Uktar 7, 1372 DR (9:00 AM) Deep Wastes: Lake of Shadows to Glouroth's Chasm

In the morning, everybody rises and eats breakfast. The spellcasters study, pray, or meditate, as needed, to regain their spells.

"I learned analyze dweomer," says Tebryn. "We have a lot of loot that we've collected. We should hand it out to those who can use it. I'll figure out what the unusual items are while you fighters spar with the weapons and armor and such."

All are agreeable. Soon, the party regroups and reports their findings.

"None of these weapons or pieces of armor is especially interesting," says Igor. "We all have better."

"I'll tell you what I've found," says Tebryn. He points at the lyre. "I'd rather not touch that again, as it hurts me to do so. That is one of the instruments of the bards - the Cli Lyre. A bard of sufficient skill to play it will find her musical effects much harder to resist. Additionally, the player can use it to cast break enchantment, dimension door, and shout, once per day each. Want it, Brianna?"

Brianna grins and nods. She picks up the lyre and starts to strum on it experimentally.

Tebryn holds out the two brooches taken from the kuo-toan templars. "Each of these will absorb magic missiles. Any interest?"

"I'll wear one of them," says Yol. She fastens it at her throat. Everybody else shakes their head.

Tebryn looks at the wicked-looking curved black dagger that The Claw had carried. He picks it up, along with a scroll, also taken from The Claw. "I'd like both of these, myself," he says. "The dagger allows one to make a death attack more effectively, assuming that one knows how to do such a feat." He smirks at the rest of the party. "I don't recall hearing that any of you have joined the assassin's guild, so I doubt that this would help you. And this scroll contains the spells for controlling undead, making an immobile sphere that hedges out the less powerful magical effects, and creating a wall of stone. Any objections if I keep these?" Everybody shakes their head, although one or two raise their eyebrows at the dagger.

"Now, that potion is of invisibility," continues the mage. "Seems like a lot of us can do that easily enough with spells or rings or such."

"Not I," says Kress. "I'd like it."

"Certainly," says Tebryn, handing the vial to the fighter. He then picks up the nunchakus that the kuo-toan monk had carried. "And finally, these. I don't know why that monk didn't use these: one flames on command and the other produces frost."

"Can you use those to start or put out fires?" asks Igor.

"Start fires, certainly. I don't think the frost will extinguish flames, however," replies Tebryn.

Igor picks up the weapons and twirls them experimentally. "I'd enjoy trying these out," he comments. Tebryn gestures for him to take them, and Igor moves away to play with his new toys.

The rest of the party packs up and soon enough, all continue their march through the Deep Wastes.

(Noon)

The morning passes without incident. As has been typical of the whole journey so far, the path is rough and uneven. Sometimes the passage widens into a large cavern, whereas other times, it narrows so much that the party can only pass in single file. In such circumstances, Igor takes the lead, followed by Veracity, Brianna, and Tebryn. At the rear is Kress, with first Hazen and next Yol preceding him.

On just such a strait section of the path, the party is attacked: out of the ground, both in front and behind, bursts a gargantuan bulette.

Yol mutters and waves her hand, producing a glowing disembodied hand floating in the air in front of her.

Veracity incants and points at the land shark which is menacing Igor. It does not appear to be affected. Veracity stamps her foot in annoyance.

"This looks serious," comments Tebryn. "Haste for all of us!" He gestures, and everybody's reactions seem quicker.

"Let me sing to you of the heroes of the past," says Brianna, launching into one of her inspiring songs.

"Let me past, Kress!" says Hazen. He rolls beneath Kress's legs right under the gaping maw of the huge creature. As he passes, the monster bites him fiercely. "Yow!" yelps Hazen. He pokes at its underbelly with his dagger, but the blade slides off the armor plates.

The bulette stares at Kress. It bites him sverely and also claws him twice. Kress blanches. "Once more like that, and I'm shark food!" He sets his jaw and, stepping underneath the bulette's jaw, he slashes four times at the land shark, hitting three times.

Igor slashes his foe four times with his greatsword. All were good hits, but the first was especially well-aimed, slicing cleanly and deeply between two joints of the monster's armor-plated body. His foe responds by biting him once and clawing him twice.

Yol looks at the grievously injured Kress and nods. She chants, and sends her spectral hand over to touch Kress, healing some of his wounds. Veracity eyes the condition of Igor's bulette and smiles. She turns to face the creature in the rear. Muttering, she sends five missiles of force shooting from her fingers into the monster. Tebryn incants and a thin green ray shoots from his hand to the same creature, damaging it slightly. He sighs. "That never seems to work."

From beneath, Hazen stabs his foe four times, bringing it to the brink of death. As it attempts to move away, he stabs it once more, and its knees buckle. As it crashes to the ground, both Hazen and Kress succeed in rolling out of the way. "Whew!" says Kress. He stands up and dusts himself off. "We done good!"

At the front of the line, Igor makes another powerful slash into his foe, and follows through with two more good strikes. His foe bites him, but fails to injure him with either claw.

Yol recalls her spectral hand, chants again, and attempts to afflict Igor's foe with a foul disease, to no effect. Tebryn sends five missiles of force from his hand into the same creature, and Igor continues to slash at it. After his second strike, it falls.

"Well done, Igor!" says Veracity.

"Thanks," says the rogue, smiling.

"Let's cut this open," says Hazen, sawing at the land shark's side with his dagger.

"Why do you always do that, Hazen?" says Veracity, wrinkling her nose. "Do you think you're a butcher, or something? What is the point?"

"Wouldn't say no to some tender steaks, Veracity," says the grey dwarf, "but no - I'm looking for treasure!" Veracity rolls her eyes. As the rogue cuts through the side of the creature, its guts spill forth, covering him in a pungent liquid. "Umm."

"Eww!" exclaims Veracity. "Now what are you going to do? Bathe in one of those ice-cold streams that cross our path, now and then?"

"No problem!" says Hazen, looking ruefully at his clothing. "This will just wear off naturally. I don't need no bath!"

"You keep away from me, while it's 'wearing off', Hazen," says the drowess, turning away.

Kress clears his throat. "Oh, Brianna! How about curing me?"

Brianna smiles at him. "You are quite the cure sponge, Kress. How badly off are you?"

"Give me your best, please," says the fighter.

"Me too, please," says Igor, joining Kress and Brianna. He looks at Yol. "I'll take curing from whomever."

Yol comes over. The two healers quickly cure both Kress and Igor.

"Let's eat," says Igor. All find this suggestion agreeable.