The adventurers awake from a difficult night of rest. Half the party had a very odd dream about an old man sending them to investigate the Red Wizards of Thay. Was it real after all? Regardless, they are rested enough to continue, and soon descend into the caverns under the northwest tower. A torch stands at the bottom of the stairs, lighting a damp natural cavern. Mud and large puddles of water are everywhere. Brin points out tracks through the mud, and Twinkle Tom's ranger skills identify many of them. Many bullywugs have passed to the south, but to the north are the booted tracks of cultists (and more bullywugs). Tom leads the way north, where they find a steep 15-foot drop and a crane-like contraption which has been recently used...something heavy has been moved this way. The adventurers decide to continue on and carefully descend, using a rope to ensure that no one falls. Shortly ahead is a branching passage splitting into three tunnels. Careful listening reveals moving water to the south, movement to the southwest, but nothing to the northwest. The ranger leads the way northwest... ...and is set upon by a group of cultists lying in ambush! Shouting "death to the intruders" and "defend the portal", they attack mercilessly. Twinkle Tom takes the brunt of the first assault, but the party quickly regroups and counterattacks. Noram and Luna (in bear form) put themselves in the front, and Mella fights at their side. Meanwhile, Tom and Brin retreat to a safe distance and attack from afar. It costs them some injuries, but the party is able to defeat the cultists and question their leader. This is the elf cultist Borngray, who had been in charge of the castle, and after his defeat he is susceptible to intimidation. He reveals the secret of activating the portal in the next room, but remains defiant as he says "Lady Rezmir has already escaped through the portal with the treasure, and you will never catch her!" During the interrogation, bullywugs begin to appear in some of the connecting tunnels. Not wanting to be swarmed under by a horde, the party chooses to push ahead through the portal. Soon, all are standing ready in the portal circle. Brin speaks the activation word... The outside world fades away as the portal effect takes hold. The blackness seems to last forever, until eventually you feel a sense of fundamental wrongness as a hellish red landscape begins to slowly come into view. Devils of all shapes and sizes caper around just outside the portal circle, shouting insults and dire promises of pain, and you begin to feel an oppressive heat. Just as it begins to feel completely real, there comes a mighty beam of light from above, scattering the devils and blinding you. You hear the rush of mighty wings, a cool breeze blows away the heat, and you once again feel the portal take hold. When your vision clears, you stand in a familiar place...just outside the mouth of a cave, looking out over grain fields. A path leads away from the cave, meeting a road in the distance. You all hear a voice, as if coming from far away: “The servant of my servant awaits your assistance within the earth. Save him, and be rewarded.” Everyone is suspicious after their first experience in this location! But that voice is reminiscent of the old man from their dream, so they decide to investigate the cave and look for this "servant of my servant." After a short rest, they enter the cave and are almost immediately challenged by several gnome guards, in the name of their lord prince Domborcojh. Mella and Tom speak persuasively, convincing the gnomes that the adventurers are here to take charge of the prisoners. The gnomes are inclined to believe this, but decide that they need to clear it with the head guard - Coboj. This is the same Coboj who had been captured in Demast, back when the party first formed! He recognizes them immediately and leaps to the attack, shouting for the gnomes to join him. But Tom takes a moment to speak to the gnomes, saying that Coboj is to be relieved of duty on the orders of Domborcojh. Not sure who to believe, the gnomes wait out the battle. Meanwhile, Coboj deals several wounds to Noram and knocks him to the ground. But Mella comes to his aid with healing magic, Luna summons a moonbeam to burn Coboj with radiant light, Brin hammers him with magic missiles of pure force, and Tom joins the fight with arrows and rapier. In short order, Coboj falls, and the gnomes are convinced by this show of strength. One of the gnomes leads the party through the cave, bypassing many dangers along the way. It costs only a few gold to distract a room of Xorns, a cave full of spiders is easily avoided with the gnome's guidance, and he points out a trap so they can step around it. At the end of a long tunnel, he leaves them after describing the prisoner holding area ahead. Tom and Brin step forward to speak with the guards. An extremely persuasive speech by the ranger convinces them that the party is here to take charge of the prisoners, having relieved Coboj of duty. With no further conflict, the prisoners are released. Three are simple farmers from the surrounding villages, but the fourth is Jardeth, who introduces himself as "an armorer, servant of Chelnadatilar." The cave extends further, but reaching the farthest recesses requires diving through cold underground water. Mella attempts this, but a giant octopus blocks the way! She retreats and the ranger attempts to speak with the beast, but it will say nothing more than "only Domborcojh may pass." Jardeth reveals that during his imprisonment, he saw Domborcojh bring treasure here and deliver it to a water elemental that took it deeper into the cave. Surely such treasure would be heavily guarded! Not wishing to jeopardize their success to this point, the party decides to leave the watery passage for a later time. They head back through the cave and exit without further incident.