And a second cave-in avoided
Collapsing onto the ground after the serious fight with the swordsman, the party takes a long rest with a watch, and Thryn setting a magical alarm on the entrance to the mountain.
Waking up the next day, Anya points out to her groggy companions that they’re not too perceptive when taking watch after a big fight as no one else has noticed the animals that have come sniffing around the camp. With no attempt to hide themselves, the party walk into the mountain for about an hour, the floor sloping gently downwards all the while. After their ears pop, the tunnel opens up larger and reveals a bio luminescent fungus that starts growing all over the walls. Immediately the party see, and are seen by 6 drow all hurrying around packing up what appears to be a camp that had been set up for a long while. Anya is first into the fray, defending against the war leader of the party and attacks back, but finds all of her attacks parried by the Drow, who doesn’t return the favour by laying into her with his sword. Thryn and the Drow mage close to the caved-in entrance engage in duel, a flurry of spell attacks sent back and forth causing fire and bolts of energy light up the cavern. Aranar, using his pistol, fires multiple shots, supporting Anya and joining in the fray. After Aranar fells the Drow leader the mage crawls back through the entrance tunnel and proceeds to collapse the final parts, blocking access to further down. With their leader dead and mage fled, the rest of the drow pose little threat for the party.
Once the quiet returns to the cave, the party sets to finding everything that the drow weren’t able to take with them before leaving. Unfortunately Thryn finds something only pretending to be a chest. After a short routine of everyone running and stabbing a mimic looking for lunch, the party continues with the rest of their investigations. Determining that the cave in would be too dangerous to try and clear, the party leave the cave and remember to check the rest of the bodies for anything else before proceeding.
After a few day trek around the mountain, the party heads back to Dreadmaw, news of what happened and the head of the raised warrior in hand.
Before the party can make it back to Dreadmaw, Aranar realises the party is being followed by two humanoid figures. Attempting to get the drop on their pursuers, Anya runs on ahead of the party before hiding and allowing the party and these pursuers to pass her. Hidden well Anya recognises the face of one of them, a guard she knocked out during the raid on the Hoppret manor, who was then found dead the next day. Looking at his skin and body, Anya guesses that he is now a vampire thrall. Not passing up a good opportunity, Anya surprises the pair while calling out to the rest of the party. The fight is brutal as it drags on, the thrall appear to have some form of supernatural regeneration and Anya is twice grappled and an attempt to bite her is made.
After fighting off these followers, the party gets back to Dreadmaw. Aranar splits off from the other two as he doesn’t think his presence will be appreciated to who they party need to talk to. Without Aranar putting his foot in it, and with the head proving that the party has helped greatly, Thryn manages to smooth the feathers previously ruffled and get some information about the underdark, where these drow come from. In addition to this Thryn also manages to get a few trinkets and free passage back to Ironmaw that very day.
With barely 8 days having passed since the party had set out on their journey, they get back to their familiar beds and pass out, resting a lot of new wounds and sores away.