January 25, 2003 – IV, Tim, Lisa, Rick, & Fred

Having successfully delivered the necklace to Laris in Rel Mord, the group now heads toward the Bonewood in search of the City of the Black Caverns hidden there. Unlike the other sites they have searched for, Nori is unable to give the party any clues as to where in the Bonewood the city may be located. As the group approaches the Bonewood their first impression is that it appears no different than any other forest in their experience. However, as they get closer, they begin to see why the wood had its name changed from the Thelwood to the Bonewood. The trees have lush, green leaves, but their trunks appear to be made of bleached bone instead of wood and bark. Their limbs are twisted at strange angles, and there are no broken limbs, or dead leaves on the forest floor despite the fact that it’s nearing winter’s end.

Drawing closer still the group starts get an uneasy feeling about the place. An almost physical presence of menace hangs over the place. Not sure how to approach the task of finding the city, the group camps near the northern edge of the wood for the night to discuss their plans. Sione takes this opportunity to search for tracks and strangely enough finds none. Mentioning this to the rest of the party, she and her companions also now realize that one of the disconcerting things about the place is its unnatural quiet. No birds sing. No animals scurry about. Only the sound of the Thelly River making its way out of the wood in the distance can be heard. As the group decides what to do, Xif sneaks off and snaps a small twig off of the nearest tree. Almost expecting to see a hollow core containing marrow, he instead finds that it appears to be simply a normal branch with the exception of the material itself, which still appears to be a bone-like substance.

As darkness begin to engulf the camp, the group starts to hear strange and unnatural noises arising from the wood. Howls faintly reminiscent of wolves hang in the air with a menacing tone. Other darker sounds, the source of which the group dares not guess, filter through the trees as well. With a watch established, the majority of the party settles in for the night. Dricas however, does not sleep soundly. Instead he has a vivid and horrifying dream:

You bolt upright from your sleep, suddenly startled by the sounds of screaming in the distance. You wait for your eyes to focus, but all you see is darkness, and you suddenly realize that you are not in the Bonewood anymore. The screams that awoke you are still echoing off in the distance, giving you the impression that you are in a large cavern or passage. However, you cannot be sure since you cannot see anything but darkness.
You strain to hear the breathing of your sleeping companions. Nothing but silence greets you, and you begin to fear you may be alone. Trying to overcome the panic that’s beginning to set in, you reach for your weapon, only to recoil as a voice whispers out of the darkness, “The rest were easy, but you insist on fighting us. But it is only a matter of time before you succumb just like your friends.” Your hand closes around the hilt of your weapon and you plunge it into the area you just heard the whisper originate from.
“You can’t harm me you fool, but I promise you that your suffering will seem endless.” The voice cackles from over your shoulder as you recoil in fear from the sound. The screams once again pierce the silence, sending shivers down your spine as you begin to recognize the voices behind them. Lirrim, Xif, Sione, and Isach. What is being done to them?
You jump when you hear the sound of something skittering across the floor near you. This is definitely not the sound of humanoid feet, more like the sound of insects scurrying about. It’s getting closer and closer when suddenly a blast of light blinds you momentarily. As you blink to try to adjust your eyes to the light, you swear you can see a giant spider just in front of you. As you ready your weapon to defend yourself, you realize that where the spider’s head should be, a humanoid torso juts out. Just as you try to focus on the face of the abomination, you wake up and realize that you are still back in camp. The sounds of your sleeping friends comforts you as you struggle to calm down enough to get back to sleep.

Never able to drift off back to sleep, Dricas joins the last watch group of the night. Once the group has arisen in the morning and debates about the best way to handle the excursion into the Bonewood resume, Dricas recalls his dream to others, explaining that they have a striking similarity to dreams he experienced in years past. After a lengthy discussion the group comes to the consensus that the dream may be just that and nothing more, but more information is needed before heading into the wood. They decide to travel on for a couple of days to reach Rel Deven. Still haunted by the strange sounds emitting from the wood, the group endures two more nights before reaching the city.

Once there, they decide to have Xif pose as Dricas’ servant to allow them to gather information without arousing suspicion, especially in light of the fact that the bounty hunters hired by the king are still at large. Staring their search at the largest tavern in town, Dricas and Xif talk to the barkeep about the Bonewood. Meanwhile, Lirrim and the others await the others near the west gate, the closest to the river, which they intent to follow up into the Bonewood after they’ve obtained the necessary information. Dricas continues to question the barkeep about the Bonewood, finding that there are still three clans of wood elves that live within the wood. Some of them come into town once a month or so to trade and visit the temple to worship. Not much else is known about them except the barkeep remembers one of them saying something about the clans having to move around to avoid the mysterious disappearances that seem to accompany an extended stay in any one spot.

“Other groups have attempted to enter the wood, never to been seen again. In fact, one such group, eight hardy mercs they were, went in just about a month ago. They never did come back. Not sure what these groups are looking for, but they obviously feel that there’s something of value in wood,” the barkeep tells Dricas.

While Dricas continues his conversation with the barkeep, Xif notices that they are being watched by a group of women sitting over in the corner of the tavern. A hardy dwarven woman in full plate armor sits silently as a gnomish woman in mages’ robes speaks with an elven woman with a rugged, outdoorsy appearance. The forth member of their group is a non-descript human woman, who’s intently watching Dricas. Xif attempts to interpose himself between the woman and Dricas, only to notice that she has slipped over to a vantage point where she can still watch the conversation. Her movements were fluid and graceful, and had he not been watching her closely, he wouldn’t have noticed her moving at all. He once again moves to block her view and suddenly notices that she’s now moving to the far end of the bar.

Dricas finishes up his conversation with the barkeep and he and Xif begin to leave. As they begin moving towards the door, the woman begins walking towards them. Xif palms a dagger just in case he needs it when he notices that the gnome is making strange gestures in the air. He’s seen Lirrim and Isach make similar gestures when casting spells, but the always spoke at the same time. This woman is not speaking at all, only gesturing as she watches her companion close the gap between herself and Dricas and Xif. Deciding that the human woman is a more immediate threat, Xif watches her as she passes him. She does nothing until she reaches Dricas. Then she appears to pick his pocket and moves on. At that same moment, the gnome finishes her gestures and suddenly the shadows in the tavern seem to turn darker and engulf the human woman as she enters them.

Not waiting to see what else the women may have in mind for them, the two make haste and leave the tavern. Fetching their horses, they are startled by the four women exiting immediately after them. Xif and Dricas move on and walk down the street, making a quick turn to try and throw off any pursuit. They make their way towards the temple of Corellon near the west gate. Once there, Dricas talks with an acolyte as Xif watches the street for their female “companions”. Unfortunately, Dricas is unable to get much useful information from the cleric, so he and Xif head out of the gate to meet their friends near the riverbank. Watching the town closely, Xif is sure he sees a group of riders behind them, but they are too far off to make out how many, and which direction they are traveling.

Not seeing any pursuit, the group now prepares to head into the Bonewood. However, there’s at least one more thing to deal with. Xif tells Dricas that he saw the human woman pick his pocket. Dricas checks his belongings, and doesn’t find anything amiss, so Lirrim and Xif start searching for things she may have placed on Dricas instead. Lirrim suddenly detects a magic aura coming from the back of Dricas’ breastplate. As he peels off a nearly invisible piece of paper he studies the strange glyph on the paper. It’s hard to make out because the paper was moistened to make it stick to Dricas’ armor and to aid in concealing its presence. However, Lirrim does recognize it as a locate variant, probably used for scrying. Deciding to try and throw any possible trackers off, they attach the paper to a piece of wood and set it adrift in the river.

After traveling into the Bonewood for the day, the group decides to make camp for the night. Settling in once again, the group’s restful slumber is once again disturbed late at night. Those on watch can hear the rustling of two large creatures coming near. Suddenly two large bears with a primal, almost prehistoric look come breaking through the trees, charging at the group. As they engage the group, Dricas takes a pounding as the two bears close in and swat at him with their enormous claws. The battle rages on for a few moments before a loud, sharp whistle is heard piercing the noise of the melee. Suddenly an elf comes through the trees and approaches with group, “I apologize if my bears have caused you any harm, they are only attempting to protect the wood.” The group questions the new comer, finding out that he’s a druid from the Adri forest who’s come to try and find the source of the evil that apparently has corrupted the Bonewood. He has been able to determine that the source is the spring, which feeds the headwaters of the river, but he’s been unable to find what is fouling the spring itself. The druid heals Dricas’ wounds, and stays the night with the group. His manner is casual except when they ask his name, at which point he stiffens and says, “My name is not important.”

After parting with the druid in the morning, the group heads further upriver, looking for any signs of an entrance to the City of the Black Caverns. Once again they travel in relative peace throughout the day. As they move however, they can hear something moving through the trees to their right. Whatever it is, it is keeping pace with the group just out of sight. Keeping an ear out, just in case whatever it is decides to change direction, the group travels on finally stopping to make camp near dusk. Whatever is traveling with them stops when they do as well. Later that evening, their rest is interrupted yet again. This time the sounds of splashing drift downstream as if something were playing the river. Lirrim and Isach decide to investigate, and sneak up to further to get a look. They see a lizardman splashing about, attempting to catch a fish from what they can gather.

Lirrim decides to talk to him to find out if he has any information about the wood and any possible routes into the City of the Black Caverns. A short conversation occurs before the lizardman becomes frightened and bolts. Isach blinds the creature and grapples with it. Lirrim joins the fray and temporarily stuns the reptile long enough for Isach to tie it up. As it comes to, it begins screaming for help as loud as it can. Lirrim gags the thing and he and Isach drag it back to camp for questioning. Each time they attempt to remove the gag from the creature’s mouth, it starts to scream, so Sione attempts to calm it through magic. Finally able to get it to at least answer yes and no questions, the party begins to inquire about it and the local area. After a time, the beast calms down enough for the group to remove the gag and ask it more detailed questions. They find out that the creature was brought here by the Bonesnappers to dig for what they presume to be the City of the Black Caverns. Apparently the creature works for them in return for food. It also tells the group that there are dark elves living in the same cavern system in which he makes his home. And last, but definitely not least, the group finds out that the Bonesnappers have him and the other slaves digging in the wrong area of the caves to find the City of the Black Caverns, which he explains lies near the dark elf city in the lower caverns. After many more questions, and much deliberation, the group decides to have the creature lead them to the caverns so they can attempt to get to the city before the Bonesnappers.

February 8, 2003 – IV, Lisa, Rick, & Fred

The next morning the group decides to tie the creatures hands behind it's back and have it lead them to the caverns, and ultimately to the City of the Black Caverns. They move on for a ways when they notice that whatever was following them through the trees the previous day is doing the same thing again today, and yet again they decide to try crossing the river to lose it. The group heads deeper into the forest, and are soon close enough to see some of the Bonesnapper camp in the distance between the trees. The camp is arranged in a circle, with six tents forming a ring, and a fire burning between each of the tents. Movement can be seen in between the tents, but details cannot be made out from this distance. The group decides it's best to skirt around the camp to reach the entrance to the caverns, which Digger assures them is not far away.

As they are moving past the camp the group suddenly sees a large shadow move across their path and towards the camp. As they look up, they see a huge dragon floating high in the air towards the camp. The sun makes it difficult to see details, but the group does manage to catch a hint of red while watching the creature intently to see what it's intentions are. The Bonesnappers camp is swarming with activity as the dragon is spotted, indicating to the group that the dragon is not allied with them. Fighting the urge to panic, the group watches as the dragon flies over the camp, banks tightly, turning back the way it came, and flaps off into the distance. Thanking Corellon for hiding them from the eyes of the dragon, the group moves on, following their captive guide beyond the camp.

The group begins to wonder how much longer they must travel to find the cavern's entrance when the terrain begins to transition into hills. As he leads them up the hills, Digger appears to be leading the group towards a tree which towers high about the rest of the trees in this section of forest. The roots of the tree are exposed on one side, and barely visible through the tangle is a small passageway leading down beneath the hillside. Digger points to the passage and tells the group that this is the entrance to caverns. The passage is far too small for the horses, so Sione instructs them to wait for the group in a nearby stand of trees which should provide some cover for them. The group then follows Digger down into the darkness of the small, cramped space. The low ceiling forces the group to hunch over as they walk single file through the passageway.

Rounding a corner in the passage, Digger begins to sprint away from the group, ripping the rope from Dricas' hands. Chasing after him, the group nears the end of the passage, where it opens up into a much larger cavern. Cautiously entering the larger cavern, the group cannot see anything within the area illumimated by their lantern, but Sione thinks she made out some sort of movement off to their left. As they move towards that movement, they suddenly hear lots of movement all around them, and the room suddenly floods with light. They find themselves surrounded by orcs, and Digger is walking towards them. As he approaches, his features alter, revealing a large feline-like humanoid similar to the one the group encountered below the temple in Malwander. The group instantly tries to make their way back to the passage they came in through when a cloaked figure steps out. The group instantly recognizes this figure as Kasera, and stops momentarily to see what she intents to do. She speaks calmly and confidently, "Where are you off to my friends?" The group suddenly finds itself viewing her as a long time friend despite themselves. As she questions them about what they are doing here and what they are looking for, the group finds her charms to be fading, and soon they are able to free themselves from the magical compulsion they were under.

A battle breaks out as Kasera and the Rakshasa try to capture the group, and they in turn attempt to fight their way over to the passageway leading out of the cavern. Sione is forced to grab the amulet and Isach's book and transform into an eagle to fly towards the roof of the cavern, out of reach of any of the orcs below. She suddenly spies a ledge on the far wall of the cavern, about 7 feet up, which opens into another larger passageway. As she begins to move towards the opening, she suddenly realizes that a large force of dark elves are approaching the cavern from this passage. She stops and watches as the elves pour out into the cavern and begin engaging the orcs. In the confusion the group slips through and makes their way into the passageway the elves came out of, as Kasera and the Rakshasa make their way out of the other passage towards the surface.

The group heads away from the melee and suddenly they find themselves at a "Y" in the passage. Deciding to follow the tracks of the dark elves, which appear to originate from the right hand passage, the group moves down to find themselves in another large cavern. However, this one is much larger than the previous one, and the group can hear the echoes of running water. They move along the wall on the right side of the cavern and eventually reach a sandy area, which slowly gives way to the underground river that appears to cut its way through the cavern. Not able to see the far side of the river, and with no apparent way to cross, the group decides to follow the riverbank. As they reach the other side of the cavern, the group starts to make its way back towards the passageway they entered through when they find another passage leading out of the vast cavern. Listening closely the group hears a strange clicking noise coming from deep within the darkness of the corridor. The noise is strangely familiar to Dricas, bringing back the memory of his dream only a few short nights ago. The group decides to investigate the rest of the cavern before deciding to see what is down the passageway. They find yet another passageway leading off of the main cavern before making their way back to the passage they entered through.

Deciding to investigate the second passage they found, they make their way down for quite some way before hitting a dead-end. However, the floor of the cavern opens up into a 5 foot wide opening traveling straight down. Not able to see the bottom, the party decides to light an arrow on fire and drop it down. It falls for at least 70-80 feet before going out abruptly. Obviously, from the reflections of the flame, and the sound of the flame extinguishing, it landed in another body of water. As they stop to discuss what to do next, the group hears the sound of dripping water coming from within the hole. Dropping another arrow, they watch, as this time it goes out a little sooner than the previous arrow, before making a splash a few moments later at that bottom. A third arrow is dropped and this time, Isach notices a large tentacle, seemingly made of water rising moving up out of the water towards them.

Not wanting to find out what the thing is, the group hurries back down the corridor when they hear voices coming from the larger cavern. No one understands the language being spoken, so they extinguish their light source and make their way as well as they can toward the sound. They can barely make out the figures of two dark elves talking as they walk toward the riverbank. They stop, and one speaks a strange phrase, which causes a large section of stone to rise from the depths of the water, creating a footbridge over the river. The group waits a short time before walking over to the section of riverbank the elves stood at. Xif speaks the phrase he heard the elves speak, and the bridge rises out of the water, allowing the group to head across. Once they get past the river, they realize that there is only one way to go from here, which appears to dead-end at an enormous cavern.

The cavern houses a huge city that appears to be carved out of the stalagmites that protrude from the floor. The walls of the cavern are spotted with passages just like the one the group now stands in, with no apparent way down to the cavern floor far below. Unable to continue further at the moment, the group heads back to the riverbank to find that the stone walkway has once again sunk beneath the water. Speaking the phrase again, they find that the bridge does not raise, leaving them stranded on this side. Sione can fly over in her current form and then change back if need be, but for now they discuss what to do next.

February 22, 2003 – IV, Lisa, Rick, Tim, & Fred

The party decides that since there appears to be no way for them to get down to the cavern floor, and thus to the city itself, it would be better to have Sione fly back over the rushing river and change back into her natural form. This would allow her to say the phrase they used to raise the bridge originally, allowing them to cross back over to the other side. As they begin to cross back over they hear the sounds of some more of the Drow returning from the battle with the Bonesnappers. Not having much time, the group debates which direction to go. After crossing back over the group decided to check the passageway that the strange clicking sounds are coming from. As they work their way down, the clicking gets louder and louder, and as its volume rises, the group notices that at least some of the "clicks" sound like metal striking earth or rock of some sort.

As they draw nearer Xifias and Lirrim decide to sneak ahead into the larger cavern they spot just ahead. As they enter, they can see sparks flying off to their left. As they slowly approach, suddenly the sparks disappear, the clicking sounds stop, and they can hear the sounds of footsteps running around in the darkness. Stopping, they listen intently when suddenly a barrage of crossbow bolts fly from out of the darkness. A single bolt hits each of them, with Lirrim suddenly feeling weakened from the blow. As they get ready to retreat, the rest of the group, having heard the clicking noises stop, decides that their companions are in trouble and go charging in to help them. Isach races in and places his lantern on the ground while Dricas races just past the edge of the lantern's light and tosses a torch ahead to further illuminate the massive cavern. As the torch comes to rest, the group catches a glimpse of their attackers.

Expecting to see orcs or possibly goblins, the group is surprised to see short, stout humanoids with white skin and pale yellow hair. They are dressed in leather and animal pelts. As they scamper away from the light, the group can hear a couple of them whispering in the darkness. While they do not understand what is being said, the language faintly resembles that spoken by Arngard and his dwarven clan near Rook's Roost in the Hestmark Highlands. Lirrim uses magic to allow himself to understand their conversation and is amazed to hear the two debating on whether or not to kill him and his companions. The debate goes on for sometime before one of them mentions Kasera, which immediately puts the group on edge.

With the debate apparently decided, the group can now hear the notching of several crossbow bolts just before a barrage tears into their ranks. While the majority of the shots miss their mark, those that do find their target take a toll upon the group as both Sione and Isach suddenly feel the weakness Lirrim has been stricken with since getting struck himself. It is now apparent to the group that these creatures are using some sort of poison to weaken the group. Another barrage of bolts follows the first, which is again immediately followed by another volley. Each successive volley contains more and more bolts indicating to the group that they are both heavily out numbered, but at a huge disadvantage being out in the open against foes that can obviously see just as well in the darkness as our heroes do in the daylight.

The group pulls back into the passageway which they used to enter the cavern while Sione uses her magic to illuminate small areas within the ranks of the enemies, giving her companions a chance to reduce their numbers, even if only slightly, as they retreat. As they position themselves to deal with any pursuit, the group suddenly hears a strange rumbling from within the cavern. Peering pack into the cavern they notice the creatures pushing a huge wheeled cart towards the passageway. Upon the cart is a huge metal bowl from which the group can hear liquid splashing around in as its brought to a halt. As they bowl is pushed over, the group heads further back down the passageway, heading for the cavern containing the river so they can regroup. As they run, the smell of lamp oil reaches their nostrils just as a wave of heat scorches their backs. Luckily, no one is seriously hurt as they regroup and make camp near the bank of the river.

The party splits up the night into guard shifts as usual and begins to use what magic they have to heal their wounds and counteract the effects of the poison they have been subjected to. On the final watch of the night, Dricas and Lirrim suddenly hear footsteps only a short distance away. They quickly wake the rest of the group as quietly as they can. Suddenly, they are startled by a voice, "Drop your weapons!" Xifias tosses his crossbow towards the voice, along with the Rod of Light. Dricas also tosses his sword over just as Lirrim says the command word to activate the Rod. As it casts its light on the scene, the group can see two Drow aiming small crossbows mounted on the back of their hands at them. They also see a group of dark elves about to throw a large net at them. Springing to action, Isach charges one of the nearest foes, dealing him a powerful blow, causing him to stagger backwards. As the does so, his companion lets his crossbow bolt fly, striking Isach squarely. To the rest of the group's astonishment, he suddenly slumps to the ground lifeless.

The battle rages on, with the majority of the group just barely managing to avoid getting trapped in the net the drow attempt to throw over them. The group manages to down one of their dark elf foes before a voice comes booming out of the darkness near the spot of the bridge crossing, "Stop this fighting, you will not be harmed." The drow suddenly fall into line, obviously obeying orders from a superior. He explains to the group that the guards were instructed to bring them back to the city to speak with the high priestess, but unfortunately, they resorted to violence when it wasn't necessary. Explaining that they really have little choice, he begins to lead the group back towards the cliff high above the city. As he waves his hands in strange patterns in the air, he speaks a strange phrase, causing a huge portion of the cavern's floor below to rise into the air and towards them.

As the massive slab of rock hovers high above the cavern floor, the group follows the lead of the drow and steps out onto the makeshift platform. As soon as everyone is aboard, he once again begins to trace strange patterns in the air while speaking in what the group assumes is the dark elves' native tongue. The slab begins a slow and gentle descend to the floor of the cavern. As it comes to rest, the group notices that its edges completely disappear into the cavern floor, making it impossibly to distinguish where the slab ends and the floor begins. As the group follows the dark elf through the city, they notice a number of strange and wonderful sights. High above them, the walls of the cavern vanish out of sight, only highlighted here and there by light emitting out of the various passages that dot the caverns wall high and low. The effect almost makes it appear to be the night sky dotted with stars. As they move further into the city the group begins to notice that it is not only occupied by dark elves, but many races. Humans, halflings, dwarves and others are seen here and there. Even the short dwarf-like creatures they fought just the day before can be seen, however, these creatures appear to be slaves, while many of the other races appear to be here of their own free will. Strangely enough, the only race noticeably absent are elves, an unsettling realization for Lirrim and Sione.

As they move on, the group suddenly realizes that they are being led towards the center of the city, which is dominated by a large column of stone which appears to be decorated by a mosaic of semi-precious stones. A variety of scenes are displayed, but one stands out above all. A large spider with the head of a female dark elf dominates the area directly above the large archway leading into the base of the column. Isach and Dricas instantly recognize this as the symbol of Lolth, the patron deity of the vast majority of dark elves on Oerth. They are lead through the archway and into a large hallway. In each of the corners of the room stand large, square braziers currently not in use. Three large stone altars dominated the walls directly ahead and to each side, while two archways lead off of each side of the room off into the darkness to the left and right. Above the altar directly ahead is a large circular opening in the wall. It is approximately ten feet off of the ground, and about fifteen feet across. A passage continues on from this opening off into the darkness.

As they enter, a pair of female drow exit each of the four side passages and stand to each side of the openings. They are simply dresses in pure black robes with a large red spider insignia on the chest of each. One of the women approaches the and asks if they require anything. As the group indicates that they do not, they begin to hear movement from within the large circular opening above the altar. As they watch, a dark elven woman appears out of the shadows. However, as she continues to move forward the group suddenly realizes that her torso abruptly gives way to the body of a large spider. As she moves down along the wall and onto the floor in front of them, the group cannot help but feel uneasy in her presence. She stops and regards the group closely for a moment before speaking, "Why were the orcs attacking you?" The group explains what the Bonesnappers and their apparent master are up to. She contemplates what they are saying, "Why do I need you? Why shouldn't I just retrieve any items found in this city, destroy them, and then destroy the city itself?" She calls over one of the women that flank the group and speaks with her briefly. In the process, the group catches the name of Karis. It takes them a few moments, but the remember that Karis was the name of the Yuan-Ti high priest on Serpent Isle. It must be coincidence, but before they can think any further on it, the conversation continues. The debate continues and an uneasy truce is struck. The group will travel with a representative of the drow to the City of the Black Caverns to retrieve any items they can find. They will then be led out of the caverns, hopefully luring Kasera and the Bonesnappers out as well. The derro who are assisting her will be dealt with after the group has cleared the caverns of the Kasera and her ilk.

A map is brought out for the group to look over. The ink still wet, it is obviously a copy of a larger map section, one which details much more than that now before the party. Soon as general plan is hatched and the drow offer what help and supplies they can to aid the group in the endeavor. The man who led them here will be their only companion from the city, acting as a guide and assisting them in any way he can. After the plans are completed the group will be lead to a place to stay for the time being while their guide gathers up the supplies they have requested. At that point he will lead them to the City of the Black Caverns.

March 1, 2003 – IV, Lisa, Rick, Tim, & Fred

The group is led to a small room to rest while their guide gathers up the materials they have requested. Having rested only a short time ago, the group instead talks about what to do next, and what to watch out for as they prepare to be led into the unknown. A short time later the guide comes back, handing the group those items they requested to help them with their mission. They are then led out of the city to the west. Here, their guide, who instructs the group to call him Rai, once again gestures and mutters something unknown in his native language. A large section of the cavern floor rises a foot into the air, and Rai steps up, waiting for the group to climb aboard before he gestures again and they begin the slow ascent up to one of the myriad of passages that lead away from the cavern the city is located in.

As they reach the mouth of the passageway, Rai and the others step off of the platform of stone and begin making their way towards the City of the Black Caverns. Rai explains to the group that they have to take an indirect route to the city for the most direct one would lead them directly into an extremely dangerous area of the caverns. The route they are forced to follow will take about a day and a half to reach the city. The party notices that while they pass numerous branches and side passages, Rai continues on without waiver. He explains that he was born in the drow city and was trained at a young age to navigate the tunnels and passage ways that are found around his home. Soon the group is well away from the drow city and begin to tire from the constant movement. Rai finds a suitable spot for them to stop and camp. As they go about their business, Xif notices that Rai has managed to wander a short ways away, with his back toward the group. As he maneuvers to get a better view, Xif notices that Rai has pulled a small glass vial from a pouch at his belt and then pulls a small blade from his dagger's sheath. He shutters for a moment, almost as if caught in a frigid blast of wind. When he's done, he places the now half-empty vial in back in his pouch and turns back toward the group gathered at the campsite. As he sits, Xif notices a small cut on his inner arm, following the path of one of his veins. Deciding to let the rest of the group know about this, but not to bring it to Rai's attention, Xif spreads the news and the group then settles down for some rest.

The group breaks up into watch shifts and everyone settles down for the night. One of the things the group notices about the caverns is their seemingly unnatural quiet. Unlike the forests, or even many of the other portions of the caverns, the section they now occupy is totally quiet. It has an unsettling effect upon those that are on watch. Soon enough, Lirrim hears movement from nearby and goes to investigate. As he does, he notices that Rai is no longer laying in his spot in camp. Suddenly, Lirrim picks up the sounds of someone whispering near where he heard movement. As he approaches closer, it suddenly goes quiet for a few moments and then he hears movement once again. This time the movement sounds as if it is coming from behind him, and as he turns, he sees that Rai is back in camp, pretending to sleep. Lirrim waits until morning and notifies the rest of the group to be on their toes for it appears as if they are being followed.

Keeping a close eye on Rai, the group moves on. Eventually, the passageway begins to broaden slightly, and the group spies a familiar glow emanating from ahead. As they make their way around a slight curve in the corridor they see the passage open into a large cavern. A wall dominates most of the view from here, giving off the strange glow the party has seen many times before. As they move closer, several of the party members catch a glimpse of movement from up above the building's walls. The darkness hides the details, but it was something rather large. Pulling their weapons, the group inches their way into the city. Just as they do, two extremely large creatures take to the air a short distance in front of them. The creatures appear to be huge insects of some sort, looking somewhat like a large wasp or hornet with bat-like wings. The first of the creatures flaps towards the group and lands on the roof of the building closest to them. The other begins moving toward them as well, and the part now notices that Rai appears to be frozen in terror at the sight of these things. They manage to shake him out of his stupor long enough to ask him what these things are, to which he only responds with "Spider eaters." As the group turns to see if the insects are hostile, one of them flies in and stings Rai with it's large stinger. At first the group assumes that he's frozen with fear, but as the battle progresses, it becomes apparent that Rai cannot move now even if he wanted to.

The battle rages on and Xif falls victim to the creatures paralyzing poison before the rest of the group can take them down. Searching Rai's body for anything that may help them, the group finds a large flask of some unknown liquid. Using their magic they identify the substance as having magical qualities, but they are unsure of exactly what it does. Deciding that perhaps Rai had come prepared for these creatures they decide to give Xif a dose of the potion. Luckily, it has the desired effect and counter acts the poison in his system. Now the group debates on what to do with Rai. He hasn't done anything overtly aggressive, but it is obvious that the drow cannot be trusted so they decide to leave him paralyzed while they search through the city. Dricas takes responsibility to hauling him around as the party begins sifting through the city for any clues or information they can find.

Since most of the buildings within the city have collapsed, the party's search is a quick one. Finding nothing of value the group decides to search the one area of the city that has typically yielded items of value in the past, the crypt. As they approach the mausoleum, they suddenly hear voices and movement from within. As Xif and Isach sneak forward to get a better look, they see a strange looking human with grey, almost glistening skin speaking to Karis, the high priest of the Yuan-Ti the party encountered on Serpent Isle. Suddenly, the conversation ceases and the strange man turns toward Xif and Isach. They've been spotted and the man moves forward to engage them. As he does, they notice that his leather armor has a strange slit cut out of it from the middle of his chest to just above the genitals. A large scar can be seen through the slit. As the battle is joined, Karis casts a spell and touches the man, causing his body to glow for a second. As the group readies their weapons, the strange man cast a spell, causing the group to be pelted with large hail stones. A few moments later, he reaches for the scar on his torso and pulls it apart. As he does so, a mass of writhing snakes surge out hissing and writhing around frantically. As Dricas moves in to engage him, the snakes lash out and strike him. While the wounds don't do much damage, it becomes immediately apparent that the snakes use a powerful poison as Dricas suddenly feels extremely weak and falls to the floor.

As the rest of the group continues to battle on, Dricas is engulfed in a strangely familiar feeling of warmth and well being. The sensation is similar to one he felt when Athalas had saved him from the darkness all those years ago. The battle soon turns in the favor of the group as the man goes down, and Karis is forced to resort to magic to escape from the onrushing party. As they regroup, Sione heals Dricas and the others, while the party is left wondering what Karis was doing here. Dricas describes the warm sensation he felt to the other, only to be told by Isach and Xifias that they too have felt the sensation and believe it to be the hand of Corellon himself aiding them on their quest in their time of greatest need. This revelation only reinforces Dricas' faith in the Father of the Elves. However, such thoughts must wait as the group hurries to finish searching the crypts before Karis can return with reinforcements. As they remove the lid of the sarcophagus that dominates the interior of the crypt room, they discover another preserved body of one of the People of the Black Caverns. However, this one is different. His body is highly decorated with tattoos and jewelry, far more than they've ever seen before. Upon closer inspection, they notice that the body hasn't been here long, and the dust upon it is no where near the amount they've found previously. Isach once again uses his arcane skills to inspect the body only to discover an incredibly strong magical force surrounding the body. While they have found magic upon the bodies in other cities, presumably keeping the bodies preserved, they have never found anything of this power. In fact, Isach and Lirrim are convinced that the magic engulfing this body is not of any mortal kind, possibly the work a god. Not wanting to leave this for Kasera and her group to find, the group decides to bring the body with them. Hopefully Nori can use it to uncover further secrets about this mysterious ancient race.

Leaving the city behind the group begins to head back toward the drow city. Deciding to leave Rai in a safe spot for his companions to find, the group strikes out along the first major branch they can find that leads away from the drow city. As they walk on the begin to see a strange green glow, slightly reminiscent of liquid in the vials they found on Rai. Deciding that if the two are related, there are probably more drow around, the group heads back to the main passageway and heads up to the next branching passage that leads them away from the drow and their city. As they move, the group notices that strange voices can be heard all around them. They turn and look, but no one is there. The strange voices become more and more frequent as they move further and further away from the city, but the group eventually dismisses them, a feat made easier by the fact that they cannot understand what is being said. Moving on and on, the group eventually is forced to stop and rest before moving on. As they eat, Sione rests enough to allow her to cast some more healing spells and by the end of the night, the group is almost at full health as they get ready to forge on.

March 15, 2003 – IV, Lisa, Tim, Rick, & Fred

The group moves on down the corridor hoping it will lead them to the surface and out of this dark and foreboding world. They walk on for the better part of the day, twisting and turning their way through the earth. Up, down, left, and right, the passage turns this way and that, finally widening into a small cavern. The cavern walls, floor, and ceiling are littered with large holes, while off to their left, the party notices a pair of large stone doors filling an archway. The doors and archway are smooth with no signs or markings of any sort. As the party investigates the doors they begin to hear a rattling, metallic sound coming from a couple of the holes. Not sure what to expect the group pulls back into the corridor at the cavern's entrance and waits to see what is emitting the strange sound.

Suddenly, a large serpent, seemingly made of interlocking bronze rings emerges from the hole and looks around the cavern. The large beast finally focuses on the group and turns to regard them. As it does, the group notices electricity sparking from the creature's large, metallic fangs. The serpent silently regards the group, not making a move toward them. Suddenly the group is startled by the emergence of another of the beasts from a hole in the ceiling of the corridor behind them. This one acts in much the same way as the first, not making any overtly hostile actions toward the group, only sitting motionless and regarding them. Dricas stows his sword and raises his hands to indicate that he is not a threat as Isach speaks to the beasts, "We can talk, there is no need to fight." The creatures just sit motionless and continue staring at the heroes. Just as quickly as the others, a third serpent erupts from a hole in the ground. However, this one goes on the offensive almost immediately attempting to bite Isach with its enormous fangs.

All hell breaks loose as the party engages the serpent with Lirrim and Xifias firing at it to little effect. Sione envokes a Briar Web behind the group in an attempt to slow down the serpent behind them in the event it decides to join the melee. Isach summons several Mirror Images of himself while he and Dricas move forward to engage the beast. As they rain blows upon the creature, it becomes apparent that the creature's metal skin will be tough to penetrate as several blows glance off of the beast's hide, doing little damage. Isach attempts to fire a volley of Magic Missiles at the beast, only to see it ignore their effects before rearing it's head back and attacking Dricas. The bright flash of an electrical discharge accompanies the piercing pain of the creatures fangs sinking into his flesh. Xifias and Isach retaliate with strong blows of their own, denting the creature's metal exoskeleton deeply.

The battles rages on with the group striking at the heavily armored creature repeatedly as it attempts to retaliate by striking out viciously at Isach with a well landed blow that is once again accompanied by a burst of electricity. The melee goes back and forth for what seems like an eternity, the group glad that only one of the beast's is engaging them at this point. Finally, the group manages to land the decisive blow and the creature collapses with a crash. Turning toward the other two serpents, fully expecting a second wave to crash down upon them, the group waits to see what will happen next. However, the other two creatures simply continue to stare at them motionless. The group attempts to speak to the beasts, not even sure what language they understand if any at all. Finally Lirrim manages to get a response out of the one nearest the doors as it shakes it's massive head in response to one of his questions. The thing apparently cannot speak on it's own, but it does understand Draconic, and even seems to obey requests spoken in that tongue.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group decides to further investigate the stone doors. The smooth surface of the doors bear no handles or pulls of any sort, bringing them to the conclusion that the only way in is to push to doors inward. It takes the bulk of the group to move the massive portal, but they manage to get at least one of them open. Xif decides to scout out ahead and enters the smoothly carved corridor beyond the doorway. As he enters he hears a voice speak to him in a strange tongue which he does not understand. He stops and waits for the voice to continue, but is greeted by only silence, so he decides to move on. As he follows the turn in the corridor, he notices that up ahead the corridor seems to darken significantly, almost as if the light shed by his rod of light is being stopped by a strange barrier. Not sure if moving forward is wise, he returns to the others waiting outside the doorway and describes to them what he has found.

Now the entire group moves through the doorway and into the corridor beyond. As they do, they hear the strange voice speak to them again. Lirrim and Sione instantly recognize the tongue as their native language of Elven. The voice simply says, "Beware. Beware. Beware.", and nothing more. They then move toward the point where the corridor goes dark. Strangely enough, it appears to be illuminated by the light from Isach's lantern, but the light from the rod of light does not appear to go beyond that specific point. This leads Lirrim to speculate that it may be some sort of anti-magic field, preventing the magical light from the rod but allowing the natural light from Isach's lantern.

The group sends the wolverine Sione produced from her bag of tricks during the battle with bronze serpent into the field, at which point it instantly turns back into the small ball of fur it was when she withdrew it originally. Not sure how to proceed, but wanting to investigate further, Dricas grabs the rod of light and warily steps into the field. As soon as he enters the field the rod goes dark, but nothing else appears to occur, further validating Lirrim's assertion that it an anti-magic field of some sort. Dricas steps back out of the field and the group debates what to do next. Peering ahead, all they can see is the corridor turning off to their right and nothing more.

Deciding to move forward even with the danger of being caught without the benefit of any magical aid, the group makes it's way into the field. Luckily, Isach's lantern provides enough light to see by as they round the bend in the passageway. Immediately the group's attention is drawn to a light ahead. The corridor opens up into a small square room about thirty feet on a side. In the center of the room is the source of the light, a diamond shaped area that is lit from above, presumably via magic. Sitting on the floor in the center of this lighted area is a young elven boy. Strangely, he is not clothed and does not seem to notice the group's approach until Dricas says hello to him. He looks up at the paladin, face emotionless and then looks over the rest of the group. As they get closer the group notices another corridor leading out of the room on the opposite side.

Isach and Xifias make their way around the lit area and to the other corridor as Lirrim, Sione, and Dricas attempt to speak with the boy. He seems to recognize what is being said to them, but despite their many attempts, they boy does not answer them. Instead, he just stands up and watches them as they begin investigating the room further. Dricas approaches the lit area and pulls some food from his pack. Despite the group's warnings, he reaches his hand in towards the boy to give him the food. Swiftly and violently, the boy grasps Dricas' hand with left hand while removing the food with his right and placing it on the floor next to him. As the boy releases his hand, Dricas realizes that if had struggled, he may not have been able to free himself from the boy's grasp. Incredibly strong and swift, this is no ordinary boy.

Meanwhile, Isach and Xif follow the corridor to its end, where it widens slightly into a circular room. In the center of the floor is a large opening that descends about 4-6 inches before reaching a strange black film of some sort. Around the inner wall of the opening they can see inscriptions carved into the rock. Most of the carvings have worn away with time, but Isach is able to determine that they are written in elven and finally deciphers the word gateway on one portion of it. Not sure what to make of it, they return to the others to discuss what to do next. Lirrim let's Isach borrow his quarterstaff and he and Xif head back to the opening. Pushing at the film with the staff, it stretches, almost as if made of elastic before snapping back into place. Xif attempts to cut the film with a dagger only to achieve the same result. Even standing on the film does nothing more than to stretch it downward a little further. Unsure how to proceed, they head back to the others.

As they begin discussing what their next step should be, they are startled by the sound of the large door slamming shut. They run back to the archway to find the doors are closed tight and there are no pulls or handles here as well. Wedging their fingers into the slot between the door, the group attempts to pull the door open. They manage to get it to budge an inch or two before resistance snaps it back shut again. Either something is holding the doors closed, or there is some sort of mechanism preventing it from being opened. Now they appear to be trapped here with the boy. They thoroughly search throughout the room for any possible secret passages with little success. However, they do uncover another set of carvings that follow the outline of the lit area. Once again, they appear to be written in elven, but time has taken it's toll and they can only make out small portions of it. Distrust the realm of the owl reads one section.

Now the group realizes that the anti-magic field appears to be expanding, making it's way down the corridor slowly. As their minds race, they also realize that the lighted area the boy is standing in has suddenly expanded. Now time has suddenly become a factor and they hurry to figure out what to do next. The boy has sat back down on the floor and appears to be tracing figures on the ground. At first it appears as if he is only tracing the outline of an hourglass with it's sands running out. However, as they watch him more closely, they realize he's begun to trace strange symbols in a circle around them. Lirrim and Isach watch him closely and realize that he's mimicking the symbols that ring the filmed opening. They concentrate to try and catch the symbols he traces to decipher them. They manage to make out three more words, Abyss, Elysium, and character.

Time is running out and the group now realizes that the body from the sarcophagus will soon be enveloped within the anti-magic field. While the field suppresses magic, they doubt it is powerful enough to undo the level of magic surrounding the body, so they bring it into the room with them. As soon as they do, they notice that the boy takes immediate notice of it, and follows it as they move it past him and into the circular room containing the strange opening. As both the anti-magic and the lit field expand, the group continues to come up with new ideas on what to try. Lirrim takes the cubic gate he has and presses it against the strange film with no real results. However, they now notice that the center of the film appears to have light shining through it, making it appear much like a bullseye lantern hitting a bed sheet or blanket. As they watch this spot they notice that every time the lit are holding the boy expands, so does the lit area on the film. Soon the boy will be able to reach them so Lirrim attempts the cubic gate again. Suddenly, the group feels as if they are being drawn into the light and suddenly find themselves in a vast field of green grass. The sun shining brightly above them, the group notices that the field stretches off in all directions as far as they eye can see. They also now notice that the body from the City of the Black Caverns is now gone, presumably taken to the Abyss by the portal based upon its "character".

Lirrim speculates from his studies that they are now on the plane of Elysium, home to Pelor the god of the sun. Looking around for sometime it becomes apparent that there is little for them to do but start moving. Sione is unable to determine which direction would correlate to north, no doubt because they are now on a totally separate plane. Xif decides to wait no longer and begin walking in a random direction. The rest of the group decides to follow and they walk for what seems like hours before seeing anything of any substance. Off in the distance they catch the glimmer of light being reflected, probably from something metal. They turn their course toward the source of the flashing and move on. Soon enough they reach the source of the light, a large oval of silver floating about a foot off of the ground. It appears to almost be a mirror of some sort, but with nothing to support it, it is obviously magical in nature. Looking at the backside of the anomaly reveals nothing, literally. Walking to the rear, the group notices that when viewed from here, the anomaly doesn't even appear to exist and they see nothing at all where it should be. There are no markings of any sort on it's face, giving the group no clues as to what it is or what it may do. However, Lirrim has heard of similar "portals" before. They are basically just floating portals to other planes, usually keyed by color. He cannot recall what plane silver may be associated with so the group may be forced to take a chance.

As they are discussing whether or not to enter the portal, they begin to hear a low rumbling off in the distance. As they try to pinpoint the source of the sound, it becomes louder and louder. The ground suddenly begins to shake and a short distance off in the distance the landscape suddenly erupts violently and where there was once only endless green fields, now a formidable range of mountains stands, stretching off into the distance. Having heard that many of the planes are subject to the whims of the gods living there, Lirrim explains the phenomenon to the others. Slightly unsettled by this new development, the group decides they may be better off going through the portal, taking their chances on where it may lead. Stepping through, they are greeted by a blinding flash of light. Blinking to regain their sight, the group suddenly realizes that they are back where they started, standing just inside the closed stone door. The anti-magic field appears to been moved back to it's original placement however, so the group investigates. As they reach the first room, they notice that the lit area surrounding the boy is back to it's original size, and the boy is sitting on the floor in the middle once again. Once he hears the group, he jumps to his feet and begins begging the party to help him.

Surprised, the group questions the young boy. He explains that he was brought here and imprisoned by an evil mage. He does not know why, but did overhear the mage call him a vessel. Not knowing how to explain it to the group the boy simply tells him that there are times when he's "empty", while there are times when he's "full". Apparently, the mage has been making the boy "full" for some unknown reason. Dricas agrees to help the boy and begins to scrape away the markings that make up the outer ring of the containment field. Once enough of the carvings have been cut away, the lit area goes dark for a moment before lighting up with the illumination from the rod of light. The anti-magic field appears to have disappeared as well. The group quickly checks the portal in the circular room and see that the strange film has been replaced by a swirl of color mixing and dancing around together. They are unsure whether to try and use the portal to escape or not. Deciding to check the door on last time, they find that it opens easily now. Maybe the magic used to confine the boy included a charm to keep the door closed tight.

Suddenly the boy's head cocks to one side as if he's listening to something. He turns and looks at the group, "Too late," is all he says. Assuming that either the mage has returned, or the boy has become possessed by someone or something. The group begins a heated debate as to whether or not they should help the boy and take him with them. As the argument continues, the boy tells the others that the thing inside him wants the amulet they have. The boy also explains that this time, being "full" is different than it has been in the past. "This one is not full or rage and hatred like the rest," he explains. Still not trusting whatever has taken hold of the boy, especially in light of the fact that it knows about the amulet, the debate intensifies. Finally a consensus is reached to help the boy, but they intend on watching him extremely closely, especially Isach. With that, the group gathers up and begins the long walk back to the main corridor. From there, they will attempt to find yet another passageway to try in their attempt to escape this dark underground world.

March 29, 2003 - IV, Lisa, Tim, Rick, & Fred

The group heads back to the main corridor and debates on whether to push forward, or to go back and investigate the green glow they saw before. After a short discussion, they decide to head on and take the next branching corridor. As they move on, they talk further about what to do with the boy. Dricas asks the boy what he remembers of his home and his past. "I remember nothing. I can't remember my name, my parents, my home. I can't remember anything before waking in that chamber with the mage gloating over me about how I was going to make him powerful."

Finally reaching another branching corridor, the group heads down it as they attempt to find a way back to the surface world. The passageway is rough and uneven, leading left, right, up, and down. After several hours of traveling the group finally notices that they are approaching a cavern up ahead. Xifias sneaks ahead to check things out and discovers that the corridor ends in what looks like a round chamber. Directly across from the corridor entrance is another opening about 15 feet off the ground, which obviously opens up into another, larger cavern. The group now catches up and begin to contemplate what to do next.

Xif makes a couple of failed attempts to climb up the slick slope of the room to reach the edge of the opening above as the rest of the party climbs down into the lower "bowl". In the meantime, Lirrim casts a light spell upon one of Sione's sling bullets, which she then fires through the opening and into the cavern beyond. The group watches it's flight carefully, but does not gather any additional information about what may be in the room beyond a shuffling sound immediately following the shot. As he tries to get up to the opening, Xif notices a musty smell from the open. Isach takes his grappling hook and snags the edge of the opening, and the party begins to make their way up to the small ledge of the opening.

As they reach the small ledge, they can smell the musty odor Xifias commented upon earlier. They also notice that the air in the adjoining chamber seems to have a little more moisture in the air than the one they are coming from. Isach climbs down the other side, soon to be followed by the rest. As they reach the cavern floor, they can see the sling bullet lying on the ground a ways off. As they begin to follow the wall around the edge of the room to find a way out they suddenly realize that the majority of the cavern floor is covered by large, man-sized mushrooms. Strangely enough, the mushrooms are no where near the bullet, or anywhere near them and their source of light.

As Xif begins to scout out ahead of the party , he suddenly stops, startled by movement ahead. The group then realizes that the mushrooms are moving away from them as they move forward. Unsure what to make of this new development, the groups decides to continue on while keeping a close eye on the mushrooms as they move away from the heroes. Suddenly, a long whistle is heard from the far end of the cavern and the mushrooms instantly begin walking towards the sound.

As the group watches in awe, the mushrooms shuffle out of the cavern and into a corridor barely visible at the far end. As the noise of the strange creatures filing out of the room subsides, the group begins to make their way down to the corridor they saw the mushrooms leave by. Taking their time, the group sneaks into the passageway and makes their way down as far as they can. A short way up and they begin to notice a strange green glow, just like the on they saw in one of the previous passage ways.

Once again Xif decides to sneak up ahead of the others and take a look. As he reaches the edge, he can see a vast cavern filled with mushrooms apparently harvesting a glowing green lichen from the walls and floors. They pull handfuls of the stuff off with their hands and stuff it into large baskets they are carrying. Once full, they shuffle off to the far end of the cavern, where a pair of large corridors lead off into the unknown.

Standing in the center of all this is a large humanoid with grey skin and jet black hair. He's holding a huge stone club in his hands as he watches the slaves working around him. Interspersed among the slaves are a number of drow as well. They appear to be overseeing the mushrooms as they go about their business. It becomes apparent that the mushroom vastly outnumber the drow, so the giant is obviously there as a deterrent to any slaves who may have thoughts of rebellion.

Xif returns to the group with the news and they debate how to get across the large cavern without the giant, or any of the drow noticing. Luckily, Lirrim has a couple of Fly scrolls with him that will allow at least two of them to fly across. Combined with Sione's ability to change into a bat, they should be able to carry the others over and into the adjoining corridors. Since they are unsure which of the two passageways to take, Sione flies over and investigates. Choosing the left passage first, she enters a smaller cavern with a huge lift in the middle. The lift appears to rise up through a large opening in the ceiling of the cavern. Sione can see light from the far end of the tunnel, so she flies up past numerous openings and emerges into the daylight. Looking around she sees goblins running here and there at the sight of a giant bat emerging from the opening.

Flying back to the others and reporting what she's found, they hatch a plan for Lirrim and Isach to use the Fly scrolls in combination with a few strength enhancing spells to allow them to safely carry everyone across the upper cavern. Even though it is brightly lit from the glow of the strange lichen, the cavern is large enough that no one should notice them unless they just happen to be looking straight up.

Once all the spells have been cast, the group begins the mad dash to freedom. Everything is going well when Isach almost loses his grip on Dricas. Luckily, he quickly grasps him firmly before he has a chance to fall to his death below. Once the first run is complete, Lirrim and Isach head back for the others while Xif and Dricas ready themselves for any attack the goblins may attempt. The goblins scatter at the first sign of the adventurers emerging from the tunnel, scampering in all directions. The second run is easier than the first, and soon the entire party is safe and sound above ground for the first time in almost 2 weeks.

Not wanting to wait around too long, the group gets it's bearings and heads toward the spot they left the horses. As they get close to where the horses should be, they begin to hear movement from up ahead. Xif clearly hears someone speaking in Orc, "The horses should be right around here somewhere." Obviously, the Bonesnappers are looking for the party's horse, hoping to find them, and possibly lay an ambush for our heroes. The orcs are moving straight for the group, who are preparing for battle. Just before the orcs break through the last stand of trees between them and the party a horrendous roar is heard from overhead. The group freezes in shock for a moment, looking up at the great, red dragon flapping its winging far above them. The orcs scatter in fear at the very sight of the beast, and the group hears the horses do the same. Suddenly, the dragon dives down and turns toward one of the fleeing orcs. The group cannot see if it caught it's prey or not, but decides that horses or not, they need to get away from here as quickly as possible.

They manage to get away from the dragon, who's apparently much more content to dine on easily caught orcs. They continue on for the remainder of the day, and stop to camp for the night. The night almost passes quietly, but soon more movement is heard coming towards the camp. The group hides as well as they can while trying to get a gauge on what may be coming. They can make out at least 3-4 sets of footsteps, one of which sounds rather heavy. Suddenly from over the trees, the group sees the giant from the mushroom cavern walking toward the camp. Luckily, the group is already well hidden, giving them the advantage should the camp be spotted. Just as the giant and his accomplices are about to move on, the young boy begins shouting at the giant in a strange language.

Realizing that battle is now unavoidable, the group engages the enemy. Sione takes care of the four orcs with the giant with a well placed Briar Web spell, allowing the rest of the group to focus on the giant. The battle is hard fought, with Dricas once again taking the brunt of the giant's fury. However, Sione's healing allows him to keep fighting. Meanwhile, Isach once again makes good use of his Mirror Image spell, giving the giant a few more targets to lash out at. Eventually the group manages to wear down the beast, and he crumbles to the ground. One the body the group finds a bag full of gold coins, and holding a large mace that Lirrim identifies as a +1 defender.

Deciding to move on instead of waiting for any additional reinforcements the giant's party may have coming, the group makes their way out of the Bonewood finally. As they walk it occurs to them that the orcs they just fought bore the standard of the Bonesnappers, but the giant appeared to be in league with the drow. This indicates that the drow and Kasera's group have joined forces. To what ends, they do not know, but having two groups as vile and powerful as those two together does not bode well of civilized society. Not able to take action to stop that threat at this time, the group turns towards Malwander and begins the long trek home.

^ back to top ^

Main - Back to main page/menu.

Chapters - Find out what's happened so far.

Chapter One – Shapeshifters in Our Midst

Chapter Two – A Prophecy Fulfilled?

Chapter Three – The City of Black Crystal

Chapter Four – Poachers? No, Murderers!

Chapter Five – The Vast Swamp

Chapter Six – Delivery for Quarion

Chapter Seven – Evil Afoot in the Menowood

Chapter Eight – An Item in Naerie

Chapter Nine – Back in Malwander…

Chapter Ten – A Journey Into Madness

Chapter Eleven - Serpent Isle

Chapter Twelve – The Return of Maj

Chapter Thirteen – The Hestmark Highlands

Chapter Fourteen – A Spy Among Us?

Chapter Fifteen – The Bonewood

Chapter Sixteen – Return to Rook's Roost