I am just plain exhausted. This heat is killing me, and though the wounds have been healed, my head still throbs. Yet we cannot pause for more than a few moments. Long enough for Yamis to complete his ritual and create potions of restoration and vitality, and even that short delay is a calculated risk.

But let us catch up. Co’Bok and Reniss accompanied Leena on her mission. Both to protect her so she may perform her work, and to ensure that she indeed did so. They will attempt to free the slaves during the confusion on their way back once the task has been completed. The will meet with us at the gateway back to Overlook. We were to traverse the tower after dealing with Modra and use the one-way portal at the pinnacle to go directly to the gateway home.

As we traversed the distance between Leena’s pavilion and the Foundry, another quake rocked the region. Beside us the ground gave way with almost a sigh and a hiss. A gaping chasm filled with bubbling lava was revealed mere feet from us. Brokenglass was standing on the crumbling edge and stumbled to his knees rather than fall in. No sooner had the wave of heat slammed into us than burning creatures of lava and flames burst forth from the pit and attacked us. One, a giant, two vaguely canine in shape and demeanor, and two flaming bat-like creatures that soared high.

We had no quarrel with these creatures, and I have always been a proponent of allowing someone I don’t like take the fall rather than myself. Over yonder lies a huge encampment of evil mercenaries poised to strike at my homeland. Let them take the heat. Literally. Gil Jh’Dek also advocated this and I moved on toward the encampment about a hundred yards away. I continually fired shots at the enemy to keep their attention. I was only partially successful though, for I saw Brokenglass and Yamis were continually being blasted with flames! Damakos was in his element, and not just figuratively. He waded through the flames with a pleasant smile upon his face, and blasted lightning upon the opponents as he fought a rear guard action, mostly successful in drawing the attention of the flame wolves and giant. The bats were the main problem, diving upon us and leaving trails of superheated air flaming behind them to envelop us with flame. Well, not me. Mostly Brokenglass and Yamis.

Shortly, I had lead the flaming bat I had attracted into the crowd, where I disappeared. To all around me, I declared that there was a training session in progress. They were to learn to defeat flame creatures! How exciting! Then the flaming bat swooped upon the crowd and that really got their attention. Before I knew it, a horde of Gnolls, Orcs, and “other” were moving to deal with the problem as we all retreated. I wished the fire beasts good hunting as we continued on our way.

Brokenglass was covered in burns. Yamis called down the light of Pelor upon him. Strangely muted in this dim land, but just as effective. Before us loomed the Foundry. I motioned the others to wait whilst I scouted. The building was large and tall, probably two and a half stories. No windows, only one door, and a small hole where a recent earthquake had cracked the mortar and a subsidence had allowed some of the bricks to fall free. Two guards, each with an expertly slit throat and very well hidden in the tall “grass” were also found. No guards. It would seem Leena’s information was correct. I returned and we went to the broken hole and enlarged it just enough that I could squirm through.

Beyond, the view was between two huge steel vats. A large pipe radiating intense heat dropped into the floor right next to the hole, and filled the space between the pipes. Across the way I could see more vats and between each, a pipe just like the one before us. The ceiling was lost in shadows above with pipes filling the space beyond twenty five feet up or so. Each vat was a fifteen foot cube with odd meters and controls in a panel on the front. A river of lava spanned by a three bridges ran in the far wall, then turned down the center of the chamber and out the wall to my right. A dangerous obstacle to be certain.

A quick discussion followed as Gil Jh’Dek quietly widened the hole a little. I would enter and get into a position where I could strike from surprise with ample hiding places around. It would let me use my skills to most effect. Damakos would enter through the hole in the wall and also come from where they did not expect. The rest would come through the front door when the “signal” was given by the volcano.

I squirmed through the hole and onto the pipe. It was scalding hot and I quickly braced myself on the two flanking tanks instead. Silent, I ascended to the top of the vats. The top was open, and a fuming green and viscus liquid filled them nearly to the top. Within, and half unseen I could discern shapes moving. I quietly made my away across the tank along the wall, to the next, and the next. I kept to the shadows and made not a sound. I observed seven enemies scattered around the room, three armed with longbows, the others with maces of some sort. Beyond the final tank, I saw a collection of supplies in large crates and barrels. It took up a good thirty foot square of space. Plenty of places to hide. Like a ghost I dropped to the floor and vanished behind the pile.

The quake struck shortly after. I had my Orcish belly bow ready and had chosen a target. He was standing next to the river of lava. If I could knock him in, I was sure it would be his doom.

I hit him, but he managed to twist and fall instead of going straight into the lava as planned. The ground shook, the main doors burst open and the rest charged in. All was going to plan. The enemy responded quickly, firing arrows of writhing shadows at my friends which seemed to hold them in place, but my attention was quickly drawn to an event closer at hand. No sooner had I switched belly bow for rapier than a wave of green goo gushed forth from the closest tank, flooding into the lava and releasing some mutated pig of gargantuan proportions with two heads! But still closer, I noted a shimmering in the air. I lunged, and fealt a connection. I pulled back and quickly struck downward and was rewarded with another hit. Again, I pulled and thrust down. Three quick strikes, three hits. There was a yelp of pain, then the world went black around me.

Out of the blackness, blades thrust at me. I wrenched myself to the side, slamming into the boxes. A second blade pierced my side and blood flowed freely. The pain was daunting. I thrust behind me where I thought I’d heard a footstep but connected with nothing. I centered myself and waited. There! A whisper of movement. I slashed violently and was rewarded with a grunt of surprise an pain, even as a blade once again bit into my side. Another wound bleeding profusely.

The darkness shrouding me vanished. As I suspected, there was Modra! I tried to negotiate with him. I told him that I was wont to overlook his attempting to have me slain, and pointed out that had he simply offered to purchase the item he wanted (the key to the shadowfell gate), I might have entertained the notion. Really, I tried to be reasonable and hoped he would be as well. He’d have none of it though. He slipped through shadows somehow, appearing to be in many places at once and once again struck at me. I felt the life seeping from my wounds and the world started to grow distant. At least my side didn’t hurt any more.

I came to myself some time later. The overly sweet taste of a healing draught on my lips and Damakos leaning over me whispering “Dammit wake up” through gritted teeth. I pulled another healing draught from my belt and drank that as well and could feel my wounds knit closed. It was strangely quiet for a combat, yet the air was somehow charged and I knew hostilities were not over yet.

I took stock. There seemed a very uneasy truce in the foundry. Modra had moved towards the door. Yamis was still stuck in place beside him with writhing shadows, the others appeared to have backed off a space, while the minions of Modra held their positions warily. I could just see in my minds eye how they were tensed and straining at some mental restraint to attack us, and knew with a certainty bordering on prophetic that as soon as Modra was safe, they would recommence their attack.

So I ducked down and snuck towards Modra. Bastard struck me down even as I attempted to parley! At least he had not escaped me unscathed. I had seen the way his leg refused to obey him, and the bloody wounds he’d received when he moved in upon me. Just then, Yamis who had been speaking to Modra of sending his minions away, and the relative balance of trust issues, gave up upon his negotiations and called upon Pelor as he smashed Modra in the head. He spun in place, and looked dazed, but all the minions sprang into instant action.

As quickly as my battered body would allow, I climbed over the crates and thrust my rapier deep at a downward angle through Modras shoulder. Gil Jh’Dek attacked from beside me. The boar attacked Gil Jh’Dek and triggered Damakos’s hex and he appeared in a clap of thunder and struck at the boar and Modra. Modra now reminded me of the final moments of Sinruth. I am glad our positions were not reversed.

Shortly he fell, and the power of his magic over the others was gone. None escaped, save the bat. I new time was of the essence, so I immediatly began stripping down Modra. If anyone here had anything of use, it would be he. The volcano reminded us of our urgency with a ten foot high wave of lave that rushed along the channel. Briefly, we discussed how tired and wiped out we all were, the the advisability of abandoning the idea of storming the tower and heading overland to the shadowfell gate. A look out at the river of lava made our minds for us. The sole bridge was choked with thronging people trying to escape, even as the lava rose higher and higher throughout the camp, and melted the bridges foundations. No escape that way. Damakos advocated heading overland deeper into the Shadowfell and returning at a later time to our own world through another gateway. A Laudable plan, save it means braving the WILDS of the shadowfell where “live” shadow wraiths, and other nasties. Eventually, the idea that Co’Bok, Reniss, and any slaves they’d freed would be trapped in the mountains if we did not go there made up our minds. Off to storm the Castle!

I made short work of the secret door and we traversed a narrow passage that sloped upward toward the tower. At the foot of some stairs ending in a blank wall, we paused. I stopped and searched. If there were alarms or traps, they would be here. Rather, I found a secret door at the foot of the stairs in addition to the one at the top! It was older, and more well hidden than the other. Carefully, we opened it and looked inside. Here, is our resting place. A shrine to the Raven Queen when we entered, Yamis reconsecrated it to Pelor. Magic just pours from a huge black stone altar, and the magically inclined examined it and determined it could be used for a ritual that would produce potions of revitalization. Restoring energy and verve to the imbiber. In our current states, there was no question it was worth a ten minute wait for Yamis to expend some of our Risidium doing so.

The good news is that Modra has kindly donated a very fine leather coat to my cause. Inlaid black on black with an interlocking oak leaf motif and chased with silver on cuffs and buttons. Plus it carries magic to prevent me from being tied up with webs and the like. Nice. But I see Yamis is finished his ritual, so it’s time to go. Truly I wish we could salvage this shrine! It is such a waste of potential to have it destroyed. The profits to be made creating and selling potions such as these, Lost. Modra need never have gathered an army to become insanely wealthy, he need merely have located this shrine. But alas! It is not portable. The needful altar is a full ten feet by twenty. Too large to even have ever been brought to the room through means other than magical or divine. And certainly beyond our ability to retrieve.