The demon is dead, but the Scribbler is back to his chatty self. Because they can’t see their conversation partner, the party is less inclined to cooperate. Perhaps if they could just catch a glimpse?
That doesn’t seem to be in the cards, however. The party decides to strike a deal: if the Scribbler will share what he knows about the Runelord Karzoug, they will share everything that they know. It’s a lopsided deal, but the Scribbler doesn’t know that. He agrees.
The Scribbler starts talking about Karzoug but eventually gets caught up in his relationship with Lamashtu, and how this entire area is his passion project of recording her holy text. Once his work is done, he will certainly venture to the surface. Until then, his mission lies here.
He starts to boast about how he found the secret entrance to the Runeforge, and the key to get inside. This is apparently a marvelous feat, as the Runelords themselves weren’t supposed to meddle with the research and experimentation going on in there. Doing so could have triggered a war to end the entirety of Thassilon. Sound familiar?
Something that Fobias and Fyn say sets the Scribbler off. He begins talking more quickly and his voice is laced with agitation. Apparently his relative solitude has affected his well-being. With a pop, his voice trails off once more.
The party is on their guard as they head down the nearest passage, which is covered in rotting flesh and slick with blood. Down the corridor, Fobias sees a pack of yeth hounds that begin flying in their direction.
If you’ve never heard the baying of a yeth hound, it is a terrifying experience. In fact, Fyn and Richard are overcome with fear as the howls echo towards them. The wizard turns to run away, but one of the hounds trips him and begins biting.
Meanwhile, Fobias and Barnaby move to block the rest of the pack from breaking through their defensive front. They make short work of a couple, while Krask’s arrows viciously damage another. Unfortunately, the kobold gets pierced with one of the hounds’ stingers. Poison courses through his veins, damage his ability scores.
As the rest of the hounds are dispatched, Krask gets weaker and weaker. Finally, Fobias is able to treat the poison, but not before the brunt of the damage is done.
Meanwhile, Fyn had ran back through the fog all the way to the entrance before running headfirst into something solid. Or should I say, someone. The Scribbler materializes for a moment before Fyn uses a dimension step to get by. Pop!
Once the paranoia dies down, Fyn teleports back to the party. He explains that the Scribbler was back towards the entrance and the party hurries back. Nobody is there.
In their investigation, Fyn spends more time reading the Thassilonion runes. He recognizes a section that stands out from the rest. It appears to be a stanza of a poem:
If magic bright is your desire, to old Runeforge must you retire!
For only there does wizards’ art receive its due and proper start.
Curiously enough, the party uncovers a door that had been blocked by an illusory wall. On the other side, a small crystal-clear pool of water rests under a runed dome.
Apparently this was a place where mothers would come and offer their children to be the newest servants of the Mother of Monsters.
Why does the Scribbler stick to the shadows? What is the meaning of this stanza? Will anyone take a dip in the pool?