Gnolls, Gnomes, and Gnowledge

Deeper into the House of the Beast, the party returns to the lower dome section.  Two Carrion Guards meet untimely ends and the party get the drop on them quickly.  Exploring west, Kushii assassinates another Carrion Guard at his post.  The party rummages through several rooms, eventually surprising a few gnolls in their bunks.  Using a handy wand, Lars excavates a filled passageway to reveal a blocked room.  This room appears to be the study of the impostor priest of which the Troglodytes warned.

There is a book of The Birth of Light and Truth, annotated in such a way to suggest that the impostor has also impersonated a priest of Sarenrae.  There are even garments to confirm this idea.  A notebook is full of prayers transcribed from another source.  The focus of the analysis appears to be a search for a place called "The Pit of Screaming Ghosts" located under the House of the Beast.  The last page mentions a great, priceless treasure called "The Scroll of Kakishon" that was buried with a gnoll named Shirak a long time ago.

Finally, heading down deeper the party descends into the Hall of Whispers.  There are six gnoll guards, 2 Carrion Guards, and 2 Initiates on watch.  The party sneaks down and opens combat with a vicious assault.  The regular gnoll guards offer little resistance, as the party moves off the stairway.  The Carrion Guards are brought down before they can bring their enchanted bows to much effect.  And the Initiates fight violently to the end.

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Session Characters:  Kushii, Lars, Luce, Billy, Karabella, Karabunga, Itarildë Lúinwë
Session XP: 1,833.3 XP each
Session Loot: masterwork abacus (350 GP), box of 150 GP, seven tiny garnets (35 GP each), block of incense of meditation, ring of minor fire resistance, air elemental gem, 2 wands of cure light wounds (10 charges each), 2 splint mail, 2 masterwork greataxes, 2 masterwork scimitars, 2 masterwork composite longbows (+4), 2 +1 studded leather armor, 2 sting chuck, 54 arrows-poisoned with large scorpion venom, 2 potion of cure light wounds, 75 GP.