As the party examine the huge stadium-like cavern we find ourselves in, we realise that despite how well lit the area is there are no apparent light sources. Across the floor, at the bottom of a huge creepy dais, is a fractalline pattern of lumps of various sizes. In the centre of this is a humanoid figure in dark robes, beckoning us down.
The group is, of course, wary of such a stranger, but before any action can really be taken, the figure makes a different gesture and five chairs form out of the stone behind them, scoop them up and slide down towards the figure who turns out to be apparently a man in a black robe with thread-of-gold fractalline embroidery and a featureless mask, decorated on the forehead with a symbol that is like a wiggly loop within a triangle.
Peculiarly, the fellow seems happy, if surprised, to see us. Penny tells him that Jeremy had sent us down, and he mentions that we're early and that everyone is currently out searching for a mislaid 'special thing' but should be along soon. Apparently the party has been mistaken for a group of initiates that the Robed Person has been expecting.
The Robed Person asks us about a fifth person, and Euraxia quickly lies and says that he had died in the Darkness. The Robed Person says that there was meant to be someone to escort us through the Darkness but they must have been called away to join the search. Penny asks about how it's strange that he mentions people but the town above is barren, to the quiet face-palming of the more savvy party members. After an awkward glance at the lumps, he mentions there were more but we should just wait as the rest will be returning soon.
The Robed Person gestures again and a plate full of raw vegetables appears and he suggests we snack as we wait. The whole situation has the entire group skeeved out so Penny feigns a bad reaction to a carrot and requests a quick way out.
Somehow the strange being, despite confusion, believes her, and after some awkward questions he provides the fighter a magic light and vague instructions on how to get back - just picture your target location in your mind as you travel through the Darkness.
Attempting to go straight back to the inn but instead finding ourselves in a building nearby, the party travel the short distance remaining to the inn, encountering no-one on the way. When they enter, however, it is swiftly discovered that both the unusually tall gnome and Miguel have both disappeared. The gang is essentially back at square one.
Searching the room Miguel had been left in, Halbarad finds the man's Sending Stone hidden under the bed. He takes the opportunity to update Sophie, the girl who had hired the group, on how we knew where her uncle was and we were working on rescuing him.
(At this point our DM took his phone out of his pocket, bemoaning its sudden warmth. "It's all that Hentai." I jokingly suggest just as our current host's father walks into the room.)
A short argument arises about how to plan our way back into the Town Hall complex again, Euraxia certain that their previous ruse would not work again despite not being caught the first time. There was also the fact that she no longer had the big-gnome's armour. Penny decides affirmative action is required and uses a blanket to disguise herself as a cultist, to which the rest of the party follow suit; the only one not to do so is Halbarad who instead casts Disguise Self to imitate one of the guards.
The party climb the mesa stairs once more in the pre-dawn light and let themselves back in, descending the spiral stairs once more; this time stopping at 'Holding', the floor they had been trapped on. Next to each door is a lever, and preparing for danger from within, Halbarad pulls the first - to reveal the cell the gang had escaped from, the only contents of which were the rags scattered across the floor.
The next lever reveals the cell was being used as a storeroom, with various household miscellanea and a load of healing kits which the group share out between them so they each had one. Only Euraxia had two, having taken the one the guard had had on him in his pockets earlier.
The third door is opened and from inside springs the bandit leader from the bridge, a scuffle that now seems so long ago. He is restrained and questioned, revealing that his family (who, as it turns out, were the rest of the bandits) had been taken as well, the last time he saw them was before he was trapped, and that he didn't remember how he came to be there.
Taking a pragmatic approach, Nick asks if he wants to help us find out what's going on here and maybe even find his family. He agrees, and Halbarad gives him one of his daggers.
The Warlock opens the fourth door, and from inside cascades the other Bridge Bandit, much to the relief of the guy we'd just saved. After a brief, and admittedly touching, reunion between Steve and Cletus, and finding doors five, six and eight opening to empty rooms, we head to the seventh door.
Its opening is met with a huge axe swinging out, followed by a very upset Orc woman. She takes another swing at the group, and it's only a swift declaration of "Don't kill us we're here to help" that stops her taking off our heads.
The Orc woman lowers her axe, and after introducing herself as Gug, also agrees to help us stop the apparent cult, as revenge for her incarceration.
And thus the band of four became seven, if only for a short time.
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