| Session Date | August 21, 2021 |
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| Base XP Gained | Carry Over |
| Player Notes | ZZ's Notes |
The party made their way back through the secret passage and into the rickety shed along the cliff face as night fell on the woodland. Here they rested and considered their next actions. Mordecai was in no condition to travel far and, given the close proximity of the guarded tower, they though slipping into the woods might be dangerous. Staying in the shed seemed problematic, especially given the falling temperatures. Food was also an issue. With Mordecai out of commission for a few days, he could not create food and water for them. Rummaging, they determined they had enough rations for four days or so (along with a like amount of water supplemented by ZZ's magic beer mug). Given all this, they decided to not strike overland for Tolit and retreated back down into the secret passage - after all, it was filled with spiders to keep people out so it seemed unlikely anyone would enter it. Back below, the party settled in for a long rest. They were not down long when they heard a muffled horn blast above, followed soon by an answering blast. They did not investigate. Jarrik did give a Potion of Sweetwater to Knar to neutralize the spider poison he'd suffered earlier. Footsteps were heard in the shed the following day, but the trap door remained shut.
Four nights later, all were feeling much better, especially Mordecai. Recalling that there had been a fair amount of supplies in the dungeon, the party opted to explore, though they now had Mordecai back in action. They made their way back to the lair of the Wizard-Lich Silver thinking to tackle the mummies they'd previously fled from. Throwing open the door to a laboratory, Mordecai and ZZ were able to turn all six mummies and hold them at bay while a gleeful Knar plundered all of the lab equipment and supplies. Unable to locate more secret doors, the party re-investigated the mercury pool in a nearby room. Prodding into it revealed nothing and the party speculated it could be a scrying device for the destroyed Lich (it had been revealed to be magical in nature). A few experiments provided no results of note (throwing Lich dust in it, for instance). Knar did take some of the mercury, and more Lich dust. Before leaving, ZZ tried to use the Spirit Vessel to communicate with the dead Lich, but it seemed he'd been dead too long for it to work.
Moving on, the party made their way to the level above and began to explore to the west. In one sunken room they ran into a half-dozen trolls. The party fell into a passageway to minimize frontage and proceeded to tear up the trolls, ZZ and Jarrik in the front supported by Bel with her halberd, and the wizards pelting the trolls with spells. Knar even used his growth ability to get above the fight to get an angle for burning hands. The last trolls soon broke, trying to flee. One was cut down immediately and the last one made it to another passage before he, too, was cut down. The bodies were torched, of course.
Moving east, the party came again to a wide hall running north-south, the nearby northern end terminating in small temple or shrine area, with a statue of a 9' tall humanoid with large, bat-like wings and coal black skin (Mordecai probably would've recognized it as representing Maelentir, greater god of evil magics). As the party examined the statue, Bel sensed a secret door. Opening it, the party found a library, which Knar once again happily plundered. Several magic scrolls were also discovered amongst the numerous tomes and scrolls.
Pleased, the party turned and headed back south, right into a volley of arrows and two groups of Hobgoblins charging from either flank!