Filling in the Blanks

5 November, 595
Part II

Returning to Jzadirune, the party decides to fill in parts of their map that they haven't been to yet. They start with the closed "J" door in the mask room. Nothing there but dusty cots and lockers containing personal effects and uniforms.

Moving on to an unexplored tunnel, the group comes to a wall with rungs leading up to a hole in the ceiling above. Kyladrian peeks his head through and moves just in time to see a rapier slash the air where his head used to be. He srambles back down and the group decides to blind it then attack. Felian casts a light spell on the ceiling of the room above, and Fario and Salla scurry up the ladder to find an empty room. Fario finds a hidden door in one of the walls, and it opens into the room where they rescued Starbrow. This time it is occupied by one of the tall grey creatures and a pair of hobgoblins guarding a bound up halfling. Our heroes strike quickly, cutting down the hobgoblins and corning the other creature, who throws his weapon down and starts yammering in a language unknown to anyone in the group. The person tied up guesses aloud that it sounds like a form of undercommon, a language spoken by creatures who dwell deep below the earth. Salla attempts to wrestle with it to tie it up, but it deftly avoids him and makes a break for the door, jumping through the hole and running down the tunnel. The group decides to let him go, and Baxter shouts a harsh warning after him.

The halfling is unbound and introduces himself as Serro Broadcuff, a minstrel, and one who could provide help for the rescue attempt. He explains that he was taken captive by some of these creatures and forced to live in a cell for the past week in proximity to other prisoners (including some children!). He is given a crossbow and welcomed as a member of the party.

The search continues, and eventually leads to another passage with a hole in the ceiling. This time, more care is taken, and Salla gingerly pokes his head into the room above. This room is filled with the stench of the rotting carcass of a large green worm, and flies buzzing noisily about it. There is also a pile of armor and shields. Serro takes advantage to equip himself with a shirt of mail and a shield, and the walls are searched more throughly. A potential hidden door is found, but neither Kyladrian nor Salla can determine how to open it. The stench of the worm is overbearing and eventually forces the party to discontinue the attempt to open the door.

The party retraces its steps and comes to a room with a cot and chest featuring a lit lantern. Baxter steps into the room and is immediately set upon by a pair of tall "greys", one of them attacking with just its fist (possibly the one that got away earlier). This time, no mercy is shown and the two are slaughtered. In the chest is found some lantern oil, a ceramic bunny mask, a silver ring in the shape of a serpent, and a silver ewer set with gems. The company pockets the loot and heads toward the northern part of the ruins.

The group discovers what they determine to be a classroom, with basic physics equations and formulae still written in faded gnomish upon the chalkboards. A secret door is also found which opens into a room filled with a strange mist. Instead of entering it, the group moves down a different passage, which seems to lead to the same room, from a different side. Salla, Kyladrian, and Fario are roped together and begin to explore the room. The mist is so thick that visibility does not extend more then 5ft in front of them. As they move about the room, Salla is swarmed by a group of large centipedes - one of them crawls up onto his foot and bites him, its poison having an immediate effect. Despite the setback, Salla and Kyladrian easily hack apart the insects, their green ichor splatting on the floor. Continuing onward, Kyladrian and Fario map out the rest of the room, finding nothing of interest except a nondescript lectern and a ladder propped against some shelving.