Elaryan and Eovan are resting in the skull chamber when Asteris appears out of thin air. She tells them that the rest of the party has been attacked while trying to infiltrate a nearby tower, and that the sorcerer and rogue should rejoin them. She takes Elaryan by the hand and leads him across the fungal jungle to the Tower of the Burgundy Men. At the tower, the rest of the party is milling about, trying to decide what to do next. They are surprised to see Elaryan, but even more surprised to see Eovan, since he had been killed by blade zombies several days before. Eovan explains that he was only "mostly dead", which seems to mollify his companions. The heroes explore the area surrounding the tower. They find a nearby complex with supplies, an ornate table with two chairs (which they avoid) and a high lookout with a bronze telescope. Using the latter, Malak spies a cliff-top campsite across the jungle. He races towards it, pursued by the rest of the party (who hope to avoid the inevitable murder of innocents). The campsite belongs to a man who calls himself The Man From Below. He tells them a story about waking in the cavern disoriented, then shows them a diary with entries going back centuries. The Man From below has reconciled himself to his cliff-top life; he spends his days collecting supplies, and avoiding the other denizens of the Under-Miami. The heroes leave him to it. Convinced that the portal they seek must lie even deeper, the companions decide to explore the bottom of the jungle's lower waterfall. Asteris ferries each to a rocky outcrop at the base of the waterfall, where they find a dragnet, some winches, and a canoe made of an unfamiliar metal. They take the canoe across a massive lagoon, to yet another ledge (this one 40 feet above the surface) that Asteris somehow spies across the way and through the utter darkness. This ledge leads to a hallway and some stairs down; Malak sets forth down them. At the bottom of the stairs, there are two strange beings, humanoids with leonine features. Several members of the party recognize these as shira divs, brutal hunters from the plane of Abaddon. Faced with evil outsiders, and egged on by his stalwart bow, Arthas begins to fire into their midst. He grievously wounds one, who teleports away. The other shira rushes forth to engage the party. She fights ferociously, with tooth and claw, and seems to be resistant to most spells and attacks. Though the heroes are victorious, several are wounded in the encounter. Moments later, Asteris is spotted gliding toward them. She has scouted ahead, and determined that the shira who teleported way has gathered reinforcements. Shiras always hunt in packs, and there are no fewer than a half dozen approaching at that moment. Having barely defeated a single shira warrior, the party decides that discretion is the better part of valor. They flee back across the lagoon. Asteris scouts in the opposite direction from the shira camp, using her stealth, guile, and ability to glide across the water's surface. She returns a long time later, hauling another canoe behind her, with news of yet another ledge. The party sets off in that direction. On this ledge, they discover a massive set of bronze doors, each carved with an image of a hand clutching a crystal. They open these doors, revealing a large room guarded by two of the hinge-headed men that Trimexis described, and a half-dozen primitive humans with spear. Lor quickly uses his tongues ability, which is beginning to wear off, to assure the hinge-headed that the party means no harm. The heroes are granted permission to rest on the shore outside, as long as they do not enter. They agree, and set up camp. A few hours later, the doors open again, and another hinge-headed appears. He introduced himself as Gurmilius, assistant to Section Chief Burtelix, and apologizes for the guards' rudeness. The Scintillians (for that is what the hinge-headed men call themselves) would be happy to host the heroes within, and Burtelix himself will speak to them o the morrow. Besides, there are... things... in the water that make camping at its edge a poor idea. Gurmilius shows the tired heroes to some simple quarter within the Temple of the Scintillians, where they spend a night undisturbed. Everyone who played gains 4,000 XP. Lor gets an additional 500 XP, for his great party portrait.
