We head down the stairs in the NW corner. It's some 45 feet down. It opens into the corner of a hallway. The hall to the east stretches in the darkness, so we head south where we can see the hallway opens up.
The room has a fountain with a throne with a statue of a minotaur on it. As we enter the minotaur starts to move. We dash forward and put the beast down - it lands a few blows on our armor, but does no real damage. Searching around we find a bag of agates with a scroll of protection from energy.
While poking through bits of bone and such in the room, we spot a secret door on the wall. Listening at it, Diren hears people talking, we quietly line up and then throw the door open. A couple of enemies drop to initial attacks, and we move in to join combat. Diren is having trouble making use of "Kidney's: A Helpful Guide". All the enemies are eventually put down, with one of them surrendering.
We find out that the local boss is named Feldrin and lives somewhere to the south. We head through a secret door to the south, into a whole pile of guys around their lunch table. A big combat ensues, a feinting rogue can't land a hit on Diren (thank goodness). We're bloodied but successful. Asking a question or two, we find out the feinting rogue was Feldrin. So much for interrogating him.
We enjoy a nice lunch of roast mutton and beer, thanks to the lunch that had been prepared. Then we set to looting people. Some magic items are found: Diren gets a shortsword +2. A magic cloak is unidentified. We also loot Feldrin's room - not much magic, but some good art objects of value. There's wine but Pire isn't helpful to tell us if it's poisoned.
Checking the chest, Diren misses a trap and is stuck with a poison needle. After getting it open, a cloud of poison gas envelops the room. Finally the loot is gotten out of the chest - some valuables, some magic potions.
We rest overnight. The next day, the cloak is identified as a cloak of resistance +2. Given to Pire.
We move on through a spartan bedroom, into a sitting room. We hear arguing to the south and head that way, stumbling on some humans and half-orcs arguing. As we engage them, a half-orc ninja emerges from the shadows and stabs Moth in the back, killing him instantly. The barking and attacks of Lush draw our attention. Theldin pulls out of the main combat to engage the ninja.
Combat continues with Spit attacking the ninja along with his owl. His first arrow is a solid hit, but then he slips on Moth's body. The ninja exploits his fumble and flings shuriken into him, but the poison doesn't take. Pire ends up coming back into the room, and casts Hold Person on the ninja - the paralyzed ninja is torn up by the owl, then Spit ends him with an arrow in the throat. Diren puts down the heavily armored half-orc when it gets distracted and allows itself to be flanked.
Moth's will does state that he wants to be resurrected - we have nine days to get him to Verbobonc (plus more with gentle repose).
We loot the bodies quickly - some magic items that is harder to identify without Moth.
We then head to Hommlet, and we talk the druid into Reincarnation for Moth. And an hour later, it turns out that Moth is reincarnated as ... an elf! But a slightly different looking elf.
Gnarsh is buried at the house, in a solemn service, involving lots of drinking.
We'll possibly still have to Verbobonc to get some negative levels removed...