"We'll figure it out later. Flank me while I heal the troglodytes. I wouldn't want them to get any ideas."

He moves to leave the room.

Julen follows him, looking quite intimidating.

She trails him as well, flickering with shadow, trails of fog appearing and vanishing in her wake, and speaking as if to something just out of sight. Sometimes it speaks back. 

(Prestidigitation and Ghost Sound can be quite impressive if you know what you're doing.)

Yanor heals the wounded and gives a long speech Tencednil doesn't understand.

The troglodytes accept the healing and seem cowed by his strength and magic.

He spends a while time asking questions and holding conversation with them.

She looms appropriately and does her best to back his points when she can understand them. That isn't often, but the general thrust is mostly clear, and properly timed ominous looming, demonstrations of arcane "might", and a little bit of demonstrated submission should get them in the right mood. Tomas is the one who can really help here, if anyone can. Speaking the language is useful, what a surprise.

Tomas mostly doesn't participate. He's not a very social person. He asks a few questions and that's all.

Once Yanor is done with the troglodytes, he moves the party out of the cave. "Finally out of that horrible smelling place. We will have to go back in, of course, but it's nicer out here. I've learned quite a few things. The mystery beast in the other cave entrance is a fire-breathing hydra. There's some sort of monument deep within the caves. Giant arachnids have made it their den. The boggards apparently have a substance capable of rendering them docile. I believe we will have to push through it to reach our destination."

She turns to Lhín momentarily — good, thank you Lhín, that will be useful for planning.

"I suspect we can defeat a hydra collectively, possibly even today. I have two Bursts remaining. If it has sufficient heads, of course, this may be false. A hydra which breathes fire is likely resilient to fire, and I do have only Acid Splash to mitigate its regeneration, which is inconsistent and slow. We might be forced to handle it from the body rather than the heads. I would expect that to be possible for a five-headed or six-headed hydra, but worry beyond that. If we leave it, a hungry hydra is far more threatening unanticipated."

Another eyebrow raise and ear flick to Lhín, and another set of murmured answers. "Arachnids are more problematic, and a substance for docility may not be sufficient if we need to enter and retreat repeatedly. There is too much possible range for me to be confident claiming we can fight them today, though... Yanor, do you have third circle spells available for area destruction today? Even if we cannot finish them immediately, a Lightning Bolt or Fireball or the like can be followed by a prompt retreat, and arachnids are unlikely to have available channels. Some well-used Images should be quite effective, the same lack of thought which makes them resilient against my Color Sprays should render them less able to comprehend and properly handle figments."

"We don't need to defeat the hydra. We can just leave it alone and not use that cave entrance."

"I can spontaneously conjure one fireball from my flame spirit. I can't prepare it normally. I can prepare call lightning but I don't have any today."

"How often do hydras go hunting? Perhaps the risk is worth taking. A single Fireball thrown at the arachnids today may be worthwhile if we can flee promptly, but I leave the choice there to you."

"Not often enough to have consistent encounters with the troglodytes."

"I say we push forward. We're all currently unharmed and Yanor can still heal me and Tomas. Tencednil has the wand of infernal healing if we end up needing more."

"The arachnids or the boggard village? It appears we will need to handle at least one of the two to reach this monument. I would typically not face the boggards while so depleted, but perhaps the rest of you are sufficient with less arcane assistance."

"The arachnids. That way we're making progress toward our real destination."

Nod. "I have no damaging area spells I would expect to work there, and at least spiders are entirely capable of combat while blind. I can nonetheless cast a Dazzling Blade or two, which gives a chance to momentarily blind something near you when you release it. Alternatively, I can use my screams, but those will likely fail, or I can hold an illusion of deep darkness and hope a lack of vision suffices." Tomas knew the proper name for the spell, when they were discussing their capabilities on the raft.

"The illusion sounds like the best option but I'm not sure what the exact circumstances will be when we arrive."

Julen leads the way back into the troglodyte caves. They pass through the entrance cavern and the trap room and arrive quickly within the throne room.

"Right. Here's the barricade." He breaks it down with a hammer.

The chamber beyond the barricade is filled with all manner of strangely colored fungal growths.

"Huh. I wasn't expecting fungi—"

A violet fungus emerges from a hidden side cavern. Two more follow it.

"Violet fungi. Avoid the tentacles, they rot muscle rapidly. Darkness Image should work?"