Many battles and momentous occurrences have happened since my last entry. Or at least three. Two of them I recall. I learned the hard way that while Feywine raisins dropped into water turn it into wine, Feywine raisins dropped into wine turn it into something that makes you black out a bit.

I came to to find that I’d missed a battle. I mean I’d taken part in it, but I had no recollection of it. A battle with a giant or giantish Duergar or somesuch. At any rate a largish individual with a leather apron and a hammer of fire. An easy tale to disbelieve because it came from Splug, but less easy given the undeniable presence of the apron (now Splug’s cape), the fiery hammer (now wielded by Klajdu), and their former owner (very much dead on the floor in a pool of blood).

Piecing together what I was told after the (ahem) blackout, apparently there was a “Merkelmor”. Quite possibly this was the name of the apron-wearing corpse. He apparently had a room nearby and a key round his neck unlocked a strongbox in his room. We found an onyx demon idol with rubies for eyes. and a +2 amulet of health.

It was at this point that it struck me that I could understand quite a bit more of her screaming. Usually I can just catch the elvish, but suddenly what I had thought was horribly creative screaming and gurgling was actually a couple more languages.
It’s really a tremendous headache to know a language, yet know nothing of that language. I don’t think I even know their names. Also being able to understand more of the screaming is not at all a comforting thing. Unless you find incredibly detailed descriptions of eyeball removal to be soothing.

But soon it came to light that we had more pressing issues to sort out. For instance I had to find which wineskin had the fey-feywine-wine, and pour it on the dead man’s head. More important, I had to fortify my own with some of the real stuff, And there was some stylish capering about by Splug with his new apron-cape, and some Fastidiousness by you can probably guess, and various impatient mutterings by Klajdu and then we journeyed onward. Or at least Splug opened the next door and dashed in and got himself into a tight spot. Dr Cabin called after him “If you want me to not heal you, I can totally do that!”.

A bit of blinding light and flying axes later and we’re doing what we do best – making new friends!
Another choice quote springs to mind:

Splug: The Raven Queen’s Crusaders do not fear death!!!!!
Dr Cabin : {pause} Except for me. I don’t like getting hit.

They were orcs. 4 of them. And a big ogre who was hunkered down in the corner with a big iron collar on. Leaping ahead to when the last of them were falling, Dr Cabin managed to trap one of the Orcs in a half-alive state, enough to answer some questions.

Quoth the Dying Orc: Orc was doing the bidding of Merkelmor. At this there was some murmuring about how Merkelmor himself had claimed to be working for the Mages of Saruun, or at least beholden to them. I did not take part in the murmuring, having no recollection of Merkelmor or his claims

From that dimly lit series of caverns and rooms, we went into a much smaller and more or less pitch black tunnel, cause WHY NOT. And which tunnel turned into a series of tunnels, which turned into another tunnel, which turned into another tunnel full of vicious bats prone to attacking us, which turned into another smaller narrower darker tunnel. Needless to say, it was a bit screamy. Fortunately Splug acted as our scout so it was he that got attacked by the bats. I wonder if we’ll be able to convince him to do any of this again. Anyway, at the narrowest nastiest bit, we came upon a tiny human-shaped thing with pale dead white skin, no hair, and white eyes, and four other creatures with long sharp canine teeth and claws.
Friends?

Based on a hunch I couldn’t place, or maybe I heard them say something to eachother, I knew that they spoke one of my new mystery languages, and I tried to say something.

I think what I tried to say was something like “The mages sent us, take us further in”, but what actually came out was “Stand Aside Worm, we have business beyond”. So there’s that. I can speak a language but I don’t know what it is, and when I say something what comes out is slightly different and meaner.
Now I’m REALLY hoping the well of demons is a tavern, cause I’m going to order something awesome.

Anyway, after we axed them some questions they all vanished (or maybe I blacked out again, who knows). And we found a cache of big canine teeth, which I took, and that’s not weird at all. Cause I’m still wearing the dead goblin Irontooth’s iron tooth, which is also not weird.

But our prize was a dead end, not counting a lot of really really uncomfortably tight holes that looked a lot like kruithik holes. Since we’d had no great success choosing the smallest and darkest possible tunnels to go down, we wisely turned back. Back to the fortress and thence back to the Seven Pillar Hall.

Word of our exploits had preceded us, and perhaps even been amplified by the slaves or by Rendell Halfmoon. At any rate a fantastic wealth of free drinks was sent our way at the Halfmoon Inn. Backs were slapped and back-slappers were told to quit with the backslapping and start with the drinks buying. We got along fine.

And a Kobold who usually begs a bit near the tavern, handed us a note.
Which I assume someone read.