"I can certainly go and check without arousing suspicion..." Mival agrees. "After all, the Lords from Below don't know I'm leaving them yet."

"If you prefer, if there's someone in the room, I can also try to distract them by talking to them..." the doppelganger offers, undecide. "That should make it easier for you to sneak in unseen... But there's a small risk involved - we doppelgangers can read thoughts... even among ourselves. So if I start talking and the others, even out of habit rather than suspicion, read my thoughts, they might find out that I'm trying to distract them. If I just look at how many people are in the room and come back to you... I shouldn't run that risk - but then you wouldn't have any advantage in sneaking in."

Spira sighs as she replies to Darvin.  "I wasn't really scolding you. darling.  Just reminding ... both of us, actually ... that its a more complicated situation than it might seem.  Gaer was also one of the victims we had to rescue from the Zhentarim, so I can definitely understand your point of view.  But if Anita can change ... as she's just pointed out ... then we should at least give the Lords Below a chance to also."  She thinks a moment.   "You are all right, though, on one thing.  Just negotiating with them for Tethis' freedom won't do a thing to get them to change, in fact just the opposite.  So we're back to this stealthy approach."

She listens to see if she can hear any echoes from below that would give an indication of what exits lead to places that are currently inhabited and which only ring with silence (Perception 21).  Then she turns back to Mival.  "Hmmm ... a flooded area to the south also?  Given what you know of the layout below, do you think its possible that that might lead to an underwater passage that connects with the room where Bytwoeff and the others often are?  And which way does the secondary branch with the webs go?  That might lead to a back route in also, if it heads in generally the right direction."  Something suddenly seems to occur to her;  she rummages about in a belt pouch with a slightly sheepish look before pulling out a scroll case, out of which she extracts a pen and three sheets of parchment.  "Better think of it late than never.  Do you think that would be enough sheetys to draw a map on?  I have seven more if you want to really get into the details."   A slight chuckle at herself restores her spirits after her minor slip of memory, and she is once more focused on finding the best plan going forward.

Mival enthusiastically takes the pen and explains: "Here... we are here... where I wrote 'we'... and the shawl is here... where I put the 'x'... The 'G' is the point where Geados waits for the 'customers'... While 'webs'... Oh, I read in your mind that you already understood what 'webs' means, very good".

"As you can see, the area corresponding to the den of the Lords from Below, those three aligned rooms (including the one with the 'x')" the Doppelganger continues "is isolated from the rest of this level... it is accessed only through the passage over which Tethis watches. It is true, however, that there are other areas where the floor has collapsed, such as near Geados. And in fact there is another level, below us. Traveling on the level below, it is certainly possible to re-emerge, taking advantage of the points of the collapses, in this level. So also in the den of the Lords from Below".

"But," the shapeshifter points out "swimming underwater for long periods of time might be a problem for you... I can assume the form of a sea elf and breathe underwater. But you can't... If it's a long swim, you might drown!"

Spira frowns, trying to remember if she knows anything about the warrior who first had this keep built.  "If Rassalantar was a really clever strategist," she muses, "he would never have an area in his Keep that was so close to the entrance which could be so easily cut off by an invading enemy.  That's why I thought of there being a secret back way out ... or in ... that he would have built in case of unexpected emergencies.  But if he didn't have that much of a turn for fortifications and defenses, he might not have thought of including one." (History 9)  "And given the layout your map shows, we might not even have to swim to get to it.  It's more likely through the giant webs."  She pauses long enough for a sense of ominous doom to build in the wake of this last statements, then gives Mival a lopsided grin.

"Fortunately, we have some experience with such webs from our last heroic odyssey back in Longsaddle."

[[ OOC: History remembers very little of the hero Rassalantar... and even less of his experience as a strategist. He was a warrior - so he must have understood something of tactics and strategy - but most of the legends passed down about him recall more of solitary adventures as an adventurer, than pitched battles as a general. ]]

"Good!" Mival seems ready and looks at the others "Time for a bit to 'dungeon-hygiene', then? Are we going to remove cobwebs?"

"We can at least try it," Roxana says. "It feels like the chance of finding another way to that area occupied by the Lords from Below is better than just trying to walk directly in. And we were going to explore this place anyway." 

She is ready to proceed towards the webs if the others are agreed.  

Rashurgi nods... he was starting to get a little bit restless since he's not really a great negotiator.

"Alright, let's go to the webs," he says. "So... should I take a moment to conjure up an invisible soldier-man to help us out?"

"An invisible soldier-man?" Mival's green eyes widen with curiosity "Sure! I can't wait to see it..." but she quickly corrects herself "...oh, right, he's invisible... I won't be able to see it. But it seems like a cool spell all the same!"

"You bet it's cool!" Anita steps forward, proudly "He invented it!" (she evidently considers Blinn's contribution negligible).

"The soldier might be helpful Rash," Roxana answers, after hearing Mival's excited reaction. "Should we try burning the webs first? Assuming they are flammable."  She takes a torch from her backpack and lights it before they get to the spot.  In part it is just to see better but also might help with webs. 

"I'm sure I sound silly saying this, but I expect we'll have to deal with spiders before long."

"So," Gaer winks "we are both 'silly', because I have the same suspicion!" and readies his longbow.

As the party approaches the cobweb area, they also see the infernal helmsman Geados [[ OOC: Ge on the map ]], with his boat. It is a small rowboat that waits stationary, inside which stands the lone figure of a sailor. The small Rowboat is approximately 5' wide and 10' long, with room therefore only for a single rower and a single passenger. The figure inside has the appearance of a pale, nearly skeletal humanoid sailor, approximately 5' tall. He wears rotted, hooded robes and burial wraps and holds an oar. His face is too in shadow to be seen clearly, but the eyes are clearly distinguishable due to the fact that they glow red.

The figure is currently eyeing in the direction of the party, without saying a word.

"I'll tell you right away that we're not coming to ask for your services, Geados..." Mival explains to the helmsman "We are exploring the other route. And there could be 'complications'... I'm warning you, in case you want to move away..."

But the figure gives a sort of vague smile and stays where it is. Then the Doppelganger shrugs and examines, for now from afar, the thick cobwebs, together with his new companions in adventure.

"A 10'-wide corridor..." Darvin evaluates. "Another volunteer and I could block it completely - allowing the others to shoot from a distance... first at the cobwebs... then at whatever comes out of them!"

Rash would have taken 10 minutes to summon an Unseen Warrior via ritual casting after Mival and Roxanna agreed that it could be helpful. And then he went ahead (longsword and shield mode, defense fighting style. So 15 AC, 1d8 force damage). And, to demonstrate to Mival that it is, indeed, cool, Rash has it cleave a rock in half.

"I love this thing," Rash tells Mival with a smile. "Used I think four of them to beat a dumb brute in a duel and stop my tribe from getting dragged into a war..."

The young Doppelganger is deeply impressed: "What a magic wonder! And you must really tell me the tale of this heroic deed, once we are finished down here!"

[[ OOC: Waiting for the other players to declare what their characters are doing to prepare for the 'cleaning' ]]

Roxana is more than willing to keep back and let others hold forward positions. She would have her shortbow at the ready to try and hit any creatures that might appear from the webbing.  

[[ OOC: Since Frandal hasn't been heard from in a while and sometimes has real life issues, I'll assume, based on how he usually plays, that Aidwyn volunteers to block the corridor with Darvin. ]]

The party sets up efficiently: Darvin and Aidwyn prepare to act as the front line of defense for everyone, while everyone else keeps their ranged weapons (or spells) drawn.

Anita summons a disembodied hand, which brings a burning torch near the webs and begins to burn them... and, sure enough, the architects of said webs soon come out to protest! It's a spider about the size of the corridor itself and some sort of grotesque spider-man hybrid.

Time to roll for initiative! (And if you prefer a different positioning, when you roll for Initiative, feel free to explain me where you would have preferred to be placed)

Initiatives:

Spider-man: 18
Giant Spider: 8

Mival: 11
Anita: 9
Gaer: 11
Darvin: 11
Dawnborn: 18

Rashugri initiative: 5

I'm assuming that Armor of Agathys is still up for a little while, right?

@Mister_Whisker: Yes, you talked a lot... and you had to wait for Tethis' return for a while... but it's definitely not been 50'. So, even considering the 10' of Rash's Ritual-casting of Unseen Warrior, I'd say the Armor of Agathys is still active.

@All: Since the enemy with the highest initiative is Spider-Man, with 18, characters who roll 18 or higher for their initiative may also, if they wish, take their Turn for Round 1...

(Roxana Initiative: 24; ok with position)

Oh... almost forgot, the Unseen Warrior needs a turn as well...

Unseen Warrior Initiative: 11

Roxana will hold herself in place, aiming her shot at the Spider-man. (Bonus Action - Steady Aim) 
(Shortbow Attack: 19, Damage: 8 piercing + 3 Sneak Attack)