Past Meet Present - Below the Stones

The third night of adventuring has come and gone in our RPGTonight campaign.  Below you'll find the recap of the evening in which our adventurers encountered strange creatures, agreed to help them discover what had become of their previous leader though they offered little in return, and came across a strange altar and even stranger room...
Standing at the entrance to the room previously filled with a blue mist the adventurers could now see that the room before them had not only the dragon-carved door which no longer billowed forth the blue mist but three other doors as well.  Knowing that the room had at least a pair of pit traps the party entered cautiously examining the floor as they went.  They managed to find a couple of pit traps in the floor and while at one door Karath heard skittering from beyond.

The party gathered and upon opening that door saw a pair of strange creatures which stood upright and appeared humanoid, however they also appeared to have feature reminiscent of spiders and had four arms.  As they stood looking at each other another creature joined, then another, all talking to each other in a strange language that had many clicks and hisses in it.  Soon one creature headed down a hallway.  As the standoff continued Temeris decided to try to communicate, and as he entered the hall and stepped forward another of the creatures rounded the corner and stepped forward as well.  He called himself Vald and they conversed, eventually agreeing that their leader would meet with the party's representative unarmed in a meeting room while the rest would wait outside.

A female creature, what they would learn later were called Chitine, joined Vald in a room nearby and awaited the party representatives which after some discussion turned out to be Crispin and Karath after Temeris stated how the bard would be best suited to dealing with creatures and having such discussions.  The Chitine leader asked that they be left alone and agreed they would leave the party alone in return.  They then also agreed to inform the party what they knew of the areas below should the party agree to assist them in determining what happened to their leader.  After some deliberation the party decided to at least check it out even though the Chitine gave them little in return for their efforts.  However they did receive a small chest with some magical dust, a few scrolls, and some vials in it, though the Chitine could not explain what any of them were.  They also agreed that while the party was below they would send Vald up to check on the horses from time to time, heavily cloaked as to not spook them of course.

The Chitine explained that they had left the main "city" after their leader had left to explore an area and after his disappearance strange things such as voices and creatures from the past began to appear.  The city wanted to continue to wait for their leader faithfully, however the Chitine that had come up here had wanted to get away from it.  They know little of what befell their leader but are certain that it was not good.  They informed the party that by working with them the "city Chitine" would likely imprison or kill the party if they were found.  The Chitine then told the party how to get to the door that their previous leader had gone through ... into the hall and taking a left, follow the hallway to the stairs down.  Once in the cavern avoid the city and head to the southern end where in a recessed area they will find the door.

Once the party left the room they were then left with the problem of getting across the pit trap that sat in front of the door that they were to take into the hallway.  Shadow decided that he would return to the surface to find some branches and logs that would work to make a bridge, however upon reaching the surface he noticed that the pitch black of the moonless night was broken by what could have been a campfire back towards the road.  He immediately returned below where the party decided that it would be best to investigate where their horses were above ground and they didn't know who this would be.

Shadow first set out to investigate, though as he approached trying to remain silent he saw the figure which sat fully cloaked with their back to the approaching party member next to his fire reach down and take hold of a black staff.  Assuming that he had been heard he retreated to the rest and told them what he had seen.  Crispin thought something was strange with this and thought he might know who it could be and approached himself, also trying to be quiet.  However the person sitting there picked up the staff, swung it up across his lap, and in doing so the campfire lessened in intensity.  Crispin continued forward a bit and called out.  In reply a familiar voice replied back stating that it was strange coincidence to find them here and that he thought he would have to travel all the way to Shadowdale to catch them as the figure walked towards his nearby tethered horse.  Still unsure of who it was Crispin asked again, and this time Bastion turned and revealed himself.  He had been traveling since learning that the party had left town without stopping for the supplies that he had agreed to give them.

He accompanied Crispin back to the others where pleasantries were exchanged.  He informed them that he thought they might have need of his potions so he was riding to Shadowdale and thought he would find them near the city, however he was shocked to have found them here.  He gave them the vials which he had brought for them and after suggesting that they rest before continuing their explorations below they prepared a camp.  They spoke briefly of the underdark and he worked with Karath in teaching him how to read magical scripts but soon they bedded down.  The next morning as Temeris sat watch he gathered his things up and saying goodbye left before the rest of the party rose.

After cleaning the campsite, the party gathered some wood for the bridge they intended to use and went down once again.  They placed the bridge across the pit and Temeris made his way across, and while the bridge bowed and rolled from time to time it held well.  The party found a hallway on the other side of the door and a door across the way as well.  Temeris led them across the way and into the doorway, which held another hall that had alcoves on either side with eroded humanoid figures that appeared to be holding up the ceiling.  At the end of the hall they came to an obsidian doorway which Temeris looked for traps, found none, and then boldly threw the door open.

Inside the room there was a hallway with only a 3 foot ceiling and dirt floor to their left and a door to their right.  The tiles on the floor were checkerboard black and red and a black altar stood near the opposite wall.  The party entered and looked over the room, aside from Karath who went to check on the horses, and noticed writing upon the altar.  Temeris went around to the other side of the altar where the wording seemed to writhe until finally he was able to read the riddle.  They decided that following the riddle they should go left and thus opened the door to a room with a dirt floor and no other exits that they could see.  Temeris was the first to step in and the party saw him disappear from the room and he found himself again in the dark. Crispin followed next and he disappeared as well.

Soon the entire party had found themselves magically in another square room with a dirt floor and no apparent exits.  A small black skull sat in a small alcove in one wall however, and as Teremis approached it stated they had accepted the challenge and they must pass a test of wits or a test of strength to be released, and without hesitation (or speaking with the others) Temeris blurted out "a test of wits!".  The skull told them they must answer a riddle and spoke it aloud, and just mere moments later Crispin excitedly blurted out what turned out to be the correct answer.  A skeletal hand holding a bag emerged from the ground and as Crispin took it, they all found themselves back in the altar room once again.

At this point they decided to head west, and as Temeris crawled through hall he noticed a hand emerging from the ground holding a harp of exceptional make.  He dug down a bit and saw that the hand was attached to an arm and it went deeper into the ground.  He pried the harp lose of the fingers, but as he did another hand broke the surface of the dirt and raked him across the chest with bony fingers that held little flesh.  A mad scramble ensued in which the party attacked this thing furiously as it broke the surface and lashed out at them, and soon a skittering from a nearby room was heard.  As the zombie fell a spider nearly 4 feet in diameter which was attracted by the sound was upon them.  It struck at daisy landing its fangs deep in her side and while the spider's venom coursed through her it only enraged Daisy.  She flew into a rage and raised her axe and brought it down with a mighty blow that cleaved the spider in half.  Still in rage she ran forward looking for more to use her axe on ignoring the bite and venom within her, however she found nothing more than empty rooms ahead.

The party found two such empty rooms, and while half looked into the second Temeris and Crispin opened the door of the first to find a hallway and down the hallway one direction they saw steps descending further into the earth.  Having the party now back together as Karath returned from checking on the horses (and able to find them following the sounds of battle and the enraged Daisy), they now stand in the doorway of this room looking at a hallway that heads back North or goes forward and to the stairs downward...