In the afternoon of the 17^th of Rhombidderahn, the party decided to rest before tackling the secret door and what might lay beyond it. They rested that evening, but in the early hours of the 18^th of Rhombidderahn, a previously defeated bloody skeleton came into the room and attacked a sleeping Forest. Everyone woke up to Wulfgar's shout and the party defeated the bloody skeleton a second time. This time they took care to smash the bones of the skeleton and Dax scattered the bones throughout multiple rooms and corridors of the second level of the ruins. Returning to their rest, the team restarts their rest period and continue sleeping well into the 18^th of Rhombidderahn and continue to heal and rest until midday of the 19^th.
[133 XP each.]

Returning to the secret door the party made several unsuccessful attempts to open the door. Deciding that there must be another key or device somewhere within the ruins that would allow them to open the door, they return to the sand-filled room where they had been attacked by the giant scorpoins and searched the sand. A movement in the sand piqued Erg's curiosity, and she ran straight into the waiting claws and poisonous stinger of another giant scorpion. The party soon dispatched the scorpion and returned to their systematic search of the sand-filled room. In one of the furthest corners of the room they find a magical statuette of a clenched fist. Surmising that this artifact might help with the secret door, they return to the door with Comiza tasked with operating the magical device. After tapping the secret door with the statuette the door unseals and hangs suspended upon its central pivot waiting to be pushed open. Erg initially tried to open the door by pushing it in the middle — the only place on the door that would not be pushed. The she pushed on the right side of the door causing it to swing open.
[133 XP each for dispatching the scorpoin; 40 XP each for finding the "knock" device.]

In characteristic Erg fashion, she went straight into the dark room and quickly found herself being attacked by more of the bloody skeletons similar to the one from the floor above. Others joined Erg in the room and both Erg and Nyelopubski were brought down. Two of the bloody skeletons were also destroyed, though probably only temporarily, but the party realized they were overmatched and decided to cut their losses. Wulfgar grabbed Erg's body and dragged her out of the room and to safety, but Nyelopubski was left behind. As Erg's limp body was dragged over the invisible floor, she swept away the trace of sand that marked where it was safe to step.
[400 XP to each survivor &mdash everyone but Nyelopubski.]

The remainder of that day and all of the following day was spent resting and healing. On the morning of the 21^st the dispirited group headed north.

As the sun lowered toward the western horizon the houses and buliding of the settlement of Tendahm became visible. Forest's eagle companion, however, spotted a small band of men about a half mile west of the town. As the party approached them, the strangers drew their swords and charged the party, screaming ferociously.

Comiza and Wulfgar have a strange sense of deja vu as it was a band of similarly equipped bandits that killed half their previous party and left them for dead. Were it not for Derrigan's family and friends in Dellahm, Comiza and Wulfgar would also be dead.

As the band of bandits drew near it became apparent that the attackers were all orcs. After engaging in battle, it quickly became apparent that the band of briggands were outclassed. Their leader ordered his men to fight to the death, then he turned and ran away. An arrow brought down the fleeing bandit. With their leader lying face down in blood-soaked sand, the others decided they owed him no further allegiance and broke off to run away themselves. Two more fell in this attempt, but two of them got away.
[480 XP each.]

The town seemed abandoned at first, but they found Gellidahr, the man they were told to seek for transportation across the Ribbon Sea. After being told that they had been sent by Derrigan, Gellidahr let them into the Inn and agreed to provide them transportation across the Ribbon sea if the party could resolve the deadly problem the settlement of Tehndahm was having with thieves. So, the party accepted the quest and went to their rooms for the night.

The adventure suspended early in the evening of the 21^st day of Rhombidderahn.

Forest's Journal