We started with the usual quandary on what to do next.  Brian tried to start that discussion via email so he’d know what to prepare but didn’t get much response.  We talked about the “sneak on a boat and wait for the pirates to attack” plan.  The pros and cons and logistics and such.  We also talked about the “trace a message bird back to its source to find the spy in Otari” plan.  Watching the access points to see who leaves or enters town when a message is sent.  And the practicality of shooting one down.  However, we kept coming back to the point that the next ship out was a couple of days away.  Since we were already in the Dungeon, seeking that other’s adventuring party’s path through the mushroom eyed people, we could afford a day of dungeon progress before going back to town.  There was still some debate on the merits of going back early and we had trouble disengaging from planning the two town ideas.  Eventually, thankfully, Brian simply stated that he was prepared to pursue the dungeon and if we went back to town to pursue those plot threads, it would be an early night.  So, back to the dungeon.

At the end of the last game, Brian allowed us to find the Swamp Dragon’s treasure hoard without spending a bunch of time on it.  There was a new axe for TerStegan but he needed to merge its magic with his current axe and that would take time and materials.  There was a Wayfinder artifact that currently casts a light spell but was designed to hold infinity stones or some such that we have yet to find.  And a Wand of Force Barrage that the Arcane or Occult casters could use.  I think Xeelie was lobbying for it since Clarrisa already had the fireball wand.  Plus, some cash.  Next was some Treat Wounds.  Brisco wasn’t ready yet so Oakwood did his best with his Medicine Assurance.  We wanted to take the dragon body as we knew it was worth money from the last dragon we killed.  However, it was very big and Brian didn’t think we could carry it easily.  It at least warranted some discussion.  Uko pointed out that we didn’t need the whole thing.  Only the hide was valuable.  A good Survival roll from him and we had the hide which Oakwood could drag and the head which TerStegan could carry.

And then where to? We could press on, avoiding the mushroom eyed people if we could.  Or go down a level via the stairs.  Or try to backtrack.  We decided to go back to them and see what reward they might offer us for completing their request.  So went back to the throne room (and back into the enforced darkness).  The King was his usual arrogant unhelpful self.  He declared us “Minions of the Ghost Queen” as our reward and bid us to follow him.  Again, he led us through his territory, past closed doors and other subjects.  Answering no questions along the way.  We arrived at some sort of ruined workshop with 3 doors out.  One of which was barricaded with multiple doors.  At this point, he gave us two options.  Remove our armor and arms and walk willingly into captivity.  (Pass.  But that might be where the adventurers went?)  Or go down a level and fight the Cultist Ghouls we’ve fought before.  Evidently, they appeared (recently?) and push these guys up a level.  At this point, the parley started to break down.  There was some debate as to who said what first but Brisco decided to cast his Light spell before anything went down.

However, in Pathfinder there’s really no such thing as a surprise round.  We transitioned to combat mode and rolled initiative.  Brisco rolled uncharacteristically low so that Light spell didn’t go until late in the round.  Combat started.  We generally rolled low.  Xeelie, in particular.  When Brisco did cast his Light, these Morlock were all blinded.  That helped slow them down but they got a little better each round.  There was the casting King, two engineers with bows and axes and two guards.  Brisco got targeted a lot on that first round since he was the one making threatening motions and was quickly in bad shape.  TerStegan took most of the King’s spells, giving him sustained problems like persistent bleeding.  The quarters were tight but we got flanking where we could.  Speaking of which, we had all kinds of troubles with Foundry.  Things that had been working, like flanking, weren’t working anymore.  It certainly slowed us down trying to figure out what was working, what wasn’t and why they weren’t.  Oakwood did Battle Medicine on Brisco who eventually transformed into a combat Cat form since he was stuck in melee.  TerStegan was also healed by Xeeile’s witch focus spell.  It was dicey but no one went down.  And no other Morlocks came to help.  We then healed up.  Between focus spells and Treat Wounds, we managed to get everyone healed up and recharged in 30 minutes which was much better than the old 2 hours.  We decided to open the door to the right and found an old well room.  Nothing remarkable but we did find gear for 3 human sized adventures(?).  Did they surrender? It didn’t match the gear of the guys we were seeking.  We grabbed what we could.  We stopped before the next door and ended the night.