Session XXVI: deeper, Deeper, DEEPER!

Yes, our party took steps to take their explorations of Zenopus' tower deeper than any one has gone before, or so they thought!

Having charmed Eric, a surviving member of the Black Hand and part of a party that was also sent into the tower to seek out Zenopus' spellbook, Slick Vinny, and the rest of Arvin's Avengers (and joined by Tibag and a weakened Adara still suffering from nightmares) delve below the tower once more.

Taking some time to finish mapping out the loose ends of the 1st level (completing the map with much accuracy, I must say), they returned to the 2nd level and the natural caves beneath.

Retracing their steps they made their way to the cavern where where they had slain crotch-goblins. There they found the remains of the half-eaten corpses being devoured by carrion-crawlers.

Working their way past this ghastly scene they once again walked through the cave the the green mist and entered the enormous natural cavern which was the Lair of the Crotch Goblins! Seeing the remains of the battle between the ghouls, goblins and themselves the party traveled along the wall of this immeasurable space.

Spotting a ledge above them, it was decided Adara and Tibag should go up and have a look. As the two brave souls climb up to the ledge and explored a cave, the others saw a dim torchlight coming from a cave opening far on the opposite side of the cavern. Arvin's Avengers douse their lights and watch as three bloodied and harried members of the Black Hand made their way across the cavern. Slick Vinny sent Eric over to talk to them.

The Black Hand was surprised to see Eric within these dark depths as he was ordered to stay in the tower itself and watch-over his companion who was wounded by ghouls. Suspicious, the other Black Hand members of his party questioned him and soon decided to leave the dungeons as half of their party had been killed by some nameless horror within the caves and they were no no shape, mentally or physically to continue on.

It is at this moment that Tibag and Adara attack the Black Hand with arrows. Caught by surprise, the leader falls, pierced with a number of arrows, the other is wounded and falls to the ground. Gnarly casts fairy-fire upon the third who looses the last of his sanity and runs wildly yet comically between the stalagmites of the cavern. As some of the party tried to chase this guild member down, the others tied up and questioned the survivor. He too has hit his breaking point and was nothing but a gibbering, screaming soul.

All that the party was able to gain from this broken man was that of some unspeakable horror within the caves which devoured his party.

As this questioning was going on, the party saw the Black Hand member alight with fairy fire and running madly throughout the cavern was swooped down upon by some enormous black winged shaped, lifted off the ground and carried off screaming into the distant heights of the underworld.

Thinking it best to move on, Tibag put the remaining screaming member of the Black Hand our of his mad misery slaying him and followed their blood trial across the cavern, over a natural stone bridge above an underground stream and into a dark cave.

The blood trail lead the party through some twisting tunnels and into the lair of Gricks! After slaying the horrific worms Arvin's Avengers continued through the caves and descended down some natural steps. Traveling down a long natural tunnel they come upon a strange site. Standing before them and carved out of the natural stone was a giant face whose mouth was outlined with stalagmites and stalactites and within this mouth was a pair of tall iron doors.

Opening the doors, they enter into a large man-made chamber of polished black stone, the walls of which are arched and ribbed giving the impressions of being in the belly of a beast. Opposite the door they entered is an arched tunnel with stairs leading deeper beneath the surface.

Arvin's Avengers descend the stairs….