Homeward Bound

We're leave through the caves, back hence we came.
We approach the lava river & bridge where that lizard.
The lava rose above the bridge, leaving a 40ft long puddle that breaks the path.
Big rats are hanging out, and digging? One made a sound like it was dying. Is the salamander over there?
We try to stealthily teleport/fly across. We fail.
The rats see us and try to leave.
 
Bim and Beau use Dimension Door across the gap.
I cast a clone on a nearby stone, but the rat kills it, with magma foams out of it's mouth.
 
As we run, the salamander stops us.
We skirt around it with Levitate + Fly.
The rats turn golden and look ready to defend themselves.
Bim and Beau Blind and Deafen and Paralyze the Salamander, making our traversal much safer.
We were running past it, but I can't help myself, and I take a few swipes. Beau, seeing this, decides "We should make this path safer for the citizens of Besmadon Avor".
Works for me! I have my clone do the up-close work, since each attack yields magma splashing.
 
As we defeat him, we grabbed a large trident that the salamander had. It's a "great trident". Quite large.
The rats scurry away.
 
I navigate towards the rats, curious. We do some minor combat to look around.
I found a hidden area. It hosts bedrolls, long since abandoned. There are some extra supplies though.
 
As we rummage through, we find: 300gp, potion of greater healing, and a strange large metallic coin.
It is more of a medallion, which is over an inch thick, and 5" wide.
 
Beau magically reads the runes on the coins.
He's done just enough research to have an inkling of what this is.
It's something... 'not right'. Typically used to bind a creature, or SOUL, to the coin.
 
He tries to identify the magics surrounding it. Oh, it's a soul coin. Used by devils in the 9 hells as currency, it's fairly valuable. And it has 3 charges. Each charge can be expended to gain life, ask the soul a question, or free the soul. We can also free the soul by destroy it.
I think we'll talk to it, then free it.
 
In the meantime, we walk back to the central crossroads.
 
I see the symbols, and see one we haven't really discussed.
The lightning bolt. "The salt sands"?
On that note, Keshyk hears noise down that way.
A mix of sounds... faint shuffling footsteps? Maybe a crackle, snap, pop?
Some people are coming from that way.
We hide, and Keshyk sees... orcish pirates?
Their gate is off. They are limping and shambling.
A spark pops off one of their skin.
As they get to the center, and they look about.
 
While we hide, Keshyk asks, 'Who wants to fight?' Obviously, I draw my rapier.
He casts Synaptic shock. It's a great shot!
Then Beau hits them with lightning, which unfortunately has no effect.
I can't reach them with my echo, so I rush in.
 
As we fight, we figure out that Thunder and Lightning both seem to have no effect.
Bim rushes in and casts Word of Radiance.
He's able to kill one, and it explodes into thunder/lightning damage!
Staying far away doesn't work either. They use a ranged lightning, hits small AOE.
One of them (who was not affected by Synaptic) pulls out a glass cylinder with metal side panel. He then squeezes it, and it goes off like a crossbow-style-slingshot. It's called the 'Plint Blaster'.
One NAT 20's and gains a thot.
We see that as we attack, we draw no blood. Electricity runs in their veins.
As we kill the last one, the Plint Blaster skitters off of the edge.
I grab it via featherfall, but start slowly falling to my death. Luckily, Keshyk saves me (again).
As compensation, I give it to him, which he promptly bottled.
 
Next, we have to decide:
Do we go back to Bhailmor? Or do we try to just start towards what we expect is the next quest.
We decide to go back to the city, since I have fight, and the King needs update on dwarves.
 
We hike back to the catacombs of Bhailmor. I see a symbol carved on a wall, which I missed before. Now that I've met Eikthyr and remember my past better, I recognize it as "Base/Safety" in Thieve's Cant. We decide not to explore that area more due to our general urgency. So, we continue along the route that the Princess once showed us.