Mindflayers in Warrior's Respite at Kant Cliffs

After escaping the purple worm, party consolidates. We ventured for half a day to get out of the jungle. Came to the base of a cliff. Exploring, Found a cave. Camped at the entrance. It was great.

Found ancient druidic writing on the wall. According to the party's druids it read, "Balance in all things. To those who seek to travel, welcome." The message trailed off, having been worn away with time. Went into the cave, found a pool of metallic water. In the center of the pool was an island with a large obsidian pillar, a skeleton, and a sword stuck in the ground.

Keegan tried sneaking around the water, fell in. Immediately, the way we came in was magically sealed as though the tunnel didn't exist at all. It looked like natural stone. Keegan came out with the water inside him, was possessed or controlled somehow. The liquid coursed under his skin, visibly, and his eyes went metallic grey. He hid, and the shot at the party. Party fought with Keegan, Nel and Tobin blew a hole in him, metal drained out and back into the pool.

Healed Keegan, who was upset that we blew a hole in him. Pool formed tendrils. Gwydion tried to sneak across, was swatted back. Party tried everything they could think of, was stumped for a long time. The island and pool seemed to be protected by a very powerful imprisonment spell. Tobin was traumatized about something or other, but eventually helped us figure out the cave was sandstone.

We tried forming a ledge in the side of the pool to get across, but caused a small cave-in/quake of some kind. The obsidian pillar shattered and the metallic entity drained out somewhere deep in the cave, escaping? We used some rope to grapple our way over to the sword island. Keegan climbed across and grabbed the sword, seeming to freeze in place as though stuck in time.

Gwydion shimmies across the ropes and leans in to take a look at the sword. He felt like it was looking back at him somehow, and let the rest of the squad know. Ulfin successfully convinces the sword to not get in our way or something, but it seemed to possess Keegan and open a rift to another dimension, taking Keegan with it.

Stalactites start falling, damaging some of the group, but we make it out of the room in time and into the next corridor. A short walk in, we notice runes in a variety of languages written on the walls. In two alcoves along the corridor are two strange, tentacled creatures which ?Bejile? identifies as Mind Flayers. For a while, we're scared and don't know what to do. Tobin goes back to the cavernous chamber to see what became of it, but it's mostly just rubble.

After several moments of deliberation, the squad decides to advance forward together. We almost think we're gonna make it, but one of the flayers surprise attacks, accidentally falling on its face.