View source for Chronicle - Nagrad

'''The Journey to Celinas'''

Whilst we rested we kept watch on the river to look for the approach of Morganes - he was our only lead to the location of Nagrad. Morwath took the palantir into the wood to commune with nature and attempt to learn more of Morganes. In this he was successful, as he was able to observe a past conversation between Morganes and Marilliath. Apparently he was due in about two days time and was expecting to be met by a Gith ship bearing the pouch that we had recovered and the note from Marilliath.

Morwath had also seen visions of other conversations drawn from the Palantir. The first seemed to be between a Balrog (Malfor perhaps) and Marilliath. Malfor had been told of Marilliath's plans for Nega by 'their Lord' (we believed this to be Orcus) and was not happy with them, as he needed time to secure the North and wished Marilliath to move North to Olga to support his forces. Marilliath refused, saying that Orcus was happy with her intentions and that she would continue until she held Nega. Malfor pointed out that Orcus was happy with anything that spread chaos across the land, but had no choice but to accede to Marilliath. He said "as you will, but leave my ally alone", by which we understood him to mean Inwe and the Drow. He also said that Demogorgon was on the Prime once more.

The next conversation appeared to be between Orcus and Marilliath, and she was telling him that construction was almost complete and that it would allow her to support the North. Orcus replied that plans change and that the giant (certainly Calios) had lost his ring and his head. He then warned her that Mercantire and Hintzu were a threat and were on their way to Ochi imminently. That Orcus knew of Merc we suspected, but to hear him speak Hintzu's name was worrying - clearly as the ring bearer he was becoming known to the enemy.

The last conversation was more worrying; it was, we believe, the communication between Inwe and Merc, and it seemed that the Drow Queen had somehow charmed Merc into going to her location. It might be that he was being coerced into helping the Drow, which was bad, but it might be that he was being seduced into believing that he should help the Drow, which was worse!

Whilst Morwath was studying the palantir, we were all troubled by visions in our sleep:


[[Dafydd Vision in Nagrad|Dafydd's Vision]]

[[Morwath Vision in Nagrad|Morwath's Vision]]

[[Morwath Palantir Readings in Nagrad|Morwath's Palantir Readings]]


Inevitably we spent some time discussing what we had seen and how it fitted with what we thought we knew about history and the enemy. The origin of the Drow as a 'race' seemed to be a betrayal by a Sylvan elf, Fringol, at Aarda in 566, allowing Dispater to enter Aarda and delaying victory by two years. This elf and his people must have been exiled, either by force or by choice, and developed in isolation to the other elves.

Lastar, Lanzi deduced, must be in Limbo. This is another of the planes, so he said, and I trust his word in such matters. This at least means that he did not become a Lich, or at least that is what it would mean if we were right.

Elorand wrote part of the Codicil, and described how to open gates between the planes. Lanzi was in possession of this book, and it seemed that he should guard it closely.

We decided that we should add to our list of objectives the task of uniting the races within themselves as well as with each other. In the case of the elves, that would mean reconciliation between the Drow and the other elven races. This would be no mean feat, considering that there was a long history of hatred, betrayal and murder between the two.

We pieced together some links between the Drow elves and other elves, and [[Drow Links Grpahic|scribbled them down]].

Nagreb was on an island in the North, between Kaffendir and Malen.

Artifacts that were split into an odd number were out of balance, and it was suggested that one way of restoring balance might be to make an additional artifact or restoring part.

Tuar Chan commanded Tun Mi Lung to destroy Melai's fleet and capture her, but he did it for Magreb. He also equipped Magreb with ships to replace those he lost to Melai's fleet. He did this in exchange for the sword, Agan, and lawful trade arrangements that benefited Tuar Chan financially.

Inwe corrupted Iki-Moko by using his pride against him (he was not included in the White Council of his age) and by presenting him with the book penned by Elorand (we must keep an eye on Lanzi).

Gildorian killed Fringol, the traitor, in Malor Marsh in 700. Fringol's banner was green with a white prancing horse.

Frastor's use of the gem at Olga brought Ezollach down upon them. He was warned by Bavarik, but ignored his council.

The crown originally belonged to Gelmir. Iki-Moko passed the crown to an elven Queen that we did not recognise, but Marilliath took it from her.

The gem we found was the Gem of Truth (a good gem that favoured a lawful existence), which we had called "Frastor's Bane". The gems were sentient, which explained how they were able to influence their owners.

The substance in the pouch with the note was a mixture that enabled its imbiber to breath underwater. We would need more if we were to pass as a group into the place that Morganes planned to go. The mixture required the oil from a Great Gar's skin, a Hydra's scale and the stomach contents of a Naga mixed with valuable sapphires.

Finally ready to move on, we gathered our things and started to walk West along the river bank. Our plan was now to disguise ourselves as Gith and attempt to convince Morganes that Ochi had fallen to the forces of good and that our ship had been destroyed in the fighting. As we passed simple fishermen (oriental humans) we asked about the Great Gar, but apparently it was a salt water fish and they would not have known where to start looking for one. We walked for about half a day, perspiring quite heavily in the hot, humid climate; eventually a galley came into view ahead on the river. As it approached we could see that it had a Drow crew, and the fishermen were doing their best to avoid it as it passed.

Morwath quickly sprinkled dust over us and the illusion changed our appearance to Gith once more. Morwath had some command of the elven tongue, and he hailed the galley as it came closer; it lurched from the centre of the river towards the Southern bank in response. At the rear of the galley stood a Drow in a blue tunic with an angular face and a ponytail - it was Morganes. The Drow crew were shouting orders around and the oars stopped their steady motion in response, slowing the vessel as it came within a hundred yards.

Morganes shouted a question, asking who it was that hailed them. Morwath then began to spin the tale that we had a delivery for him and that Ochi had fallen - as well as the truth that Marilliath was dead. Morganes ordered the anchor to be dropped and a boat sent to collect us from the bank. So far so good, as the fallback plan was to kill them all and being on board would make it easier.

Morganes addressed Morwath as we climbed aboard, treating him as an ambassador for Marilliath. Morwath presented him with a pouch and the note, although the contents had been changed for some sand and coloured glass that would be of no use to him. Unfortunately he saw straight through the ruse, and Lanzi quickly had to bluff that we had been testing him to ensure that the delivery was made to the right person. He was not happy, demanding that we did not test him again, but calmed down when he was presented with the real pouch by Morwath (a bold move, although we might be able to make it from scratch now that we knew the ingredients).

He then quizzed us on the events at Ochi, and Morwath once again told of the fall of Ochi to a reinforced Nega army with heroes at its head (a little immodest, but the intent was a good one) and that those heroes slayed Marilliath in the heart of her fortress, leaving her forces in disarray. He also told of our mission to accompany Morganes to Nagrad, and that we would still complete that mission but that we had lost our ship in the fighting and barely escaped with our lives. Morganes seemed to believe what he was told, but the Captain advised that a scout should be sent forward to confirm our story before they turned back (by the way that the ship was riding low in the water it was clear that he carried a cargo that would be worth gold to him, so it is no wonder he advised such a course of action). Morganes agreed, and a scout was given the ability to fly by dweomer and dispatched to Ochi.

Morganes ordered the galley to withdraw a short distance to avoid danger, and then offered us food and drink whilst we waited for the scout's return. He also asked if we could contact others of our kind in order to arrange for a ship to meet with us. Morwath again bluffed, saying that none that were sea worthy were left in range, and that we would have to move towards Celinas before any vessel could be summoned. We all resolved to wait for the scout's return.

After some hours of waiting, we saw the scout returning through the air, bow in hand. It seemed likely that he would expose us, as there would be no evidence of a full scale battle at Ochi. Lanzi, however, had other plans and was to try out the power of his new crown. The crown, having belonged to Gelmir, had some power of suggestion over the elven races; as the scout approached, Lanzi called to him that he waited for him to confirm that Ochi had fallen and that only danger lay up river from us, but using the dweomer of the crown to force his words to take root in the scout's mind. It seemed to work, as the scout put up his bow and relayed exactly what Lanzi had told him to the Captain, who went below to speak to Morganes.

Morganes was troubled by the news, and kept saying that his mission would have to be reassessed now that Marilliath had fallen, and that it might not be worth travelling to Nagrad after all. He eventually said that he would have to 'think on it' and went below once more. Lanzi used the crown once more, this time on the Captain, in an effort to gain access to his charts to locate Nagrad for ourselves; however the Captain did not know of its location, and it was not marked on any of his charts, so it seemed that the only lead we had was through Morganes.

We decided that we would have to confront Morganes, so we bluffed our way below decks and gathered around the trapdoor that lead to Morganes' cabin. Lanzi used the chime of opening to unlock it and then climbed down the ladder, quickly followed by Morwath as they were the only elven speakers. Morganes quickly pocketed something that had been on the desk, and demanded that they wait above decks for him to be ready to speak with them. Lanzi tried to control Morganes' mind in the same way as the other Drow, but it did not work and the trapdoor slammed shut before Hintzu and I could descend.

Hintzu tried to quietly force open the trapdoor using his great strength, whilst a battle of will and dweomer was happening below us between Morganes and Lanzi - neither gaining an advantage. Hintzu succeeded in forcing the trapdoor and we both made our way down to join our friends. I attempted to dominate Morganes' mind, but with no more success than Lanzi. Hintzu tried a more direct approach, charging and grappling with the Drow. He got Morganes in a headlock, but was then thrown and lost his grip.

I tried to reason with Morganes, saying that we did not wish him or his race harm, and that he should not fight us, but it was already too late and he kept fighting. Morwath threw three darts at him, and as I watched they split into countless smaller darts in mid air. The sound of buzzing hornets filled the room as the darts peppered Morganes' body, causing him to cry out in pain and stagger backwards. He staggered towards Hintzu, who was attempting to him him across the legs to disable him. Unfortunately he fell awkwardly and pushed the darts deeper in to his body, his blood flowing from multiple wounds, and he died with a gurgle.

We had not intended to kill Morganes, only subdue him, so things had not exactly gone to plan! Fortunately, Lanzi found a key on his body that looked similar to the Key of Kagrash, and Lanzi seemed confident that it would take us to where we needed to go. A poem was inscribed into the key, and it read:


To hide your island treasure halls,

On which you built your minarets,

You lay your lot behind vast walls,

And with it keep safe your coronets.


This tool, fashioned well by Orodruin,

Will guide your servants mired and lost,

Home to those halls of fire and glowing,

Deep beneath the permafrost.


Not one to miss an opportunity to acquire items of dweomer, Lanzi proceeded to strip Morganes of anything vaguely magical. Unusually, though, he then shared the items amongst us all without a word of dispute. He kept the cloak and a book of spells, but gave the boots and a dagger to Morwath and a stone of good luck to me.

We now had to explain what had happened to the Captain and crew, and decided that the best way to win them over was to appeal to their greed. We went back on deck (ready for combat, just in case) and confronted the Captain, telling him that we had slain Morganes. We called him a traitor, and that his hesitation in carrying out Marilliath's wishes was a sign of cowardice. We offered payment for his services to carry us to Celinas and beyond. We also had to admit that we were not Gith, but that we were humans acting independently with our own agenda. If the gold was not enough, then we warned that we might come to blows, and that he should consider Morganes' fate before choosing such a course of action.

The Captain was initially wary, but as the bartering for payment began it was clear that he saw an opportunity to make a great deal of money. Soon he was more concerned with the amount that we would pay than the fact that his allegiance was being changed. Eventually Lanzi had agreed to pay 35,000 gold pieces for transport to Celinas, resupply and then a hunt for a Great Gar in the ocean beyond. I am not sure that this was a good deal, but as our options were quite limited we really had no choice but to agree to his terms.

The crew dumped their original cargo in the river and turned about to sail downriver to Celinas. With the lighter load and the current with us, we made good time. This was good, as the weather was humid and stormy and proved quite uncomfortable for those used to a cooler climate. The Captain hailed any other Drow vessels and turned them away, telling of the fall of Ochi and urging them to return to Celinas - it seemed that we had cut off their supply route without even planning to!

We reached Celinas without incident, and it was a vast urban sprawl that I had not seen the like of before. There were hundreds of ships docked on the wharfs, and huge covered markets lead away from these docks towards some of the poorer buildings that lay outside the fortified walls. The city walls showed signs of having been assaulted, and it was clear that the Drow now occupied the city. The vessel docked in order to resupply, but the Captain suggested that we remain aboard - we might be a little conspicuous in such a place. Another gem changed hands to 'smooth the waters' and the Drow even agreed to ask about sightings of Great Gar.

While the supplies were purchased and brought aboard, we caught snatches of conversation that brought some news to us. The Drow were assembling a strike force that would attempt to retake Ochi (although what they would do when they found Ochi as we had left it we did not know). We also spent some time scrying for the locations of the other ingredients we needed. I asked Odin for guidance in finding a Naga, and was granted a vision of a swamp with a river opening out to an estuary; a mound stood on the bank, and a large Naga swam from it towards the estuary and a boat with two oriental fishermen within it. It disappeared below the water, and then burst from underneath the boat, splitting it in two and dunking the men in the water, allowing the Naga to finish them and consume them at its leisure. Lanzi used his dweomer to scry for a Hydra, and saw a cliff face with a cave entrance bored out by the pounding of water over the years. In the back of the cave was a large Hydra feasting on fish that had been washed in with the tide.

We sailed for the last reported position of Great Gar, according to fishermen that the Drow had questioned, and were told that it would be about half a day's sail. We were warning that the Great Gar were so named for a reason, but nothing quite prepared us for the sight of them when we finally sighted them later that day. They were at least as large as the galley, and probably larger, and could easily damage our vessel and leave us stranded if we were to get too close. The Drow were able to use boarding ballistae with rope tied to a bolt in an attempt to capture a chunk of their flesh (we only needed a section of their skin in order to get the oil that we needed from it). Eventually they landed a hit on one, and although it thrashed around it actually helped us in our endeavour, as a chunk of its flesh came out as it did so.

We boiled up the scraps, to general disgust at the smell, and took off the oil from the top to use in the creation of the powder we needed. Having got what we needed here we turned about and made for the coast. Once again, I called upon Odin's favour to guide us true to our next destination, which was the estuary that I had seen in my vision of the Naga. I was able to guide the Captain to a section of coast that looked much like my vision, although there were several estuaries that might have been the one I saw.

The water was fairly shallow along this stretch of the coastline, and the galley could not approach too closely. The Captain was unwilling to risk the ship's boat in an encounter with Naga, so we were left to work out our own way of approaching the shoreline. I was certainly not going to swim, with all the armour I was wearing! Fortunately Lanzi had yet more dweomer about his person, and was able to produce a huge boat shaped like a swan from a simple figurine. The boat seemed almost alive, and even had feet to propel it through the water. We climbed aboard and it took us towards shore. As we approached we hailed a fisherman, who directed us to an area further along the coast where no boats could be seen. I suggested that we approach by land, as the Naga would surely have an advantage in the water and would be difficult to target. Lanzi was overconfident, though, and insisted that we would be quite safe.

So we approached by water, in the swan boat, and sure enough two Naga erupted from either side of our vessel and caught us by surprise - they were closer than we had expected. Magic missiles rained down on us, and then a fireball erupted amongst us. I caught most of the blast, and some of my pouches were destroyed; fortunately, the swan was also crisped and we were plunged into the water, so the fire did not catch. Unfortunately, I was plunged into the water! I must admit that I have something of a phobia of water - the idea of drowning terrifies me, and here I was sinking fast in the ocean, well out of my depth! The fact that my potions were sinking with me did not even enter my mind; I keep some of Odin's grace always in store for just such a terrible event, and called on it now to bless me with the power to breathe in the water, which was fortunate as I gulped in several salty mouthfuls in doing so.

Unseen to me, Hintzu had used his agility to jump onto one of the Naga, and had proceeded to kill it with repeated blows. He then used it as a flotation device, bobbing around on the surface. Morwath, in a similar situation to me but completely unfazed by being submerged, used his command of the elements to send me shooting towards the surface; soon I found myself able to walk on the water as if I were standing on firm sand! The other Naga had been stunned by someone, so both were floating on the surface. I grabbed the one with Hintzu clinging to it and started dragging it back towards the galley, wanting nothing more than to get a firm footing to stand on once more.

I made it back and quickly scrambled aboard, taking a few breaths before helping Hintzu up the side. Morwath was fine, being able to change shape into a creature of the water anyway, and Lanzi's dweomer seemed to have kept him safe as well. I was still a little shocked by the close call, and my emotions were all over the place. I am ashamed to say that I let anger get the best of me, blaming Lanzi for not listening to me when I said to approach on land. As he turned from climbing aboard, I lashed out with my fist and struck him on the jaw, shouting at him that he should have listened. I immediately regretted doing so, but it was too late. I doubt that I have ever landed such a perfect blow; he was lifted off his feet and fell to the deck like a sack of grain, stunned. Seeing him knocked out by my hand brought me to my senses, and I rushed to aid him, calling on Odin's forgiveness and healing the welt that I had created. With the healing I offered he was fine of course, but his pride was a little dented and I was suitably contrite.

The last ingredient we needed was from a Hydra, and Lanzi had seen the cave that we had to seek in his scrying. We sailed North up the coast towards an area of cliffs, searching for a cave that matched Lanzi's description. Each day we travelled we saw three or four Drow warships heading South to Celinas, presumably to bolster the strike force that was gathering. Eventually we found an area that Lanzi was sure matched his vision, and we were once again debating how to get closer. This time Lanzi agreed that we should use whatever route that I thought was best! Although the crew were unwilling to take us close to such danger, they were willing to let us use their boat to get ashore. We rowed to the small beach as soon as the tide had gone out enough for us to have somewhere to land. We then walked along the beach towards the cave, which I felt was a far more sensible approach.

As we got closer we took a moment to call down Odin's favour and to use dweomer to give us an advantage. Lanzi turned Hintzu's skin into something resembling stone, and then used his favourite defence, calling multiple images of himself into existence. We could hear a hissing from within the cave, and Lanzi shone a piercing, bright light inside, revealing a snake-like head and causing it to recoil sharply, dazzled. It moved closer, and we saw that it was purple-brown in colour and had a dozen heads, all now focused on us! We all leapt to attack the heads, having been warned by Hintzu that the body was fairly redundant. Lanzi used countless magic missiles to kill two of the heads; I called down purging flames from the heavens to kill another two; Morwath cut off another with his scimitar, and Hintzu struck six off in quick succession! With only two left to destroy, I switched to a more traditional approach, braining one with a solid blow from my mace, and Hintzu continued his dance of death by decapitating the last. With its heads gone, the creature died and we were able to take as many scales as we wanted before returning to the galley.

With all the ingredients we needed, Morwath started to work on creating the powder that would give us the ability to breathe underwater (although the thought of willingly venturing to such a place still made me nervous). Meanwhile, Lanzi began to negotiate with the Captain again to secure passage North. He managed to get us a deal of sorts; if we provided some wind to speed the voyage, we could have passage to Celin for 'only' 12,000 gold pieces. Between Morwath and Lanzi, they were able to change the weather to provide wind of varying strength, and we made good time up the coast. There was no sign of Melai's vessels at all, and the only friendly boats were those of local fishermen, who avoided the Drow galley by making for the shore as we approached. By the time we approached Celin, the powder of water breathing had been finished, and there was plenty for all of us. Now we just had to reach Nagrad!

We once again waited on the galley as the Captain made enquiries about a ship that could take us as far North as Nagrad. Although he did not know the actual location, he knew that a good ocean-going vessel would be required and that storms would have to be weathered on the way. He came back with a business proposal for Lanzi; he would purchase a warship for us, crew it and take us to Nagrad and back, but he would keep the warship once we returned. The cost to us would be 25,000 gold up front and another 25,000 on our return. Lanzi clearly had ideas about Tun Mi Lung's hoard, even though our mission was not to confront the dragon if it was avoidable, and agreed a little too readily to the proposal. We used a member of the crew as a broker to sell some unwanted equipment and to purchase provisions and more cold-weather gear before we departed. Lanzi also used the time wisely to test his dweomer underwater, with many of his spells having unexpected results. I was convinced to test movement underwater and, although I did not like it, I at least accepted that it would be possible to spend some time underwater without drowning.

We set sail on the new, stronger vessel and headed North-West, following the key's indication. The weather deteriorated as we travelled and became increasingly stormy. As we sailed North the climate grew colder and the storms heavier. Icebergs could be seen at a distance towards the end of the voyage. The Captain seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, getting involved with the running of the ship more than before, and keeping a close eye on the weather as it deteriorated. We were not enjoying the voyage at all; although the first few weeks were not too bad, the last five or six weeks were awful. The sea swells were huge, and the ship was thrown around like a leaf on the wind. We were all very ill, suffering from a sea-sickness that we didn't think would leave us alive! Although we had provisioned for the voyage, it seemed that we would not need it all as we were unable to keep much of it down.

In what seemed to be the very worst storm so far (although each one we encountered seemed worse than the last), a shout went up from the crew: "Nagrad!" Captain Stallack (for that was his name) rushed to the bow to see for himself, and Morwath's keen eyes picked out a peak in the distance. Clouds were streaming around it, and it was regularly lost to sight, but it was definitely there.

As we approached it became apparent that the peak we had seen was a dormant volcano, although it still smoked. It was situated at the southern end of a range of volcanic peaks, and steam rising from spots in the ocean along with the occasional eruption of frothy gas from the water suggested that there was activity below the surface as well. On the leeward side of the mountain was a harbour entrance, and the Captain made for it, although the sea was still rough.

Approaching the smoky mountain, the smell of sulphur began to assail our nostrils, and every now and then a strong cloud of gas would make us gag (although it might still have been the rough seas). The Captain announced that the sea was too rough to risk an approach, and Lanzi called upon his dweomer to calm the winds for a short time in order that we might get into the harbour. With the weather calmed for him, the Captain expertly directed the ship into the harbour, where keyside wharfs and warehouses lead off into a market area, but all was deserted.

Although most of the islands we had seen were covered in snow and ice, this area was free of it, although still cold. The crew were very happy about having found the lost city of Nagrad, but the Captain was nervous and did not want to linger in the deserted place. He promised us to wait for two days, but after that he would leave and make for the mainland again.

We took a launch to the nearest wharf, feeling quite safe in the little boat now that we were in calm water once more, but quick to scramble up onto solid ground as soon as we could. It was a little disorientating standing still after so long at sea, and there were a few more retches to clear our stomachs before we could get started. As we were getting ourselves together the ground shook and there was a distant rumble for a few seconds, passing as quickly as it had started. We were not sure just how inactive this volcano was!

Morwath changed the temperature around us to make it more comfortable, although it initially felt very hot as we were used to the biting cold wind. The key pointed to our right, towards one of the great defensive walls, so we started in that direction.

We climbed up stairs that led up beside a palisade to a tower above us. At the tower, the path narrowed to about five foot across and continued between the mountain and the palisade, widening slightly as it did so. As we carried on, there was an eruption of ice, ash and snow from above us and to our left; a long, ice blue, worm thing had emerged from the cliff and turned to focus on us.

Hintzu reacted first, raising a wall of fire between us and the creature, but it crashed through it without pause and tried to bite Morwath. Fortunately his cloak again saved him from injury, the bite missing due to its misdirection. Hintzu landed a blow on the creature, and then Morwath used more of his hornet darts, striking the creature in too many places to count and surely doing incredible damage. Still the thing fought on, whiping its tail round to strike Hintzu, causing him to fall to his knees. The tail was apparently red hot, and Hintzu suffered burns as well as the damage done by the tail hitting him. He recovered and retaliated, killing the creature with one mighty blow, but then asked for Odin's help in recovering from his wounds, and thankfully I was able to aid him.

We continued towards a turn in the path, following a spur of rock that jutted into the sea to our right. Morwath then noticed a movement in the ash ahead of us, and it seemed that another of the creatures was approaching. Sure enough, as we reached the turn, another creature erupted from the sides of the cliff ahead of us, lashing out quickly. We were ready for it, though and avoided its attacks. Lanzi's magic did not seem to affect these creatures, and it was left to Hintzu and Morwath to fight it as I was praying to Odin to guide their blows and keep them safe. Between them, though, they were able to bring it down with the many strikes that hit home. We were safe for a little longer.

At this point we debated the merits of continuing on our present path. The key was pointing slightly into the mountain, although not so far that it any entrance would be close - it was more likely that the key was indicating something on the far side of the mountain, but we did not know the best way to get there. I had seen a secret door being used in my vision, and we had already walked past its location; this might give us access to the halls within, but there was no guarantee that they would lead to what we sought. We decided to try the door anyway, as the exterior of the mountain was clearly very dangerous.

I indicated the rough location of the door and both Morwath and Lanzi pinpointed its location. Lanzi used his chime to open it, causing it to swing out towards us. Inside the mountain, running parallel with the path we were on, was a corridor leading to the left and right. Arrow slits lined the corridor, and it was clearly a defensive position from which to fire at assaulting foes. We entered the corridor, turning right and continuing on our original path but this time inside the defences.

After a short distance we saw a door on the left leading into the mountain. Hintzu took a closer look and warned that it was trapped. After more detailed examination, he pressed a hidden switch and opened the door without setting off the trap. Beyond the door was a small, square room with a spiral staircase leading up from the far side. Deciding to investigate, we climbed the stairs to a similarly sized room, but with doors to the left and right. The door to our left was closer to the direction indicated by the key, so we cautiously opened that door.

Beyond was another corridor, and after a little way a short passage on the left led to another small room with a staircase at the back. The eerie, deserted corridors that bore no signs of habitation were beginning to niggle at us, but we pressed on - only to find another small room to our left with another staircase. This fortification seemed to have nothing of interest, and didn't seem to be bringing us any closer to our goal. We descended, just to make sure that we were not missing anything, but it simply led to the original corridor with arrow slits. Hintzu set off the trap on the door at this corridor, but was able to stay safely within the room as a pit opened in front of him!

We climbed again, but this time two flights up, where the stairs ended in another small room. Another corridor was all that could be found, and the repetitive design was beginning to frustrate us. As we dithered in the corridor, not sure of which direction to take, we were shocked to see dark spectres rush from the walls, cutting off all our exits and floating rapidly towards us in chilling silence. Surprised, they had us at a disadvantage.

Lanzi just managed to get his mirror images up as they descended on him, and two of the images disappeared straight away. I was not so lucky - one of the creatures raked me with its claws, which passed straight through me. My heart froze, and the energy drained from me; I felt my connection with Odin loosen as the foul energies of the thing drained my very soul. Shaken, my first attempt at calling for Odin's aid died on my lips, and it took a moment to compose myself. Meanwhile Lanzi had lost another image, but they had done their job and bought him the time to call on his dweomer. Lightning flashed down the corridor in front of him (thankfully none of us were in that direction) and when the bright image faded from our eyes there were none of the things left before him. I composed myself, heartened by this success, and called on Odin's power to drive these spirits away, and the four assailing me turned in fear, fleeing from Odin's light. Hintzu had engaged the last three, and quick attacks cut through their images, banishing two of them to wherever they go when they die a second time.

The weakness in my spirit had endured, and I was desperate to regain my spiritual strength, fearing more attacks, but only the mightiest of priests could reverse the effects of such evil, and even then it was not done so lightly. There was one hope; I had knowledge of one power that might reverse the actions of the creature that had struck me, and I called upon Odin's grace to do so before it disappeared from sight. Thankfully, he looked favourably on me and the creature was forced by his might to live out its last actions in reverse. As it's claws once again raked through me, this time they gave back the spirit that they had cruelly stolen - I felt whole again and gasped in relief. The creature was still afraid of Odin's power, and fled off into the wall. We had been lucky.

We quickly made our way down the corridor, just to get away from such an evil place, but then came across a hole. It looked as though something as wide as the corridor had burrowed through from floor to ceiling (or vice versa) and continued on. We were all very nervous now - not sure whether to watch the corridor, the burrow or the walls for threats! We quickly traversed or jumped the hole and hurried on. Further on was another, similar hole, which we again bypassed and continued. The corridor eventually came to an end at a door. Hintzu checked it and opened it, leading us into a somewhat larger room beyond.

The room looked like an old armoury, although any weapons left were beyond use, and had a door in the far left corner. Three skeletons with flaming orbs in their chests were stood in the room; we remembered these things from beneath Aarda and knew that they could throw fireballs from these orbs. Unfortunately the sudden change in the, up until now, repetitive architecture threw most of us and we were slow to react. Luckily for us, Hintzu had no such disorientation and charged into the fray. He destroyed two with quick blows and the last threw a fireball at him, not knowing that his ring would protect him. By the time the flames had faded the last skeleton was dead and all the rest of us could do was congratulate Hintzu on his reactions!

It was clear by now that the tunnels were not taking us any closer to our goal. The Drow did not burrow into the mountain as the Dwarves would have, instead this was just a fortification that protected the town outside. We would have to walk around if we were to progress. We headed through the door, intending to descend and find a way out, only to find the nearest stairs were guarded by ghost-like figures that drifted towards us. I called upon Odin's grace once more, and two of them turned about and fled back through the walls. Hintzu cut one down, and it faded out of sight, whilst Morwath engaged the last. His blows passed right through the thing and had no discernable effect on it, so Hintzu came to his aid and soon we were alone once more.

We descended the stairs and made our way to the corridor at ground level. We were all quite spooked by now, and did not know where the next attact might come from. In our haste to get out of the haunted corridors we (again) forgot the traps set on the ground level and Hintzu (again) narrowly escaped harm as he set off the trap. We hurried to the nearest exit and, with some relief, made our way outside into the cold wind and snow. Morwath's control of the elements again protecting us from the worst of the blizzard.

We agreed that we would have a better idea of where we were going if we were to use the battlements above us, so we entered the small tower opposite the exit from the mountain. A large crack extended the length of the tower, as if it were struck by a large boulder or undermined by subsidence, but the stairs were in reasonable condition and we climbed to the battlements without incident. Consulting the key for an indication of where we should be heading, it was clear that we would have to head out to sea. There was now the slight problem of a shear wall ending in a small rocky ledge battered by crashing waves!

I wanted to avoid the water as much as possible and suggested that we might use dweomer to get to the point that the key was leading us toward. I, at least, had my cloak that allowed me to climb down to a reasonably safe position without danger. Morwath was able to change into a sea bird and fly down, and Hintzu was more than capable of making the climb. Before we set off, Morwath used his dweomer to enable us all to walk on water, which would certainly help! Now I was able to climb down and walk over to calmer water, as was Hintzu. Morwath was fine, and Lanzi blinked down to join us with his considerable power to move instantly. It was clear now that the area was volcanic, as the smell of sulphur and the hiss of steam surrounded us.

The volcanic activity increased as we walked out to sea, following the key. By the time it was pointing at our feet, we were retching at the smell and my nostrils burned in the acrid haze. The time had finally come, as I knew it would, to submerge ourselves in the ocean. I was not looking forward to this, but we had prepared the dust that would allow us to breathe underwater, and I had ensured that I knew how to call on Odin's help if necessary. The cold was another consideration, and I smeared myself with animal fat and my armour with oils in an attempt to preserve both. Morwath would protect us if he could, but I was taking no chances.

Lanzi used his dweomer to cause the water around us to froth - it was added insurance in case any dweomer failed, and would allow us to breathe and move more freely. We held on to Lanzi, and Morwath allowed us to sink into the water. Within our froth it was not as bad as I thought it might be; I was still warm enough and could breathe easily, although my nerves caused me to gasp for breath involuntarily. Eventually we arrived at the bottom, and it was good to have something resembling land beneath our feet.

We were on a gentle slope, which rose up towards the volcano behind us. In the side of the mountain, a little way from us, was a crack that emanated a strange purple glow. We walked towards this feature, climbing up the slope as it became steeper. The fissure was large, but relatively narrow, although it was bigger than we had first thought and took longer to reach than we anticipated.

Cloudy water drifted past the fissure as the current shifted around it, evidence of the volcanic activity around us. It also acted as a distraction, as a huge fish darted forwards from the shadows and shot at us. Although it did not enter the breathable water we stood it, it swept past and its immense tail flicked around to batter at us. I can testify that a fish tail in the face is not a pleasant experience, and the shock meant that I missed my chance to strike back; Hintzu's bow was also ineffective, as the arrows did not carry in the water. Lanzi called forth his mirror images in self defence, and Hintzu tried again with his bow - this time waiting until it was close before loosing his arrows. Three struck it solidly, and I swung at it with my mace. Unfortunately, the heavy weapon was useless in this Gods-damned water, the swing losing its momentum before it struck home. As the fish swung around for another attack, Hintzu was able to finish it off with a few good shots to the head. I was not enjoying this watery environment, even if I could now breathe freely.

We clambered into the fissure, and found that it extended backwards for about a hundred feet. As we struggled in over the irregular floor, a stalagtite fell towards me and I was just able to get out of the way in time to avoid injury - at least its fall was slowed by the water! We moved on quickly to find a cloud of sulphur emerging from the floor. There was another minor quake and we had to avoid another falling stalagtite before we reached the glowing area that we had seen from outside. Lanzi hardened Hintzu's skin as a precaution before we continued.

We passed through the glow with no apparent ill effects, to find that we had reached a rocky cliff face. Looking up we could see that a shaft rose directly above us, and seemed to be the only way to continue. The key had ceased to point in any direction since we passed through the glow, so we decided that we would have to climb. The shaft narrowed as we climbed, but after almost a hundred feet we came to a ledge just above us in the gloom. I pulled myself up with Hintzu, only to find myself face to face with a giant lobster. It snapped at me, and I pulled my head back just in time. Lanzi was not so lucky as he and Morwath joined us - taking a nasty pinch to his shoulder. There was another one above us, as I found out as it attacked me from behind, and I was forced to cling to the rocks to avoid being ripped off.

Hintzu, so far having escaped attack, lay into the first lobster and reduced it to shasimi. Meanwhile, my battle to stay on the rock was lost as I was ripped away by my attacker, which then started to crush me in its claw. I managed to get my hands braced in the claw and forced it open wide enough to free myself, pushing back onto the ledge. Hintzu then came to my aid and made short work of it.

With the excitement over, we were able to take in our surroundings. The ledge was the beginning of a passage leading away into the rock, sloping gently upwards as it did so until it was out of sight. With no other options, we followed the passage and began the gentle climb. Before too long we found that the walls changed into perfectly hewn slabs and the corridor opened out into a larger chamber. Stepping cautiously forward, we saw something white hanging in the water at the extreme edge of our light. Moving around it we found that there was a large area of this white, cloudy suspension, and we endeavoured to avoid it.

As we skirted the obstacle, a twenty foot long fishy thing swept out of the cloud, dragging some of the white substance behind it. Tentacles lashed out at Hintzu and Morwath, and only Hintzu's hardened skin saved him from certain injury. Instinctively, he lashed out at the tentacles, but his weapon simply brushed them aside rather than cut them, and Morwath's scimitar did the same. Tentacles then lashed out at me from behind - there was another one! Lanzi reacted by sending magic missiles at it, and I called upon Odin to grant me sanctuary from attack. Lanzi lost another image before we could go on the attack. Hintzu rushed forwards and attacked the body of the first one, this time cutting through it and then turing on the second to slay that too. I healed what injuries we had sustained (mostly my own) and Lanzi used his keotones for some of the worst.

The appearance of the cavern was an illusion, and with the things dead it was clear that there had been no cut stone after all. Another shaft rose from the far side of the cave, and we were once more forced to climb. We climbed for some time before reaching another ledge, and this time we were able to all get onto the ledge without being attacked. This respite did not last long, as watery trolls emerged from the gloom to confront us. How were we to burn the foul things whilst underwater?! The trolls rushed us in a large mass of bodies, and Lanzi lost three images in their first attack - the rest of us were not so lucky, suffering cuts and bites. Lanzi set off two explosions of lightning in their midst, but only one fell and that took a swipe from Hintzu to do so!

In the melee it was difficult to tell what was happening, but I found myself next to Hintzu and that was probably the safest place to be. He cut down three while Lanzi conjured up more images to protect himself, although they were disappearing even as he conjured them. Lanzi sent magic missiles into the troll in front of him and, although it was still standing, they proved distraction enough for Hintzu to cut it down and the three of us were united again. Morwath was struggling to fend off another two trolls, and I went to his aid; between us we were able to beat them down one after the other. Finally we were victorious, although badly mauled. We spent some time healing, although not too much time as we were fully aware that the trolls could rise from their apparent death quite quickly. Bits of them were kicked over the ledge to help us if they did.

We were once again forced to climb, another chute rising above where the trolls had rushed us from. Another seventy foot up or so we reached a ledge and were able to haul ourselves up unopposed. A smoothly carved opening in the wall led to a hewn room beyond with a stone door set into the wall. To our left a carving of a red dragon decorated the wall and, looking closer, we could see a dwarf on its back which meant that it was probably Rantor. In the background were a collection of dwarves stood amongst mountains. To our right was depicted Inwe, the beautiful Drow elf, with a dwarf knelt before her.

Hintzu checked the door and found that it was trapped; nozzles would direct hot jets from some volcanic pool at anyone trying to open the door. He quickly disabled the trap and opened the door for us. Beyond was a large square room with just less than a dozen undead sea elves barring the way. They bore Magreb's symbol on the tatters of their clothing and shuffled towards us, obviously intent on adding us to their ranks. Hintzu did not hesitate, and had killed one before the rest of us could react. Lanzi used his dweomer to force some of them to fight amongst themselves, slowing them down whilst I called on Odin's blessed light to force them back, and they fled before his grace out of a door on the right even as they continued to fight each other.

With the threat gone, we studied the room and found verse carved into the wall on our left:


Orodruin's folk fashioned it well,

With ancient gold and magic spell.

Though metal and gem came from earth,

The rings were fashioned on efreet hearth.


In Morgul this great hearth did lay;

On it those cursed gnomes did play,

Until Dwn-Kur brought it to its home,

Where it stands in glory on its own.


On it are the runes which bring,

Life unto all the elemental rings.

Only when the hearth's aglow,

Will the commands be on show.


Nothing else was apparent in the room, so we investigated the route the undead had taken in their flight. Behind the door was a small room with stairs leading up, and with no other options, we ascended. At the top of the stairs was a similiar chamber with an open door opposite the stairs. Beyond that was a larger room with exits left and right. On the right-hand wall was engraved a poem.


In darkest regions of coldest despair,

Came the Light that brought destruction.

Although hidden deep within Morgrad’s lair,

Her brother was sent to his salvation.


In that fatal moment she was torn,

Betwix sibling love and adoration.

It was Her will, so why forlorn?

There can be no better celebration.


Take up this moment and learn!

Darkest deeds may be catalysts

In glory souls sent to Her will burn,

Creating opportunity for lasting trysts.


Heed given to neither race nor creed,

For belief is a fragile thing.

And twisted for our use brings need

And desperate love, everlasting.


To Inwe’s will the murderer was bent,

Sapped of the strength to resist,

All fight knocked from him, life force spent,

He succumbed to a lustful tryst


Our Purple Rose ensnared the Hunter,

His struggle bound him more tightly.

Surrendering to this bleak winter,

No longer strong, proud and mighty.


So, the slayer of her darling brother,

Forsaking all, to her arms now came,

Used for breeding stock, nothing other

As his will was lifeless and lame.


We moved to the door on the right, finding another stairwell rising up a vertical shaft. The construction work was not as well finished further up and, as we climbed the stairs, we could see that the stairs ended in a collapsed doorway. This was no barrier, though, as there was no ceiling - only open water above us. A wall curved away from the tower we stood upon, and with no other visible references we decided to continue climbing. After about 60 feet of careful ascent, we came to a ceiling that began to curve over our heads and disappearing into the dark water. We traversed the wall, hoping to find some clue as to where we should go next. The ceiling rose gradually as we traversed, and eventually the surface of the water came into sight, glimmering above us in the dark. At last I might be free of the water!

Slowly, so as not to disturb the surface, we climbed to a point where our heads broke the surface of what turned out to be a huge subterranean lake in an equally massive cavern. A light source was above us to our left, allowing us to make out the rough layout of the area. The light was entering through part of a long fissure in the cavern wall, stretching some 200 feet up from the water, and could possibly be a way out should we need it. Further around the wall was a large ledge with smoke and steam swirling around it. At the opposite end of the cavern to the fissure, volcanic plumes spewed steam into the air and molten lava slowly oozed towards the water, hissing and hardening at the edge. There was a large crack of noise as more was ejected from the far wall. Pumice floated in the water, and volcanic ash covered everything in a slimy grey coating.

What really grabbed our attention, though, was the gigantic dragon that was sat on the ledge above us. We could only see its head and neck, but that was enough to give us some idea of its size; the head was the size of a small house, and it snaked left and right - sniffing the air as if it realised that there were intruders somewhere close.

We had to be cautious, but we also needed some solid ground to fight from - the dragon would have the advantage if we were in the water. We moved around under the water, carefully, looking for somewhere where we might make a stand. Eventually we found a shelf that rose gently up out of the water to a shingle beach, a small depression in the cave wall providing some cover from the dragon's glare. We first lingered in the water to discuss what our plan would be. We decided that Hintzu was to be our main attacker, as he was able to assail the beast with arrows. Thus, all our efforts would be to keep Hintzu alive and fighting.

We healed what wounds we could, and then I called Odin's blessings upon us. Lanzi used his powerful dweomer to see that Hintzu's arrows would fly unerringly to hit the dragon Tung Mi Lung. He then called his mirror images into being, hoping that they would keep him safe long enough to use his dweomer in the fight ahead. Morwath bent the steam to his will, obscuring the beach whilst we made our way into the shadows at the wall. We heard a great roar from the dragon, but our mettle held and we did not run. The dragon had taken flight.

Tung Mi Lung soared through the chamber, searching for the foe it had sensed. Our hiding place was only good for a few angles, so we were soon seen and the beast turned to send flames shooting towards us. However, Lanzi had called a globe of dweomer to keep out such things and we were thankfully untouched. Hintzu started loosing arrows at it, to some effect, but the enormity of the beast meant that they were but pinpricks to it. I called Odin's blessing to guide his arm, hoping to find a weakness somewhere. As Hintzu kept up his fire, we were hit by first lightning and then a bitterly cold attack, although we survived both. Then the dragon made a grab for Hintzu, recognising him as the main threat, but failed to hold him. The dragon stayed, though, and attacked us all with tooth, claw, wing and tail. I was caught in its maw and maimed by its teeth - I would have been swallowed, I think, but for my armour and it spat me to the ground. I lost consciousness and quickly bled to death on the beach. Hintzu was only saved from injury by Lanzi's dweomer and Morwath took the worst of a blow on his buckler.

Hintzu was still peppering it with arrows, and Lanzi tried to lower its resistance to his dweomer. Morwath controlled the temperature to limit the danger from its cold attacks. Lanzi threw lightning at it, but it didn't seem to affect the creature. It did, however, start to fly back to a safer position. Morwath called on the elements to allow Hintzu to run through the air after it, which he did. The dragon, though, called on the elements itself and sent Hintzu flying into a wall with a forceful gust of wind. Meanwhile, Morwath healed Lanzi who sent an image of himself forwards to direct his dweomer at the beast. The dragon saw the image and dispelled it quickly, leaving only Hintzu near enough to hurt it. He sent a fireball into its side with his ring, getting its attention again. Morwath turned into a bird and began to fly up towards the ledge that the dragon had been on when we arrived.

The dragon unleashed more lightning at Hintzu, but he swept away and around it, still loosing arrows. The two of them began a deadly ballet in the air, each trying to land hits on the other. Whilst they were engaged in this way, Lanzi approached and used his dweomer to call forth a storm of meteors, his most powerful attack, but the dragon took it and kept fighting. He had succeeded in getting its attention again, though, and this time he was exposed. The beast dove at him and crashed down on top of him with all his considerable weight! Hintzu continued to press his attack, scoring hits but not killing it. The dragon turned and blasted him with cold, this time hurting him dearly.

The dragon rose and, amazingly, found that Lanzi was still alive! I suspect that he used his mental powers to escape from the crushing bulk of the dragon. This did not help him, though, as the creature snapped down with his head and bit him clean in two, tossing his remains into the water. Hintzu, enraged by the loss of his friends, charged the dragon and heroically found its heart with his blade. The beast convulsed and fell to the beach, dead. We had prevailed. But at a terrible cost.

Morwath returned to the shingle to join Hintzu and shook hands after such a hard fight. They then set to assessing the mostly dead remains of Lanzi and I to see what, if anything, they could do for us. Having bled to death, I was in relatively good condition and Morwath was able to return me to life with the blessing of the Gods. Lanzi, however, was in several pieces and had fallen into the water. Si Ti Qa was flitting around the surface, obviously distraught, and Hintzu dived deep into the depths in search of Lanzi's remains. Morwath finished tending to my wounds and restoring energy to my shaken body, and we waited for Hintzu's return.

I was beginning to believe that he would not return and that we would have to go looking for him, and we were both on our feet peering into the water when he finally rose to take a gasping breath. He was clutching what was left of Lanzi, and it did not look good. We helped him to recover and arrange the pieces on the shore and thought about our next step. I was, of course, glad that we did not all perish, and that good had prevailed once more against the odds. However, it would require the personal favour of one of the Gods if we were to hope to restore Lanzi to life. Morwath explained that he could perform such a feat, with the aid of wisdom written for him in a scroll, but that it would leave him drained and unable to do anything for at least a day. Despite the toll it would take, he agreed to do what he could and trusted us to protect him.

After a long ceremony, Morwath finished his chanting and Lanzi knitted together before our eyes, finally drawing a breath and opening his eyes to see the somewhat unpleasant sight of the three of us crowding around his body. Well, four of us, I should say, as Si Ti Qa was perhaps the happiest of all to see him revived. Having seen his work successful, Morwath collapsed in a torpor on the shingle, and Hintzu went to his aid. I concentrated on healing the worst of Lanzi's scars. There was one, though, that persisted and it seemed that his leg was no longer completely straight. Although it would make a nice war wound, and probably fitted with the eccentric wielder of dweomer look, it proved to be more than cosmetic; Lanzi struggled with the awkward angle of his leg and resorted to limping around until he gained some of his mobility.

Lanzi was very humble and deferred to Hintzu as the dragon slayer, which surprised us somewhat. Perhaps this experience would see a change in behaviour for the better; the last thing we needed was another Lastar. Hintzu explained that he had seen the dragon's hoard on the ledge across the cavern, but that Melai could not be seen. There was, however, a passageway leading back from the ledge that we would need to explore.

The first obstacle was to reach the ledge, as it was a couple of hundred feet up on the far wall of the cavern, with the lake below it. Lanzi would, we presumed, be able to use his mental powers to reach the ledge, but the rest of us would have to use more conventional means. We devised a plan that involved creating a rainbow bridge as we had done before. However, due to the distances involved, I would have to drink a potion that increased the speed at which I could move and Hintzu would have to carry the semi-conscious Morwath. I drank the potion and then created the bridge. Meanwhile Hintzu strapped Morwath to his back so that he would be able to climb freely. We reached the other side safely and Morwath quickly scaled the cliff face. I followed much more slowly, using the cloack of Aracnida to ensure that I was secure.

Hintzu reached the ledge well before me, and set Morwath down away from the edge. There were piles of coins everywhere, making a huge mound of treasure with the impression of the dragon's bulk where it once laid. The heat was more noticeable up here away from the water, and the smell of sulphur was thick in the air. A black opening in the cavern wall appeared to lead away from the centre of the ledge. A bright white ermine cloak with an ornate sword decorated with elvish script caught the eye in the centre of the hoard. Hintzu signaled to Lanzi to join him, but found that he was not looking so used dweomer to carry his voice to him to assure him that it was safe. A clink behind him as Lanzi disappeared told him that his message had got through, and Lanzi offered to investigate the hoard - but again waited for Hintzu's nod of agreement!

I was left to guard Morwath and the strangely docile Lanzi while Hintzu explored the passage; his quiet stealth was better suited to investigating alone than the sound of my armour echoing ahead of us. He found that it narrowed to a tube-like corridor that descended gently, probably the result of lava flow in the past. A large crack could just be made out in the right-hand wall, although it was pitch black within. Hintzu risked using light, in the form of a burning sphere, to see within. As soon as he ignited it he heard an elvish voice call out in a threatening manner from somewhere inside the crack.

Hintzu called back "do you speak common?" To which the response, this time in common, was "you know I do, beast!" He replied, "I am not the beast you think I am." All he got in return was "begone." He asked, "are you Melai?" Again, the response was "begone!"

Hintzu advanced with caution to the edge of the crack and peered within. He saw that the floor sloped down within, and there was a lifeless female elf with blue eyes and lank hair hanging, naked, off the wall. Her skin was clinging to her ribs, and her bones were showing due to her malnutrition. He barely recognised her, but it was Melai. He spoke to her, reminding her that they had met before and explaining that he needed the light to see as he brought it closer in order to break the shackles that held her. As she fell forward she grabbed him and shouted hysterically "is he here? Is he safe? Is he coming?" She repeated herself as Hintzu tried to calm her, holding her close for comfort. She continued to cry out; "it's gone, they've gone, it's all gone. He killed them all. I have nothing." Eventually she ran out of energy and collapsed in Hintzu's arms. He pulled out a spare kimono and dressed he as best he could.

Meanwhile Lanzi was being drawn to the sword in the dragon's hoard - it's powerful dweomer was clear even to me. But as he examined it the sword spoke out loud to him! "Oh come on, I recognise your lack of strength. Where is my Queen?" Lanzi dropped it to the floor, whether out of surprise or disdain I could not tell. But I decided to stay well away from the possessed thing. From what the others had told me, though, it did seem to match the description of Melai's sword, and so the Queen it spoke of must be her.

Hintzu helped Melai back to the ledge where we waited, and it was obvious in the light that she needed food and water badly. Her mind seemed addled and she had some injuries, but none that were life threatening. I channeled Odin's grace into her to restore her mind and body, although she would still need sustenance. Once she had her wits, and some energy, she started frantically searching through the treasures looking for her lost possessions. The first thing she grabbed was the sword, Agan, and that seemed to give her some comfort.

Whilst Lanzi and Melai picked through the hoard, I asked Hintzu if he had found a way out of the cavern. He explained that the passage did continue further than he had looked, and that there might be a way out if we followed it, although he could not be sure. We had to return quickly to the Drow vessel if we were to catch it before the Captain made sail without us.

Melai eventually regained her clothes and armour, and looked much more impressive when she was suitably clad. The return of her possessions seemed to revitalise her in mind and body; it seemed that she might be able to help with our escape. We took a moment to see what information she might provide us, and she told us that Si Lung, the good dragon of the water, was held in Malen. She would have us rescue her and also destroy the abomination that Rantor had become - an evil dragon to begin with, it was now undead and should not be on this world.

I found a sack that might have proved useful if it were a bag of holding - there was a great deal of treasure here, and the temple would welcome a donation. Unfortunately, upon reaching inside, all I could feel was a squidgy, furry thing. I hurriedly withdrew my hand without grabbing hold of it; I was sure that Morwath would have more experience with small furry animals, and left it for him to investigate. Then, to everyone's surprise, Melai disappeared! After a few worried exchanges we decided that she was feeling threatened and had removed herself from sight until she trusted us a little more, which I could understand as we would seem a little odd from an outside perspective.

Time was pressing, so we distributed the magical items, gems and jewellry as best we could before resolving to move on quickly. One magical item, though, stumped us. A large barrel was amongst the hoard, and was clearly magical, but we had no easy way of transporting it. It was heavy and its purpose was not obvious. During our attempts to ascertain its weight, a hatch sprang open revealing seats and levers inside. Still unwilling to risk using it, but equally unwilling to leave it, we settled for rolling it down the passage ahead of us as we ventured past Melai's cell.

Some way down the passage we came to a stone door that had a flight of stairs behind it leading down to a large, water-filled chamber. Bubbles and steam rose to our right, and the pathway ended in the water. We were not sure of how to proceed, so I consulted the runes to seek Odin's guidance. The runes were clear that the unfathomable object we bore was the key to our salvation, by which I could only deduce that the barrel was somehow our way out.

The barrel was set into the water, and we climbed inside in some discomfort. The seats were meant for two, not four, so we were in each other's way a lot. We shouted for Melai to follow our lead, although we still could not see her. At least, as a Sea Elf, she might fare better than us in moving through the water. Lanzi and Hintzu started to operate the various flaps and levers, eventually working out that they could open panels to see and operate legs to propel us in the water. Armed with this rudimentary knowledge, they began to move us forward.

We lurched forward and settled into the water, following the course of the stairs as they descended underwater. Lanzi managed to find a way to illuminate the water ahead of us so that we could at least see something of what was ahead. Whilst he was playing with other controls, he also managed to find a way to extend and control a pair of pincers - although the full range of movement was only possible with Hintzu's help behind him. Progress was being made! Clearly, it didn't last. We bumped into the ceiling as it lowered to meet the water and some searching of levers began in an attempt to submerge.

Whilst the controls were, once again, being wrestled with, Melai appeared at the back of the barrel. She had decided that we needed some help to find a way out, which was not an unreasonable conclusion. She asked us to return to the surface, as she would swim ahead of us and use the currents to find a route out. I offered her my gem as a source of light so that if we were separated then we could head towards the light. We let her out and then did our best to follow as she glided through the water ahead of us. The current was with us, and we made reasonable process through a series of twists and turns in the dark passageway.

We emerged into a larger cavern to see Melai apparently fighting with the water itself ahead of us. Agan flashed through a series of swift attacks, and appeared to connect with something large. Whatever it was, it could not be easily seen; soon, though, she signalled that the way was clear to continue. There had been a elemental of the water in the chamber, but she had dealt with it quickly. We continued on through the tunnels.

After one wrong turn, where the passage proved too narrow for our barrel, we emerged into another large chamber. This time it was occupied by something more obvious to us - a group of evil squid things that tried to rush Melai as we approached. She sent a net flashing towards one, wrapping it up in a neat parcel, immobile. She was then forced to engage in a swirling melee with the rest of the creatures. Lanzi and Hintzu tried to assist, using the pincers of the barrel as weapons, but were as likely to hit Melai as one of the foe. A pattern of colours washed over us, but we appeared to be unaffected, and Melai killed two of the things before taking some damage herself.

Lanzi and Hintzu managed to clip one of the squid things with a pincer, although it was fairly ineffectual and not to be repeated. Part of the reason for this was that Hintzu suddenly turned into a dribbling wreck. It took a while for us to notice; not, I should add, due to any dribbling on his part normally, but because we were focused on the battle outside and crammed into a barrel! It was only when the pincers flailed around a bit less than before that I saw that his mind was addled. I tried to take his place in order to continue the fight, and did manage to get a grip on the controls, although without much success.

Melai had, meanwhile, killed another two with Agan, but had also taken several nasty hits. Her weak state was clearly affecting her stamina. Despite this she went on to kill the last two creatures engaging her, then butchered the one she trapped in the net earlier before retrieving the net for future use. As soon as the last one was put to the sword, Hintzu thankfully recovered his senses and was able to resume his place. Melai indicated for us to wait a moment whilst she investigated a possible source of treasure, and then bade us follow her to another passage entrance.

At this point we became aware that the air was becoming increasingly stuffy in our barrel. The excitement of combat had taken our minds off it, but now it was clear that our air was either running out or becoming fouled. Lanzi had the dweomer to enable us to breathe water, as before, so we let him enchant us before opening the hatch and allowing the water in. It solved the stuffiness problem, although I was once again glad that I had treated my armour with animal fats before immersing myself; I'm sure that had nothing to do with the foul air in the barrel, as I had become quite used to the unique aroma it generated.

Whilst we were once again able to interact with Melai directly, I called on Odin to heal some of her wounds. We did not know how close we were to escaping this place and it would not do to watch her die from inside a barrel! When we were ready, we set off again down the passage that Melai had selected, travelling downwards once more.

After a little way we emerged into another chamber, and again this was occupied. This time we were faced with three snake-like creatures about ten foot long, emerald green with brown and light green patterns in a spiral on their skin. Slight electrical discharges could be seen in the water around them, and they all turned to face us as we entered. Melai did not attack this time, and seemed to be communicating with them in some way. After a short time she turned and beckoned us forward, following two of the creatures out of the chamber down another passage. They took us in a fairly direct route out to the fissure that we had entered this accursed place what seemed like an eternity ago. Passing through the purple, shimmering haze, we were once again in the open ocean.

Melai struck immediately for the surface, concerned that her dweomer might not sustain her ability to breathe underwater for much longer. We followed at a more sedate pace in our mechanical construction. We emerged to the east of the island, roughly where we were expecting, and faced the prospect of a long journey in our slow vessel - and in rough, icy cold seas as well. Melai, though, offered to push us along to increase our speed; I wasn't convinced that the slight elf would make much difference, but I was to be proved wrong.

We started off much as expected, but Melai then dissolved into the water, swelling it into a growing wave that swept us along at a fast rate of knots. It was not long before we were rounding the promontory with the round tower and turning towards the harbour on the south of Nagrad. To our relief, the Drow vessel was still there waiting for us, Inwe's colours snapping in the strong wind. Frantic activity could be seen on the decks, and we imagined the cries of alarm as the wave sped towards the vessel's side. I was tempted to cry with alarm myself, as we approached at a reckless speed.

The wave crashed down on the ship, bearing us down at the stern with a loud and bone-shaking clang. As the wave hit, it drew itself together beside the barrel to form the figure of Melai once more. As it did so, Lanzi opened the hatch and hurried to stand between Melai and the crew, shouting that we had returned as promised. The crew and Melai had their weapons out, and only Lanzi was preventing an outbreak of extreme violence between the two enemies. Lanzi told them both to stay their hands, using the influence of the crown he wore to overcome their instinctive reactions. Hintzu joined Lanzi whilst I struggled to get Morwath out onto the deck without damaging him.

Lanzi began to speak to the Drow, telling them once again to stay their hands, explaining that we had rescued Melai as we had stated we would, reminding them that we had paid well to employ their services and that we were still working together, so there was no need for violence. The Captain retorted that Melai had killed many of his kind here at Nagrad, which he found ironic. Lanzi agreed that there was much blood between them, but said that the Elven race needed to heal, and it would start today. As he did so, he used all his influence to force them to lower their weapons.

Hintzu spoke up at this point, in common (the elvish language had been used up until now), reminding the Captain of our arrangement and the gold that he stood to gain from it. He also told Melai that we would be makin use of the vessel, and its crew, whether she liked it or not! Melai was clearly finding it hard to accept the arrangement; I suppose that the memory of an ancient race runs deep, and it would be difficult to change centuries of hatred and mistrust. Melai spoke with her sword, Agan, and eventually agreed, reluctantly, to sail with us so long as the flag of Inwe was removed. The Captain agreed to this compromise, so long as he was paid well - and in advance.

Finally we were able to start the long journey back to land; this time making for Malen, just North of the lands of Dor.