Theridan, narrowly escaping the roiling underground lake, easily follows the party’s trail of carnage to the pair of defeated ogres outside the hagdoor. Blood trails and drag marks inform him the party is within so he cracks the door and pokes his head in. Theren abandons a readied overreaction to destroy the next person opening that door. Theridan seems injured from his solo adventure but doesn’t like to talk about it.
The reunited party debates whether the hagroom is a safe place to pause and refresh. Hearelben is concerned about the possible presence of a dragon as indicated by the hagsword and recites a memory mnemonic of the four known indiginous aquatic dragons: orange, purple, yellow, turtle. Bromsby has erupted a bulwark blocking the passage from the roiling lake and riled cultists. Theren reckons the ogre bodies could help block the hagdoor. It might work for an hour as long as they aren’t discovered. Lefty cracks the door and pokes her head out to see if anyone is outside. She is discovered by a watching lizardman.
The lizardman runs off to gather all his cohorts. Theren casts pass without trace. The party slips out of the room using the dead ogres, defunct fountain, and shadows for cover. The evacuation is interrupted by an arriving double column of lizardmen. Bromsby interrupts the arrival of lizardmen by erupting earth under their formation, crushing eight of them and leaving only one trapped in vines summoned by Theridan. Lefty, with her irresistible feline affinity for an incapacited lizard, punches the lizardman dead but resists the urge to toss its corpse around while pretending it might get away.
The party retraces back to the troll’s bridge where Bromsby and Theridan explored the canal north. The roiling water now overflows the canal edges and the bridge. Theridan dashes over the bridge. The current knocks him down but he crosses safely. Theren makes the next attempt and the current washes him off the bridge. Next, Bromsby washes off but transforms into a shark before making a zero-splash dive. Haerelben uses the moonbow to fly a line over to Theridan. Meega pulls on her water breathing mask and slips off the bridge “on purpose” into the drink. Monk Lefty simply runs across the surface of the water. Haerelben, steadied by Theridan holding the line, crosses with difficulty.
The party safely retraces back to the padlocked gate separating the recently vacated air cult area from the hopping mad, roiling water cult area. The gate and padlock become the objects of a competitive exhibition of groupthink problem solving. Lefty and Theridan keep the coast clear. Theren judiciously applies acid to the gate hinges while Bromsby digs a bear trap out of his inventory. Meega disassembles the bear trap and improvises a lock pick. Divinely inspired Haerelben, with a little luck, picks open the padlock. Meega forces the gate open despite its ruined, screeching hinges. The party escapes the water cult.
The recently abandoned air cult dorms offer a bit of respite. Attention deficient Theren experiments with the air flute relic and discovers he can levitate and move by flamboyantly pointing the flute in the desired direction of travel. He floats hither and thither without, mercifully, having to actually play the flute.
The party discusses its next move and elects to revisit the earth cult to locate and finally deal with Marlos Urnrayle. An additional benefit is access to the secret elf gate into Quastarte where Windvane, the air elemental relic, could be banked for safe keeping.
Bromsby guides the party through the underdark to camp just outside the earth cult. A heavy fog rolls into the underdark during Meega and Theren’s first watch. Meega attempts to rouse the party to see if anyone might join her in worrying about this otherwise impossible underdark phenomenon. When the fog lifts suddenly revealing a bronze dragon, the party is ready to worry. The bronze dragon casts zone of truth and makes an inquiry that only Lefty, recently certified in draconic, recognizes.
Are you their leader?
Heck no!
Bidrierrag the bronze dragon switches to common.
Whom do you serve?
Gin!
Sehanine!
Kittylord!
Ardak!
The Harpers! Oops, I mean…DANG IT.
Besides learning that Theren was a Harper all along, everyone discovers a mutual purpose with Bidrierrag, that being the destruction of pure evil vis-a-vis vanquishment of the elemental evil eye. Bidrierrag picks up on a whiff of pure evil from the party. Theren quickly, yet respectfully, produces Windvane. Bidrierrag concurs with the plan to entrust Windvane with Quastarte. Lefty hints at the possibility of Bidrierrag joining the party, but he has a thing later so they part company.
The party awakens refreshed and slightly more powerful.