Upon inspecting the gnoll, Rodolfo and Thurnir find the corpse looks mummified, as if dead for centuries or more.  There is nothing on the corpse, not even a simple weapon or piece of jewelry.

JUST KIDDING...  There is no corpse.  It vaporized into mist when Skameros killed it.

Quote from Kerrec >>

Beegred moves up to Skameros, stabbing twice at the crawling claw.  The first stab removes the index and thumb.  The second stab removes the pinky and ring finger.  The crawling claw appears to be defeated, as it remains stuck to a web with its one remaining unmoving finger.

Beegred returns the one-finger salute to the stuck hand, and after the booming voice is done, another salute to the darkness (best guess for where the voice was the loudest).

To the party: "With all that babble about prisoners, that voice was probably a Drow. And too chicken to do more than just shout at us, so probably calling for more of its spineless buddies."

Your party finds itself in a predicament.  Orubis is paralyzed from giant spider toxin and the loud voice likely aroused all kinds of critters that weren't already aware of your presence from the fighting.  You all have to move as fast as possible, but it's been a day and you'll soon be at the limits of your endurance, especially while carrying Orubis.  With no good choices, your party quickly moves on, looking for a cave leading away from the Silken Path to hole up and rest.

(To Be Continued.  Rolls in OOC thread.)

Beegred takes the lead and finds a small (thight fit for Skameros) dusty tunnel that leads to a nice little long abandoned lair.  Keeping watch and taking time to completely rest up, your party wakes up refreshed and ready to continue climbing the Silken Paths.  

(LONG REST GRANTED)

(To Be Continued.  Rolls in OOC thread)

(Yes! Long rest)

Thurnir seems to take the near- loss of Orobis harder than might be expected for someone he hadn’t known long.  But he seems more upbeat after the rest.   immediately before venturing out of their hideout, Thurnir casts aid on Rodolfo, Beegred and himself for 5 temporary HP  -8 hour duration. 

“Well, I’m ready.  Hopin this magic helps a bit in case today’s as interestin as yesterday.  Ready fer the climb?” He says.

Just inside the tunnel entrance of the cavern, a giant riding lizard waits, with grey scales and an intelligent look in it's eye.  Thurnir approaches it and gves it a scratch under the chin, which it acknowledges with closed-eye pleasure.   Thurnir smiles  back at the group-  "Meet Virm, me mount.  Should help us some.  He can't speak, but he understands common pretty well- he's s smart- un".    WIth practiced ease, Thurnir jumps onto the beast's back, strapping himself in place to enable climbing.  

As the group proceeds forwards Beegred asks Thurnir: "Takes too long to say Virmmemmunt. Can I just call it "Virm", as a nickname?"

"They taste good, best parts from back legs, more tender...."  Skameros points out as he looks at Virmmymount.  "Maybe when Thumir die, we eat good...."

“Heh! Ya Virm’s good” Thurnir says and smiles again, while riding the beast up a tunnel wall and across the ceiling to check his straps and ensure his gear’s secured. 

“Hey now, Skameros - I jus’ said he kin understand ye.  You wants t’ be on ‘is good side don’t ya?”  Thurnir chuckles a bit (first time the group has seen this from the normally morose dwarf)  . “They are good though- the dumb ones, the dumb ones…”, he quickly adds while looking at Virm.  Virm snorts in derision at the conversation. 

Rodolfo shares out the sticky stuff once again, making sure everyone applies it properly.

He then takes a deep breath, ready to start concentrating again. And casts spider climb on Skameros.

"Ready to move out"

“Aye, ready!” Says Thurnir.

After having spent an entire day climbing the Silken Paths, fighting among the webs and avoiding danger as much as possible, your party begins the second leg of the climb much more prepared and with fresh new ideas on how to navigate such a dangerous place without drawing attention to yourselves.

Your party continues to see evidence of demonic activity.  Sounds of battle or insane laughter echoing upward to you from below.  Carcasses of creatures violently torn apart and left tangled in the webs.  Drow symbols hastily painted as warnings of demon activity further into branching tunnels.

The higher your party climbs up the Silken Paths, the less dangers your party spots.  It becomes increasingly easier to avoid danger and can even increase your pace to make good time.  As exhaustion sets in from hours of climbing upward, Beegred sees something remarkable.  A branching tunnel, crudely carved out with regularly spaced supporting beams... made of wood.

As your party begins to walk down this tunnel, you come across a set of tracks laid on wooden beams.  Exhausted everyone looks for a good place to set up a camp to get some much needed sleep.  Orubis finds a small side pocket opened up by the crude tunnel.  Inside this pocket a small stream of water trickles over large fungi of all sorts.  Orubis is drawn to them as if in a trance and after placing a hand on a large mushroom, he looks back at you all and declares "This is as far as I can go.  The Mushroom Prince calls me back to the Underdark.  The Myconids are in grave peril and need whatever assistance I can provide."

“Well it’s been nice travelin wit ye, mayhap we meet again.”’ Says Thurnir. “Hopin they gets to the bottom o’ whot’s goin on with all the demonic stuff down ‘ere.  Fer me, I never thought I’d be so excited to see real wood beams again.   Shall we Camp in ‘ere somewhere?”  

Beegred reaches for his sword.
”Orbs has been possessed. He is gonna melt us with acid!”

He stops, scratches his head in thought, then relaxes.
”I thought you said Pudding King… Mushroom Prince, I guess that is okay.”

After giving Orubis a hearty slap on the back and wishing good fortune for his travels, Beegred helps Thurnir set up camp.

The next morning, you all wake.  Orubis stands at the foot of a giant mushroom and thanks you all for your assistance in liberating Blingdenstone from the forces of Juiblex and The Pudding King.  He also thanks you on behalf of the Mushroom Prince for your efforts to save the uninfected Myconids in Neverlight Grove.  He wishes you all a long life on the surface world.  He then steps back into the stem of the mushroom, which opens up to envelop him.  After the fold of the mushroom stem closes over Orubis, you never see him again.

Somber and pensive at the thought of the war Orubis will have to fight, you all turn to the one goal you've had for so long now.  The surface world is just above.  Following tunnels and tracks that slant ever upward, which are also well traveled, you come upon a rockfall that appears to block your progress.  However, upon close inspection it is evident that the underdark denizens have opened up a path and camouflaged it to appear unpassable from the other side.  A secret entrance to the surface world that those in power on the surface would want to know about surely.  Your diminished party continues as the air changes and take on scents that you have forgotten and are now rediscovering.

Your group exits the mine shaft, entering into what would have once been a natural cave before it was excavated by some unknown civilization some unknown time in the past.  The excavated pit rises beyond the sight of your darkvision, but up high on the western side is the glint of pale yellow light illuminating a small portion of the cave higher up.  All around the excavated pit is a steep path winding around and up into the darkness.

Standing nearly 20 feet up the base of the ramp is Mistress Ilvara, flanked by some of the same guard captains Beegred recalls from Velkinvelve.  Behind those is another priestess.  Beegred remembers Mistress Ilvara as a full featured drow with impeccable poise and presentation, with a fierce and confident manner of speaking.  Now what stands before you is a haggard drow with sunken eyes and cheeks.  Strands of hair float free in disarray.  Her robes are stained and buttons are missing or not fastened.  There are holes where areas just seemed to have burned or melted away.  The hem of her robes are clearly torn, frayed, covered in mud, blood or worse.  When she speaks her fierceness is exaggerated and her voice cracks and squeaks as she seems to force down unwanted giggles.  Spittle flies from her mouth and down her chin..

"Here your little escapade comes to an end.  Accept your fate, learn to obey, and you may survive!!!  Or don't, and I will enjoy breaking you all the more.  Even death is not an escape.  Meet my pets..."  Ilvara waves her hand forward without breaking eye contact with Beegred.

Walking down the ramp out of the darkness comes a procession.  In the lead is a big orc, bare chested with a vicious scar over his heart.  The orc is dragging a chain secured to shackles binding Eldeth the dwarf, who is black and blue from beatings.  It is all she can do to stay on her feet or be dragged along by Ront.  Behind Ront are two small, wild looking, overly hairy gnomes and a third gnome that was once well dressed but who's clothes have fallen in disarray.  The third gnome speaks upon seeing Beegred, "I'll wager a gold coin you weren't expecting to see me again."

Mistress Ilvara shreaks and lashes out at Jimjar with her tentacle rod, screaming in rage, "YOU WILL OBEY!".

Behind Jimjar is another small creature, wrapped in filthy stained bandages.  The bandages around their head are loose and fall in tatters, exposing portions of a face melted away.  There are no cheeks, no eyes, no tongue and many teeth are missing.  They walk haltingly, leaving you all unsure if they are truly alive or not. 

A calm Kuo-toa and a Derro walk ahead of a large brutish Quaggoth that Beegred recognizes.

Ilvara sneers at Beegred, saying "I will soon have all my slaves back.  Once I collect you, you will divulge the location and fate of the dwarf that isn't buried with the Myconids.  We'll then finish excavating the Goliath and pay the Myconids a visit."

Ilvara breaks eye contact with Beegred and looks to the rest of the party, saying "We are pressed for time.  Leave my property here and walk away.  Go cavort in your filthy sunlight.  If you stand in my way, you will be sacrificed to Lolth here, today."

Skameros eyes the big orc, and the drow priestess, rolls and pops his neck and shoulders and moves protectively in front of Beegred.

"Big Red stays with us, get in the way and Skameros will enjoy pulling your legs off like the cave spider you are...." and he thumps his chest with his greataxe.

to the rest of the party he'll say "we eat well tonight....."

Beegred tries to look innocent, which doesn't fool anyone. "I have no idea who you are, lady. (Although "lady" may not be the right word.)

"You look tired from dragging all those people behind you. You should let them go. That will let you can go back to your prison camp faster... uh, if your home is a prison camp that I've never been to, I mean."

Ilvara sneers, "Bugbears are a copper a dozen.  Worth very little.  But if you want to stay with my property, that can be arranged.  And you'll eat what I feed you."