So, the first mission into the canal may have been a roaring success, but the second was not so pretty. You went in and immediately were attacked by water-leapers: large toad-like things with bat wings, constricting tails and such. They grabbed Tison and Dorgon's neck, and a brief but tense battle ensued before they were driven off. You moved toward Taenian's Grotto, and were almost there when a swarm of va'ath (two-headed giant bats; one head injects paralytic poison, the other sucks blood) mobbed you. Idylla's arm was bitten off and she almost died; Tarranyr was left paralyzed for the rest of the mission. They too were driven off.
At Taenian's grotto, things weren't much prettier. Tison and Caernak paddled in and gathered fire-water, and that went well, but then Caernak tried boating Idylla in to take a peek at the frescoes. Caernak fumbled his boat roll, shifting his balance at the wrong time and tipping the boat over into the boiling water. Idylla was able to fly out safely and had time both to inspect the frescoes up close and to hurl nasty insults at Caernak for his incompetence. Caernak swam out before he was parbroiled. The boat was hauled out, much worse for wear but Arcus's Repair spell helped.
You decided to wait 2 hrs for the water-ash to burn down, and went to the water-demon lair to see if the metallic lizard-skin was still there. It wasn't, but a gorp was. Unfortunately the gorp snuck past the party and ate a huge hole in the boat! It was quickly destroyed but the boat was sinking. Hasty glue spells, Caernak's special success Boat roll plus Float 2 and Extension 4, Elohwyn's Devise, and much work later, the flimsy, charred craft began limping away. Embarassed by your misfortunes, you gathered the water-ash and left immediately. You spotted newtling outlaws hiding out in the canal but they'd have nothing to do with you. Eventually you made it back to Pavis and Caernak did some apologizing to Che'en for the boat's sorry state.
Training time passed and you hired Chygy the thief hunter to help you hunt down and kill Morta's Black Fang ring. 6 weeks later, he's still working on it and you are probably nervous. You bought the combo to the flintnail door and opened it: inside was a control pedestal for a Jolanti, a giant (SIZ 30 STR 50) living stone statue used as a worker by Mostali. 1 POW allowed Tison to mindlink with the Jolanti and control its movements. Unfortunately it seems to be walled into its room and would take weeks to bash its way out. Funny, those Mostali! You asked them about it, and they said that its work-period was designated for a future time; they had no interest in it. Oh well.
Bendrath hired the group to look for a secret entrance to an underground cave complex in Devil's Playground; with the research of Tison and Arcus you found that a failed mission there (15 yrs ago) was lead by a Yelmalion, Taleo Lumine. A sole survivor is now a mad beggar/illuminate in Badside, named Oakly Gauntest. Tarranyr knows him and you paid a visit. The crippled, twitchy thing babbled for a while, then became lucid and asked riddles, which Elohwyn and Tison answered. It chatted about its cowardly escape from the tunnels, leaving its party behind. Interestingly, it knew that Taleo Lumine was not dead, but had returned from the Rubble and retired in a tower on Yelmalio Hill in the Rubble. He gave you a riddle about "the flesh of the Devil" to give to Taleo, and none other.
Haloric wrote a letter of introduction for Arcus and you went there. On the way, bison riders chose you as targets for a friendly nomad game of counting coup. You met them head on and bested them; Pachala honorably fought their khan and made a good impression. They left. At the hill, you were unkindly recieved and had to wait in the open as they decided if they'd let you in. Arcus had to maim the Templar in charge of the gate in a first-blood duel to convince the Yelmalions of your seriousness. Hours later, you got a written message to Taleo (now called Dark Anotia) and surprisingly he came shuffling out of the gates. He is blind, old, and weak, but knows where the secret entrance is and how to get in. Dark Anotia said that he saw your coming as a sign from Yelmalio that his repentence and hermitage were over. He is reborn as Taleo Lumine again, and will accompany you into the Devil's Playground.... next session!