Dear Master Zorthaster,

As I feared, the drow stronghold which we have disturbed has boiled over and the people of the dale have suffered as a direct consequence of our actions. Despite this terror, laid at our feet, we persist in trying to reach the heart of the evil that threatens us. Once again we have probed into the dark world below the Dordrien Crypts and fought with powerful forces of the drow. Once again we have made some little progress but have failed to strike a killing blow to the beast below the dale.

After a brief night of rest on the 16th, we set out in the early hours of the new day. Primula covered us with billowing white robes and cast her enchantment that turned us all to vapor. We traveled rapidly across the countryside to the crypts. Our flight allowed us to see the fresh smoke from burning farmsteads and new fires at Shadowhold. A closer look at our stronghold revealed that the drow had set fires that gutted the interior of two perimeter towers. The fires of the central keep were more intense. The entire stone structure at the center of Shadowhold was a smoking ruin. We did not linger to meditate on the destruction caused by the dark elves but moved quickly to the doors of the crypts. A new lock was in place, but our vaporous forms slipped through these mundane defenses.

Our first encounter with drow occurred where the sentries were once again stationed. Our attempt to slip past them was unsuccessful. Even though our forms appeared vaporous, the drow were alarmed. It was clear almost immediately that they believed that they were under assault from a force of undead returning in another attempt to drive them from the crypts. A quick-thinking attempt by Xan to scare the sentries away from more fortified positions deeper in the darkness failed and they leapt down the tunnel to the room giving access to the chasm.

Rather than giving chase, we chose to investigate the area beyond the wall just past the hole to below. In our previous exploration we had discovered that the artificial wall beyond the hole appeared to have been conjured by a wall of stone spell. I easily opened a hole with a passwall. I closed the hole as soon as we had all entered. There was a moment of dismay when I had to admit that I had only prepared one spell to allow us to pass the stone wall without leaving any evidence of our travels. The stone proved to be only a few inches thick and I had no question that we could break through the stone if we needed to. Fortunately, we did not need to.

Beyond the wall, we faced some serious challenges before we could breathe a little easier. The stagnant air told us that the area had been sealed for some time and suggested that we would not find an unguarded route deeper into the underdark. We discovered that the dark, stinking caverns were the lairs of two huge starving spiders and a pair of driders. Quick use of a new wand of daylight revealed the driders hiding in the darkness throwing spells at us. Kerith took the brunt of the spell damage, but he held up under the assaults very well and gave back as much as he took.

We secured the caverns and assured ourselves that they were a dead end. We rested briefly and found a few items of value amongst the stinking nests of the starving spiders. There was little else here but we were determined to use this place to our advantage. Oskar succeeded in carving a small hole in the wall of stone so we could, resuming our vaporous forms, exit the dead end and leave it apparently undisturbed. Oskar had done his work carefully at the upper part of wall along the seam where it joined with the natural stone of the cavern. Our plan was to cut off the retreat of the drow below and destroy them before they could raise an alarm. Invisible, I flew into the cavern below and raised a wall of force at the edge of the chasm. The drow knew that something was awry when the breeze from the chasm suddenly ceased. Before they had an opportunity to react, the Wandsmen hit them with full force. There was a brief conflict but it was over as quickly and as quietly as we had hoped. It appeared that the alarm had not been raised. Xan had the foresight to purchase a scroll of arcane eye from the Woven Tower while we were in Daggerfalls. I used the spell to explore the chasm. We discovered several tunnel entrances along the chasm wall, above a wide, fast-flowing river.

Our plan was to resume our vaporous forms and descend into the chasm. We believed that if we attacked from far below, we would take the drow by complete surprise. Despite our experiences earlier, I think we underestimated the power of the forces arrayed against us.

We began our assault on the lowest entrance, in an encounter that included several quth maren and a pair of noble drow vampires. When we realized what the drow there really were, we were all, I think, taken aback. We did well against the surprising foes, but the enemy caused us some significant trouble. A powerful enchantment at the edge of the chasm affected Primula as she tried to enter the cavern. It knocked her off Oskar's cat where she was riding behind the paladin. The priestess plummeted into the rushing river below. I was nearby and hasted so I gave chase. Casting polymorph self, I was able to take the form of a brass dragon and retrieve her from the river while the rest of the party either killed or drove off the remaining enemy in the cavern.

Because we had lost our surprise, and because we needed to reassess the opposition and reformulate our plan, we returned to our incorporeal forms and retreated into the secret spider lair. To further hide ourselves, we used a rope trick . This is where we are now. We are all quiet for the moment. I think we are all thinking carefully about how to proceed. We are making some small progress in our war against the drow. Though it is progress measured in very small increments. I am frustrated with the rate of our progress, but our resolve to continue remains undiminished. Any time I think about failing to eliminate this threat, I have only to imagine the entire dale covered in the smoke of burning farmsteads. With these thoughts in my mind, my resolve is renewed and I am willing to put my fears behind me and do everything within my power to stop this evil.

Your faithful student,

Cedar