After searching the bodies of the drow and resting overnight, the party decided to leave these caves through the exit they saw previously. Tyril was able to decipher the map and determine this was the correct way to go. Three days later, the party arrived at the shore of an underground river.
Searching along the bank for a place to cross, they came across a series of smaller caves and searched inside. They came across a dwarf hiding in one of the caves. An escaped slave named Dammac, who was part of the group with Shan-Ju and Tyril that was previously captured by drow. Dammac explained that he was being taken back to Erelhei-Cinlu and when the drow came to the river and started loading onto a ferry, he took the opportunity to slip away. The party gave Dammac some equipment and welcomed him to come along with them on their mission to the drow city.
Dammac was able to describe a very distinct whistle that is used to call the ferry boat operator. Dalron was able to duplicate the whistle, but not knowing what to expect yet, the party prepared by having Sarril cast Fly on Dalron and Tyril. Dalron then performed the whistle and a ferry boat, operated by a mad Kuo-Toa came rowing across the river. The Kuo-Toan only spoke in his native language, but Sarril cast Tongues and began negotiating. After some time, the party began loading.
First the subterranean lizards crossed, as Dalron and Tyril flew beside the boat. When they reached the other side and unloaded the lizards, Dalron and Tyril took to the air again, which, for some reason, caused the mad Kuo-Toan to go berserk and attack. This fight would have been extremely difficult if Dalron and Tyril could not fly, but they took to the air where they could not be reached and Dalron threw daggers at the Kuo Toa, who then dove into the water and disappeared.
Pulling the ferry with ropes while flying, Dalron and Tyril began ferrying everyone else across the river. The last trip was for the cart. As they were pulling the cart across, Sarril noticed something in the water moving at a high speed toward the boat. He immediately cast Levitate on the cart and lifted it up and away as a giant gar smashed the boat into pieces. Dalron then pushed the levitated cart to shore and the party went on their way.
On the other side of the river was a another series of caves that the party decided to explore. One of the caves appeared to be the living quarters for the mad Kuo Toa ferry operator. A careful search of the cave revealed a hidden treasure stash containing coins, some potions, drow items and a magical cloak. Sarril identified the cloak as a Cloak of Elvenkind, but this didn't look like a Cloak of Elvenkind that anyone has ever seen before. It was made of black wool, for one thing. Sebastian attempted a Legend Lore roll, but failed to identify it further, so he decided to put it on and see what it does. It was a cursed Cloak of Poisonous, which instantly killed him.
Now Sarril understood what the cloak is. It requires first a Remove Curse to remove the cloak, then a Neutralize Poison to remove the poison, then, and only then, can a Raise Dead be cast. Luckily for Sebastian, Sarril could do all of these things, though they had to wait a day for him to pray for the spells.
The next day, Sebastian was brought back to life, telling the party a harrowing tale of how his soul was trapped in a "nowhere" place, rather than moving on to the Happy Hunting Grounds he was expecting. He told of seeing a cloaked skeletal figure with one eye reaching for him, saying "Ah, another one for my army. . ." before his soul was ripped back into his body.
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Two more days of travel and then the party came upon another complex series of caves and needed to make sure they found the correct way out. Exploring the caves, they came across a small group of Sverfneblin (deep gnomes) counting gems. Again using Tongues, Sarril spoke to the gnomes and learned that their gem mines had run dry and that they were expanding their operations, searching for new places to mine. They have a hatred for the drow, who attack and enslave their people, and eventually came to an agreement that they would help the party, who seemed intent on doing harm to their enemies. The gnomes agreed to accompany the party and lead them as far as the Kuo-Toan city, which is the last stop before Erelhei-Cinlu. The gnomes would not go any farther than that, and would not enter the city, and if they encounter and kill any drow along the way, the gnomes would get to keep any gems found.
And so, with a contingent of 8 svirfneblin, the party continued on their way. One day into their trip, they came across a male drow patrol. A commander and eight fighters. The commander, who was a fighter/magic user, cast a fireball at the party. Unfortunately, the fireball took out the cart, caused the lizards to panic and flee, and killed all of the svirfneblin except the leader. The drow were no match for the party, of course, who quickly killed them all, but the damage has now been done.
It is now the 17th day of Redy'reat, CY 580. The party no longer has a cart for Dalron and Shan-Ju to ride in and may have to rely on a light source going forward. They may no longer have a guide to the city, either, though we shall see when we pick back up next session.
