We then set off on a less well-known route only to encounter a gigantic crocodile that nearly ate Oskar. As we struggled to free the paladin, more Fire Knives attacked us. One cast a fireball that caused a huge cave-in. We fell through the weakened floor into a cavern far below. We all got banged up a bit and the Purple Dragon Guard with Oriseus was buried under rubble. All we could find of him were his boots. Grossman’s men also disappeared in the calamity. We don’t know if they were buried under tons of rubble or they somehow escaped. 

Almost as soon as the dust began to settle cave dwellers hit us. A trio of chokers attacked out of the gloom. One grabbed Shane and carried him off. The choker had not expected the little halfling to put up quite so strong a struggle. We killed the chokers and found their nest in a crevice in the rocks. They had a bit of treasure including a nice, small suite of half plate armor, seven vials of acid and some coins. 

There appeared to be no way out of this cavern. The way we came down was completely blocked by rock and rubble. There were no passages out. After searching carefully, we did discover an area that looked to be filled with tunneling debris. The next day we began to excavate the debris, hoping to break through into an open passage. Hours later we poked a small hole through into something beyond. Ciercie crept through and looked around. She found a worked passage lit by a green glow. I got nervous and called her back before anything bad happened. 

A short time later we got the hole wide enough that we could wiggle through. Xan’s familiar started to explore a bit and almost immediately spotted a black haired woman. The owl felt a terrible repulsion and came back to Xan. We prepared for a struggle and staged on the other side of the rubble pile. Unfortunately, the enemy came at us from both sides of the passage where it came past our tunnel. Fortunately they did not come at the same time. Three yuanti warriors came around from the left. They are spell slingers as well as sword fighters. Xan got turned into a tiny snake early in the battle. It was pretty nerve wracking. I got a couple of defensive spells up and then got a flaming sphere off behind the enemy. Then, from the right, the female and a huge snake creature with arms came around the corner. Primula stepped out of the way and I launched a powerful lightning bolt down the right hall. This killed the female but the big snake warrior was just scorched. The battle raged and spells flew. I hasted Oskar and he tied into the yuanti abomination. It fell to magic missiles as the last of the other yuanti warriors died in the flames of the flaming sphere. 

Exhausted, we retreated to the cavern behind the safety of the rubble pile. We stacked up some rocks to plug the hole and give us some warning if something decided to come through. Fortunately, the polymorph effect wore off on its own and Xan returned to his own form after a glass or two. Oriseus told us more about the yuanti as we rested. The large snake-like abomination was likely a priest. The others were pure ones. They can secrete acid from their skin and have special spell casting abilities. Oriseus played a relatively minor role in the battle with the yuanti. He had up some defensive magics and used a wand to cast magic missiles again, but I wonder if he is holding back for some reason. I hope it is not because he is does not want us to get Grossman out of here. 

After resting and recovering eight or ten hours, we went back through into the yuanti lair to explore. Oskar reported that there was another source of evil ahead, one that did not move during the previous battle. I was all for going around another way to avoid an encounter if we could. Shane and Oskar were both adamant that we needed to eliminate this threat rather than leave it behind us. We discovered a room with warm spiral pillars that heated the area, making it comfortable to the snake people. Beyond we found the source of evil sensed by Oskar. A troll was caged and chained in another room. It was trying to chew its own arm off. We burned it with flaming spheres and alchemists fire. In this area we found vials that once held troll blood. I tried to remember what types of uses one could find for troll blood. I was a bit flustered and can’t remember details now. I will have to do a bit of research later. 

That is all for now. We will be moving on soon. I just hope that we can soon find a way out of this place so we can get done with this mission. 

Sincerely,

Cedar