We burned away the moss clinging to the front of the misshapen pillar. Cathal said the pillar and the altar were redolent with evil. The pillar also seemed to be suppressing the light from Cathal’s sword. Tim’s detect magic highlighted only the altar and the pillar and nothing else. There seemed to be no magic in the cave beyond as well.

Out of spells. Out of heals. On empty. Kyril used his last detect magic and joined the DM in the kitchen. There was indeed a pile of treasure in the dragon’s lair but it seemed to be mainly coins and non-magical crap, as determined by Kyril’s detection spell. Mist and the sound of falling water to the north, possibly an exit from the cavern.

Since our attempt to rest had been disturbed by the Grimlocks, we were still a mess. Kyril cast dispel magic on Flint to bring him back to his usual short size with no apparent effect. Cathal took a pull from Seamus’s mug, getting back 8 hp (31/67). Cathal bound everyone’s wounds.

We returned to the beach from the island of the rotted corpse. Tim tasted some of the wine we’d found and it was, indeed, lovely, though it seemed to confer no magics to his person. By this time the drunks had sobered up and the magical bloodlust had ended. We formed a marching order and headed back to the main hallway.

Having let Legola return to his repose, we decided to rest in the unique Dionysian bar, heal and regain some spells. We head skittering rocks to the north and a low, indistinct moaning to the south. Not all of us heard it.

We continued uphill. Encountering a web, Gonchar’s Flame Blade made short work of it. His Flame Blade illuminated tentacles ahead, hanging from the ceiling to the floor. The tentacles seemed to emit no heat per infravision. Mouths on the tentacles dripped ooze.

Menka spoke with Aesil about gaining access to the mirror she kept somewhere in the tower. She was far less than interested in providing access and was neither concerned with events far to the the south nor with the visions provided to the priest by the messenger of Thoth.

Seamus wanted to skin two of the huge wolves and take their pelts. Given our haste he decided to wait for the return trip. The cavern continued west then turned sharply north. It was misty due to the increasing cold and the hallways seemed to be well and recently traveled.

The party stood in a room with doors in the north and south walls and another on the northern end of the east wall, the same door we entered through. Charred ice ogre corpses lay strewn about, reeking of burnt hair and flesh. Kyril’s control temperature was still in effect, fending off the cold for those within its 10’ compass. Outside of that 10’ range it was bitterly cold. Seamus didn’t seem to mind the chill. Antifreeze and all that.

Lagartha was at full health. We verified that a knock cast on the door caused it to open for 1 minute, after which it closed again, requiring another knock. We also verified that it was locked from the inside, as well. This door lead into a small circular room that seemed to be a study of some sort. Kyril detected magic somewhere along the northern wall. Shelves on the southern wall held gruesome statuettes of horrifying creatures, none magical, all horrifying. One held down a note with Nalfeshnee scribbled on it.