Sessions Eleven and Twelve, Darwain's Perspective

After finishing up with the swamp ghouls, Darwain, with his henchpersons Wylith and Duggan, and the rest of the Cobalt Cavers, returned to Threshhold. They spent about a week selling some of the treasure found in the swamp ghouls' dungeon and identifying the scrolls found therein.

During this week, they spent some time following up on rumors. Artemis from the Mad Dogs dispatched a note to the party asking for help. They found her convalescing after a nearly mortal wound. She was worried about her ally Zanzibar, who had checked in with the Sisters of Fire and Water and had not made contact since.

The party decided to follow up with rumors about the Sisters of Fire and Water. They found a number of adventurers who had sent friends there for help, but none who had seen any return. With this in mind, they decided on a course of action sending Vincent in to get his hideously scarred face repaired. The sisters were oddly insistent that no visitors were allowed in, and would give no indication of when to expect him back. Once inside, he was able to open a window and allow the rest of the party inside. After nightfall, Wylith cast silent step on Darwain and Vincent, and they skulked around outside his patient room, trying to discover what secrets the strange citadel might hold.

They explored multiple patient rooms and closets on the ground floor, but saw no sign of anything sinister, but also no sign of Zanzibar. One room had a staircase leaning down into the darkness. Not wanting to give away his position, Darwain very slowly crept down the spiral staircase in the dark. When he was confident he had reached a solid floor, he decided to strike his flint and steel. In the brief flash of light, he saw a huge manticore staring back at him! Wasting no time, he was up the stairs with the door closed behind him and back in Vincent's room. The party decided they had gathered the evidence they needed to get past the obstinate door guard.

They split up for the night, with Vincent doing who-knows-what. The next morning, they returned to the Sisters' hospital in town, and tried to explain to the doorwoman that they needed to enter because there was a manticore inside. She continued to refuse until Vincent very creepily produced a poison needle and threatened to murder her unless she led the way. They followed her down the same stairs as the night before and were not at all surprised to find a manticore waiting for them. They made relatively short work of it using spells and swords, and tried to subdue the woman as she tried to flee from the party. However, she was able to escape Darwain's grab and outpace the whole party off to the west. The group decided to take the manticore's head and tail for spoils, then began exploring the many exits from the manticore room.

They headed south, where they found a confused spirit who was unable to explain how it had arrived here after asking the Sisters of Fire and Water for help. They promised to avenge it, and went off to the northwest.they found a room full of somewhat baffled or subdued patients playing cards who were of no use. A gurney rushed by on the linoleum floor, surrounded by doctors, too fast to be pursued. Things were getting strange. Through a door, they found a bloody barber's chair, and two lanky grey humanoids lapping up the blood. Wasting no time, the group dispatched them as well. They followed a ramp down and around to a room with more patients engaging in baffling behavior, who refused to follow the group to safety, instead trusting that one of them, Chief, could throw a fountain through a wall to get them to safety.

They found themselves back where they started, and the next exit found them facing a bizarre magic circle encircling 8 coffin-sized crates. Not able to disable it, and a bit creeped out anyway, they left that room. They found Zanzibar, and bid him to follow them, which he agreed to do. They then found a closet full of strange materials, but decided to loot some anyway, with Vincent taking a lot of bottles labeled codeine, and Darwain and Wylith taking clean gauze, ether, and alcohol.