Lee stared Ivor down, clutching his handaxe, trying to resist killing a hostage, again.
“He’s mine.” Ivor announced.
“Why?” Atilius asked.
“Let’s just call it a trophy, now step away. Your not going to firebolt your way out of this.” Ivor threatened.
Atilius tried his best to pull out his wand of charm person stealthily, pointing it directly at Ivor and holding his breath. He cast the charm person.
“Step away from the body.” Ivor repeated. “And you should know that I’m not alone.”
“Yeah we figured that out.” Moula replied.
No one moved.
“I said step away from the body or she dies.” Ivor repeated for the third time, getting more and more furious.
“Are we friends?” asked Atilius
“Are we friends?” Ivor replied.
“Yes.” Atilius responded.
“If you step away from the body then we’ll be friends. Nice try.” Ivor added. “I’m telling you, you’re lame and you have no chance. Now step away from the body.”
Inaction befell the room, as everyone scrambled through their heads, finding what to do next.
“Don’t let him kill me Albrecht” Edith pleaded.
Albrecht started to melt into small pieces, torn apart by the situation. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Listen, step away. You can have your girlfriend. I’ll let the dwarf go too.” Ivor offered. “You can even take your stuff.”
“How can we know..” Atilius started.
“You can’t!” Ivor yelled.
“Ivor?” Lee started to ask, calmly.
“And I’ll even let your goblin go.” Ivor offered.
“Snowg?” Pippin asked.
“Yea, Snowg.” Ivor replied snarkily.
“Ivor, what do you have to gain in this?” Lee asked.
Moula started to approach Ivor, but Ivor screamed “Back up!” Moula then retreated.
Pippin started to draw his daggers, and Ivor looked back at him. “Don’t even think about it Pippin.” Ivor warned. “If you try anything, I’ll kill her and I’ll kill your father figure next.”
“You’re lucky I’m not taking your things.” Ivor added.
“What do you have to gain.” Lee repeated.
“I’m taking control of the forge of spells.” Ivor answered.
“Why?” Lee asked.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.” Ivor declared.
“Yes you do.” Lee insisted.
Albrecht winced.
Looking at Atilius, Ivor said, “If you try anything again, I’m not giving you any more chances, and I’ll have to kill you all.”
Everyone got ready to attack.
Atilius cast hold person and Ivor froze.
Albrecht grabbed Edith.
Turenim tossed Ivor’s weapons away from him.
Moula looked around for Snowg, but couldn’t find him.
Lee aimed hunter’s mark on Ivor, and swung his sword down at Ivor, but Talon glanced off his armor.
“Wait.” Edith said. “We should get Nundro before they kill him.”
Pippin stabbed Ivor in the groin with both of his shortswords.
Edith looked horrified.
“Hold on.” Turenim said. “I still want to ask him questions.”
“No!” Lee shouted.
Pippin and Turenim dashed back toward the smelter’s cavern to find Nundro.
Moula smashed Ivor's head.
“Stop this violence!” Edith yelled. “It’s not a good idea.”
At Edith’s persuasiveness, Moula hesitated from smashing Ivor’s head further.
“Shouldn’t we save Nundro?” Edith asked.
“I don’t know.” Albrecht said. “I think more than Nundro is in danger now. I think you’re right. We have to go.”
Pippin cried out in pain as he got hit with three crossbow bolts from the darkness in front of them.
Lee ran to the smelter’s cavern. Atilius followed. They saw Pippin laying at the edge of the cavern with bolts sticking out of him. The rest of the cavern was dark.
Lee peeked out into the smelter’s cavern from the safety of the passage. Two bolts came at him from the dark, but missed him. Then a morningstar swung at his head, but he pulled back just in time.
Albrecht told Edith to stay back, and ran up, taking a position next to Lee, and was quickly hit with a crossbow. Another missed him.
Turenim cast spare the dying on Pippin.
Moula and Julious ran toward the rest of the group.
A morningstar swung from the opposite side of the cavern entrance and hit Albrecht.
Lee threw his handaxe, with light cast on it, into the middle of the cavern, revealing four bugbears firing crossbows from behind the smelter. He transferred his hunter’s mark to the bugbear next to him.
Atilius threw a firebolt at the bugbears, but missed
Albrecht stabbed at the bugbear next to him with his rapier, but missed.
Turenim casts toll the dead on the bugbear Albrecht was fighting, with no noticeable effect.
Moula swung at a bugbear, but missed as well.
Julious ran and jumped over the smelter to attack a bugbear, but missed.
From one side of the cavern entrance a morningstar smashed into Moula, but Albrecht avoided the morningstar swung from the other side.
Four crossbow bolts flew harmlessly into the passage.
Lee drew Talon and slashed the bugbear next to him in its side.
Atilius thew another firebolt, but missed again.
Albrecht missed the bugbear near him with his rapier.
Turenim cast toll the dead on a bugbear again, to no effect.
Moula whacked the bugbear that was swinging at Albrecht twice with her staff.
Julious bit into a bugbear with his wolf's teeth. The two bugbears next to Julious dropped their crossbows and picked up their morningstars.
A bugbear turned from Albrecht and swung its morningstar at Moula, dropping the monk to the ground.
On the other side a morningstar glanced off Lee's new breastplate.
Two crossbow bolts flew into the passage, harmlessly.
Two bugbears swung down on Julious, forcing him to revert back to human form.
Lee swung wildly at the bugbear next to him, smashing Talon against the wall.
Atilius burned one of the bugbears attacking Julious with a firebolt.
Albrecht tried to hit the bugbear that downed Moula with his rapier, but missed.
Turenim cast spare the dying on Moula, and backed up a bit.
Julious cast produce flame and threw it at one of the bugbears, burning it slightly, and was swatted down with a morningstar.
Lee and Albrecht both managed to dodge the morningstars swung at them, but were each hit by a crossbow bolt.
Lee slashed into the bugbear next to him, drawing lots of blood, and causing it to slowly withdraw towards its allies.
Atilius passed his potion of healing to Turenim.
Albrecht stabbed at the bugbear next to him and almost lost his sword.
Turenim poured the potion of healing into Moula's mouth.
From the ground Moula swung her staff at the bugbear standing over her, knocking its legs out from under it, and smashed its head with her staff, leaving it motionless.
A bugbear swung at Lee, but he moved around the corner, avoiding the blow, but missing in turn.
A crossbow bolt hit Turenim, dropping the healer.
Atilius hit the same bugbear as before with a firebolt, burning it more.
Albrecht tried to hit the bugbear engaged with Lee, but missed. Moula ganged on as well, and killed it with her staff.
Four crossbow bolts flew harmlessly into the passage.
Lee drew his crossbow and hit the burned bugbear behind the furnace, finishing it.
Atilius threw another firebolt, but missed.
Lee maneuvered into passage between the smelter's cavern and the great cavern.
Albrecht followed Lee, casting vicious mockery on one of the bugbears, shouting "How the hell can a man that does not have darkvision be more accurate than bugbears that have darkvision?"
Moula threw a dart at the bugbear behind the furnace, hitting it in the chest.
Three crossbow bolts flew harmlessly into the passage.
Using the passage corner as cover, Lee shot his crossbow at the same bugbear behind the furnace, and hit it in the shoulder.
Atilius threw another firebolt, but missed.
Albrecht cast vicious mockery again on the same bugbear as before, shouting "Usually when I fight things like you I get afraid for my life, but I feel comfortable in this particular scenario."
Turenim rose from unconsciousness.
Moula threw another dart at the bugbear behind the furnace, hitting it in the other shoulder.
Two crossbow bolts flew harmlessly into the passage. A third bolt came at Moula, but she caught it and threw it back, hitting the smelter.
Lee finished the injured bugbear behind the furnace with his crossbow.
Atilius burned the already mocked bugbear with a firebolt.
Albrecht cast vicious mockery on the same bugbear as before again, shouting "If I had a mirror, I would throw it at you."
Turenim cast toll the dead on the same bugbear, withering it to death.
The last bugbear turned and ran out of the smelter's cavern, through the opposite passage, into the darkness.
On Lee's instructions he ran after the fleeing bugbear with Atilius and Moula. Moula jumped over the smelter, dashing ahead.
Albrecht ran into the starry cavern, but didn't see Edith, or Ivor's body.
Turenim dragged Julious from the smelter toward Pippin, and yelled back, “Do you see Ivor?” to Albrecht.
Moula found the previously closed door was now open.
Albrecht called out to Edith, frantically looking for her.
“In here.” he heard Edith's voice, from the forge room.
Albrecht shouted back to Turenim, “I didn’t see Ivor where he was last found, but Edith is in the forge of...oh!” Albrecht realized The Black Spider's body was gone as well. “Hold on a moment, Edith, I’ll be right there.”
Moula entered the doorway and saw old stone bunks lining the walls of this barracks, which was lit and heated by a glowing iron brazier in the middle of the room. Next to the door were the remains of a wooden table, and crates and large stones piled up against the wall. Across the room was another door. She gathered Lee and Atilius and they headed back towards Turenim, who had just dragged Julious back to where Pippin was lying.
• • •
Albrecht went into the forge room and spoke with Edith.
"What's going on here?" Albrecht asked. "Why are you... HOW'S HE HERE!"
"Baby please," Edith replied. "I can explain."
"I'm listening." Albrecht said, impatiently
"Listen, we're the good guys here." Edith assured. "We're here to save the forge."
"What?" Albrecht replied, incredulous. And pointing to The Black Spider, "But we're here to save the forge from THAT. What are you saving it from?"
"Albrecht," Edith explained. "Once you and your party return the forge to the dwarves, they will sell the forge's power to the highest bidder. We can't let them have it." Edith explained to Albrecht that she had been forced to leave him in order to embark on this important mission: to find the forge of spells and keep it from falling into the hands of the dwarves. She explained that along the way she met Ivor, and he has been helping her, as a way to seek redemption for his past wrongs. She explained that they were just using Nezznar to find the forge of spells, but never had any intention of allowing it to fall into his evil hands.
When asked why they wanted to keep the forge of spells from the dwarves, she explained that the dwarves were greedy and would allow it to be used by the highest bidders, and that they were the ones who betrayed Phandelver's Pact 500 years ago and caused the subsequent war over the forge and all the deaths that followed.
"Ok, I still don't get it." Albrecht admitted. "Also, WHY ARE YOU WITH HIM?!"
"He's just..." Edith started.
"No." Albrecht interrupted, turning to Ivor, who stood watching, passively, from the side. "You. How are you alive? We killed you. We cut you in half."
"Baby listen..." Edith soothed.
Albrecht stopped her. "I want HIM to answer me."
"She's the one that does the talkin' around here bub." Ivor replied, gruffly. "And you're in no position to make any demands."
"Fine." Albrecht said, resigned.
"He's just working with me," Edith assured. "He and I are working towards the same goal."
"So, working with you means that he gets to hold a blade to your throat and cut you?" Albrecht accused.
"It was just a scratch honey," Edith assured. "And it was just to get you guys to leave."
Albrecht, confused, asked, "What are you even going to do with the forge?"
"Listen," Edith assuaged, "I don't have time to explain this to you right now. If you guys promise to leave, we can meet at the town and explain this to you."
"I don't believe that. I mea..." Albrecht started.
"What do you mean you don't believe me?" Edith interrupted, incredulous. "You've known those people for a few days and you've known me for a year!"
"You're right, I did know you for a year." Albrecht retorted. "Then you vanished on me!"
"I know, but I had to, for your sake," Edith persuaded. "I couldn't tell you where I would be because you would have been afraid."
"Well, I'm plenty afraid now." Albrecht replied.
"Baby, you act as though all of the time we spent together was worthless!" Edith responded.
"Maybe that's because these people, my friends, gave me a family." Albrecht accused. "Something I've longed for so long, something you destroyed when you left me."
"When this is all over," Edith assured him, "we will have a family again, you just need to trust me."
Albrecht found her story compelling, but was confused. He asked if everything they shared together had been a lie. "No!" She pleaded. "My love for you has always been true." But she explained that the importance of this mission forced her to act the way she had. She always intended to return to him, and promised that once this was all over, they could be together again. But for now she urged him to tell his companions to leave Wave Echo Cavern.
"Fine," Albrecht replied. "I'll talk to them."
• • •
Meanwhile, Turenim cast guidance on himself.
Following Moula, Lee grabbed his handaxe and caught up with Turenim, followed by Atilius.
Moula gave her forge-glowing armbands to Turenim, who began bandaging Pippin's wounds.
Moula saw that the starry cavern was empty and ran on into the forge room. There, next to the forge of spells, she saw Albrecht speaking with Edith, and Ivor standing behind them with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Behind them all, The Black Spider was lying on the floor.
Seeing Moula, Ivor dropped his hands to his sword hilts.
Moula lowered her quarterstaff. "What's going on?"
"Edith and Ivor are trying to stop the dwarves from taking control of the forge of spells." Albrecht explained.
"The dwarves will sell the forge's power to the highest bidder," Edith pleaded. "And we can't let that happen. We were using The Black Spider to get to the forge."
"And you were working with Ivor?" Moula asked, incredulous.
"Yes." Edith replied. "I know he's crude, but this is an important mission. We don't mean you any harm. Ivor was never really threatening me. We just wanted you to leave. You can take Nundro. He's in the other room. Take him. Just go."
Albrecht was clearly confused.
"It's okay." Edith persuaded. "We'll meet you back in town and explain everything. I'm afraid that if the rest of your friends get here, there's going to be bloodshed for no reason. We're just trying to let you guys go."
After considering everything they heard, Moula and Albrecht were convinced.
While Turenim continued to bandage Pippin, Lee entered the forge room while Atilius hung just outside the door.
Lee transferred his hunter's mark to Ivor and drew his crossbow.
"Wait!" shouted Albrecht. "Don't!"
Albrecht drew his rapier and pointed it at Lee.
Lee shot, and missed, wildly.
“Wait!” Albrecht repeated.
“Why should I wait? Explain to me why I shouldn’t kill him!” Lee demanded.
"I'm going to hope to the gods..." Albrecht ranted, desperately.
"Tell me why I shouldn't kill him?" Lee demanded again.
"Because we're currently in the middle of a discussion!" Albrecht explained.
"Can you guys just stop?" Edith interjected. "We don't want to fight with you. We're not your enemies."
"Are you with Ivor?" Lee asked.
"Yes." Edith replied. "But we are not your enemies. We did not attack you before. Ivor was only trying to get you to leave."
"But Ivor attacked her before." Lee accused, pointing at Moula.
"A personality change does not just happen in a matter of days." Lee insisted, furiously. "Listen. I do not trust him. I do not trust anything that comes out of his mouth."
"Look." Edith went on. "We're not your enemies. If we were your enemies, why would we have reacted this way?"
Lee gave Atilius a look to indicate he should act.
"You don't know the context of the conversation!" Albrecht shouted into Lee's face.
"We're not your enemy." Edith continued to plead.
Albrecht got really close to Lee, and mumbled into his ear, "Look, I'm afraid that Edith might not be in control here, so I'm not sure the best way to get out of this situation, and I don't think killing people is going to solve it either."
"Just give me a chance to explain." Edith pleaded once more. "The dwarves cannot get control of the forge."
"Why?" Lee asked.
"Because they will sell the forge to the highest bidder." Edith repeated. "They will let the highest bidder use it."
"And why should we trust Ivor with it." Lee asked, skeptically.
"Don't trust Ivor." Edith answered. "Trust me."
"And why should I trust you?" Lee asked. "You're trying to..."
"We did not attack you." Edith insisted. "We just wanted you to go."
"Then why were you hiding?" Lee asked.
"I can explain." Edith pleaded. "Ivor and I were using The Black Spider to get to the forge."
"So you're telling me that Ivor slit your throat slightly just as an..."
"I'm fine." Edith insisted. "It's just a scratch."
"You are telling me that you allowed yourself to be put in that situation with Ivor." Lee pressed.
"We just..." Edith started. "We thought it was the best way to get you..."
"You could have just..." Lee began and left the room to consult with Atilius.
"I healed him." Edith explained. "The Black Spider had potions of healing, and I healed him. I think The Black Spider might have more potions of healing back in his quarters."
"Who came up with this plan?" Lee pushed, returning.
"We just thought that the best way to get you guys to just leave without any violence was if you thought that I was threatened." Edith persuaded. "And you could rescue me, and rescue Nundro..."
"Where is Nundro?" Lee inquired.
"He's in Nezznar's quarters." Edith replied. "The Black Spider's quarters."
"So are you going to stay here after all this is over?" Atilius asked.
"We want to secure the forge." Edith explained.
"And what are you going to do?" Lee continued.
"We just want to make sure that the dwarves don't get it." Edith repeated.
"And do you trust Nundro? "Lee asked. "Or do you not trust Nundro?"
"I don't trust him to use the forge." Edith explained. "I'm not saying he's evil, or that he's a monster. But if they get control of the forge, these greedy dwarves will do the same thing they did before. That's what caused all this destruction."
Atilius was convinced as this story was probable, and corresponded with what he already knew about the forge of spell's history.
"I trust you." Lee insisted. "But I do not trust Ivor."
"I don't blame you." Edith agreed. "And I can understand why."
"I want Ivor out." Lee demanded. "Gone. Forever. Gone. And maybe we can talk then."
"Ivor has been helping me to get control of the forge." Edith explained. "You might not like him, and I can understand that. You guys have history."
"It's been five days since he tried to murder someone." Lee continued. "And we're supposed to trust him."
"Alright Edith, please." Atilius began. "Tell me your story. Tell me about how you got here, to this present day."
"Ever since I left, and I've had to live apart from Albrecht... We heard about this mission and we've been trying to find the forge. We've been tracking The Black Spider, and we finally found him here, but we couldn't get to the forge, because we couldn't..."
"Who's we?" Lee interrupted. "You and Ivor?"
"Yes." Edith replied. "We've been working together."
"How long?" Lee pressed. "Since when?"
"When you departed from Albrecht?" Atilius asked. "What does that mean?"
"When did you meet up with The Black Spider and Ivor?" Lee interrogated.
"I knew Ivor before." Edith responded, coolly. "But I only met up with him a couple of days ago."
"Do you know a Halia Thornton?" Lee asked.
"No." Edith replied, confused.
"Alright." Atilius turned to Edith. "Can Lee and I step outside for a minute?"
"Of course." Edith indicated. "Look, we don't want a fight with you."
Outside Atilius began, "I'm going to spell it out for you. I think I know what's up. She's so believable. But there's all kinds of questions. Do you know what a doppelgänger is?"
Lee turned to get Turenim.
Without any warning Ivor drew his swords and lunged at Moula.
"Why?" Moula asked as she brought up her staff to defend herself, blocking one sword, but getting slashed with the other.
"I'm done with this!" Ivor snarled.
Stunned by the turn of events, Albrecht never saw Edith's rapier as it went right through his guts. She slid him of her blade and he fell quietly to the floor.
"Help!" Moula shouted as she smacked Ivor with her staff.
Atilius rushed into the room and saw Ivor standing over Moula, and Edith standing over Albrecht, with bloody swords and rapier. He hurled scorching rays at Ivor, blasting the warrior, and shouted "The time for diplomacy is over! Moula and Albrecht are down!"
Lee ran to the forge room door and shot his crossbow, sticking a bolt square in Ivor's chest. Turenim stopped bandaging Pippin and ran back to the forge room. Ivor and Edith slammed the double doors shut, trapping everyone, except Moula and Albrecht, outside in the starry cavern.
Lee, Atilius, and Turenim pushed one of the doors open. Atilius burned Edith with burning hands. Lee shot his crossbow at Ivor again, landing a bolt in his gut. Turenim cast toll the dead on Ivor, causing him to shrivel from the necrotic damage. Then Ivor's body shifted and transformed into a featureless blue, grey motionless husk.
Lee and Atilius slammed the door open, pushing Edith back. Atilius grazed Edith with a firebolt. Lee hit Edith again with his crossbow, but she continued to ignore the damage, advancing on Lee and swinging twice, wildly, and missing.
Atilius grazed Edith with a firebolt again. Lee drew Talon and slashed into Edith's arm. Edith swung back, but could not penetrate Lee's breast plate. Moula regained consciousness and saw Lee and Edith fighting above her.
Atilius threw another firebolt, but it crashed into the wall. Lee drew more of Edith's blood with Talon. Edith stabbed Lee under his breastplate, halting him. From the ground, Moula swung her staff into Edith's legs, failing to trip her, but causing her to stumble.
Atilius threw another firebolt harmlessly into the wall. Lee swung high at Edith, but avoided her counterattack. On her feet, Moula swung her staff into Edith's head, knocking her down. Edith fell still and began to transform into another featureless blue, grey motionless doppelgänger husk.
Moula and Lee brought Pippin and Julious back to the forge room, where the group decided to rest. During their rest, Albrecht, Pippin, and Julious awoke and took in the news about Turenim, Ivor, and Edith. Examining the remains they found a set of keys, a ring, a cloak, a spider staff, glowing swords, and a glowing rapier. Moula put on the ring. Pippin donned the cloak. Atilius took the spider staff. Lee took Ivor's swords. Albrecht took the rapier. Albrecht told the group that the sword belonged to his family.
Fully rested, the group left Turenim in the forge room and went to find Nundro. They passed through the starry cavern, the smelter's cavern, and the barracks, and headed up some stairs to the north, then down stairs to the east.
At the bottom of the stairs they entered a large collapsed cavern with a wide rift filling the eastern half. A stream poured out of the west wall, then tumbled down into the rift and flowed out again to the north. Several ropes were secured to iron stakes along on the western edge of the rift, leading down to the chasm floor.
The group crossed over the stream and recognized that they had previously seen this cavern from the eastern side of the rift. On the northern side of the stream they found another set of stairs going up to the west. The tunnel turned to the south and ended in another set of stairs going up to the west. At the top of the stairs they found a locked door on the north wall and an opening up ahead.
Pippin tried the door and found it to be locked. After fumbling with the lock, they remembered the keys they found on Nezznar's body. Using the keys they opened the door and entered a room with dusty draperies adorning the walls. The room also contained a bed and an unlit brazier, and lying on the cold stone floor was a badly disheveled dwarf, bound and unconscious.
Albrecht had a sudden epiphany and wanted to go back to the forge room where Turenim's body still lie. Moula accompanied him.
Meanwhile the rest of the group continued down the tunnel where it opened into a large temple hall with six cracked marble pillars lining the walls and double doors in the center of the south wall. At the north end stood a nine-foot-tall statue of a dwarf seated on a throne, a mighty stone warhammer across his lap. Large emeralds gleamed in the statue's eyes. They noticed that dust and debris once covering the floor had been swept to one side, and a campsite of sorts was now spread in front of the statue. Half a dozen bedrolls and packs were neatly arranged around a rough-built, now dark fire pit. A wooden table stood on the west side of the room between two pillars.
Lee opened the double doors and they all entered a passage leading to two sets of stairs, one going down to the east into the collapsed cavern, and the other going down to the south towards the barracks.
Taking the stairs south, they went down another set of stairs, opposite the barracks. The bottom of the stairs opened into cavern mostly filled by a still, dark pool. A fishy odor hung in the air and the shore of the pool consisted of a thin layer of broken shells from strange, pale mussels. A sluggish stream flowed out of the cave to the northeast, and a passage lead out to the south.
The group headed out the southern passage and found themselves wandering around numerous intersecting passages. The ceilings were only six feet high, and many of the passages ended in partially excavated rock faces. Eventually they found a familiar passage leading to the great cavern, a door to the barracks where they fought the ghouls, passages leading to the old entrance where they were attacked by stirges, and the collapsed cave entrance, where they originally entered the cavern. The ropes were gone, but they did not detect any bugbears above.
Meanwhile, in the forge room, Moula secured the doors and Albrecht drew his father's rapier and knelt down before Turenim, praying to his sword. Albrecht cast cure wounds on Turenim, but they saw no effect.
Eventually the rest of the group returned to the forge room, and altogether they returned to where the dwarf lie. Albrecht cast cure wounds on the dwarf, waking him. Nundro was startled and Lee quickly addressed his concerns, explaining that The Black Spider was dead and the forge was secured, but that Tharden was also dead.
"We found the forge!" Nundro exclaimed. "The forge is ours!"
"Yes." Lee replied. "But we need to get back to Phandalin soon."
Before leaving, they returned to the forge room and showed Nundro the forge. Albrecht and Moula waited there with Turenim's body while the rest of the group decided to make a final pass through all the cavern, except the fungi cavern. Atilius cast detect magic a number of times throughout the exploration.
Returning to the temple, they found a sack under the wooden table, containing coins of electrum, gold, and platinum, nine small gemstones, and a dwarven ale mug made of hammered electrum, and Nezznar's spellbook. Atilius detected a strong aura of abjuration magic surrounding the statue, but Nundro warned them not to desecrate the statue of Dumathoin.
In the smelter's cavern they found a potion on one of the bugbears. Atilius tasted it and determined that it was a Potion of Vitality.
In the office by the old entrance they found a locked iron strongbox behind the counter. Pippin picked the lock and found coins of copper, silver, electrum, and gold.
In the collapsed cavern Atilius detected magic from under the rubble at the bottom of the rift. Digging under the heavy rubble, they found a crushed skeleton of a dwarf wearing magical gauntlets. Moula tried them on and found that her strength was greatly increased. Lee put on the gauntlets.
In the dark pool Atilius detected magic coming from within the water. Moula waded into the water, but it was too deep. Pippin tried to swim down, but could not hold his breath long enough to reach the source of the magic. Moula swam down and found a skeleton wearing two shiny platinum rings. Swimming closer she found a wand clutched in its bony fingers.
They bundled themselves and Turenim's body in the bedrolls from the temple and returned to the cave entrance. Moula climbed the walls out of the pit and found the upper area deserted, except for the dead bodies they had found previously. They bundled up Tharden's body as well and finally left the cave.
When they reached the outside, the sunlight was dim, as dusk approached. The vulture was still perched on the bare, dead tree. As it gazed hungrily at the group, an eagle swooped down and scared the vulture away. Lee gripped Talon's hilt and felt an immediate affinity for the eagle, and it flew over to him, landing on his shoulder. Then it soared up into the air.
As the sun was setting in the mountains, Lee was able to see through the eagle's eyes. It flew up to the tallest mountain peak and saw cows grazing at the peak. Then, circling wider, it saw that there was an army of orcs, in packs of varying sizes, traveling west, and those in the lead were not far away.
It occurred to them that the steaks have never been higher.
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