After waking up and feeding the horse, the party descended to the second level. They took Orik with them, unshackled and trusted now that Nualia had abandoned him. Topgob also came along - dressed up in Ripnugget's armour.
They heard Ripnugget's four goblin wives in one of the rooms, arguing over a treasure chest. So they barricaded the door and left the women to it. They would come back later for the treasure chest
(after complaining about not having a treasure chest for the rest of the night). They also found a goblin nursery, where nine baby gnashers were locked up in cages (standard goblin childhood). An-Nur gave them biscuits (saying that she and Tsuto were the only ones feeding these infants) and closed the room.
Next, An-Nur led them to the bedrooms where Nualia, Orik, Lyrie and the bugbear once slept. This is where Serenus collapsed on one of the beds, exhausted from the previous night (she had read from the prayer book of the 6 gods in order to keep Malfeshnikor out of the party's dreams). Voren agreed to watch over Serenus while she slept. The magus was happy to do this, since he had found Lyrie's notes about the Sentinel and needed time to read them.
Leaving them, the party continued onwards. They found a prison cell where six Varisian gypsies had been held for the last month after the Bugbear captured them. These starving people were marked with the symbol of Lamashtu, and the party deduced they were being prepared as Malfeshnikor's first meal.
Rodeh took the lead in freeing the prisoners, and Orik led them back to the surface to eat and rest. Meanwhile, the party uncovered a chapel attached to the prison. It was dedicated to Lamashtu - as proven by the eight-foot statue of the monstrous goddess, and the smouldering remains of Father Tobyn's corpse in the altar bowl. An-Nur told them that Nualia had begun her transformation by burning the priest's remains (Nualia now has a demonic left hand, thanks to this blasphemous deed).
The party smashed the chapel - wrecking as much of the evil place as they could. Then they ventured onwards, and found older cavern tunnels on the east side of the head. It was here that the Thistletop goblins had dumped the loot given to them as tribute from the other tribes. There were many trinkets from the Valdemar family - the nobles whose shipwrecked boats were used to build the goblin stockade. An-Nur also found a puzzle box inscribed with the symbol of a Mallard's skeleton. Throwing caution to the wind, she immediately opened the box and put on the Ring of the Mallard, feeling a flood of Abjuration magic as she did so.
In the midst of their looting, a native inhabitant of the cavern tunnels used the opportunity to find an ambush spot. As the party backtracked, a
Tentamort snared Dhoryl and stung him multiple times, liquefying his internal organs. Rodeh felled the aberration, and some quick healing from An-Nur spared the elf's life. But the horrifying ordeal sent Topgob running back to the surface.
Leaving Orik and the gypsies to deal with the panicking goblin, the party headed for the next level. On the way they found a goblin painting - their depiction of Malfeshnikor as a 30ft tall, muscular goblin with snakelike
eyes and a dogslicer in each taloned hand. It seems the goblins believe Malfeshnikor to be one of the four
barghest demigods. Dhoryl and An-Nur realized that this may explain why there are four goblin camps in this region. Perhaps this is why the goblins came to Varisia in the first place...
Near the stairway to the next level, the party found the war room where Nualia and the goblins had planned the attacks on Sandpoint. They also found Lyrie's study, where she was researching a strange ritual that predates Varisian gyspy dances. An-Nur has begun to translate and memorize this dance.
Finally, on the third level, the party came down into the tilted, ruined catacombs that predate the goblin stockade. Here they found chambers decorated with statues of a robed man holding a glaive and a book, with gemstones studded in his forehead. An-Nur explained that this place was devoted to greed, just as Erylium's catacombs were devoted to wrath. The statue was similar to the one of Queen Alaznist found under Sandpoint; but this was clearly a man, with a face like that of the giant's head itself.
It seems that each of these ancient lairs belonged to a Lord of the old empire; and that these lords were once at war.
Before they could fully explore the place, the third and final Yeth Hound made its attack, sending all but Kolto and An-Nur fleeing in terror. With some buffs from An-Nur, Kolto felled the creature, and the party decided to regroup and rest, before fetching Voren and Serenus.
The path to Malfeshnikor has now been cleared.
