Paul DMing, Scott: Smudge (shadar-kai rogue 8 / barbarian 2) and Martin (duergar cleric 10); Ed: temporarily running Godzilla "T-Hex" Hercules (dragonborn warlock 10); Dane: Tudo Fleck (dwarf cleric 10).
Last time, the most of the party fought a group of ugly, explosive little men, while T-Hex got himself captured.
Standing at the threshold of the "⚡" room, Smudge, Martin, and Tudo decide to find T-Hex. Martin thinks he detects a couple of vertical seams on the west wall. Smudge is strong enough to lift the wall section like a garage door, revealing a short hallway with a door to the west.
Tudo examines the diorama. Smudge recognizes it as part of The Yellow City.
Smudge and Martin hear faint whistling coming from the northeast corridor. Peeking down the hallway, Smudge sees a short figure standing at a woodworking bench. They talk to the gnome, who's carving a small wood object.
Gnome: "I've been here long before the arena was built. Shahaduzzaman was the apprentice of the wizard imprisoned in the lightning room. The tower was magicked there some years ago."
The gnome, Jorvin, claims not to have seen T-Hex.
While Smudge and Todo talk to the gnome, Martin (invisible) investigates the ducks in the storage room. He finds that one of the ducks has a secret compartment by breaking it open. Martin mends the duck (becoming visible) then sends the duck down the whirlpool. Martin crowbars open another crate, which contains carved wooden koi.
Martin and Todo go to look in the storage room. Once their backs are turned, Jorvin slashes Smudge with a dagger. Smudge fails his Constitution save.
Smudge shouts "ambush!"
A giant weasel slips out of the shadows and snaps at Smudge.
Martin and Tudo join the fray. Martin banishes Jorvin.
Tudo examines Smudge's wound and believes that the wound contains a plant-based poison that causes paralysis and is known to be used by assassins in the Yellow City. Tudo casts lesser restoration. Smudge feels better.
The party doesn't know where the weasel went. They think it can turn invisible (making it an "inweasible").
Tudo casts sanctuary on Smudge.
(The clock is running until Jorvin pops back from banishment.)
Martin casts spirit guardians. The weasel screetches in pain. The weasel flees down the whirlpool.
Martin casts greater invisibility on Smudge, loosing concentration on banishment. Jorvin pops back into the material plane.
Martin hits Jorvin with spiritual weapon, then casts toll the dead. Jorvin reels from the blow.
Jorvin vanishes. Smudge sees two footsteps on the whirlpool, like a skipped stone. Smudge dashes after Jorvin, pausing in the storage room when he notices an undisturbed layer of sawdust.
Martin casts see invisibility and runs into the storage room.
Smudge closes the "SECRET" door to the area and spikes it. Martin nails the tops on the crates that had the lids off, then removes the lids from the crates that that were closed. Tudo goes to the workbench.
Smudge finds an invisible scroll at the writing desk in the workshop. It lists several dozen names.
They check the metal door in the workshop. It is locked. Smudge checks for traps and finds none. He picks the lock.
Inside, they find T-Hex and free him from the dentist chair to which he was bound. T-Hex tells the party that the gnome kept trying to get him to cast contact other plane and ask questions about people, like how many guards they have.
Smudge sends his owl familiar down the whirlpool. The owl sees the light from the whirlpool room fade, then darkness, then a faint light below him and the watery underside of a bridge.
The party takes an uneventful long rest in a tiny hut.
Enemies defeated: Jorvin the Gnome, an inweasible
Treasure: an invisible list of names, T-Hex