Tsaran and Brother Armando moved to the shelter of the pillars. I tried to find rope for Alain, then I noticed that Thelsin was muttering in Dwarven! Apparently, he was either possesed, or took a blow to the head.

Alain was another story. We had rigged a hoist of ropes to assist the wounded Paladin in climbing up the wall, but he lost his balance. The weight of his armor caused the knot to give way, and he fell.

He could not be saved. I summoned Nightwing, who searched the rushing water far below, but neither hide nor hair was seen of the Paladin. Only a miracle could have kept him from death this time. I held his shield, which I gave to Brother Armando to guard until it could be sent to Westmarch.

From the doors on the east side of the room where we stood, there burst out two giant grey wolves. I heard the name "Vak" shouted as they attacked the party. We slew them, and were beset upon by more orcs and a big ogre. This, we presumed, was Olve, the ringleader.

Tsaran struck two masterful blows upon our foe, but with the Black Sword Thelsin ended the ogre's life. As we fought through the door into the room beyond, we found Hornwood fighting as well, apparently as a recently escaped captive.

There were cells in the corners of the room, as well as passages leading deeper into the stronghold. Someone found a man and woman in a cell, Garadill and Karana. They were farmers or traders of some kind, and wished to be lead back to the city.

As we searched around the main chamber, Hornwood related a tale of Glitterheim, ancestral home of Durgiden the Black. Was it possible that ancient, abandoned hold of Dwarven legend could be the very place we found ourselves? It was said the signature blade of Durgiden was never found.

Little more we could do here, and with the loss of Alain, the wounded party and escaped captives took our leave. We carried what supplies we could and headed back towards the camp we had made with "Cutter's Folly" the night before.

Returning to the cave after a night's rest, Thelisn, Tsaran and Hornwood found the front doors open and all the bodies right where they'd been left at. Exploring the quarters of the monsters we found close to 3 or 4 thousand pieces of silver and gold, most of which we left behind to pick up on the way out, Hornwood carefully noting the locations on the maps. During this we discovered a statue which was plainly trapped by a gas trap. The statue was of a dwarf, possibly the creator of this place but it bore no designation.

After following one particularly twisting passage, we came upon an orc priestess and her two acolytes. Thelisn rushed the priestess and quickly finished her off while Hornwood and Tsaran took out the two acolytes. Just as Thelisn was delivering the killing blow, she was pulling from her robes a skull which had been stoppered up. As the skull struck the ground it exploded all over the room with alchemist's fire, burning up everything. The three party members managed to save themselves and brother Armando--who was along for the ride--and moved on to the next chamber where there were stairs heading downwards and a door to the north.

Thelisn checked the door for traps--but apparently failed his check as he was opening the door, several tubes opened above and poured Alchemists fire all over him, sending him to his deathbed. Hornwood was also somewhat burned by the fire. Tsaran, seeing the rogue burning alive, threw himself into the fire and knocked Thelisn free. He then used a healing potion discovered by the party with the gold to bring Thelisn back to semi conciousness.

Meanwhile, far below, unbeknownst to the party, but knownst to us, Alain was wandering the deep dark passages, getting his ass kicked by a roper and now finds himself trapped in a prison cell block with the only means of escape being to go past the roper again.
Ahh, even if we knew he had survived the fall, we don't need to go looking for him, he's about to become roper dinner. Either way, the party still assumes he's dead right now. He has only himself to rely upon at the moment.

From Sigurd's Journal:

I found the party gravely wounded and burnt save for Alain, who had perished earlier by falling into a chasm. I had come from Karana and Garadill's farm with horses. I had them corraled outside the cavern. Nightwing had guided me, and lucky we were too, for I bore healing potions.

As Tsaran attempted to help me raise the portcullis which separated me from the room beyond, 4 flying bird / bat / bug things attacked. They had bodies of bird covered in feathers, but bore 4 bat wings, shaped much like a dragonfly, and had long probosis like snouts rather than mouths. Once attacked we learned these were for sucking the blood out of prey.

We fought them off, and I proceeded to tend to the company's wounds. Thelsin set off looking for traps and opening doors as soon as he gained consciousnes. The Elf nearly fried himself by a door that spat alchemist's fire. I used Mage Hand to "milk" the trap from a distance. We opened the door to find nothing save the spent apparatus which operated the trap.

Searching around the passages we had left behind, we headed down a natural crevice. More of the strange creatures, I believe someone said "Stirges," attacked. We sought them off and followed the way they had come to find an underground river. This we crossed.

Those that were picking up coins and other petty loot stumbled across a wand encrusted in the muck. I used my Spellcraft to Detect Magic upon the device, and reasoned it was fashioned for evocation. Wand of Magic Missles, perhaps? I would have to test it when I got the chance.

We headed on, to a cavern. Carved into the walls were sepulchre of ancient Dwarves. Twenty three in all, they numbered. Only 3 of the tombs held anything; the rest were left vacant. One of the empty ones had runes for Durigan carved above it. Passages lead off in all directions from here, and we turned South.

This lead us to a stream which revealed the corpse of some giant tentacled beast and a wounded Alain! He had survived the fall somehow, water perhaps, which dropped into shallows before he could drown. In the dark, he fought off the beast. Even with light and a fully healed party I would be wary of such a creature, and he had slew it alone.

Will of Heironous, he said. His god had saved him. Perhaps. Who could say given what had just happened?

He had recovered a ring from the gullet of the dead thing. It was engraved with Draconic runes. This Ring of Wizardy translated something about power, drawing from some source. I bet it would double my strength of casting. But I promised to use in Justly and Wisely, as it had been given as gift from Alain, and he from Heironous.

Ser Alain of Westmarch
Journal Entry the seventh:

It is finished.

The power of Heironious sustained me through the fall, the plunge into the depths, and his hand has guided me out of the darkness. All became clear that I had been spared for a reason. And so it was. The creature, which for untold years has preyed victim to any who would enter its demesne, whose foul stench of evil emnates from the very walls of the cavern still, is no more.

Through the grace of Him Who Shall Avenge, my companions have been restored to me as well. I believe the acts of Heironious through his faithful knight have become a compelling testimony. If He wills, my continued service may lead them closer to His side.

I go for now; we seek to pass beyond massive doors, into danger once more. I close, most aptly, with the benediction of faithfulness:

"For I know in whom I have placed my faith, and am convinced beyond the reach of doubts and fears that He is able to those things which I have delivered unto Him safe against the day He shall call me to rest at His side."

From the Journals of Sigurd the Sorceror:

Much has happened since I last had an opportunity to set ink to paper. We still have not discovered whatever artifact of Durgiden the Black Hornwood and Thelsin were bent on finding.

In the large cavern, we had searched through the fungus and found a bunch of lizard men. The party fought them off, and I used the wand against them. It proved to be a wand of light.

We thought we had scared them off, then discovered the huge, dragonlike lizard creature! Then they fell upon us in waves. These lizardmen were foul odored, and being cavern rather than swamp dwellers, I assumed this was a troglodyte tribe.

The first attack was brutal, and the dwarf was impaled upon a long spear. Alain learned of their strength as he was thrown across the cavern. The Shaman that lead the tribe challenged me in Draconic; I, being a master of that tongue, cast the Dragon's charm upon him and bent him to my will.

But small are the brains of reptiles. Befriend him I did, such that Kargkas, the Lizard King, challenged me to the honor of single combat. It was impolite to decline, though it was moot. Whilst I pummeled the troglodyte with Magic Missiles, Thelsin ran him through with Darkfire. But by this point, the rest of them had fought to the death, and we stood silent over a great slaughter.

We searched the area and healed our wounds. Hornwood, the paladin, and I found a concealed iron door with Durigan's smith mark upon it. Tsaran,wounded get persistent, had found the metal chests that held the lizardmen's treasure.

The dwarf and the soldier scouted as the rest of us made camp, again. We were like walking wounded, a sick camp on the move. As we settled, a scream rang out from a ledge up the cavern. Hornwood had been checking out the tunnel when he was snared by tentacles and near devoured. We fought off the beast.

A least until Tsaran's watch, when not one, but two attacked the sleeping party. Alain slew one, and I brought down another with my Missiles. These creatures were similar to the Roper that the Paladin had fought, but were smaller in size.

A few hours later, we went through the iron door. Beyond, to the Northeast we found dwarven statues with weapons trapping a set of doors. We decided not to press our luck, found a secret door, and passed through that to a large hall.

This was not unoccupied. Dwarven voices called out and moaned, trying to convince us they were some kind of ghost or undead. But this was obviously a bluff, for we saw their cook fire and sleeping pallets. We were ambushed none the less.

We did battle with those dark, twisted dwarves, or Duegar, as the deep dwellers call themselves. We slew until there were no more, though some no doubt ran off or hide when we proved we could hold our own.

From the Second Fall of Khundrakar, as related by Armanda Desatysso

Following a path into the woods along the river, the party soon discovered the entrance to the orc fortress, the ancient, and long-abandoned dwarven stronghold of Kundrakkar. Fighting through the guards and archers posted at the gate, the party won the entrance, but then found themselves faced with the way into the fortress barred by a deep chasm, crossed only by a single rope bridge, and held by orcs on the far side. The battle continued, with several members of the party reaching the far side, only to be cut down once there. The paladin, Alain, fighting to bring aid to his fallen companions, fell into the depths of the chasm. At the battle's end, the party held the entrance and the first hall of the fortress, having rescued a farmer and his wife held as prisoners, but they were sorely wounded and grieved by the apparent loss of Sir Alain. Taking time to rest and recover, the party waited while Sigurd escorted the farmers back to their home.

Unknown to the others, Sir Alain yet lived. Whether by blind fate or the hand of Heironeous, the paladin had survived the fall into the black pit, and washed up on the shore of an underground river. Warming from the chill of the dark water, Alain began to explore the depths of the stronghold, trying to find his way back to the upper levels to rejoin his companions. If his survival was owed to Heironeous, the reason became clear soon as he found himself faced with a horror of one eye and many grasping tentacles that had laired in the darkness. Overcoming this monster through both wisdom and strength, the paladin offered thanks, and resumed his search for way back to the others.

While Sir Alain struggled against the thing in the darkness below, the other members of the party continued into the farther reaches of the fortress., discovering many wonders, including the tomb of the dwarven hero Durgadin, at the edge of the Glitterheim, a singular wonder, a cavern of glittering jewels and a many-colored forest of giant fungi.

After many trials, passing through fire and battle, the party was again reunited, just before discovering that the duergar, ancient cousins and mortal enemies of the dwarven race, had also laid claim to much of the long-empty hold. After a pitched battle with these bloodthirsting and viscous dwarves, the party claimed a prize, a longsword of fine make and unknown magics, just come from the forge.

Deeper into Kundrakkar, the party found a deep black lake in the very bowels of the place. The lake was the lair of creature of nightmare, a black-scaled, black-winged dragon with hissing and steaming breath of venomous acid. Tsaran was first to feel the venom, the beast breathed out a torrent of acid directly upon him as he charged forward to battle. Though seared and in pain, the soldier still stood to face the creature.

Using the lake to hide and attack unlooked-for, bursting from the black lake to sear the party with acid or rend them with fang and claw, the dragon was a mighty adversary, even after all that the party faced before then. One stroke at a time, by sword and by axe, one spell and then another, then dragon finally fell before the party, but after the creature's bulk crashed to the floor of the cavern, the adventurers found that Sigurd lay as if near death, Brother Armondo near death having claimed the noble scholar in the mage's place.

Claiming the trophy of the dragon's horns, Tsaran tempered the new-forged sword in the acid blood of the beast. At the same time, the other party members claimed the dragon's hoard, wherein they found another weapon much like the elf's black sword, but this an axe of the same dark metal.