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The party is searching for Opal, who was arrested.  

Recently, the court system in Neverwinter has changed.  Now, it's "if you've done the crime, you do the time" and there is no court system to speak of.  The holes is generally where people who are to be executed are sent.  

The party decides to gather information.  [[player:Thorfin]] finds out that there is no organized criminal element in Neverwinter.  Boom B-0X finds out that Dagult Thornpipe was a halfling warehouse worker.  He got into a rather heated argument with the orc in question, which led to the orc stabbing him in the chest and making his escape.  Not much is known about the orc as he was not a local to the immediate area.  [[player:Wraq] finds out that currently, the guard force is not hiring but that around the Holes (under Castle Neverwinter) is currently under construction and they have a bunch of hirelings (bricklayers, stonemasons, etc.) throughout the castle rebuilding.  Near the Holes there are at least 7 guards and probably a few more in the prison itself.  [[player:Claire]] finds out about a secret passageway that might lead into Castle Neverwinter, with an entrance that may be somewhere along the bay (or so the rumors from years ago tell).  Alistair's character finds out that there are not other entrances to the holes as the volcano eruption caused havoc years ago.  Some people are talking about rumors that there will be a lot of people at the execution in two days, with more guards called in than normal.  So rescuing [[npc:Opal]] on the day of execution is probably not going to happen.  [[player:Thorfinn]] doesn't find out much about the orc murderer, but an orc matching his description has made inquiries about being smuggled out of town but has been turned down at every point.  The city has been mostly crime-free for a good portion of recent times.


The party decides to split in two: investigate legal ways to exculpate Opal, and find the secret tunnels.  Thorfinn and Wraq enter the prison and attempt to reach Opal, but it does not going well.  Thorfinn attempts to bribe the guard, and he and Wraq are summarily arrested for attempting to bribe a duly-appointed guard of Waterdee--- err, Neverwinter.  The guards surround Thorfinn, and shackle him, taking the time to remove his lock picks and thieves tools.  He and Wraq are brought through a circuitous route through the Holes, which seem to be a volcanic honeycomb of cells.  They are brought to a platform made of dark metal, with a button that raises the platform up to an empty cell.  The pair are unlocked and pushed into the cell.  Thorfinn attempts to pick the lock, but is clubbed and probably has his hand broken.

The non-arrested party goes to the port, and sees a field of geysers.  The rocky beach presses upwards to meet the Neverwinter River, which seems to careen off about 40 feet into a waterfall in the sea.  Investigating the geysers, Claire sees a ladder embedded in a geyser that doesn't seem to erupt as often.  30 minutes later, the geysers erupt, including the ladder-hewn geyser.  Climbing down the ladder, there is an illusory wall that leads to a cave.  The cave quickly changes into smooth, worked stone.  The tunnel ends in a wall of vines and thorns; on the wall is a symbol of a pair of clasped hands with a ribbon wrapped around the hands - the symbol of Illmater the goddess of mercy, martyrs, and healing.  Etched into the wall is something written in Celestial.  Casting rituals of Detect Magic and Comprehend Languages, there is some sort of divine magic throughout the tunnel, and the script says "By the marty's tears, thy wounds shall be healed."  

Nalla walks through the wall of thorns, and is hurt progressively more and more.  With one health left, he falls out through the briar bush and sees a statue appearing out of a fountain that has water coming out of the eyes.  Boom B-0x follows, then the other two.  The player characters are all reduced low in health, but make it through and are healed by the fountain.

The cave opens up and continues on.  The walls and floor disappear ahead and the party sees another tunnel on the other side of the void.  On this end there is an indention in the wall.  There is a mass of spikes on the floor.   There is a hole the size of an arm with a lever inside, with a similar hole on the other side.  Turning the lever, Boom B-0x's arm is entrapped in spikes and his maximum HP is reduced.  An invisible pillar in the same style of the spikes raises up to allow passage across.  The three cross the chasm, and Nalla likewise uses the lever.  Boom B-0x is released and crosses. Nalla proceeds similarly, but the HP drain remains.

Ahead, the stone shifts slightly ahead and there is a T junction.  The stone goes from a very smooth white stone to the sort of stone you would build a castle with.  In an instant, as Claire crosses the stones, Claire and Ari are blinded and Boom B-0x and Nalla are muted. There is a maze that Nalla and Boom B-0x somehow finally escape the maze.  Nalla asks if anyone has chalk.  

The exit ends in a stone wall with another symbol of Illmater.  Boom B-0x cuts his hand and draws a symbol on the wall with his blood, only for the hand to a button that opens the room.  This leads into a prison cell that goes up.

Meanwhile, the wall of the cell goes translucent, and Thorfinn and Wraq see their party members in the party block (but not in the cell).  Claire opens their cell, then goes across to open Opal's cell.  Another prisoner, [[npc:Bluto]], begs to be let out.  He says that he was imprisoned for smuggling cabbage, so the party lets him out (after Nalla fails to break the lock, Claire fails twice to pick it, then Boom B-0x finally succeeds.  At about that moment, Thorfinn rounds the corner with the taken gear.  The party beats feet and escapes.  As soon as he can, Bluto also flees.  

Nalla says "that's a mighty big henhouse" and she responds "only to a small fox."  Boom B-0x glares, but Opal says that she was only told that a party was going to be sent to retrieve the item.  She says she hid it in a book in the temple, The Lay Person's Guide to Common Knowledge.  Thorfinn is displeased.  

Thorfinn takes Boom B-0x's disguise kit to make a fine mustache, and the along with Wraq the three of them head to the temple.  They arrive to the Temple of Oghma to the sound of screams and people running out of the temple.  In the area below where people are running out is a acleric with a shield at the ready.  The book is gone, and two statues have come to life.  The librarian was clearly messing with a book they shouldn't have, like a manual of golem creation.  

The three begin combat with the statues, then the rest of the party joins.  After the party kills the statues, Nalla helps the librarian up, and the party takes the book without asking, who the priest begrudgingly thinks that this would be adequate payment for saving his life.  

Going to the outside of Neverwinter, the party sees the Horse and Buggy Trader.  A man with a bushy beard welcomes the party.  After Thorfinn states that it's a mighty big henhouse, the party then says that Opal gave us the book.  He invites the party inside, and throws the book straight into the fire.  

The party falls silent and debates various forms of retribution, but leaves silently.  They approach the ship and leave.  The party levels to level 4.


===== Level up! =====

At the smuggler's place, the party finds 400 gp, a potion of fire breathing, goggles of night, a potion of hill giant strength, and a ring of swimming, and a +2 breastplate