Our heroes returned to the tavern, where Thumper was warmly greeted by the drider, Lallizanx. As she took him to a back room, Thumper heard cries for help. Excusing himself, he discovered a man hooked and pleading for aid. Alerting his companions, he returned to Lallizanx.
Entering the kitchen, our heroes found three individuals on hooks, in dire health. The morlock bartender revealed they were destined for stew. Torren, insisting on a justification for consuming people, began taking them down. The morlock fetched the owner, Vischari, who demanded payment for their release. Fed up, Torren healed everyone, inadvertently harming Vischari, who retaliated.
During the fight, Thumper tried to speak with Lallizanx, but the heart broken Automaton reached an emotional impasse when he learned Lallizanx was just having fun with him and had no feelings for him. The fight saw Torren taking the brunt of Vischari’s attacks, falling unconscious multiple times, even succumbing to her deathly gases. Upon Vischari’s demise, Lallizanx unleashed a fireball.
In another room, Dreg and Dexter battled morlocks, that spend their time smashing chairs over Dexter’s head. The two defeated the morlocks with Dexter narrowly avoiding a concussion. Once victorious, our heroes conversed with the prisoners. Falxi, a drow, expressed gratitude and told our heroes of a drow settlement further down, Yldaris. As long as they were peaceful, they would be welcomed there. A skulk woman, missing her right hand, muttered about the man in coloured robes who takes hands. Glashdrumdur, an elderly gnome, sought food and drink.
While exploring, Glashdrumdur, Thumper, and Torren encountered poisonous mold, but quick healing saved the gnome. Dreg discovered a key and conversed with the Shadow Malice.
Returning to the surface, they invited Glashdrumdur to work at their inn. After Vandy confirmed the skulk woman’s condition wasn’t magical, Glashdrumdur offered to care for her.
The heroes rested, only to be approached by Mayor Oseph with news about his daughter, setting the stage for their next adventure.