The deeper our heroes ventured into the vaults, the stranger the inhabitants became. Their first encounter of the day? A blue-skinned woman wreathed in chains, who coldly demanded to be left in peace. After a brief debate on the merits of discretion, the group decided her ominous aura was reason enough to act. The battle was brutal—Shadow Bell, Slych, and Lightwing were all impaled and the latter 2 restrained by her writhing chains. But just as the tide threatened to turn, Sol, radiant with divine might, surged forward and cut her down in a flurry of righteous strikes.
Following the encounter, the group returned to town to recover. They took the time to return the Hunter’s Brooch to Mayor Oseph and the Threshold of Truth to Morlibint, honoring the trust that had been placed in them. They waited for Sol to return with Bastion, then prepared for another foray into the Gauntlight.
Back in the dungeon, the group carefully re-explored previously cleared areas, confirming no new threats had emerged. In the first basement, they stumbled upon a river drake, which they swiftly defeated, claiming its stashed treasure for themselves. They also discovered a mechanical elevator, which brought them briefly to the floor below. A few hostile plants attempted an ambush, but they were dispatched with minimal effort.
Their search led them to a hallway filled with magical dioramas, two of which blasted Sol with beams of magical force. Though severely wounded, he survived, and Slych skillfully disabled the remaining traps, sparing the party further harm.
Then came the web lurker—an odd creature prancing atop a table. It reached out a claw in apparent greeting. Ever the optimist, Sol attempted a high five, but was rebuffed. Offering a coin instead, he earned the creature’s delight and a strange command gesture toward the ground. Sol knelt. Slych followed suit. The moment of bizarre camaraderie was shattered when the creature approached Lightwing, who blasted it in the face on reflex. The creature and its spider allies retaliated, forcing a chaotic battle.
After regrouping, the party circled back to a familiar foe—the creepy wooden statue of Belcorra. This time, through careful hit-and-run tactics, they finally reduced it to splinters.
With puzzles unraveling and foes falling, the heroes pushed ever deeper into the twisted halls of the Gauntlight, the shadows growing stranger—and perhaps more dangerous—with every step forward. What other oddities lie in wait just beyond the next illusory wall? They’d find out soon enough.