian arrow head, while he and the Duergar team work on finishing the second bolt. Cycek glances up at Snurrevin, who had been working on assembling the ballista, and notices that he is in conversation with his pet rat. The rat scampers over to Mishok, and reaches its nose up to his armored leg. There is a sudden “snap!” and a flash of blue light catches everyones attention. Mishok receives a painful electric jolt. Sartan looks to Snurrevin to say “what the hell is with your rat?” but realizes that Snurrevin is nowhere to be seen. However, peering over the edge of the chasm is none other than the dragon. Clawed hands grasp the stone ledge between the two branches of the waterfall, and a long neck with a leering reptilian head sways back and forth behind the veil of mist.

Cycek bravely strides forward to try to mollify the dragon, while the other spring to their posts. After a few attempts at conversation, he realizes that there is something odd about this “dragon.” He peers over the edge and sees that this unresponsive creature is some kind of an illusion. It disappears into nothingness just over the edge of the chasm. However, as he looks down, he hears a roar from down below. He bellows, “Guys, the dragon is coming!” Before he can move, the air around him becomes suddenly filled with a buzzing cloud of insects. He slaps at these uncanny bugs which deliver painful stings and he runs back to where the battle preparations are underway.  Krago, terrified but desperate, grabs the second bolt, hot off the anvil, and runs forward toward the ballista. Mishok, just finishing up the obsidian arrow head, leaps to his feet to assist. Krago advises against placing the arrowhead on the hot iron as it may ignite. They turn to the other Duergar to instruct them in how to best assist, but to their disappointment, they find them missing. Krago shouts, “Those damn, Duergar! We shouldn’t have trusted them!”

At that moment, Nightscale herself appears! Flying up from the pit on powerful wings, the sleek dragon alights on the edge, water streaming from her gleaming black scales. A blue pop of light erupts between her front claws and wave of frigid cold is felt throughout the cavernous foundry. A cloud of mist billows up and dissipates, revealing the enraged dragon, covered with white frost. She sits, staring at her tiny opponents with a hateful glare, amid the ice dams that now choke the river. She shakes her muscular body and pearlescent beads of ice rain down. Krago emits a moan of terror. Nightscale opens her mouth and with a terrible roar unleashes a torrent of acid directly at the ballista. The hastily assembled contraption smokes and hisses, but it hangs together, if only for the time being.

Desperate to enact their plan Mishok, Krago and Cycek run forward to load the ballista, but Krago is shoved to the ground by an unseen assailant. Sartan is also shoved, but he holds his ground, and lashes out at the spot where he is certain that an invisible Duergar stands. He is correct… his sword connects with flesh, and a bleeding Duergar appears. Davros emerges from hiding and skewers the treacherous dark dwarf.

Mishok affixes the explosive arrowhead onto the bolt, and Cycek loads the weapon. Davros hastens over to help draw the great bowstring. Krago staggers to his feet and runs forth into the swarming insects, aims the ballista and fires. Everyone’s heart sinks as the bolt flies past the shoulder of their frightful adversary, and bursts in flame at the far side of the cave.

Meanwhile, Sartan has encountered another invisible Duergar. He runs into none other than Snurrevin on the stone bridge. He stabs him and throws him over the edge, where he is washed away in the river. The fallen Duergar wizard washes up on the stone at the feet of the angry dragon. Furious, she spits another gout of powerful acid, dissolving the hapless Duergar into liquid that flows over the edge of the cliff into oblivion. She takes to the air, and takes a position farther within the cave, requiring the desperate party to spin the ballista and hastily take aim again.

Krago and Mishok ready the second projectile while Cycek reaches into his bag, contriving an alternate idea should this attack fail. Davros takes the shot. Again the ballista bolt goes awry and it is immediately clear that the battle is lost. They can only hope to flee for their lives.

Cycek, however, has another idea. He has pulled out a long-forgotten love potion.  He leaps onto the ballista, using it as a springboard, and launches himself as high and as far as he can, up toward Nightscale’s gaping maw. Whether through skill or dumb luck, he manages to dump the potion into her mouth. He tumbles down her back and lands near her swishing tail. There is a moment of silent uncertainty, only broken by the sound of fighting in the adjacent room. The cloud of insects dissipates.

Sartan has retreated to the great hall, only to be assailed by an immense Duergar. Furious at the duplicity of these evil folk, Sartan lashes out with all his fury, severely injuring his much larger foe.

Nightscale’s eyes seem to glaze over, turning from angry yellow to muted blue. She gazes down at the nearly ruined ballista and sees her old “friend” Krago amid the acid-blasted construct. She says, “Oh, Durgeddin… it’s you. How I’ve missed you! You look troubled. What can I do for you my dear friend?” 

Krago nervously stammers, “Ummm… Nightscale, please leave this place. Go out and get some fresh air. Go visit the woods and take in some daylight!” Then as an aside to Mishok, “Help me…. What should I say?” Mishok advises that Nightscale should go alight upon the top of the stone tooth. Krago commands the fearsome dragon to do exactly that. Nightscale is eager to oblige. She beats her wings, springs into the air and plummets down the chasm and out of sight.

Realizing that they don’t have much time, the party decides they want to quickly loot the dragon hoard while she is gone. Davos puts a killing arrow into the back of Sartan’s opponent. The party hastily formulates a plan. One group will go out to the side of the mountain and create a diversion in the hopes of buying some extra time for a second group who will pillage the dragon’s inner sanctum on the island in the Black Lake. Krago has no desire to ever see the island again, but he is willing to help distract Nightscale, his hated tormentor of many years. The group must move immediately to have any chance of success before the dragon regains her senses.

The battle continues. Cycek fights with hobgoblins on the far side of the bridge. One of them tries to cut the other bridge support. He hacks it with an axe, but does not manage to sever it before being forced to defend himself. Cycek’s acrobatic moves temporarily give him the upper hand on his opponents, but one misplaced leap lands him behind his foes. He runs past them and into a corridor, leaving the baffled hobgoblins to take fire from across chasm. He moves into a large chamber filled with cots, crates, barrels, and other debris. There, he spots an enormous hobgoblin laying it wait. It leaps up, brandishing an enormous battle axe and charges. Cycek retreats the way he had come. There he finds Mishok engaged with the pair of hobgoblins he had left behind. His dwarf companion had made his careful way across the bridge. Cycek wades back into the fray, trying to assist Mishok. Alas, his focus on the two guardians of the bridge leaves him vulnerable to the massive hobgoblin chief who has pursued him with breathtaking speed. The massive hobgoblin swings his axe with deadly force, grievously wounding the elf. He falls to the stone floor, unconscious and bleeding.

His companions across the chasm watch with horror as the hobgoblin warrior picks up Cycek’s limp form and casts him like rubbish into the chasm. A moment later, another hobgoblin emerges from a hidden door and clashes swords with Wicklow. The young, inexperienced fighter finally finds his latent skills and draws blood from his foe. But he is bested by the seasoned hobgoblin fighter, and he too hits the floor, bleeding from serious wounds. Davros steps up and slays the hobgoblin, and then delivers life-saving first aid to the wounded Wicklow. Wicklow comes to, and looking around sees that Mishok is in trouble across the bridge. Possibly delirious, he charges across the bridge, heedless of its treacherous state. He loses his footing and tumbles with a yell of surprise into the chasm.

Meanwhile, Sartan has continued exploring. He has followed a hidden passage and pushed his way into what looks like a barracks. Beds, crates, and other odd items line the room. He moves into the space, and spots two hobgoblins crouched and hiding behind a couple of beds. They leap out and a fight ensues. Sartan takes some hits, but they are no match for him. He cuts them both down. He takes a cursory look around, and runs back to see how his companions are faring.

He emerges from the hidden door to find Davros tying a rope to one of the bridge supports and preparing to climb down. He says, “where the hell is everyone?” and as Davros disappears down the chasm, he sees Mishok in a life-or-death battle with a massive hobgoblin on the other side of the gap. He fires an arrow, catching the looming warrior directly between the shoulder blades. It whirls and snarls a challenge at him. It pulls a javelin from a quiver slung across its back, and hurls it at Sartan, missing him. The two combatants hurl taunts at each other across the bridge, but it is Mishok who resolves the issue. He swings his war hammer and delivers a crushing blow to the hobgoblin, ending this deadly threat.

Sartan and Mishok catch each other’s eyes across the chasm and realize that the rest of their group is gone, somewhere in the darkness below.

Davros has descended into a pitch black pit. As he nears the end of his 100-foot rope, he realizes that he is meeting resistance in the form of webbing. He calls out for Cycek and Wicklow, and he hears their voices coming from nearby. They both sound woozy, but they are alive, apparently hung up in the webbing. Cycek, the only one who can see down here, realizes with some alarm that there is a large spider approaching.