Waterday, Flocktime 19 592 CY, continued again

I am really starting to wonder if Pockets and Aramil are who they claimed to be; we’ve never even been able to get the name of a town they hail from. They certainly think differently than the rest of us! As we decided to head north down an unexplored tunnel (with Pockets so far ahead of us that we really couldn’t tell where he was “scouting”), Aramil, for no apparent reason, grabbed his rapier and stabbed the poor puppy that was frolicking around at our feet. Ghelt was so angry that she, in turn, stabbed Aramil with her greatsword (and she has a lot more power to put behind it). She may well have finished him off with another swing, but we all noticed that Watch had completely healed of her wound in just a few seconds. The dog gave Aramil a long stare before going back to doing her puppy things. Ghelt even went to the trouble of healing Aramil, though anyone that would blame an innocent little animal for his own carelessness....

We continued to follow Pockets’ south and sometimes west— though one time Aramil decided to flip a coin to determine which way to go rather than follow our plan (he eventually wandered back to us). I wonder if he makes all of his decisions with a coin toss. We abandoned a western passage that was filled with shrieking purple fungi and toadstools. South seemed quieter, so we continued that way, past lava flows and caverns. Quite unexpectedly, Pockets was entangled in five sticky strands that shot out of a stalagmite! We all immediately set to trying to untangle him, though the creature was quite strong and resisted magic. At one point, Pockets got a hand free and threw one of those blasted sticky balls of tripvine at the monster. Its only effect was to stick Ghelt and Valon fast to the back of the monster. One of my searing light spells managed to get through, and even Watch wounded it with a vicious bite (whether she was defending Pockets or Ghelt is difficult to say). Pockets then pulled a feather token out of his bag that turned into a tree. The tree hit the cavern ceiling, dislodging some boulders, which smashed the “roper,” killing it. When it died, its mouth opened and an 8” jade idol of an octopoidal-headed creature fell out. I suspect it symbolizes a deity of the illithids, though I am not sure if it is Ilsensine or Maanzecorian. I hope we don’t have the opportunity to find out!

We continued on south for a few hours more until we saw a glow ahead. We soon came to a large magma-filled gorge with a rickety rope bridge stretching 50’ to the other ledge. Pockets was able to cross easily, then Aramil, taking no cautions whatsoever, started to lurch across it. After falling and dangling from the ropes twice, he decided to come back the 15’ he’d gained to where the rest of us stood. Pelor forgive me, but I almost thought it would be a blessing for Aramil to fall in, as he is likely to get himself killed soon anyway. I’m sure Fafnir would object to a death in which magic items could not be safely retrieved however.

We had a brief skirmish with some very thin and dirty duergar who used poisoned weapons, after which Fafnir cast Fly on Ghelt and she took each of us over the magma in that fashion. We caught up with Pockets on a ledge overlooking an illithid city— the squid-headed creatures floated between their structures, thankfully unaware of our arrival. We decided that another way south, without a city to fight through, would be best, when little Watch, with a gleam in her eyes, bolted down the side of the cliff overlooking the city. We thought she was gone for good and with a whispered, “Watch, come back!” I was sure Ghelt was going to have to bid our little friend goodbye. The rest of us, other than Ghelt and Pockets, suggested leaving now and perhaps Watch would find us again, and began to head back to the tunnels. Suddenly though, Watch was clambering back up to the ledge, with a few mind flayers chasing her, still apparently unaware that we were in their domain. We could have left then, knowing Watch could take care of herself, when, Ghelt tells us, Pockets shot two crossbow bolts into the dog! Thankfully for Watch, she has the ability to heal instantly, but the bolts gave the illlithids our position! Horns sounded as we made our way back to the gorge as quickly as we could; at one point, Ghelt used a little divine magic to block the passage leading to the illithid city, but we continued to run. Fafnir turned himself into a bronze dragon when we reached the lava-filled gorge, and was taking me across first, when more duergar appeared with crossbows and poisoned bolts. Thankfully, Fafnir was able to kill them with a very powerful spell. We are continuing back the way we came until we can find a good resting spot. I had planned a “Heroes’ Feast” that would provide my comrades with extra protection against poison, as well as healing and blessing. Unfortunately, the spell takes an hour, and I don’t think my friends can sit together that long. I am not looking forward to Ghelt’s confrontation with Aramil and Pockets about their attempts to harm that poor puppy, but they deserve what they get!