Mandras awoke in the dank treasure room. He was not rested but he felt confident again as he saw the the re-awakening of his colleague Koko, who was himself again. As Mandras prepared, he enjoyed the thoughts of the treasures acquired.
The party shook itself into a marching order and headed back to where we had killed the gelatinous cube. Moving in a westerly direction we found a room with a pool in it, flowing water, a souce of drink! Moving on to the SE and following the corridor we were surprised to find a door. Opening it, we found another octagonal room – a quick inspecyion revealed that this was not the one we had fallen into hours ago. We took the NE door and found ourselves, some time later, back into the room via the NW door.
We then took the N door suspecting a room of sorts would be there, but instead a corridor took us to a room with a pool of lava and a vent leading upwards that was super heated – not an escape option… We continued on to the SE and our colleagues forming the rear guard sensed an entity pursuing us. We turned back to confront it, a form of lava lizard. Striking it with normal weapons hurt it, but the metal melted as it pierced the target. I stabbed it with the ebony blade and to my satisfaction, I felt it sink in deeply and recovered it undamaged. Luckily Dulo slept it, 3 cheers for our wizard! After dispatching it we continued along and alas found ourselves back in the octagonal room. To be sure it was the same room, we tested the northern passage again and indeed, we were correct, it was the same room.
Not despairing yet, we took the SE door and followed the passageway. A sound of rushing water and a green glow met us ahead. It was a rushing torrent 40’ wide with glowing moss on the walls. Fortunately, Alf decided to test the depth and we were surprised it was only a foot or so deep. Ibar loaned Alf his ring of water walking and we tied Alf to us with 100’ of rope. He set off bravely and progressed until he reached another ledge around a corner. We joined him wading through the icy water. Thrice more we progressed in this manner.
Eventually we saw a ledge with 3 thin rat like creatures, of a type we had encountered before. We managed to creep up to them but our arrival on the ledge surprised and scared them. Our efforts to communicate failed and they ran out of the room accompanied by two others we had not noticed. I passed my ebony shortsword to Hats, feeling more comfortable with my trusty two handed axe. As I slung my shield on my back, we heard a deep booming of a horn echoing towards us. Hope, yet danger too!!!