Altar of Chaos

 Autumn - 16th Day in the month of Jessica 1371

Down the heroes delved into the fifth deep. They sought a sun in the darkness that would lead them to the Tomb of Lorkus and his lost staff. They encountered a black pudding that destroyed Fidlthid's armor, the Golden Scale of Talo Goldentwine. Beyond this beast was an old chamber adorned with serpent sigils and reliefs. Upon a wall hung a brilliant spear. The heroes claimed it and named it the Serpent Spear. 

They found a horrible bed chamber adorned with human skin and from a secret room emerged two famished manticores. It was not clear to the delvers whose pets these foul beasts once were.

The expedition stalked through the maze-like passages of the deep and eventually found a sun sigil in a darkened corridor. Welborn threw open a secret door with sorcery and the party claimed Lorkus' holy staff and his grimoire. 

The group came to another boudoir occupied by the singing sisters, a terrible duo of harpies who enchanted some of the heroes, but were both slain before they could do further harm. In an adjoining chamber was a smoking altar of chaos. Its foul miasma caused a fit of coughing from the adventurers and from another chamber, a vulture-like demon emerged. Thankfully, Heironymous changed the nether-thing into a chicken before it could do its worst. 

The heroes investigated the chamber from whence the demon came. Within was an arcane circle carved into the floor surrounded by glyphs. Near to the circle was a princely offering of platinum - perhaps a price paid in some eldritch rite. Taran's Helm of Read Languages allowed her to determine that this was indeed a portal to a hellish realm.