You went down the long staircase past the crystal frescoes where you slew the vampire-invisible-demon things. Down there you came to a 15m diameter tunnel and had visions of a giant flaming object striking here long before there was a city, and burning this tunnel thru the earth. Evidently the ancient stone masonry connecting to this tunnel was intentionally built to facilitate connection to whatever lies down there (duh, the Eye). The floor of the tunnel is bubbling with black tarry ooze that had a faint magical aura, and as soon as you disturbed out popped four formless ooze things that could sprout nasty jaws and tentacles or clubs to beat you with . You found soon that fire and holy water worked well on em, although they did some damage (swallowed Pachala who killed it from inside w/fireblade, and hurt BVoN).
You could see 100m down the tunnel where a side passage split off, and weird turbulent winds blew ripples in the ooze, which was diluted to a greyer tone that far down the passage. Tarranyr was very disturbed as winds should not blow beneath the earth, especially in such uncouth fashion. Enough was enough; you headed back.
On the way back you explored the last side passage by the Gug lair, which led to a small lake where eight-legged batlike scavengers scampered among fetid piles of bones and carcasses washed down the stream. You killed the three nasty things easily and Caernak found a neat magic emerald bracelet in the junk. You made it out OK and survived to see dawn in Pavis. Ahh... Taleo said that the mutant guy you killed was indeed his former party member Cridman; a minstrel poet and ruffian. He said that there were three others who he fears might be down there still, too. After thinking about it more, he suggests that the winds you saw down in the tunnel are a corruption of the Orlanthi acolyte Turmug Irontoe. That idea really bothers Orlanthi in the party! Churrek the Savvy was an Issaries guide who also "perished" down there, and there was one other guy that Taleo is pretty sure he heard getting eaten by broos.
Tison made preparations to leave and then left for 5 eyes. You found that the spirit in the bracelet was an ancient oasis spirit of a serpent, which casts biting+poison magics when placed in the mouth. Kinda neat but you sold it for 4200L. Bendrath gave 1000L for the Gug jaw that you brought back. Imperial Tax Collector Graftus came by the fort and got people nervous, especially when he asked to leave his doting, naive assistant Falco Tubrother there to continue tax-collection in the NW Rubble. Seemed to be trying to get rid of the chump. Tarranyr convinced him to cut your taxes from 7 to 5% for the trouble. Chendry the Humakti said that he knew both of them (was bodyguard years ago) and is sure that Graftus sent Falco there to meet some foul death in the Rubble. He's watching him.
News from the world was joyous to Orlanthi. A great battle raged in Heortland, and King Broyan of Whitewall (with the Orlanthi warrior Argrath and Harrek the Berserk's Wolf Pirates) managed to drive the Lunars out of Heortland! Huge defeat; now the Lunars are restricted to Sartar, Tarsh, and Prax. But it is clear that they are planning big counterattack(s). Nonetheless, Orlanthi now believe that their god is free again, after almost 4 yrs of oppression after the fall of Whitewall.
You trained for 6 weeks with the plan to return to the Black while you could this season. Pachala tried to attain Khanhood but failed (barely) and is working to better himself. Other minor occurrences, then you went back to the Devils Playground (with Elohwyn and new dwarf, but not BVoN or Tison) and entered, found your way thru the mazes without much difficulty, and started going down the spiral stairs. That's when the ambush struck!