CaseOfTheMissingMap part 3

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Afalar's shirt lies folded upon the ground, mere inches from the fast flowing water in the tunnel.

As Ezra and Zali'haro are both injured, Sjer leaves to go back and bring Volorn.

While Sjer is gone, Zali'haro investigates the waters.

He ties a rope to himself and tests the water for depth and quickness.

As Zali is in the water, a large piece of wood floats by. It is 6' long and looks like fresh lumber. Zali grabs it and pulls it to the Sru'haro tunnel entrance.

Sjer and Volorn return and Sjer heals both Ezra and Zali'haro. We then take to the ceiling and head upstream to find our missing Afalar.

After 200ft we find another passage, but no sign of Afalar. At about 600ft we come across a T-intersection. There is a large pillar in the water. On the far corner wedged into a crack we find a sash left there by Afalar. We then turn downstream towards the direction we are now confident that Afalar has taken.

Just then Sjer is startled by a large ugly pile of crap. Shocked and more than a little disgusted, Sjer falls off the ceiling, retching, into the water below. Volorn, no longer benefitting from the spider climb spell, also falls in to the water.

The two quickly dissappear into the dark, both swirling around in the water. Sjer immediately starts drowning. After many minutes of swimming and drowning the water becomes much more turbulent and in fact a creatures rises up and begins attacking. Volorn and Sjer are swept up in a swirling vortex of doom. The water creature keeps pounding us and just as Sjer, lungs bursting, decides to use magic to escape, Ezra hurls himself into the water holding onto a rope. Zali'haro has set himself up on the ceiling, rope in hand, ready to pull.

Ezra grabs Sjer just as Sjer gave himself fins and gills.

While somewhat startled at that development, Ezra bravely hangs on to Sjer and attempts to swim to the edge. His panic level has decreased now that he is getting oxygen, but when The three try to make it up a nearby pillar to escape, Sjer finds that fins are good for swimming, not climbing. After much effort and some limber dodging, we escape the watery fiend.