The Star Pool

The party stands before the portal that potentially leads to Ghiz. Adrian and Irdien say there's no freaking way they're risking going through there, and the group decides to follow their decision. Irdien throws a quick word via paper into the portal for her brother to potentially find after Sirona suggests it. Sirona then gives Jak a napkin to clean the necromancy ooze off his face after asking Adrian to set up camp for the night. Adrian leads the group on for about an hour before finding a good spot. Jak takes out his lute and plays some music before they all go to bed. Sirona has no nightmare.
The next day, the party travels onward through the woods without meeting any resistance. However, when they bed down for the night again, Sirona has one of her worst nightmares since leaving the mansion. She wakes up screaming but is quickly consoled and comforted by Labrat and Jak hugging her tight.
After another day of traveling, they reach the broken-down remains of the great wall that once marked the borders between the human- and dwarven empire. Adrian quickly and masterfully scouts the premises to make sure no bandits are laying an ambush. Eventually, he finds an old tower that the group decides to take shelter in for the night. Before bed, Sirona steps out alone for a moment. Then, fearing another nightmare like the one she had yesterday, she takes out the vial with the violet powder, and after some back and forth internal debating, she takes her first dosage to ward off nightmares. It works. The next day she wakes up feeling refreshed and have no memories of what she might have dreamed at all. She decides to start taking one portion every night preemptively and judges that she should have a total of possibly 40 servings.
Adrian spots a dire bear roaring threateningly at them on the path throughout the woods, but as it does, vines suddenly shoot up from the ground and crush it before their eyes. There is the faint sound of cackling laughter in the encompassing wind, and the group remembers the hags promises of safe passage. Jak kneels by the dead bear and says a quick prayer dedicated to Morena before they move on.
Eight more days pass until they reach a vast pond with crystal clear water. Both Irdien and Sirona stick their hand in the water. It's freezing. Irdien proceeds to submerge her whole head while Adrian strips down naked and jumps in. He swims out to the lake's center and finds that it has an underwater tunnel heading straight down. He swims down a bit but realizes that it's too dark and deep to reach a bottom and return to shore, handing Irdien a white pebble he found.
While warming himself by the campfire, the subject of fishing comes up as the amounts of food for the drakes are slowly dwindling. Assuredly, Jak gets up and casts Sound Burst on the lake. Shortly after that, the pond is packed with belly-up floating dead fish, some of the usual sorts, but many fishes look like they belong in a darker environment.
Deciding not to let this madness of a display go to waste, Adrian opens the portal, and Rat and Arcus, after their trainer's blessings, take off to feast.
When the moonlight eventually hits the crystal water, a strange current starts moving the fishes around until a whirlpool emerges at the center. There's a light coming from it, giving a magical and beautiful appearance.
The group stands and watches it in silent awe until a male drow suddenly emerges from the water, coughing and spitting. As he gets pulled to shore, he asks Irdien for help. The rest of his squad were attacked by giant spiders down below. We are the only ones close enough to help, and time is of the essence.