4/4/17 Gahldra took a long moment to take in the scene that was unfolding before her. The whole thing seemed off. Lil Maggie was having too much fun sitting on the jester's lap and the three "Ladies in Waiting" were way too flirtatious to be taken seriously. The matron ended up being the only one of them that didn't have harmful intentions! "'Behldor be my champion! Behldor you're so handsome! Behldor I'm going to EAT YOUR SOUL! GRRRAAAWWWRRR!!! AUGH! NO! SAVE ME! AAAUGGGHH! AAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!!' ..........That's how I was expecting it to go..." Eventually, Behldor attempted to lure the apparently non-evil Matron into safer waters by offering to show her pleasures she had never imagined. The jester apparently didn't like this and pulled his dagger on him and things heated up fast. Then they cooled down... then when the group turned to leave, taking the Matron with them, the Fool went ballistic and tried to kill everyone! Gonzo cast a powerful sleep spell that effected the Matron and all the Ladies in Waiting simultaneously, but for some reason, the jester fully resisted! Behldor took a number of stab wounds from him, but returned the favor by slashing out his eye... which he was nice enough to throw Gahldra's way! She pocketed it gratefully and promised to keep it forever. Lilicha cast a powerful Word of Command spell that stopped the jester in his tracks, allowing safe exit for the companions and the dozing Matron. "Woah! An eyeball! I love eyeballs! I will always remember this gift Behldor... what a guy." With the Ladies in Waiting asleep, the party was able to take their keys and open the great slab under the carpet in the throne room. When the keys were turned, the slab slid aside to reveal a spiral staircase. Lighting a torch the party cautiously entered. Skulls and bones crunched underfoot and the moist air smelled of reptilian excrement and death. The stairs led down to the center of a strange domed room with brightly polished metal mirrors hanging from chains anchored in the ceiling and gems depicting constellations embedded into the walls. There were also archways leading out in all the cardinal directions leading to open caverns. The group decided to head southeast and headed *cautiously* into the cavern. "We are probably going to die in here... Everyone ready to go?" While looking for tracks, the party discovered that a creature with talons and a tail must live in this cavern, but seeing and hearing no immediate danger, they continued in. They found a pool of fresh and quite delicious water and took a moment to refresh. Perhaps one moment too long... All of a sudden, out of nowhere appeared a most dangerous and hideous foe. It looked like a 15' tall cross between a lizard and a very unhealthy mutated chicken. It sported a long, reptilian tail, ratty feathered wings, wicked talons and three piercing eyes. It made itself known in a terrible squawk and bored its unearthly eyes into any who would meet them--turning them to stone! Gonzo quickly put the creature to sleep with another powerful spell, allowing the clerics to return the stoned allies to flesh. The party decided to quickly explore the rest of the cavern and leave before the creature awoke. They found themselves in an alcove before a natural 10 foot basin filled with black water and emanating an ominous purple glow. Looking into it, Behldor is able to scry his parents but to his disappointment, the basin revealed their graves instead. Theedie, eager to discover new clues about their situation, tried to scry the "man in the watery grave," but suddenly the water in the basin erupted to life and tried to drown her! Luckily, despite her trance, she was able to dodge aside and avoid an early death. Lil Maggie cut lines in her tiny arms to empower her magic and tore the evil blob apart with a powerful magical missile bringing the party an easy kill. Behldor discovered two strange placards at the bottom of the basin and dove down to retrieve them. His efforts were rewarded, but nobody knew what they were! What a strange reward from a strange and unforgiving place. "What are these things anyway? Who knows... maybe time will tell..." The sound of the awakening monster back in the cavern told the party that it was time to go. They retreated through a narrow hallway set into the back of the alcove and hoped for something better. Or at least easier to kill than a giant petrifying chicken-lizard of doom.
