Excerpts from the journal of D'arkkyn Karasknodel

The Undermountain Bazaar:

      After our long climb up the cavernous shaft we reached a small cavern that seemed to be covered in some kind of yellow dust.  Lauren and Harrow advised against entering the cavern without first disturbing the mold that would explode in a great cloud of spores.  We covered our noses and mouths with wet cloths and then threw a heavy rock into the cavern opening.  The cloud of yellow spores that resulted from this covered everything within the cavern.  After waiting for the yellow dust to settle we were able to enter the cave.  Inside we found a dead body that had been left here for a very long time.  Its equipment was rusted and decayed except for his chain shirt armor, which glowed with a light metallic sheen.  I recognized the metal as mithral and explained it as so to my companions.  The suit of armor was much bigger than any of our small companions so I retrieved it and packed it for future use.

      Outside of the entrance cave we found a most bizarre bazaar.  Inside a large cavern there were tents set up as merchant stalls.  Gnomes, goblins and even some dark elves tended their tents and sold all manner of wares.  I was shocked to find dark elves and kept my distance from them.  The last thing we needed now was racial grievances to surface in a place where we were easily outnumbered four to one.  In the center of this underground plaza there was a large iron cage that was occupied by a very large snake with its head covered with a sack.  This bothered me substantially since I dislike snakes so much after that incident in the crypt of Kythkarian.  I tried my best to keep my distance from the drow as well as the snake.  The rest of my companions seemed to feel right at home.  They went about their business buying scrolls and potions that they thought would be needed in our upcoming travels.

      A pair of orcs was set up as guards in a tunnel entrance leading out of this bazaar.  Earlier, Lauren had seen a young elven woman been dragged by several orcs in this direction.  I decided to investigate.  I started a conversation, as much as that is possible with an orc, trying to find out more information.   I made it seem like I was interested in purchasing some elven women due to my long period of travel through the Underdark.  The orcs were rude, as is to be expected of such creatures, but interested in making some lucrative trade.  They took my companions and I to see someone named Nogook.  Approximately 15 orc warriors surrounded us as we entered the cave where the young elven woman was being kept captive.  She must have been no older than 50 years and her clothes were in tatters.  Nogook approached from a tunnel to our left.  He was a large orc that had been hideously altered with another indescribable race.  He must have been over six elbowspans tall and in his left hand he wielded a very large and heavy mace.   I tried to find out if there were other elves in the area by appealing to the creature’s greed.  After all I’d never seen one of these creatures and was intrigued to see how smart it was.  Nogook lost his patience with my haggling and suddenly everything turned dark.  We had been enveloped in a cloud of darkness so thick that I could not see my fingers in front of my face.  I moved towards the last position I had spotted Nogook and drew my shortswords as I charged into combat.  To my surprise the elven woman was working in concert with the foul orcs and this had been some sort of elaborate trap.  To make matters worse she was also a witch and was using her powers to attack my companions.  I had to concentrate on Nogook before he cleaved my head.   A burst of heat assaulted me from the right and I could see several orcs running around on fire.  Nogook was also affected by this ball of fire and I was thankful that I had barely been outside of the range of this powerful magic hurled by Moiyar.

      Nogook was weak and seemed badly hurt, unfortunately he had struck me on the side of my body with crushing force.  I needed to drink a potion of magical.  Quickly, I stepped back and drank the potion just as I heard the agonizing screams of Moiyar.  She slumped to the floor covered in ice and frost.  Then suddenly Nogook and the elven woman disappeared in a cloud of frost.  The rest of the orcs started running down one of the side tunnels trying to retreat from the fury of my companions who had dealt them a deadly blow.  Many orcs were strewn about the cavern as Lauren, Harrow and Kunk dispatched the last few orcs as they tried to retreat.  I stepped into the tunnel the orcs had fled through and fired my bow at them.  A streaking bolt of ice burst into the back of one of them and he fell to the floor encased in a cocoon of ice.  I did not follow any longer.  They could have easily regrouped and ambushed us again.

      When I returned to the cavern Harrow was casting libations over the dead body of Moiyar.  I felt responsible for her death.  I had led my companions here and the orcs had tricked me.  I would make them pay.  I will hunt them down and bring this elven traitor some retribution.

      As we gathered our senses in the cave, one of the drow merchants approached Lauren.  He was willing to part with a scroll that outlined magical means to bring Moiyar’s spirit back from beyond, for a price of course.  Lauren negotiated fiercely with him.  In the end I’m not sure that this is such a good idea.  When the spirit leaves the body it is better to let it rest.   Besides no good can ever come from the use of drow magic.

      Tomorrow we travel again in these caves. Tomorrow we will hunt for those orcs.