IX. The Gate of Secrets

Valisday, Midsky 21

Deep underground you, the Crimson Sleep, along with your hired adventuring party, the Gloomsworn, and three of the loyal Gravenholm Raven Guard made your way through the tunnels that once belonged to a clan of kobolds. After giving them a proper funeral, you once more came face to face with a cave infested in giant spiders, the largest of which would now be the fuel for your nightmares.

It was a grueling fight, but in the end, you were collectively victorious. With Ash and Tort demanding a rest and soon, you all very cautiously moved forward. You found yourself in a hall corridor that whispered various confessions to each of you and then before a gate with a simple request - speak aloud your secrets to gain entrance. One-by-one you each gave your confessions to join the Hall of Whispers.

You found yourselves in what Max determined was likely the first level of Yis'tilah'ste. The rich, ancient elven architecture was buried beneath heavily overgrown greenery but the great lake with a single gazebo in the very center captured your attention. After determining there was no obvious Black Hand presence here, the demands for rest, and soon, were finally met. Though the night, the feeling of being watched couldn't be shaken, though the presence finally faded in your morning hours.

Ready for whatever may come, you sent out Boran and two of the king's men to investigate the gazebo before it was determined to be safe enough to approach. The gazebo was plenty large enough to hold your massive collective party of twelve, and as Tort toyed with the buttons and lever, it spurred into action. It took you down into a beautiful residential district with gated communities.

Having determined that this level of Yis'tilah'ste was still significantly far from where you had been after entering through the Labyrinth, you decided to keep going down and stay undetected, that you would continue to use the sewers. You followed them until they lead to a massive tunnel leading straight down. From here you could see several other sewer connections, but the next one straight down was nearly a mile off, as Kash discovered, thanks to Tort's "assistance".

Unable to determine a route downwards, you turned around and returned to the residential district. Here, you targeted a house, looking for riches. Though you did indeed find many baubles, you also found specter's of the long dead.

Will you be able to defeat the city's long dead, or will they claim you, instead? Who can say?