17 - 7/30

The group continued on their way into the depths of the strange kuo-toa infested tunnels in an effort to save their companions. The next hallway split, with the north passage arriving at a breeding pool filled with tadpoles and guarded by two of the fish people. The party easily overwhelmed them and pushed onwards to the final room, but not before struggling a bit with the slime filled pool.   Finally arriving at the source of their problems, the group found a large, foul smelling chamber with a rancid smelling pool of water dominating the western half of the cave. The body of the recently sacrificed caryl floated on top, and a dozen Kuo-toa led by a priest were escorting Hugh to the altar. Nysany was terrified and locked away in a caged, while Amanda was later found to the south in another cage.   The group sprung into action, laying waste to the kuo-toa who were attempting to summon their foul deep mother. The water in front of the group swelled, clearly inhabited by some unknown beast, and the fight raged onwards. From the depths of the fetid pool the mysterious creature revealed itself, first its large, spiked black head followed by a large set of wings arose from the water. The dragon glared down at the impertinent whelps that dare oppose her, and seeing an armed group of adventures in its lair, the Black Dragon attacked!   The terrifying new foe used its frightful presence to terrify half the group into submission while ripping and tearing at Valerie. To make matters worse, the lair itself seemed to be on the dragons side, and the water reached out and pulled most of the party into the fetid bog. Most of the group clambered to shore in a desperate attempt to evade its grasp, but the vile water ate at the groups resolve. Hilda tried to use her magical darkness to obscure the party from the dragon, but unbeknownst to her the dragon had blindsight and taunted the witch before using its own Darkness ability to further obscure the battlefield. Theta bravely leapt into the water and used one of the rare Olvar herbs to bring Carol back from death, and the terrified Helgafelian ran for cover   The kuo-toa continued to go down, but the dragon used its ferocious breath and instantly killed Ushat and dropped Shane with its acid. Hilda used the last of the rare Olvar herb to bring her back from the edge of death, and the group began to fall back as the dragons rampage continued. With Valerie and now Dominic unconscious from the dragons attacks, it was looking grim.   Theta ran into the southern portion of the cave with the newly freed Amanda, and briefly hid among its treasure horde to evade the dragons sight. Desperately looking for anything in the pile to aid him, Theta found a magical pair of bracers and put them on, but without time to attune they would be of no use. In a last ditch effort to escape, Theta ran and dumped the strange Ixitxachitl Blood potion into Valerie's unconscious mouth. Thankfully it healed her, and she also rushed to the entrance while the dragon focused on Theta. Unfortunately the dragon grabbed both him and Amanda before they could escape and it looked like the two were doomed to a grizzly end.   By luck, Valerie returned into the lair and cast Healing Word on the unconscious Dominic. The dragon was preoccupied with her new captives and Thetas attempts at negotiating for his life, so Dominic used his sorcerous flight and valiantly tried to free his niece from the drakes clutches. Unfortunately for him, the dragon was quite strong and did not relinquish her prey so easily. Valerie was not finished, and in a stroke of luck managed to command the dragon to free the two on its. She dropped her captives, then in furious retaliation summoned a swirling horde of insects, knocking Dominics poor niece unconscious. Unwilling to abandon her, he renewed his assault on the dragon but was vaporized in a devastating acidic spray.   Theta looked on in horror as his friend was slain and Amanda lie unconscious. Knowing this was his last chance, Theta reluctantly fled, barely evading the dragons clutches as he slipped into the tunnel. The entire group escaped back to the shrine of Solanus to regroup and tend to their wounds. Broken and on the brink of death, the party left Valerie to prayer and returned to the surface where they lamented their loss. With the action subsided, Theta realized there was a leather wrapped letter and item tucked into the magic bracers that he had previously overlooked. He opened it up, revealing a mysterious pendant and a letter from the White Hands leader Agrosha. It was to an unknown person named Saarvith, and revealed that this was a Phylactery belonged to someone the group only thought of as a legend named The Ghostlord. It was apparently being hid with the Black Dragon by The Hand of Doom, and now was in the parties possession.   Theta cursed the gods for their misfortune, and the group began to talk of what actions they should take going forward, for after reading the missive the thoughts of their prior problems resurfaced, and the Hobgoblin forces were still closing in on their position…