Ed K. (DMing), Paul G. (Zoozeki, Elf Wizard 10), Scott W. (Smudge, Shadar-kai Rogue 8 / Barbarian 2) (Martin, Dwarf Cleric 10), Dane W. (Tudoi, Dwarf Cleric 10), Matt G. (Roscoe, Halfling Bard 10).
Last time, we had discovered an unnatural crevice in the ceiling of a big cave with a lake in it. A passage to the east leads to a T intersection that splits off to the north-west and the south-east.
Roscoe tests the acoustics of the cave, and bardicly inspires Martin.
Martin night steps up to the ceiling to investigate the unnatural crevice. Martin sees that the crevice opens into a rough-hewn passage that runs north. It's tight — crawling height. Roscoe climbs up after Martin, and scouts down the passage a short way.
Bartus (the NPC academic) warns that there are rumors of dangerous burrowing beasts.
Roscoe, meanwhile, continues north, down the small tunnel. He sees a couple holes in the ceiling, about 2.5 feet in diameter. Shining eyes stare back at him, out of the hole! Roscoe dimension doors away, but not before seeing that the thing's glowing eyes reflect off two sets of mandibles. Martin thinks it might be a miniature umber hulk. Martin and Roscoe decide the umber hulk is too dangerous in such a tight space, and climb back down.
Zoozeki sends his salamander familiar into the lake to swim around and explore. There are some small cracks (too small for the salamander to enter) and a slight current. He sees nothing of interest.
We take a look at the T intersection exiting from this lake cave. A smell a lava comes from the south-east direction. To the north-west, the passage continues straight for a long way but gets very narrow. To the south-east, the passage soon curves north-east. The dwarves in the party realize the tunnel passes under the lava river.
We follow the south-east passage, which opens to the north into a large room or very wide passage, but also continues a short ways east to the non-secret side of a secret door. In the room/passage to the north, a small bridge crosses an exposed lava river. This is a built and well-finished room, rather than the rough tunnels and caves we've been moving through.
The wide hallway/room turns west. The north wall has four closed doors. We smell animal filth and hear rustling.
Smudge listens at the first door and hears talking in a rural dialect of Common. Whispers: "What if dey here to save us? Dey could be here to keel us. How we get out, eh?"
At the second door, Smudge hears the snarling of a big cat and a smells strong feral musk.
At the third door, Smudge hears the clicking and clacking of bones.
The forth door is silent.
We open the first door. Six humans dressed like shabby Yellow City dandies huddle inside, along with three other humans dressed like cow hands. A catwalk covered in chain link hangs over the north end of the room. High closed doors on the east and west connect to the catwalk.
The Cajun dandies say they are shrimpers who sailed south from the Yellow City and ended up here. [Wait, are they dandies or fishermen?]
One of the cow hands menaces Roscoe, almost spitting on him.
Smudge gets in the cow hand's face.
Roscoe viciously mocks the cow hand for 5 damage, and the cow hand drops dead. The other two cow hands back down.
Smudge goes into the room, climbs up to the catwalk, and cuts his way through the chain link fencing onto the platform. He opens the catwalk door into the room to the west. Below him, Smudge sees three giant lynxes and one tiger.
