The party wound its way back from Malachie’s tomb triumphantly, stopping in Ximes and encountering a wandering apothecary outside Viones. Escil Grenier had 5 interesting potions that would challenge a bunch of monkeys how to put them to best use. Still, party members bought a few. They outside the city (as it was still in an uproar) and Simon decided to cast read magic on the scroll he had picked up in Manachie’s lair… there was a puff of purple haze and Simon became a mini-manachies with 6 arms and one eye… It was the second time he was possessed by a third party… but at least he was still himself inside for all of that. It was easy finding a horse that was dull witted enough to carry him.
The adventurers returned to what they thought of as Gaspard’s lair. The tide was high and accessing the entrance up the cliff was going to be a challenge. Mandras, finally getting used to the idea that his sword allowed him to fly, took up the rope and turned it into an easy job.
Retracing their steps, the party encountered 5 translucent human shapes precisely where they had previously been ambushed by spiders. After much debate, a failed banishing and much experimentation they walked through the apparitions, who blithely followed them.
Wandering ever in a SE direction, they came upon a room with three pillars within, carved like seaweed. Faring on, the next room entered stank of old seaweed and fish; there were giant fishbones sticking from the walls and bloated drowned corpses on the floor. As the party fought back the need to gag, three ostrich necked creatures were seen. With piercing eyes and dressed in flouncy clothing. With little hesitation, Mandras and Rarder charged the nearest, killing her. The other two made keening sounds and Mandras had to save vs death. But the sisters closed and gazed into their eyes, chilling the two heroes to the bones and dropping them dead before they could be despatched by the survivors.
In the interim, Konrad charged another female figure that emerged from a room to the S. Konrad interrupted what would have been a frightful spell but she shivved him with a poison dagger. As he too fell dead, the party swarmed over her and killed her. At which point, with the three lead warriors lying dead, the party behove itself to collect all the bodies and took them N to the elves’ tower in the hopes of being able to convince Sylaire that they deserved being reincarnated…