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The ferocious troglodytes seemed content with the tribute of rations and weapons, and lived up to their word to release Valerie and Nyx from their clutches. Battered and beaten, they limped back to the hold to rest under the protection of their new friend, Ulf the Ogre. The fiery orc Nitru of the Flame Keeper clan had brought some reinforcements from their forward camp, and the druid Aemaris who had previously been watching the entrance also agreed to lend aid. After a rest, the new companions agreed to help the pair look for their friend Shane, and hopefully recover the artifact.   In the bowels of the citadel, Shane found herself alone and without weapons. Her paths were north into an unknown hold, west back through the duergar controlled rooms, and down a ladder into a pit to the unknown. Hoping it led to safety, she ventured north where the remnants of a catastrophe lay silently on the floor. Dozens of dead dwarves lay scattered about, the ancient halls untouched for centuries. Shane began to look room to room, hoping to find something to defend herself with, but all the weapons were either looted, rusted or gone.   After a few close calls, Shane was surprised to find that one of the rooms was in better condition than the others. Hoping to find something useful she began to investigate, but unfortunately a gigantic rug animated and attacked the ranger! Despite her best efforts to escape, the rug squeezed tightly and refused to let her go, as the darkness began to close in around her she lost consciousness.    Up top, the Valerie, Nyx, Aemaris and Nitru began to carefully make their way back through the caverns, having found wet footprints. They led through the enormous caverns to a door, and Nyx's expert lockpicking skills managed to gain them entry. In the next halls, a simple puzzle eluded the group for a time until Valerie got lucky and deduced the secret door mechanism. Ahead, they were confronted by Duergar who tried to dissuade the group from entering. She claimed they hadn't seen the human, and to leave their halls at once. Deciding they were lying, the group stalled a bit before Nyx fired a shot from a concealed position. The duergar had taken up positions, using their natural enlargement and invisibility to launch an ambush on the group, and a fierce battle began!