. Caves of Chaos

Next they make their way back to the Horned Hold. The orcs they killed last time are still lying on the stone floor. They cautiously make their way deep into the keep. After crossing the bridge, they come to the room where boxes had been stacked in front of a large set of double doors. The air is smoky here, and the boxes have been reduced to charred ashes. They head into the foyer that leads into the slave pits and Murklmor’s chamber. All is quiet and in fact the door is still tied as they had left it. They remove the rope and head into the slave pit room. Rayrond sneaks around and the room appears to be empty except for a couple of slave bodies near the pit. Rayrond peers into the pit where the slaves had been kept and finds a truly horrific sight. The slaves have all been eviscerated, chewed and otherwise torn apart. They suspect the spiny devils slaughtered the slaves before leaving. They decide to head make sure the Horned Hold is truly empty and go exploring areas to the south. After a few moments searching the sleeping quarters of the duergar guards they find a chest containing 40gp and three rubies.

Next they head north east to an area of the Hold that obviously hasn’t been used in many years. Why haven’t the Duergar used this area? They head through a couple of doors and then up some stairs to a hallway which is lined with arrow slots. Obviously used to protect the eastern bridge. At the end of the hall is an ornate black wooden door carved with many symbols and images of Minotars. This opens into a large partially destroyed chapel. In the centre of the room stands a damaged statue that depicts a fierce demonic minotaur. One arm has broken off and lies in pieces on the floor. Portions of the ceiling have fallen in, partially filling several small chambers behind the statue. A rusty iron door stands in the western wall. Mathers sends his bear familiar Orso into the room. Suddenly from out of the rubble lurches the body of a long-dead human warrior in tattered black mail. Sunken flesh clings to its bones, and its lips have drawn back from its black teeth. It raises a rotting hand revealing jagged claws as it hisses and attacks. A total of 5 wights rise from various hiding places around the room. A short battle ensures and the wights are forced into their final rest. The battle with the rusted door seems to take longer, but finally they are successful with that as well.
A short narrow hallway ends at a statue of a grim looking skeletal minotaur with a great axe. Panril recognizes it as the minotaur version of the grim reaper. To the east is a crypt containing the bodies of a dozen minotaur warriors in niches along the walls. A door to the west leads back to the room where the slaves where held.
Finding nothing of note, they troop past the desecrated bodies of the innocent slaves without even a backwards glance.

Next they decide to follow the key. The key they found on Maldrick leads them through the Shining Road and into a section of the Labyrinth they have not visited yet. Down un unremarkable stretch of tunnel, it tugs Mathers hand and sticks suddenly into the wall. A door opens that leads them down a tunnel. The tunnel opens into a large room with a glowing set of runes on the floor.
As they approach the circle flares with blinding energy for a moment. When the light fades away, a spectral skeletal figure is standing within the circle. The figure is clad in thick robes of deepest scarlet.
“The Secrets of the tower come at a price. You must each pay for the right to enter this place. What can you offer to the dreaded lord of secrets? I seek lore, power and your souls”
After conferring with each other for a moment each adventure takes his turn regaling the spirit with knowledge, lore or tales of heroic deeds.
Once satisfied he bids the heroes to enter. “You may now enter this tower of mysteries. May its secrets intrigue you”
As they step into the portal each feels a surge of pain though and each loses a healing surge.
With a flash of light they arrive in a 20x20 room with two exits. The walls of the chamber are covered with carvings that depict human faces. Each face wears a blindfold or a gag. Immediately upon your arrival the blindfolded faces animate and begin to chant, while the eyes of the gagged faces glare at you with rage. They fight Norkers and are introduced to the Enigmas of Cyric. Mages who have devoted themselves to the god Cyric for a taste of his evil power. They are able to attack the mind through the pillars.
When a second wave of Norkers arrive they foolishly rush through a ring of fire left behind by Gandor and quickly perish. A hard battle is fought with Gandor’s pet hyena almost succumbing to its injuries. They finally face the Enigmas and at the point when the Enigmas are starting to die they suddenly rip their own faces off in a frenzy of rage and can do nothing but try to claw the life out of the party. Once dispatched the group rummages through the rooms to find an onyx and a quartz gem that resembles an eyeball.
There are no doors or windows so the only way to proceed is through the next portal.
This leads to another level. They are forced to fight another Bronze Warder. If not for Rayrond quickly hobbling the fearsome construct they surely would have perished.
Once the Norkers and Enigmas of this level are dispatched they discover a large glass container featuring tubes, metal pipes, and filled with an acrid glowing liquid. Floating within is the head of a bronze warder. The group decides to destroy this arcane machine, smartly keeping their distance. Immediately a human mage teleports into the room seething with rage. “Oh you fuckers shall die for this” He unleashes a devastating bolt of lightning that arcs between several of the adventurers.
They lock themselves into the lab and rest while Darkface hears the rattle of the locked doors and moans and claws scraping the doors.