Refreshed after our drinking bout, and keen to not descend further into the depths, we returned to the room with the wall of red light, but were unable to throw any more light on the problem.  Since we had explored as much of this wing as we could (aside from the cell full of cobwebs), we returned to the central hall and tried the other wing.

The corridor there soon ended in a T junction with a door opposite.  We checked the door and found an imposing corridor beyond, lined with two alcoves on each side.  Each alcove contained a unique platinum statue of a running adventurer with an expression of delight on his or her face.  We found these rather unnerving and it took a while go past them.  At the far end was another door, beyond which a low moaning sound could be heard.

We opened the door and saw a circular room with a high ceiling.  In the centre was a large well, and at the other three cardinal points were stone statues with their mouths open.  Between one pair was written ‘PAH’ and between the other pair was written ‘NWAD’.  We debated these words, and as we repeatedly said ‘PAH’ a blue disc appeared rising up the well.  When we said ‘NWAD’ it disappeared again down the well.  It appeared to be some sort of magical elevator, but once again we had no wish to descend.  It also seemed to descend rather quickly – maybe it is designed for ascending rather than descending.  The moaning appeared to come from the air blowing across the open mouths of the statues.

The corridor on the right of the T-junction bent round to some blocked descending stairs.  Just before them was a door to a recently used kitchen, showing that this wing was actively occupied.

The other branch of the corridor turned, and then branched again.  The new branch had 4 doors on it.  The first led to a room lined with shelves and jars, and with a horrible smell that made us gag.  We could also see little red eyes looking at us from the corner, so we beat a hasty retreat.  The room next to it was also shelved, but empty and bare.  Both doors on the other side of the corridor opened into the same empty room.  The corner of the room had been blasted out though, and we could climb down through the rubble to a stairway.  We ascended the stairs, which ended in a door.  Listening we heard some gutteral arguments, so we burst in.  Five orcs were on the far side, having an argument and we quickly closed to battle.  The battle was short and one sided, although Pavel was seriously wounded and needed to be healed by Zoe’s staff.  We looted the bodies, finding some coins, and also an open stone chest in the corner of the room, which contained more coins, a magical bow (nabbed by Tanara) and three bottle of a different wine – Red Dragon Crush.  Bryan rapidly took a large swig and collapsed again, so we continued exploring.  The door from the room proved to open onto the end of the other branch of the corridor, so it seemed that we had completed this branch of the level as well.

Bryan finally awoke, and said he had had another dream.  This time he had been facing a stone obelisk, which had been asking him a question.  In the dream he knew the answer to the question, but now he was awake he couldn’t remember the question or the answer.

We returned to the central hall and with trepidation opened the doors on the far side.  The mage we had rescued had told us that he had been captured by the witches beyond this door.  Beyond was a huge corridor, lined with alcoves, but empty of statues in this case.  We sent Bryan forward to scout.  The far end of the corridor was blocked by a heavy velvet curtain, but he peeked behind it.  Beyond was a dias, surmounted by a brazier from which came a blue light.  Around it were 3 coffins.  On the far side was a throne.  We beat a hasty retreat, assuming that the coffins belonged to the witches.  We were loath to tamper with the blue lit brazier for fear that it might be part of a spell restraining the witches, but were confident that we had found the throne mentioned in the wizard’s scroll.

Returning to the right side of the level, we resolved to descend the stairs that we had found in the blasted chamber.  They ended in a 30 foot by 30 foot chamber with a 10 foot stone cube in the centre.  As we entered, we were surprised by a gelatinous cube, but were able to fight it off and kill it.  In a niche to the left, we found a ladder ascending.  Oin found a secret door in the central cube, and Bryan found one at the top of the ladder.  Opening Oin’s one, we saw a small room in the cube with a chest on the far side.  Pavel stepped forward to prod the chest with his sword and was almost decapitated by a blade swinging out of the roof.  He survived though and was able to lasso the chest and drag it out without being hit again.  We prised open the chest and found some coins and bottles of a third kind of wine – Champagne de le Stomp.

Bryan, of course, pops the cork and takes a swig. He falls asleep to the sound of Oin muttering ‘du Stomp’, shrugging his shoulders a lot and saying ‘Haw Hee Haw Hee Haw’. On awakening he reports that the champagne was delicious and he dreamt of a large black gem hanging on the end of a chain (not Rahasia’s pendant), a sense of dizziness and an empty room with a silver arch…