The mocking, teasing, and innuendo continues. Each of the avu-demons introduces themselves and follow the party as they begin their cautious exploration. Fyn and Fobias start by investigating the cages
Some of the birdcages are empty, but some contain rotting corpses. When asked about them, the avu-demons don’t offer much explanation. For the most part, they say it was a punishment for disobedience.
There happens to be an emaciated man alive in one of the cages. His disheveled hair and wide eyes lead the party to believe that he is possessed by some kind of madness. Whenever the party gets too close, the avu-demons hiss warnings.
The women refer to this man as Mr. Mutt. Again, this is a punishment for his actions.
Eventually, the party learns that the women serve Delvahine, a succubus who took over the Lust wing after Sorshen left. As expected, they don’t receive many new visitors in the Runeforge anymore, which probably explains their unabashed advances.
Barnaby uses his invisibility cloak to investigate the inner pavilion. Unfortunately, a small contingent of stone giants stand guard inside.
Apparently Delvahine is frequently visited by a man named Vraxeris, but he hasn’t come around in awhile. Seeing an opportunity, the party pretends that they’ve met Vraxeris before. This grants them an audience with Delvahine. They graciously accept the opportunity.
Inside the fleshy pavilion, a thin fog clouds Fyn and Krask’s minds. Eventually, they reach Delvahine’s chambers. She’s not one for small talk, and she jumps to the topic of Vraxeris. It isn’t long before she gets antsy; without specific details of their false meeting with Vraxeris, she isn’t content to help them with anything.
Delvahine gives them a charge – remind Vraxeris what he’s missing out on, and bring him back to her. If they do this…well…they actually don’t negotiate for anything in return.
The Vault of Greed
After taking a brief rest, the party determines that the Vault of Greed seems to fit Vraxeris’ name the closest. They follow the winding hallway to Karzoug’s wing.
At the end, they reach a jeweled door. Krask immediately recognizes this as a trap, and disarms it. It’s a good thing he does – the trap would have plastered the poor kobold against the wall.
Next, Krask locates a secret indentation that leads into the real Vault. Runes regaling Karzoug’s exploits decorate the fine, wooden walls. As they walk, Krask’s vision is blinded with a searing white light.
Shadows dot his vision, retelling portions of his past. He sees himself stealing a potion in Donesale, instructing Fobias to carry a heavy, golden helmet at Thistletop, and his theft of a goblet from Longtooth. These memories embolden him.
At the end of the hallway, Fyn temporarily dispels a strange, green mist. They move into the next room, where water dances as it cascades down a fountain.
Eventually, the water droplets coalesce into tiny water mephits from the Plane of Water. Due to some conversational missteps, they all assume the name Vraxeris. It seems like a scary silver man has been harassing them with regularity.
Pondering this, the party levels up to 14!
Who is the silver man? Where is Vraxeris located? Will the party explore the Runeforge with any rhyme or reasoning to their madness?