Into the Depths

   The Laughing Moon heroes are in a wide shaft with a large hatch at the bottom. After some investigation and some leverage and more of the hatch, it was opened a crack. When the hatch - about 6" think of solid iron - was lifted, the depths of the ocean below could be seen. Cold.. cold seawater. The heroes looked up into the darkness of the shaft above. devising a variety of ways to scout upwards.
   After some more work, they found another iris door with 2 levers above. With spells and rope, the party made it into a long corridor which went off into darkness to the left and right, with alcoves spaced along both walls, some empty and some with statues.
More investigation and they realized the variety of statues were most likely petrified humanoid creatures that the beholder(?) hit with petrification ray..
Most were ignored until a 1/2 elf female  -beautiful was seen by Reinhard! Then some plans were hatched.. "how about greater restoration..?"
   Aust then sparked on the idea of putting the selected statues IN the bag of holding - where the puppet, Sir Rael Nero Falragin - the 3rd, resides. Sir Rael, has requested some interesting and strange materials over the past weeks. Enough supplies and more to build a small home..? After negotiating with the puppet, Aust and the Laughing moons were able to store a number of the petrified statues in the bag. "No more! All these statues are filling up my living room!"
One of the last alcoves held a featureless humanoid statue.. but the party did not investigate.. we will get back to this one later.. 
   At the end of the passage, another shaft went off into darkness. Some of the party realized that the complex seemed to be made more for someone whom could fly... or levitate! (i.e. beholder). The passages seemed as well to be not hewn stone or built. (Beholder disintegrate ray..?)
   Venturing up, there were iris doors on both sides. Opening one, they encounter a skeletal creature with one tentacle arm (still flesh). A battle ensues.. with many of the party having to climb up a rope to get into the thick of it.
At one point, Nanfoodle and Morthos were the final 2 in the passage, and then Nanfoodle noticed the alcove with the featureless humanoid was EMPTY!? Then.. it went dark as Morthos climbed the rope. A voice near Nanfoodle.. chuckled evilly. Fortunately for Nanfoodle he cast fly and was able to rise out of the darkness.
Battle finished with the skeleton and a jelly - which Rurrick was destroyed - all 3 of them! Looking over the skeleton, it looked to be the tentacle had been fused or combined to the ogre-sized skeleton? Strange experiments... the party recall hearing as a rumour...
In the chamber was another iris door. Behind that there looked to a long corridor with doors/hatches at a 45 degree angle downwards on each side going off into the dark. Prison cells possibly?
   Some deft work by Aust - showing Mishapp how to pick locks -  and the doors were starting to open. A variety of interesting and not so interesting encounters behind each:

•  This a matryoshka cell with a dozen layers - all smaller cells. A cell within a cell within a cell.  After unlocking many times (great practice for Aust!) The lone prisoner is a cigar smoking derro.. The party was able to store the diminutive creatures with Sir Rael in the bag of holding. Negotiating with Sir Rael continues as more is added to 'his' bag of holding home!
• Empty except for a large blasted charred mark on wall humanoid shape. 
•  Closed cell, not locked. This cell is empty except for group of rats around a nearly skeletal gnome. The floor of the cell is a concealed pit trap. It dropped down 20ft and at the bottom of the pit is a Gelatinous Cube - which Arjun fell into.. fortunately Sergeant was there and able to pull the Dragon-born out of the cube! Namfoodle blasted the cube into nothingness with his cantrips.
• Human man - Runell, can barely walk. Missing one arm (courtesy of beholder).  who believes he has already died and the world around him is Hades. The Laughing Moons are having an interesting time trying to persuade him otherwise...
• Empty except for a statue of a young boy looks to be trying to hide under the bed.
  The party decides to take this one as well into the bag. "NO MORE!! none will fit now.. my friends cannot come visit me!" Sir Rael shouted from the bag of holding.. The party wonders at this.. it seems THIS bag of holding has air in it... whom are the puppet Sir Rael Nero Falragin - the 3rd's friends? How do they visit..? Or is it the ramblings of a crazy animated puppet?
  
• Full of water. At bottom is a small chest made from a large black shell clam.This looked to be ornate.. and after a dive into water Aust discovered it is actually a chest of sorts! Very nautical look..
• Empty.. until a loose flagstone was discovered by Arjun. Inside is a small leather bag, with some cheese (few weeks old, coinage, an owl feather quill,a small jar, and a small partially burned book. The pages are bound with string woven through holes near the spine. It appears that a good dozen pages have been ripped out. This book is a standalone work from eccentric tiefling author Sanya Tanellt, a scholar of the Hades, Hell and the Abyss and its denizens. It was originally intended as a primer for would-be plane shifters and astral travelers, but the manuscript was partially destroyed in a fire and now the contents are damaged. Scanning the work there looks to be has scrawled almost two year's worth of ramblings and half-thoughts in the margins of the text. Aust and Nanfoodle think that if read, it may help any whom decide to venture into the lower planes.. 
• 2 statues.. One man  totally broken apart, the other similar looking, male kneeling over the remains.. Both look to be elvish.

   With that we leave the party until next time.. more cell doors to be opened..  more of the lair of the beholder - 'Xx'  and the Black Duke awaits the courageous Laughing Moons!