Still poking about in the Moathouse!

So, after the party'd nighttime ambush of the Gnolls, they retrace the Gnoll's steps down the main staircase and start to explore what looks to be a prison of some sorts. They quickly examine one or two of the rooms before arriving at what looks to be a disused armoury. A hint of movement puts the party on alert, and with weapons drawn and spells at the ready they challenge the hidden figure to show themselves... To then be faced with Spugnoir, a wizard and owner of Potions and Elixirs in Hommlet.

The wizard Spugnoir, potion maker and explorer.

Spugnoir had been exploring the Moathouse when he came upon Utrashimmon. After a short battle he was forced to retreat to the dungeon and seek refuge from the inhabitants he found there. Maudriel questioned this story with some disbelief, but Kielle quickly decided he was trustworthy and spent some of her magic patching up the injured wizard and earning a fast friend (as well as a 30% on potions in the shop). Spugnoir offered to show the party a secret exit from the dungeon before he left and so led the party deeper into the complex. The party passed through the dig recovery chamber (the sight of their battle the previous day, at the bottom of the hidden staircase) and on into what looked to be living chambers for a small company of gnolls and others. Adventus pointed out that it would be rude to leave with out at least having a little rifle through the belongings of their enemies, and so the party set about finding what they could. In one ares of the living quarters they chanced upon a chest, and Adventus, being the expert in these things, offered to open it. Every one gathered round whilst the human worked his skills on the lock. After a minute or so of work the gentle snick of a opening lock was heard, and Adventus, flushed with his success opened the chest... to be caught full in the face by a Glyph of Warding, spraying him in acid and making him recoil in agony.

They should have known!

(At this point it must be noted, I did warn the players that this is a Monte Cook adventure, so told them to expect traps. This wasn't just me being a d**k of a DM!).
Once Adventus had recovered from the shock of the acid in the face, the party discovered that the chest contained some useful items, but more importantly, the journal of a priest called Hedrack.In this he ranted about many things but revealed that these priests were excavating at the Moathouse to recover artifacts important to their god. He also revealed that a cell of cultists was present in Hommlet, hiding in the cellar of the mill.

The route out of the living area led to the south and it was here that Spugnoir pointed out the secret entrance to the dungeons, off in a side passage. With this done he departed to get back to Hommlet, whilst the intrepid adventurers headed off  toward the sounds of voices coming from a chamber nearby. On the way they were surprised by a pair of Gnoll guards who were quickly dispatched but proved to be little more than speed bumps to alert their nearby masters, the priests Geynor Ton and Ysslansh (a Troglodyte). A furious fight erupted around a circular pit in the southern-most chamber, with spells being flung and blows traded. However, for the two priests it was an uneven fight. They were worn down and defeated, but not before one of the was beaten backward into the pit, dropping off into the darkness.

With the immediate danger gone, the party took stock of where they were: the chamber was cold and had the loud sound of running water. Indeed, an underground stream seemed to flow out of the rock a meter or so down from the lip of the shaft and fell down into the darkness. In an effort to see down into the shaft, the armour on the body of the remaining priest was enchanted with a Light spell and pushed off into the dark, revealing a drop of more than 60 ft. Above the shaft was a rickety looking contraption that would lower them down with a pulley system. Being the brave sort, the party mounted this lift and slowly lowered themselves down into the gloom, getting ever colder as they went. Only one of them, Maudriel, had dressed in thick clothing and consequently the unnatural chill was having a nasty effect on the other three.

The shaft opened out into a huge underground cavern, extending off into the dark in all directions as they went down. The floor of the cavern they had seen from above proved to be a strange surface of a black, marble-like rock with odd violet veins in it. It also proved to be around 60ft in diameter, convex in shape, and not the true floor at all, but a platform of sorts. On the far side of it, another lift platform awaited.

The cavern beneath the Moathouse dungeon, viewed from the side.

The party set off across the surface of this platform only to reveal two things: firstly, the violet veins started to writhe and move toward them when they stepped onto the marble. Secondly, they were not alone in this cavern! A strange, floating creature with tentacles and a beak chose that moment to strike.

A grell, an aberration and a down-right bizarre one at that.

This bizarre and unexpected creature made a bee-line for Bronath, striking him and paralysing him with its tentacles. The rest of the party launched into an attack (from back on the lift platform) and managed to free Bronath from its grip. However the party were low on spells after their fight with the priests and were sorely pressed holding off the creature whilst winching themselves out of the cavern. The grell, seemingly unwilling to let it's prey escape pressed its attack, making the party fight with what they had left. Luckily Adventus had an unerring aim with his thrown knives and managed to finish the foul creature off, allowing the party to escape with their lives. With the majority of the party tired, low on spells and lacking supplies, it was decided that they would head back to Hommlet to recuperate before returning to find out what lay at the bottom of the cavern and investigate what the priests were looking for. Plus, this gave them chance to go and visit the mill!