We re-entered the ugly dwarf’s head, intent on exploring the underground complex before heading back to Westkeep and then onward to the Hall. Unsure where to go first, we hung out in the entry and discussed our options.

We decided to head to the far northern end of the complex where the ceiling had collapsed. Examining the heap of rubble, we noticed that he hallway was not totally closed off. Cathal and Gonchar found a tunnel through the rubble. It was too small for one of the humans to fit through, though the dwarves may be able to wiggle through. Clearing the rubble by hand would be a major excavation project.

Time for some exploratory dwarfing. Gonchar entered the tunnel to look around. 15’ in the tunnel widened and got taller. 20’ further in and it ended in a hallway. To the south the ceiling had collapsed, while to the north stairs went downward.

If we were going to go through, the tunnel needed to be larger. Doing the math, we realized that we' d need to clean 3’ by hand for a stone shape to reach the other side. Gonchar, Lycovyne and Cathal set to and, within a few minutes, had cleared out a bit more than 3’ of rubble. Kyril cast stone shape and widened the remaining 12’ of tunnel.

The dwarves could fit through easily, while the humans had to hunker down a bit. Still we made it through in good time and entered the hallway on the far end. We descended the stairs, noting that nothing and nobody had come this way in a long time. We also noted odd clumps in the dust.

The Cleaner#

The stairs ended at a landing with a weapon rack and stairs continuing downward on the other side. The wooden bits of the weapon rack were missing. The iron bits were mostly present and stable, though badly oxidized. We followed the stairs downward, finding a larger-than-human skeleton in the dust at the bottom. 9’ tall and manacled, yet the bones were sparklingly clean, as was the misshapen head. We turned a corner and the floor got suddenly spongy with uneven lumps covering the floor.

• initiative loss
• save vs. spells
• Menka and Flint found themselves stunned, while Lycovyne got the runs
• three mouths reached out to Cathal and Gonchar (damage?)
• Cathal nailed it for 12 points
• Seamus whacked it for 11 points with his mug
• Tim magic missiled it for12 points
• Cathal nailed it again for 16 points
• Menka saved, Flint remained stunned, and Kyril bolted
• initiative win
• Cathal nailed it for 21 more points, killing it
• gibbering mouther, 70 hp
  • 4 gems (2 x 100 gp, 1 x 200 gp, 1 x 2000 gp)

The mouther explained the cleaned bones and missing wood, as well as the clumps in the dust on the stairs.

We continued onward into the intersection of a T-shaped bank of dungeon cells of dwarven size. One set of doors was bent out as if something or someone had escaped. Looking through the bars into the cells, Cathal found one cell where the floor, walls and ceiling were covered in all manner of runes and writing.

At one point the cleric spell Wyvern Watch is carved into the wall. At another, Speak with Dead, at the 10th level of use. At another point is written “will my mind endure?” while at another, “RC wuz here, but is he really? Or am I truly?” Also inscribed on the wall were winding mathematical equations. Menka searched the room for secret doors, finding none.

Some of the writing was in blood, some in feces, some carved. There was also a seven-pointed star carved into the walls near the spells. A huge seven-pointed star was also carved into the floor. It was surrounded by burn marks and the whole thing smelled of sulfur.

The area outside the rune-covered room was not cleaned like the rest of the area. This 20x20 area was covered in dust with what appeared to be numerous stains and splotches on the floor outside the cell. This dusty area ended abruptly in a line running from the westernmost edge of the cell door south to the opposite wall. A long-dead, desiccated dwarf lay just outside the cell. Clad in rusty chain mail, a shield strapped to its back, a hammer beside it. None of it was magic. We headed to the northwestern wing, finding a cell with a hole in the back wall. All our attempts to bend the bars failed. Lycovyne hit the barred door with a knock and it unlocked. We were going to use Tim’s Wand of Detect Magic but Kyril wisely reminded us that we won’t be able to get it re- charged if we use all the charges…

Gonchar entered the cell, he fit perfectly. The hole in the back wall was indeed a dwarf-sized escape hatch. Gonchar entered the tunnel behind the escape hatch. It was expertly excavated, with soft steel to crumble the stone. Flint followed Gonchar through the escape hatch.

Flint returned a short time later pulling some rope. The two had discovered a ledge, Gonchar would go over once Flint had tied off the other end of the rope, which he secured to the bars. A few moments passed and the rope moved as if Gonchar was tugging on it. We considered cutting the rope with a sharp sword, but decided, instead, to pull Gonchar back to the relative safety of the cell.

The dwarf had lowered himself into a huge cavern, rife with giant fungus and massive insects. " Passageway west, massive cavern, east"? The party used the rope previously setup by Gonchar and Flint to safely traverse the 15’ drop down. For once, all dex checks were made. Near where we landed, we found an ancient dwarven rune carved into the wall. It read, roughly, “no valuable ore”.

We entered the large cavern. Fungi glowed everywhere in the humid, rank air. Large insects skittered everywhere, and the air was filled with croaking and buzzing. The fungal growth stretched into the distance. We saw large centipedes in the area as well.

Halfway into the cavern two huge pillars of fungus reached the ceiling on either side. Halfway to that, a stream cut through to the south. Bones littered the ground on the far side of the stream.

The Fungus Forest#

Lycovyne, Gonchar and Menka got on the carpet. Cathal assumed the trailer position. We lifted off, staying 10’ from the ground and traveled down the center of the cavern, passing in between the large fungoid pillars.

As we passed between the pillars, Menka and Cathal passed a saving throw, while Gonchar and Lycovyne did not. Gonchar believed he was tiny and about to be stepped on, panicking because he couldn’t run away. Lycovyne believe he was sinking into a body of water and about to drown and began doffing his armor, throwing the pieces over the side and into the fungal forest below. Menka kept the carpet moving forward.

We passed beyond the two columns and this time Menka failed his save. He found himself with a leech on his back - he removed Evard’s Hardy Backpack from his back and began attacking it. Cathal levitated down to the ground and ran away. Gonchar came back to his senses and, seeing what was going on, grabbed the Backpack from Menka and kept it from him.

Lycovyne came back to his senses as well, and instantly regretted shedding all his armor. Menka came to his senses and the three landed and assessed the situation. We found the party split in half, with one half on the other side of the cavern. Cathal had run back to our starting point (yes? ).

Lycovyne used the Wand of Frost and cast Cone of Cold on each pillar. They did not seem to have any effect, though the pillars did look frozen.

Menka and Gonchar made their way back to the other side on the carpet, while Lycoyne made his way back on foot, now that the pillars seemed frozen (yes?). Lycovyne managed to scout around on the floor and found the pieces of his armor without being harmed. We made it back through without having to make saves.

Seamus had tried to swim across the river. He failed his dex check, began floating downstream and heard a waterfall to the north. He did eventually get across the river and made his way east. Menka brought Flint, Kyril and Tim across on the carpet.

The pillars were beginning to thaw as we made our way east. Seamus found a blade, indeed a mithril dagger, as he ran through the mushrooms. Eventually we all made it to the other side.

Altar Of Sacrifice#

The eastern end of the cavern ended in a tunnel that went south. We assumed a marching order and turned south. The mushrooms and other fungus thinned out and disappeared as we left the large cavern behind.

We found ourselves just outside a chamber that contained an altar with a natural pillar behind it. The altar and the floor around it were covered in black fungus. Nobody in the party was willing to walk on the fungus. Menka handed Gonchar a lit torch, thinking he may be able to toss it out into the fungus and burn it all. Instead, Gonchar applied the torch to some fungus near the edge. It did not seem to burn but it did visibly recede.

Menka took the torch back and began applying it to the fungus, while Gonchar and Flint used their flaming weapons (yes?) to push back the fungus. We slowly made our way to the altar. It was covered in leaves and flowers. The pillar was natural but covered in reptilian carvings, mouth and testicles tentacles.

Flint approached the altar. As he did so the flowers and moss on the altar began to quiver. Menka and Kyril immediately failed their saves. Both lost all memory of the previous 24 hours. They knew the people, but not where they were, nor any of their spells. The magic was apparently of a dwarven nature and Flint was not effected. Then he had to save anyway (vs. spells) and made it.

The druid identified the moss on the altar (which was not the same as the stuff on the floor) as memory moss (Obliviax). If we ate some of the stuff (and survived the eating) we may get some of our memory and spells back. Kyril cut a large section of the moss away and he and the priest began munching away. Both made their saves vs. poison. Menka asked Seamus for some ale to wash the hideous stuff down and the monk cheerfully stood him a pint. The priest and the druid got their spells and memories back, through the munificence of their gods and the DM, praise Thoth!

Menka and Lycovyne burned the moss off the natural pillar behind the altar. Carved into the pillar, a large reptilian face, hideous to look upon, gazed upon the altar with HUGE diamond eyes. Cathal did not want to go near the pillar to say nothing of touching it - it was a work of evil.

Beyond this chamber opened another large cavern. Covered in fungal growth, it was similar to the one was just passed through.

While checking the wall opposite the altar in the chamber Flint found a small aperture broken in the rock. He climbed through but came running back, immediately, having found a 6’ long worm eating a giant cricket on the other side. A dwarven rune on the wall on the altar side of the aperture said, again, “no valuable ore”. However, on his way back in, Flint saw a rune of similar vintage that spelled out “danger”.