Following is another report from the trident-wielding warrior, Novak. Details, such as names or the distinction between elf and half-elf are largely lost on the barely-literate Novak. More learned comrades of his might relate a more coherent narrative. The following account was the best history preserves.
Having just killed the Norker king, they followed stairs down to find a Norker torturing an elf, her heart ripped out. Although he’d said he wouldn’t kill more norkers, Novak skewered this one for his wicked deeds.
Adjacent to the chamber were two cells, one empty and one holding a halfling girl. She claimed to a be an adventurer of some sort, probably a thief, but she had some weapons and armor so her story checked out. Under a loose stone in this room, Novak found some coins and stuffed them in his pouch.
They explored further in this lower area. A cave with water running through it featured a life-like statue. Fearing a cockatrice, they left that area alone and moved on to a burial chamber. Naturally, Novak produced his crowbar and began opening each sarcophagus. And just as naturally, a ghoul lept out of one and bit Novak.
Some time later, Novak regained his senses and they made ready to open more boxes. Before they could, an assassin killed the torch-bearer with a poison dagger. Chaos ensued, with various people dashing through the darkness. The cleric was hit with poison and his life slowly ebbed away.
Novak pushed through the darkness, emerging in the torture chamber and then rushed up the stairs to notice curtains fluttering. The assassin had just passed by. Novak ran to the far side of the doom and pressed his back to the closed door. The assassin was trapped somewhere in the room, hidden by magical invisibility.
Novak produced flasks of oil and began tossing them into the room. With fire raging throughout, the villain could only retreat where he faced the elf mage and the halfling girl. She doused him with oil and lit him on fire. Someone remarked later that it was probably his cloak that gave him invisibilty and it was burned up, but Novak had no concern for weird magical cloaks or cowardly invisibility spells.
When he returned to the lower area, Novak saw that the cleric had somehow survived the poison dagger. The cleric had desperately healed himself time after time and the poison eventually stopped hurting him. The ranger wanted to talk about mudmen, but it was of no interest to Novak.
Back to opening coffins, they found a ring. In a nearby room they found many books and a few scrolls, which the elf took. There also were two maps.
Loot gathered, they returned to the town, the name of which Novak could not remember. One of the books was about the assassins guild in Slateholm. The other books seemed like boring histories interesting to historians only. They sold them right away for a great sum. The maps were taken as clues about towns that might be attacked in the future, so they agreed to go make warning.