Back in the entrance hall again, the party quickly decided to take the same southern door out to see if they end up in the same wine cellar as before. They spend some time gathering materials to make maps and notes before once more entering the portal.

You find yourself in the wine cellar once more but it is not as you left it. The room has been completely ransacked. The bottles are shattered and the racks have been smashed. Someone or something has completely destroyed the room. It stinks of mead but there is another strong smell in here – like a swamp or rotting vegetation.

Up the stairwell directly across from the portal, you can hear the sound of grunts, guttural voices and bottles smashing. Whatever destroyed this room is up thee, smashing up the next room.

“Not the booze!” Ivan says ruefully.”Like dudes, what did the booze do to you?”

Having once more moved through the South portal, once again they had entered the wine cellar. However the room since the party was last here had been ransacked with a smell lingering in the room like a swamp or rotting vegetation.

Up the stairwell directly across from the portal came the sound of grunts, guttural voices and bottles smashing. Whatever destroyed this room is up thee, smashing up the next room.

“Not the booze!” Ivan says ruefully. ”Like dudes, what did the booze do to you?”

Quickly turning to Ivan, Crow grabbed him up placing his hand across the cat's mouth. Whispering quickly Crow laid out a plan.

“Quit fool, dare you not risk our lives. Wembly you move better quiet then I, see if you can get a look at what is up those stairs. Mal you and I, both sides of the stairway.
Alôndas, Dudly, Gamard seek cover as best you can, be ready to support as needed.”

Placing Ivan back on the ground, a finger pressed to the Syl’s lips to hopefully keep the feline quiet. Crow moved to the left side of the stairway.

Alondas looked over the room, the one they expected to find, and saw it was not as they expected to find it. Things were scattered everywhere. Obviously they were not alone in this maze, or trap for he was not yet sure which it was. Crow laid out a quick plan to ascertain who or what shared the room with them. Alondas was more than happy to leave the sneaking a peek stuff to the thieves. He took up a position towards the rear with good cover available and waited to see what happened next. As always a spell was poised on his lips. It could be friend or foe but he had found that it was better to err on the side of foe.

The party stepped through the portal and as Dudley pared to enter a dark room that would alight itself and reveal rows to bottles. But instead they stepped into a light room with smashed bottles and a strange smell. "Oh may, I bet this really ticked off that wine ninga." As they move forward Crow took charge. The cleric her the ranger say,"Alôndas, Dudly, Gamard seek cover as best you can, be ready to support as needed.” Dudley thought to himself finally a order that makes sense.

With that the Cid headed for the down staircase. "The best cover is away from up there."

Dudley felt lucky he had been given a choice.

Wembley saw the mess, heard Ivan's cry, saw Crow try to scoop up the cat, and heard the Syl's request for help in scouting.

"You bet, Crow," Wembley whispered cheerfully. The cidal rogue liked being taken seriously.

Moving towards the sound of the disturbers, Wembley padded silently. His staff-sling was in his right hand, his left hand free to work the subtle gestures of a spell if needed.

As he crepted towards the sound, he tried to keep to the shadows. Like his kin, Wembley also wondered what had become of the keeper of the cellar.

OOC: Two things: 1) Wembley is looking to move silently and hide in shadows (both at 40%); 2) He is looking to use detect noise (at 40%) to try and determine what is making the noise and how many creatures.

Moving towards the sound of the disturbers, Wembley padded silently. His staff-sling was in his right hand, his left hand free to work the subtle gestures of a spell if needed. As he crept towards the sound, he tried to keep to the shadows. Like his kin, Wembley also wondered what had become of the keeper of the cellar.

The flickering candle effect of the lights in the room only helped the Cidal hide from sight and the stone steps of the cellar had no boards to creak or bend to announce his presence. As he moved up to the next room, he heard the harsh sounding voices above and the smashing of bottles.

Once close enough, Wembley saw that there were 4 creatures in the room. All of them were lizard-humanoids with no armour and crude club like weapons. Although he never seen them before, Wembley had heard of these beings – these Lizard men. They were called ...Slackers? Slappers? Slithers? Slaa’kar! Yes that was it. Slaa’kar. They were a long way from home and one of them was extremely pissed. It was breaking bottle and shelves in a tantrum like anger and guttural calling out as if challenging the owner of this establishment to face him. As Wembley got a better view of the room, among the ruins of the booze and racks was the broken and beaten body of the man in black who had jumped you before but saved then bottle.

Wembley watched the fasinating creatures a moment longer before returning to his companions.

"It's a pack of Slaa'kar," the cidal whispered his report. "You know... lizard men. Four of them. Pretty far from home, if you ask me, but who am I to judge, right? I'm pretty far from home too. Anyway, one of them is really, really mad, kicking things and breaking everything in its path. Maybe because he just wants to go home and does know how to get out... kinda like us too. Anyway, he's madder than a drenched fire elemental, if you know what I mean. And, they have the caretaker, the man in black. He looks pretty broken and beat up. Not sure if he's alive. If he is, I doubt he could walk away. Pretty vicious."

Wembley paused, "It's strange. When Alon grabbed a bottle last time, the whole room went dark, but the lizards trash the place and the lights stay on. I wonder why..."

"Anyway, you want to see it I can creep back and put the pack to sleep? I just learnt this great spell. A few gestures and words and it's rock-a-bye baby, nighty-night. What do you think?"

Lizard men was not at all what was expected, especially ones so primitive as these. What were they doing in a wizardly area? Why the one so mad? So many unanswered questions. Alondas made a "go ahead" gesture in response to the suggestion of a sleep spell. But just in case it did not work as well as a glass of warm milk, he kept hidden and ready.

As Crow waited with the rest of the group for Wembley’s return he could only hope that whatever these new creatures were they were not Shambling Mounds. The Syl Ranger had heard of these plant like creatures but never encountered one.

He was brought of his thinking by the Cidal’s return.

"It's a pack of Slaa'kar, You know... lizard men. Four of them. Pretty far from home, if you ask me, but who am I to judge, right? I'm pretty far from home too. Anyway, one of them is really, really mad, kicking things and breaking everything in its path. Maybe because he just wants to go home and does know how to get out... kinda like us too. Anyway, he's madder than a drenched fire elemental, if you know what I mean. And, they have the caretaker, the man in black. He looks pretty broken and beat up. Not sure if he's alive. If he is, I doubt he could walk away. Pretty vicious. It's strange. When Alon grabbed a bottle last time, the whole room went dark, but the lizards trash the place and the lights stay on. I wonder why... Anyway, you want to see it I can creep back and put the pack to sleep? I just learnt this great spell. A few gestures and words and it's rock-a-bye baby, nighty-night. What do you think?"

Slaa’kar, new creatures indeed Crow thought to himself. Once again like the Shambling Mound Crow had never encountered lizard men before. However unlike a Mound these would be hopefully easier to deal with. Nodding his head in agreement with the Cidal’s plan, he nonetheless remained ready in case the spell failed.

Gamard had been silent for a while. Retracing their steps was a very good idea, and he felt quite some relief as they stepped into the cellar again. Apparently there was indeed some kind of logic in the functioning of the portals.

His relief was of very short life, when the party noted the broken bottles and the ruckus upstairs. As Crow laid out his defensive plan and Wembley went scouting, Gamard took a moment to thank his God for this new piece of insight. New Light had been shed on the situation. Hopefully with a little pondering, they would be able to determine which way to go without ini-mini-miny-moe.

He too lifted his thumb in a supportive gesture to the idea of using a sleeping spell. He clenched the hold on his weapon a little tighter as Wembley prepared his magic. If it didn’t do anything and no snoring commenced they would have a lot more trouble with these beasts. If it did help though, he was ready to tie up the lizards for later questioning. Insight was what won wars, not brutal strength alone.

Wembley looked around the group, surprised that for once they seemed in agreement... and with his plan.

"Alright," Wembley said with a smile, "Perhaps a couple of you want to go around the other way, just in case they are looking for a fight. That way we can attack them from both sides."

The cidal didn't wait to see if anyone thought his last idea was a good one. He simply turned back and crept as silently as he could to where the lizard men were. Finding a shadowed spot, the little mage began the incantation to put the creatures to sleep.

Wembley returned to where he saw the Slaa’kar and performed the very quick incantation that is Sleep. He channeled the mana through the spell and released it into the room.

The first to drop were the three that were observing the one have a tantrum. They staggered and slowly fell to the floor. The fourth one barely noticed but soon became less and less agitated and then, collapsed on the body of the man in black, joining his companions in Snoozeland, population 4.

Wembley felt the magic power course through his body as he said the words that unlocked the spell... a tingle that started at the top of his head and the bottom of his feet and worked their way through his body until they joined near his shoulders, and then worked their way through his arms to his outstretched finger tips.

One by one, the lizardmen toppled over, falling fast asleep. The cidal stepped out for the shadows, tall and proud.

"Yes!" he said, beaming. "Did you see that? Did you see that, Alon?! Haha! That was amazing! I am a mighty wizard! Fear me, or fall asleep! Hahahahahaaa!"

Looking around at the others, still grinning from ear to ear, Wembley turned his attention to the matter at hand, "Do you think that we should tie them up? If you do, be careful not to shake them too much or you'll wake them. Think we should check their belongings... you know, to see maybe why they are here? Or, maybe we should just go... I don't know how long the spell's gonna last."

"We were going to check out the door over here, right?" Wembley says indicating the south portal.

One by one, the lizardmen toppled over, falling fast asleep. The cidal stepped out for the shadows, tall and proud.

"Yes! Did you see that? Did you see that, Alon?! Haha! That was amazing! I am a mighty wizard! Fear me, or fall asleep! Hahahahahaaa! Do you think that we should tie them up? If you do, be careful not to shake them too much or you'll wake them. Think we should check their belongings... you know, to see maybe why they are here? Or, maybe we should just go... I don't know how long the spell's gonna last."

"We were going to check out the door over here, right?" Wembley says indicating the south portal

“Wembley, Dudley, gather their weapons as quietly as you can, then try to tie them up. The rest of us will stand ready with magic and blade if they should wake up to take them down. Lets try to keep at least one, the leader perhaps, alive if they should seek to attack even unarmed. They may hold information to help us solve this damnable maze.”

Alondas watched as the creatures fell asleep one by one. "Excellent casting Wembley". He had to admit he was a bit surprised it had been that easy. Now Crow was calling for the creatures to be bound and perhaps interrogated. "Did anyone happen to understand what language they were speaking? If not they are of no real use to us. Although I am not overly fond of killing the defenseless, I am less fond of leaving potential enemies around to find us later."