Elaryan regains consciousness, reverted to elven form. He is in unfamiliar surroundings: a small room, doors in three directions, dilapidated bookshelves along the wall. The sorcerer leafs through some of the decaying texts that line the shelves, but they are in an unfamiliar language. They are also falling apart. However, in one corner of the shelves, behind some decaying volumes, he makes an interesting discovery. A mysterious deck of cards is hidden there. The backs bear a strange motif, of jackal-headed men passing through winged arches. The faces of the cards bear thirty-six different images, including themes of nature, religion, war, and knowledge. They also radiate intense magic. Elaryan slips the deck into his pouch. A noise from behind one of the rooms' doors draws the sorcerers attention. He moves quietly to the door, opens it a crack, and peers through. In the room beyond, he spies Arthas and Hubris! Reunited, the party begins to explore the strange dungeon they have been teleported to. Soon, they encounter a sentry, one of the painted men from the circus area of the Under-Miami. This sentry is different than the painted men they remember from that place, however. His eyes are dark pools, and two of his teeth grow into sharp fangs as he attacks. The vampire painted man is a fierce opponent, but he is no match for Arthas's holy might. With a burst of celestial energy, the paladin reduces the undead fiend to dust. Exploring further, the heroes realize that they are in fact in the Under-Miami. They proceed through a serious of strange rooms, avoiding anything that looks too dangerous, and eventually find themselves in the big top midway. Two vampire painted men rush forward to intercept them. Still exhausted from the battle with Xanthir Vang, the companions decide that discretion is the better part of valor. They throw their weapons down and try to appear non-threatening. The gambit seems to work, for the sentries hustle them wordlessly into the big top itself. Their is no carnival music this time, and the torches that once lined the massive tent have been extinguished. In the resultant darkness, a massive throne has been erected, and vampire minions line the walls. Upon the throne sits Birgitte, the raven-haired vampire that the party accidentally freed in their first trip to the Under-Miami. "Welcome back to the Under-Miami," she says. "I did not expect to see you again so soon." A long discussion ensues. The heroes explain that did not travel here willingly, and that they would like to return to their own plane. Birgitte responds that she can help with that. The vampiress has kept the goldenrod crystal skull which powers the hangway portal, though that portal now leads to her father's manor, Charnelhome. She is willing to help the party escape the Under-Miami if they will do her a favor. Intrigued, the heroes ask for more details. Birgitte reveals that she has been slowly recruiting the denizens of the Under-Miami to her cause. The morlocks and sabosan serve her willingly, but the lower-level inhabitants have required more persuasion. She has dealt with the painted men-- here she indicated the vampire minions standing around her-- and eliminated the remaining goblins, but the Scintillians have been more difficult. They are immune to her various charms since they lack human minds, and their helmets have the ability to project a searing beam of ultraviolet light which can destroy vampires. Worse of all, they have rescinded their invitation to their temple, so neither Birgitte nor her minions may enter. On the other hand, the Scintillians would probably welcome the heroes into their sanctuary. Shifting into Malak's form, Birgitte suggests that the heroes help get her past the front door. The party can see no fault in her plan, so they agree. They spend one day resting at the fairground, then make their way across the Under-Miami to the lair of the Scintillians. The ruse works perfectly. Elaryan manages to convince the hinge-heads that they have returned for a limited time, and that they need a place to rest. He explains the Scintillians cannot read Malak's mind because of an amulet that he wears. The hinge-heads invite all three heroes into their temple, and lead them to the guest quarters that they shared previously. As soon as the door is closed, "Malak" disappears, and Elaryan and Arthas wait patiently. An hour later, there is a quiet knock at the door. The companions open it to find Birgitte standing in the hallway outside, returned to female form. She has quietly slain each of the Scintillians one-by-one, and dominated or turned all of their neanderthal guards. True to her word, she is now willing to lead the companions to the hangway portal. On the way to the portal island, Birgitte shares some valuable intelligence regarding the forces that opened the Hellmouth. She explains that mastermind behind the rift is a witch named Areelu Vorlesh, a servant of Deskari, who has allied with Baphomet's priestess (and daughter) Hepzamirah. She also reveals that the Abyssal Lords are not all aligned with this tampering in the Prime Material Plane. In particular, her father Shax believes it is a bad idea. Birgitte has also heard rumors that Vorlesh has discovered a source of Nahyndrian crystals somewhere in Nocticula's realm, the Midnight Isles. Arriving at the hangway, the vampiress produces the goldenrod skull and activates the portal. After a brief farewell, the companions leap through. On the other side, they find themselves in a labyrinth of endless rooms, filled with horrific torture implements and deadly traps. The companions make their way gingerly from room to room, but do not seem to be making much headway, when Lord Shax himself appears. The Lord of Lies and Murder appears as a massive being bedecked with knives, razors and other bloody implements of torture. His statuesque human torso sports a dove's head upon its muscular neck, and a pair of mighty wings spread from his shoulders. In a booming voice, he challenges the party to explain their presence in his home, enraged that servants of Angazhan and Erastil would be so bold. Elaryan quickly moves to defuse the situation, explaining that they are allied with Shax's daughter, Birgitte... and that they were in fact the ones who freed her from her long imprisonment. The Blood Marquis is doubtful at first, but he senses the profane bond that Elaryan shares with his daughter. Therefore, in return for the party's loyal service, the Demon Lord announces he will spare their lives this one time, but they must never return to Charnelhome. So saying, he impales each through the heart with a bloody dagger, sending them away from Charnelhome. Everyone who played gains 1,000 XP.