The woman pockets what ever it was she retrieved. "You don't look like Wintershields, what is it you are investigating" She asks. "Hopefully these Rats" she gestures at the bodies, her words laced with disdain. "They have grown bold of late, they need to be taught a lesson, ha go do that will you. Visit The Red Herring Warehouse" 

"Your friend, the one skulking in the darkness, tell them to come out, I do not appreciate being hunted" She peers into the passage, it is clear she is aware of Dav'eed, somewhere out in the darkness, but can not pinpoint your location. "Matters not, I am done here" She raises her staff, the weave slowly drawing from the air around her. A swirl of smoky colors gather. She pauses a moment, listening to Zalaerys.

"The water, ha, the folk need to walk a little further, a real tragedy. So what, you are going to traipse around in the dark hoping to find what, an errant drop or two? The river is gone" She looks around the nearly dry passage, the sewer cutting across from side to side. "This town sits atop the original Neverwinter, long before it had that name. Settled by the fair folk it was a seat of power along the Northern Coast." Her eyes glaze a little as memories unfold behind her eyes. "Think of what could be found in these forsaken tunnels." She smiles, a purse of the lips that is both smug and a little wistful. She lifts her staff once again, starting to draw the energies to her.

Huttmoff finally snaps out of his silence. "Wait, you seem to know much more about this situation than we do. It sounds like you would like to see more of these tunnels. If you come with us, you can see more, and we can help you keep the rats away. At the least, can you help us take a look at this portal we discovered yesterday? It has some strange magic to it." 

Hilke had nodded along as Zelaerys explains their purpose down here. She notes that the woman clearly avoided any discussion of what item she retrieved. When she mentions the Red Herring Warehouse she tries to get an idea of whether the woman is being fully truthful. (Insight: 16)

She also builds upon the offer that Huttmoff had made. "I can see you are in a hurry to go. But we would appreciate learning a little of what you know about this place and especially the river." 

"The Red Herring warehouse you say? We will check it out. But what was you name again?" Asks Zelaerys more directly and insistent. "And who did you take care of here?" he says and carefully approaches the larger chamber, thinking to himself, 'I do hope it was in self-defend.'

Dav'eed releases the tension on the bow but does not remove the nocked arrow from the string as he steps out of the darkness and a little off from the others. "No need to stand in a tight group if she lets loose a ball of energy..." he thinks to himself. He lets the others continue their questions and offers...they need no assistance from him!

"I already know these tunnels quit well, and as for the Rats, if they bother me, and they wont, I will kill them as well." She chuckles a little at the demise of the men around her. "Tell your Captain he is a fool for sending you down here, The Rats under Kurd and Hammon will come for his head if he doesn't react quick enough." She looks down the passage in the direction you are headed and mumbles to herself...

Zalaerys, Hilke and Hutmoff, Perception check DC 16. If you succeed open spoiler...

 She smiles at Hilke, a smile that does not instill comfort but rather guilt, a chill. "I am not here for a History lesson child, if you want fairy tales and stories of the past go to Lathanders Sanctum"

Again she looks to the dead, "Cut throats and thieves, members of The Rats as I said, tell the Captain to visit the warehouse, tell him Ferdy told you. But he is a fool and will not listen" Her staff raised an infernal rasp escapes her lips. The woman is no longer there, no smoke, no boom, no collapse of the weave. Just simply, no longer there.

"I'm interested in stopping this theives' guild - but after our current task is completed! And as much as I'd love to explore long forgotten tunnels, we should get water flowing back to the town first. Maybe we can still find dry areas to explore next week!" Dav'eed says after the strange woman disapparates... "Shall we check out the dead 'Rats' and then continue on to the portal?"

If the group agrees, he will check the bodies for any useful items or clues as to this group or the individuals. (Perception +6 / Investigation -1:  4)

( Perception: 12, no spoiler for me :( )

"I never thought the sewers would be such a busy place," comments Zelaerys as he moves forward accompanying Dav'eed and helping to search the bodies. In addition, he drags them to the side into the dry areas of the cavern to avoid that they spoil the water. While Dav'eed continues to check on the portal,Zelaerys performs quickened funeral rites on as many of the dead as time allows. "No one should be left to rot without a proper ritual," he insists and mutters, "Not even criminals."

(Hilke Perception: 17)

Hilke nods to Dav'eed. "Agreed. If the 'Rats' are part of some larger group, it bears investigating. But after we deal with things here." She leans down to help with searching the dead bodies. "See anything?" (Investigation: 15)

Huttmoff Perception: 19

Huttmoff stiffens as the mention of Lathanders Sanctum.

To the group he says, "I think we clearly need to go the Red Herring, but should we still finish exploring these tunnels? Should we at least retrace our steps to where that portal was?"

He then sets to assisting Zel with the funeral rights as he can. (Doesn't have the spell, but just assists where possible. Religion: 5)

The Rats have little in the way of valuables, their armor, waxed and hardened leather, ther weapons, short swords daggers and short bows and a few coins. 2 Platinum Dragons, 3 Golden Nobles and a few Copper Nibs amongst them.

The passage undulates for a short distance beyond, the sound of falling water echoing in a constant rumble. With out any lights and extensive vision you creep towards the lagoon with the portal. Entering the chamber, hugging the walls for cover from attack or notice you gaze into the large chamber. The cavern is as you left it yesterday, the bodies of the trogs still lay were they fell. 

The Portal hangs in the air, a view of some distant underwater scene revealed within. Water gushes from its interior to cascade into the pool below. You spot a lone trog, its head barely above the water, looking about alertly. After only a few moments it sinks beneath the dark surface and leaves your sight.

"Let's split the coins," Zel suggests. (2 platinum = 10 gold? That would make it 23 gold for 4. Zel insists on taking 5 so that the others each have 6.)

"I don't really see what we can do about the portal. Also it seems that it brings water into the place and therefore it can't actually be the problem of the towns missing water. I'll have a better look to where the prisoners were," says Zel and moves over to the cavern where they had found the townsmen and -woman just the day before. He takes a good look around if he can find anything worth his attention. Additionally he will look and listen down the narrow corridor that leaves the cave to the South. 

(Perception: 15, or 6 with disadvantage and 2 from guidance; Investigation: 14, or 7 with disadvantage)

While exploring this cavern, Huttmoff would ritual cast Detect Magic. He assumes the portal is magic in nature, but wants to see if there are any other irregularities in the room. 

As the coins are collected up, Hilke responds to Zelaerys. "Sure, just divide up the coins in whatever way is fair." 

Once in the room with the lagoon she says, "Did you see the trog?" She looks around at the others. "You think he just left? I'd guess he might be going to alert others." She keeps her eyes peeled for any signs of the creatures in or about the lagoon. (Perception: 20) 

"Dav'eed saw one yesterday, too,'' Zelaerys explains to Hilke, "I'm not sure they can see us, though. It appears this is a portal to another place. One full of water and occupied by troglodytes. It stands to reason that the ones we found here yesterday came through the portal, but it doesn't seem that more came during the night. I would conclude that they came here by chance through the portal and were unable to return to their home, and therefore made a living in this cavern. Ideally, we would close the portal before something more dangerous passes through. But our task is actually finding the reason why the wells dried up."

Dav'eed keeps an eye out for the troglodyte in this chamber - perhaps it is the last one left from the original group yesterday. Perhaps it has more friends with it..."You all check out the portal - I'm going to watch your backs. And before you try to close it, I recommend tossing the dead troglodytes through it - better there than here, right?"

(So, questions for the DM:
- The lone trog was in this chamber in the deep part of the pool, correct?
- How much water is actually coming out of the portal? And since we're 'downhill' from the rest of the town, this probably wasn't the actual source of the well water, right?)

OOC- Yes the lone Trog was in the deep part of the lagoon. This area is directly under the floating Portal. It sank beneath the black surface and disappeared from sight.

The dry passage you have traveled had water lines depicting the depth of the river. It was quite substantial, a large volume of water flowed through here not long ago. The cascade from the portal would appear to be only a fraction of the original rivers volume.

This chamber is down hill from the dry wells, not far from the Neverwinter river you would guess.

The Eastern chamber where the prisoners were held is quiet, only the snapped and cut bindings remain on the ground. The South leading tunnel is where Zuttmof arrived from, he can tell you there are many branches that way and eventually it leads to a rivers edge cave. He was lost and cant tell you exactly how.

Huttmoff slowly moves about the room, the portal is the dominate force in the area. The aura is strong with transmutation and abjuration magics, almost overwhelming in its power. A faint calling however reveals itself as Huttmoff gets closer to the Southern wall. A faint aura is detected in the waters beneath the portal, not apart of it and nearly drowned out by the portals power but it is there.

I am going to the backcountry for a few days. I will try and post Sunday but will on Monday for sure.

"I wonder what is down there," Zelaerys says pointing down the passage that, unbeknownst to him, is from where Huttmoff had wandered in. "I'm at a loss as to where we have to go. Dav'eed, where did you say would be the dried up wells?"

Dav'eed is concerned about the trog - unless it appears that it could swim underwater and through the portal back into the watery realm on the other side. Keeping an eye on the waters in the same cavern, he responds, "Did you notice how we were travelling downwards from the house? That's the same direction as the wells, and water doesn't usually flow up! So there must be something blocking this underground river further upstream. If we can destroy this portal, then we'll go back up the way to see what's blocking the regular water! I don't want any more troglodytes, or worse, swimming through here!"

(Is there any kind of border that he can target with an arrow or his rapier? Or do the magic-wielders need to do their thing? Or both?!!?)

A side view of the cavern, the boulder jutting from the water can bee seen on the original map, to give an idea of where passages leading out are evident.

The outer rim of the portal is a thin line of deep black and purple. It is not very thick but Dav'eed is able to hit it with his arrow. The missile crackles and evaporates upon impact. There was no discernible effect on the portal itself. Another shot at the interior has the same effect, the missile does not plunge into the portal but rather evaporates when striking its surface.

The Trog dove into the deeper area of the lagoon, it did not disappear into the Portal.