We continue our exhaustive search through this expansive “hut”. I feel like calling this a “hut” is like calling a mountain a “rock”.

After leaving the room that had the trapper, we found a room that was guarded by two gorgons and several spectral beings. The room was decorated with many works of art and several statues that all made for a terrific backdrop for what turned out to be quite a battle. The fighting spanned the length of the room as Ishahotep and Vistin tackled one of the gorgons and Drown downed the other one. The rest of us focused on the spectral creatures that had seemed to spring up from all around us.

After the last of our enemies had fallen, we surveyed the room. In addition to the clearly visible exits, I found a trap door in the ceiling, and the others found a trap door in the floor. We went through the door in the ceiling and were suddenly in what looked like an underground cavern. After much (really, too much) deliberation, we went through a passage that brought us into a room with a mechanized platform.

We crammed ourselves onto the platform and rode it up.

Another doorway brought us into some kind of prison, or perhaps a menagerie. There were several cells that contained a bizarre mix of individuals. A mist, that we later found out had some kind of life-draining quality (we did not find out first hand, thankfully) and one very talkative, and not-very-bright beholder. The beholder pestered us for several minutes trying to convince us to free him. I assume it was a “him”. It sounded like a “him”.

Our thrilling discourse with the beholder was interrupted by a hag who was imprisoned at the far end of the room. She looked decrepit at first glance, but there was a strength to the way she carried herself. She had been imprisoned by the mistress of the hut after assisting her for a long time. Apparently she knew too many secrets and so couldn’t be allowed the luxury of freedom.

After conversing at length with the hag, we decided to free her in exchange for information regarding the hut. We forged an oath, protecting us from her and vice versa, at least in the short term. As part of the terms of the oath, she provided us with a few locations where Suldren may be held captive, as well as the route we can take to reach them. She has been imprisoned for some time, however, and the configuration of the rooms changes from time to time, adding an extra fun wrinkle to this endeavor. One of the rooms she gave us directions to is none other than the treasure vault of the witch. I can only imagine what we could find in there. While I question the wisdom of stealing more than just Suldren from this “mother of all witches”, we are still pirates, and we have a lot of lost looting-time to make up for.