Episode 2.11

Brad, Tony, Greg, Kathy, Ernie

After barracading themselves in the room for a rest, they searched it and found a second key. The next day, after casting several preperatory spells, they entered the next room. Two more mummies were waiting to attack, but the battle was much shorter than last time. Greg was again inflicted by mummy rot, but Ernie had the proper spells ready and cured him of it. Searching the room yielded the third key.

Soon after, they were confronted by the ghostly dwarf who silently appeared, posed no threat and convinced the party to follow him. He led them back to another room that contained a stone coffin and an orcish temple. After casting a lot more preperatory spells, the party openned the lid, while Ceodoc destroyed the orcish alter. Inside the coffin, they found the scrambled parts of a dwarven skeleton. They rearranged the parts into their proper place. The ghostly dwarf laid back down in the coffin and vanished. Searching the room, they foind the fourth key.

They took the four keys and openned the last door. Inside the room, was a dwarven throne and another orc temple. It was gaurded by a fast moving zombie-like creature with sharp claws and a paralyzing tongue. The party destroyed it after a brief battle. Searching the room, they expected to find the third icon, but were disappointed when it wasn't there.

Soon afterward, the ghostly dwarf reappeared and led them to a blank wall. The dwarf spent an hour or so dismantling the wall, revealing a hidden room. Inside the room, they found a stone coffin containing a dwarf body, a magic shield, some coins and the third icon. They took the third icon back the chamber with the gate. The guardian was cleaning up the bodies of several orcs, some bugbears and at least one hill giant. He had been attacked while the party was away. Seeing this as a bad sign, the party returned to Troglodyte lair, gathered everyone together and returned to the gate. Using the three icons, they activated the gate. The guardian told them that it was a one way journey and that there would be a gate that returned to some place nearby. They assumed that the return gate was the broken triangle they found previously (see episode 2.3). Despite these reservations, everyone decided to take their chances and go through the gate.