The party continues to explore ‘The Lost Level’.


After a brief rest in the rosoom of the Dwarven Gods, the party returns to the round chamber lit by glowing pink pillars.  The party decides to go east. Shining Brow takes the lead through a wide corridor with several side passages. In a broken and looted store room, he finds an ornate pendant with the mountain emblem of Dumathoin, the dwarven god or secrets, and pockets it.

Moving ahead, the group encounters another large room lit by pillars made of pink quartz. Similar veins of quartz run through the walls, and the entire room is lit with a soft glow.  Double doors to the south are covered in a large carving of a mountain with a gem in it’s hear… the symbol of Dumathoin. When the party catches up, Tang Wu moves through the chamber, and triggers a familiar voice which says “Neither secrets nor treasures should you find.  Turn back, you’re not welcome here.” The group takes this as a clue that they are on the right track. Tang Wu investigates the pillars, and Shining Brow finds a secret passage. The dusty tunnel leads to another secret door, and the chamber beyond contains the remains of a bedroom.  The party searches the room, sorting through the scrolls and paper covering the floor. They find that the scrolls seem to be hand written homilies for religious ceremonies.

The group returns to the first set of double doors.  Kherek and Shazuu push the doors open to find an immense chamber, again lit by massive pink quartz pillars.  A group of eight white haired dwarves with purple skin are arranged in a half circle, watching the doors open. Behind them are several more duergar bodies on top of a dais.  Large statues flank an altar atop the dais, and behind it is a set of jet black double doors. Two cloakers fly in lazy circles around the room. A female duergar, taller than the others, wearing an ermine lined cloak addresses the tiefling and the hobgoblin. She says “You might be just what we need. A moment of truce?” and waves a white handkerchief.  Shazuu rapidly closes the door.

After a quick discussion, the group sends Shazuu and Tang Wu to negotiate. The duergar wants to make a deal. They need help defeating a golem guarding the dais, as the duergar weapons have not effect. In exchange, the party will have free run of the dungeon, but the duergar get to keep any treasure in this room and whatever is beyond the doors.  Tang Wu checks with the party regarding the terms, and suggests that the party kill the duergar and take their treasure. Kherek agrees, and does not seem to understand the concept of mur-der. But the party decides to help if the duergar will give up half of the treasure in the room.

Tang Wu returns to let the duergar know the new terms.  He barks some words in Infernal, and suddenly, the duergar woman agrees to the terms, but refuses to leave the room. The party enters the room behind him, and Tang Wu decides that negotiations are not proceeding to his liking. He leaps forward to attack, as he prefers fists to words.  He knocks her back into the group of duergar. Shining Brow moves to one side of the room and fires a lightning bolt into the group of dwarves. Tygorr drops a fireball onto half of the dwarves. Kherek joins the fight, and the duergar begin to suffer heavy losses. Shazuu begins to rush the dais to engage the inactive golem.  The dwarves magically grow to giant size, as the cloakers engulf Shining Brow and Tang Wu. Shining Brow tries to strike the cloaker around him, but hurts himself as well as the monster. Kherek attacks the cloaker, wounding the creature and knocking Shining Brow unconscious, then continues to attack the cloaker. Shazuu returns to the fight and heals Shining Brow.  Tang Wu breaks free from the cloaker, and Shining Brow slips free from the other cloaker. Shazuu gets wrapped up by the cloaker, but Kherek charges in recklessly and kills the cloaker and a duergar.

Shining Brow gives the pendant he found to Shazuu as a thank you for healing him.  Kherek claims the ermine cloak, and the group searches the sacks that the duergar carried and claim the treasures within.  Kherek also finds a dagger that the duergar leader was carrying. Kherek recognizes it as the Dagger of Azok, which belonged to his clan leader. He takes it to return to his clan. 

The group inspects the dais from a distance, and see two ten foot tall dwarven statues with eyeless helms. A dull grey altar stands between them. Tang Wu steps up on the dais, and the altar begins to change form, rearranging itself into a humanoid form.  Tang Wu steps back quickly, and it returns to an altar shape. The group decides to rest, and Shining Brow identifies a belt in the duergar bad as a belt of dwarven kind, which he gives as a thank you for saving him in combat. As the group starts to plan an attack, Tang Wu begins quoting dark passages of some unknown text.  Tygorr casts haste, and Kherek charges the altar and begins hacking off pieces of clay. Tang Wu follows up with a series of attacks, and somehow manages to mangle some of his equipment, as the golem rises up and attacks Kherek. Shazuu and Tygorr hit it with spells, and Shining Brow stabs the golem, keeping it from attacking.  Shazuu draws on his power and strikes down the golem with his halberd.  

After making quick work of the golem, the group find a dwarven script written on the doors.  Using the power of his new belt, Kherek reads “It is will of keepers under mountain that only the hand of some king can open these doors.  May all who enter gaze upon the true power of my label and know the power of true dwarf kind.” Tygorr declares that Kherek looks like a king wearing the ermine robe.  Shazuu manages to parse what Kherek was trying to say, and recognizes “my label” as Melairbode, the ancient hidden dwarven kingdom under Mount Waterdeep… the halls that they stand it currently.

Shining Brow checks the doors using his mage hand, and another larger hand phases through the door.  The large hand smashes Shining Brow, as the rest of the party surrounds and destroys Bigby’s Hand. Worn out from a long day of battle, the party decides to set up camp.