They followed the tunnel and found it was dug by scratching through the stone and earth. It was six feet wide and about twice as tall, indicating that a creature of some size had stirred the earth to create a passageway that extended eastward, under Old Town, and toward the spire. At some point, the passage will split, but the group will continue straight ahead. The passage splits again and the group moves on. Eventually they realized they had hit a dead end and started looking for hidden places…but found nothing.
While they were searching, they heard another group approaching from behind, but they headed for the nearest side passageway and out of sight. The dwarves speak of a lamia, a minotaur, and a horde of goblins, so the decision is made to follow them and make a surprise attack, which they do. The attack was successful, but several party members lost valuable wisdom due to Lamia’s incredible attack. After defeating them, the group begins exploring this complex made of stone. Apparently the tunnel beast was released to find this place.
Further investigation reveals they steal a malignant crystal, destroy some sort of damaged golem, and discover a half-constructed tower made of brass plates covered in sigils, sensing their evil nature. You’ll see that you’ve encountered a paladin that attacks you before being killed. They also encounter a ghost, some sort of ice troll, that dances back and forth from this plane to the other, launching attacks. They run away every time the party takes damage, but they are nervous and determined not to sleep in this place.
They poke and pry around corners and crevices and find lots of things that aren’t that much. Well, except for the fact that there were four corpses lying in front of the door. Zaal’s eye robes see through an invisibility spell that hides a small keyhole near the floor, and soon Orky becomes aware of the situation. As a result, a combination lock is revealed, at which point the group is stumped. Several ideas were considered, but they decided to retreat to the basement of the manor house and rest.
They are once again attacked by ethereal trolls, and are alarmed by the approach of the horde, which staggers down the stairs and descends into the wine cellar. While they are neatly gathered on the stairs, Saar sends out a bolt of lightning, dramatically tipping the odds in favor of the ambushers, and they immediately remove the magic from the bodies of the fallen before rushing off to the manor house. Strip things away.
Things got busy at their residence, and a contingent of troops from the Inverted Pyramid spoke of two separate groups launching attacks against the residence. Both failed, but managed to inflict casualties on the occupying forces. Baiga ruminates that the surgeon and unknown parties may be actively trying to end their lives…but they are being hailed as the city’s saviors, so staying incognito is no longer an option. That’s not possible. Sometimes being in the spotlight can be more of a target on your back than a help. They spend the day sifting through the loot and then try to find their contacts.
The journey to the Ghostly Minstrel initially proves futile, but upon returning, you find that you have made contact with a sorcerer with a ruby arm. She asked them to come back and see if there was anything else they could discover, emphasizing that time is of the essence for success.
So the group returns to the tunnels beneath Old Town, this time passing through tunnels that no one has yet passed through. They discover a network of caverns, several traps, an attack by the Umber Hulk (presumably the tunneler in question), and a diary that suggests that one family has the key needed to unlock the city. Discover a hideout with the tattered remains of. A door that could never be opened. Quick planning is required and they use the butler to their advantage by giving them the background of the family in question.
