And we are off… The Foundry consisted of a lot of large superheated plumbing, Six, 15×15x15 vats filled with green goo, a river of lava coming from the south western wall and exiting from the north wall and several stone catwalks spanning the lava in 3 places. The southeast corner was a stack of crates and barrels, and scattered about the place were all manner of goblins lifting, moving, and standing guard. Taking a quick inventory I figures that the most “bad-guys” were straight ahead across the lava, and I could get thereby crossing one of the catwalks. Luckily for me the superheated conduit/piping was not an issue as they only gently warmed my feet. I was able to rush along it with no issue gaining entry and crossing to the other side of the room to engage the largest concentration of enemies while my friends burst through the front door. As I had hoped they rushed me breaking out maces.

I allowed them to think that they had me “caught” on the catwalk as they approached from both sides. However this allowed me to limit the number that could actually get to me while simultaneously getting them to bunch up trying to get to me. Then the giant bat swooped from the plumbing in the ceiling pasting me with its tail.

then swooping up into the rafters again. The Mace wielding goblins moved to me on the catwalk and to either side, and I sensed that the time was ripe. I spun about on the catwalk infusing my sword with the heat of my souls and blast it forth in a mini tornado of fire. They were all caught in the blast as I had hoped, several caught on fire and died instantly other were able to duck aside shielding themselves with their cloaks which they immediately tossed aside as they were burning. In all I halved their number. At that point I saw Modra standing next to one of the vats closest to Sheldon’s hiding spot. He spouted out some inane curse, and pulled a lever that opened one of the vats, the contents spilling forth and sweeping a couple of his minions into the lava. The place immediately filled with noxious vapor and I inhaled a lungful before I could hold my breath. I stated to wretch while still maintaining my guard on the mace wielders and the bat, it was at that point that I noticed my eyes starting to bleed. With my free hand I shielded my eyes as well as I could and deflected a few more mace blows while one caught me square in the small of my back. Standing in the vat was a monstrosity. A double headed giant boar shaking the goo from its fur and looking really upset.

Modra gave some sort of command that I could not discern and ran off toward the crates. The Boar burst forth from its vat/cage and turned toward my friends at the door. I hastened a glance in their directions and was very concerned at what I saw. Several goblin archers were firing shadow arrows at Gil and Yamis.

These arrows and turned into some type of webbing and had anchored them to the ground. The Boar would tear them up without the ability to move, but being essentially surrounded I could not get there to help. I blast forth my sword burst and killed one of the goblins near me, that created an opening slightly closer to Gil and Yamis, and I cautiously moved that way before being intercepted by another mace-wielding goblin. The Boar attacked Gil, as ordered. Gil was caught unable to dodge its advance and it gored him heavily in the upper chest, tossing him a good ten feet back almost to the wall of the Foundry, near the door. Yamis was still peppering the archers with his belly bow, but was also now showing some concern about the boar. Meanwhile Modra had moved to a spot where he could effectively watch the show unfold unaware that Sheldon was lurking nearby. Sheldon popped out and as he puts it “searched for his liver” with his rapier, however his search apparently started by partially tearing a hamstring in Modra’s left leg and then piercing him mid to lower back. Modra spun and drew two serrated shorts words and pushed a look of astonishment from his face as he caught glimpse of the daring rogue for the first time.

Modra’s surprise lasted only for a moment. In flurry suddenly the entire areas was plunged into darkness, similar to what we say back at the shrine under the happy beggar. The Cloud roiled and puffed, as there was some sort of activity under the cloak of that darkness. The goblins surrounded me again and I blast for a sword burst again sending small shards of glowing gasses at them, dropping all but one of them. I stole a change glance at Gil and Yamis, they were not faring well having been anchored to the floor yet again by shadow and with that boar continually trying to gore Gil into the wall. I decided that I need to get over there to help before they were turned into boar fodder. I dropped my guard to run off to help Gil and was rewarded with a stiff shot to my side as well as another tail whip form the bat, but I was able to get across the catwalk and onto the second catwalk close enough to drop my hex on the beast to get its attention toward me instead of Gil and Yamis. For good measure I was able to grab hold of its tail and give it a good hard yank.

It worked, the boar spun faster than anything that large has any right to and attempted to gore me. Thankfully I was able to bat its left head to the right with the flat of my blade forcing it to only graze my target. Only one of its four tusks caught me, and I backed up the catwalk daring it to follow. It was then that I saw the roiling cloud had dissipated. Sheldon and Modra were both bleeding profusely, and Modra spun dropping to one knee bringing both of his blades across the rogue’s lower abdomen. Sheldon gasped and fell to the ground…

“That is a mortal wound”, I said to myself – “our cat burglar has hit the ground!”, I called out to Yamis and Gil in the hope they could offer any aid.

Modra then made his way toward Yamis climbing atop the crates and walking falling half way there grasping his left leg where Sheldon had tagged him earlier with his opening move. Suddenly the Boar and the goblin stopped attacking me. I seized the opportunity to run back the way I came and to Sheldon ripping a potion of healing from my belt as I ran and pouring it into his mouth as I arrived. He coughed a bit as he awoke and I covered his mouth to keep him mostly silent. Yamis was negotiating with Modra to stop fighting. I heard him say, “You can trust a priest of Pelore, it is you that we cannot trust, and he took a mighty overhead swing and brought his morning star down upon Modras already bleeding back dazing him. Sheldon carefully righted himself and snuck up behind Modra. The Beast attacked Gil igniting my hex. I teleported across the room to a position behind the beast and swung my sword laying a gash open across its rear flank. Gil had worked his way free of the grasping arrow shadows and moved into to engage Modra. He called out a cry of his clan and swung his axe down hard, since Modra was up in the crates the blow caught him in the upper thigh of his already gimpy left leg leaving a wound the bled freely. Yamis called upon the might of Pelore and swung his morning star again catching Modra in the side of the head, Sheldon moved in behind Modra and again “searched for his liver” while reaching down off the top of the crates to grab Yamis’s hand. In an amazing acrobatic feat the two switched places, while Sheldon’s blade traced an arc of bleeding from front to back over Modra’s left shoulder. I engaged my dimensional thunder and struck the boar, then teleported to next to Sheldon blasting the boar and Modra with thunder. The remaining goblins moved in behind Gil to try to take him down but the warlord was ready for their moves and deftly batted their attacks aside with his axe, while spinning and catching the Shadar Kai in the right ribs with his backswing. Yamis called upon the might of Pelore and shone a blast of light that the Shadar Kai seemed to resist fairly well but as he shielded his eyes, I was able to slip my blade under his two and lay open a gash across his lower belly, Sheldon seeing the same opening went there as well exclaiming that had finally found the Shadar Kai’s liver!. The Boar attacked me but I was able to slip his thrust as he battered the wall next to me. Yamis seeing that Modra was reeling from the hits we were all inflicting left himself open to attack but mustered a tremendous overhead swing that reached Modra’s head. The Shadar Kai’s eyes rolled and blood streamed from his mouth nose and eyes, he then slumped to the ground dead. Gil then turned his attentions to the boar, inflicting a gash across his other flank, nearly severing its rear leg. The Boar was infuriated and it spun – again faster than anything that large has a right to and tried to gore Gil. That again triggered my hex and I slipped a blade into its side. The remaining goblins attempted to flee but McShane – where the heck has he been all this fight??? Threw a demonic frog at them killing one, while the other tried to pass me and I ended him. The shadow bat who I had lost track of flew to the rafters, leaving only the boar for us to deal with. With the combined efforts of all of us the boar fell fairly quickly. As the boar fell the ground shook and the building creaked. A wave of Lava poured into the Foundry and overflowed the banks of the small river running through. I quickly looked around for more dangers and saw none. Yamis and Sheldon were busily searching Modra’s body for teleport keys, and I took the opportunity to detect magicks. Modra’s armor shown as did the Boars hide and tusk, as well as the various vats liquid. I informed all of these facts and stole a peek outside the Foundry to the volcano.

“Look, we came here to end Modra and we have. By the look of that Volcano Sarshans operations are going to be ended here soon too. We’ve accomplished the main goal of our mission. While I’d really like to go into the tower and gather information about what he’s been up to and who he’s got allegiances with I really do not feel its work my life to do it. I’m very injured as is Sheldon and Gil. We are not in good position to storm the tower and find what we need in time. I think we should make our way back to the white Shrine before we cannot.”

With that the Earth Shook mightily outside a wave of Lava came rolling down engulfing the bridges and our path to the Shrine, moving steadily toward the forge. Yamis and Sheldon had stripped Modra, while Gil butchered the board removing the hide and tusks (and I suspect a couple of chops for dinner should we survive).

McShane spoke up and said, “I think we should make haste as a blast of Lava is on its way!” As Sheldon and Yamis opened the secret door at the rear of the foundry, Gil, Brokenglass and I quickly followed as the lava levels in the river started to rise rapidly and the walls got significantly hotter. We closed the door behind us and made our way quickly up the inclined tunnel. As we neared the top Sheldon stopped and noted a secret door. Suspecting that the way ahead was a trap for those that did not know of the secret door he embarked on an examination of the stairs and blank wall ahead. He found another secret door but no traps. Sheldon made his way back to the first secret door and eased it open. Beyond was a fairly large room with a large alter to the Raven queen inside. I detected magicks and determined that the alter was imbued with a blessing from the Raven queen to create rejuvenation potions, potions that did not just speed healing but could actually spontaneously heal damage and restore strength to limb and spirit. I informed Yamis of this and he set about starting the proper ritual to create potions form the godess. Shortly after we had a brazier ¼ full of a pungent liquid we each scooped a small cupful – barely a full swallows worth and were rejuvenated. Yamis informed us that the potion would not benefit him as he had to expend some of his strength in the ritual to create the potions. I thanked him as did the rest for his sacrifice on our behalf, and made ready to “storm the castle…”