R.I.P. Erlwyn

Fresh off the battle with the black dragon and truce with the yuan-ti, SWAG proceeded to the few doors that lead to areas yet to be explored, still looking for the larger gate.

After disabling yet another smaller flaming demon gate, SWAG came to a door. It was barred from the inside with what appeared to be a warning written in Undercommon and the sound of crackling flames beyond. Fearing the worst (and not understanding Undercommon), SWAG powered up with a few protection from fire and from evil spells and opened the door.

Inside stood a creature that appeared to be made of molten lava, surrounded by statues of demons and a massive sarcophagus of a blackguard on a nightmare. Behind the sarcophagus lay 2 dead drow with massive burned holes in their chests. Petra stormed into the room while Erlwyn hit the magma creature with an arrow. The creature responded by hurling a flaming ball of hot magma at Erlwyn, mortally wounding Erlwyn and dropping her to -9 hp. SWAG continued its assault on the magma hurler, but was unable to save the brave gnome, who perished after failing a stabilization check. Carrack cried out at the death of his beloved.

SWAG continued to pepper the magma creature with magic missiles and attacked with melee weapons. It hurled another magma ball at Red, injuring him. SWAG hit back, and defeated the slayer of Erlwyn. Carrack used a coup de grace to ensure its demise. SWAG searched the chamber, deciphering an Abyssal warning on the sarcophagus that it was the final resting place of a great and powerful warrior. SWAG thought best not to disturb it.

After Erlwyn's death, SWAG pressed on, disabling a powerful flaming gate and opening a door to find a small arachnid-like metal being with a saw for a mouth, called an electrum clockwork horror. It was surrounded by mirrors, including one mirror like the one SWAG had seen in the Kurkle Ridge, which had shown the clockwork horror in this same room. Piles of metal littered the room - apparently these were not enough for the creature to craft more of its kind.

Carrack tried to re-enable the gate to trap the clockwork horror, but was unable to quickly do so. The clockwork horror fired pressure darts at Petra before engaging with its saw. After a minute of battle, Petra and Red charged the creature. It was finally killed, collapsing after its last attack into a heap of metal slag.

SWAG continued on, finally finding the large shattered gate of this complex. Trapped inside the gate were 4 whitespawn that had half-emerged through the gate when it was shattered by the forces of good 800 years ago. Petra and Red approached, and the gate shot beams of magic that dispelled the magic protections on Petra and channeled this magical energy into freeing the whitespawn. SWAG engaged the whitespawn, killing them seconds after they emerged from their 800 year entombment.

SWAG pressed on to the final rooms of the complex, killing a wight that guarded a chamber of living pictures that briefly animated when the wight was injured and killed. A room beyond contained scrolls in Abyssal that appeared to be a roster of hundreds of names. SWAG gathered the scrolls and ventured back outside, slipping across the wilderness before reaching the safety of Riverbend as the full moon rose over the Valley. Rumours swirled in Riverbend following Knights Luminary racing through town to respond to an attack on shipping lanes to the south, the main source of new trade goods into the Valley. Word had it that the troops in Sumberton were mustering to march south to deal with this attack.