Andrakis returns to Quietreach from his approved time off, well-spent kindling a new romantic endeavor, and locates Tambourine in a briefing by Ferin Blackleaf made even briefer by the need to catch up the rest of Delta Company already on its way to the Thunderpeak Labyrinth.
Half a day ahead and deep into the labyrinth, Tanagra, Ivor, and Max look around an old, abandoned, chilled village. The air is notably quiet and festooned with a foreboding, yellow, glittering effect. Max realizes that Gamble has become separated from the party and reluctantly lights a torch in the dimness. Tanagra digs into the company haversack to retrieve the speaking stone to check for missed messages. Rodolf’s voice comes through 5×5 and assures Tanagra that Gamble is fine, just fell asleep in the middle of a life-threatening mission is all.
A few wights in the area provide Tanagra the opportunity to prove out her new Ivor-built greatsword. The wights are not too fierce in battle and allow time for Tambourine and Andrakis to retrace the path of destruction through recent battles with bugs and oozes and catch up to the party, just completing a look at a perilous second floor above the wight room.
Tanagra leads the reformed Delta Company through a connecting tunnel where Andrakis spots a random minotaur up ahead. Max tosses his torch ahead for the benefit of those less sighted and sacreds his longsword. Axe-hucking Tanagra charges the minotaur who is attempting to gore her, and they clash in the middle, shattering the newly field-forged Ivor greatsword. Tanagra files for warranty against manufacturer defect but Ivor asserts user error. Tambourine uses the time to critically morningstar the minotaur and Ivor’s spear drops it.
The next chap starts with a narrow cave. Tanagra immediately spots a trip wire protecting a dead end to the north. Max convincingly halts all progress to work out exactly just what is so important about this dead end that it justifies such an elaborate net trap. An intensive search reveals nothing at all. After the party is clear, mischievous Tambourine triggers the falling, crushing net. Nobody comes around to clear the trap. Max concedes reluctantly that sometimes a trap is just a trap.
The south passage turns east to an 8’ cliff wall. The cavern opens up to the north where a pair of rust monsters drop from the ceiling in flank around Ivor and eat the business end off his spear. Fortunately the butt of Ivor’s spear is also open for business. The party sets up around the rust monsters just as a minotaur launches from the clifftop over Tanagara and pins her in. Tambourine keeps pressure on the rust monsters and Ivor drops some critical wound inflictions to take them out.
The rusty death screeches of the rust monsters elicits a huge roar from the darkness and a challenger appears: the labyrinth keeper. A firebolt wizzes by Ivor’s ear. Ivor charges the keeper and an infliction of wounds bubbles off his shield.
Max-blessed Andrakis, Tambourine, and Tanagra beat down the non-keeping minotaur. Weapon-poor Tanagra liberates its greataxe and meets up for a cure wounds from Ivor who has unpinned the keeper from its corner hovel. Andrakis chucks his shadow blade impressively at the keeper while Ivor focuses his butt on it. Tanagra pastes the keeper with her looted greataxe and then pastes a rust monster add with the backswing.
The cave falls silent. Andrakis has a rest. Ivor scrambles over rubble to explore around the back passages. Tambourine and Tanagra alternate yanks to pull open the poorly concealed, yet firmly lodged, secret door guarded by the late, former keeper. Max takes hold of Tanagra’s hair and adds his own weight to the endeavor and the door eventually yields the keeper’s treasure room, a hoard of gold [1,500 gp], some gems [3 @ 250 gp ea], and the sought-after staff of labyrinthine recall.