Map of Hellfurnaces Underdark

View of the Hellfurnaces Underdark, courtesy of Drusilia Silverwood.

I'm going to die down here.

Well, we ran for a while and I ran straight into this clear liquid thing that paralyzed me. If it wasn’t taking up the entire hallway I’m sure they would have left Pockets and me here to die. But being as it took up the entire passage, and they didn’t want to face the illithids, Ghelt killed the living slime thing. After some time I could move again, and the poison seemed to wear off of Pockets because he regained consciousness. We walked for a while and eventually Valon found a territory marker. He said it was marking a drow city. We left. We walked back to the cavern we first found and spent the night there. Fafnir cast this hut spell and we had some secure shelter. I the morning I memorized the spells I could, and Drusilia cast something she calls a Heroes’ Feast. Being as we all had to cooperate for the spell to work it was a quiet meal, but that gave me some time to hear my own thoughts.

Ghelt is an excellent fighter, and seems to also be a cleric of some level. She’s a good person, and loyal to her friends.

Fafnir is one of the better spell casters I’ve seen, and definitely knows his potions.

Drusilia is a fine cleric, always trying to win followers, and keeping faith at all times.

Valon seems to know more then he lets on, and is more useful and brave than he realizes.

Pockets is very focused, knows what he wants and goes for it letting nothing stand in his way.

Looking at this group I’m actually shocked that we have been at each others throats the past few days. Thinking back it all started when Pockets first bought that dog. Then sitting here watching that dog, mimicking Pockets with mage hand, a spell she ate from my book, I come to realize that dog is truly evil. That dog will be the death of us all and Pockets and I are the only ones to see it.

Well, the meal comes to an end and I keep my thought to myself because we really don’t need any more fighting. We travel towards the salamander city. There appears to be a narrow trail leading into the city, and at the bottom are 2 fire elemental guards. I smile feeling the heat of the flames, but they burn my bow. I was just carrying it and if they wanted me to put it away they could have said so. Oh well. After we enter the city these creatures point spears at us and speak in a language I don’t understand. Someone translated and told us they wanted us to remove our weapons, so I lay my rapier down and hold my hands where they can see them. We are then led to a large hall with a throne and a very large snake like creature sitting there. It has the torso arms and head of a humanoid of some type and the tail of a snake, but no legs. He asked what we were doing and we told them. Not everything of course, but enough. He told us of a beholder and said we could go on our way if we killed it. We basically said ok, and off we went. They were nice enough to give us our weapons back and a map of where we need to go.

We followed the map exactly and came to a large hole in the ground that extended upward also. We crossed with some minor complications. Once across, we were attacked by a large ball with several eye stalks. I guess this is what a beholder looks like. We eventually killed it, but now I feel like I’m being watched again and I don’t like that. I guess this Xarn knows we’re here.

Sigh... here we go, I only hope we make it out alive.