the fog clears

I awoke as from a dream in Ptolus with no clear recollection of how I came to be here.

Somewhere there is a thought that we finished clearing out one of the drow towers. Another fearsome undead creature enclosed in a force wall so we couldn’t approach it, but I was able to encase it in a wall of stone so its dread gaze could not affect us.

We had accomplished quite a lot and I wondered whether perhaps Lothian had taken a more direct hand in affairs through my person.

As always there was the question of how to get back to the fortress. Damien is unable to cast a sufficiently powerful teleport to get everyone there in one try and my word of recall is only good for retreating to the safety of Ptolus. After much debate we contributed money to buy a scroll of teleportation for Aeriana to use and so we were soon reunited with Ig hidden in his usual place. If we succeed in completely clearing the drow from this place I wonder if Ig will take up permanent residence in these stables?

This time we decided to attack the other side tower. Instead of the frontal challenge we had used last time, we watched the tower for a while and saw several drow and bugbears coming and going and then used spells to transport us just inside the tower.

I cast a spell of silence to stop the drow within from raising the alarm which worked well for the most part. One drow managed to get clear briefly and shout loudly but I’m starting to think there aren’t enough drow left to respond.

After we’d cleared the initial area Aeriana took control and marched into the next room. With her masterful disguise and quick wit she managed to scout the rest of the floor without anyone challenging her. As a result we were able to clear out the two drow priestesses in the next room and the group of bugbear guards in the room beyond.

We moved up the rest of the tower just as easily, getting the impression that this is the drow prison tower. We rescued some prisoners that were chained in a room and they told us that Therrence Tehlonia, one of the worshippers taken from the church with Bemmut, was imprisoned above and frequently tortured by the drow.

Aeriana was able to bluff her way into his cell and warn him that we were coming, as well as getting some idea of the layout of the cell area. There’s a separate stair leading up from within the cells and I wonder if perhaps Bemmut is kept there and we are close to completing our goals. Lothian let it be so—this place drains the soul.