Today will be sunny with a chance of tornado.

We return to the rift. This time we summon forth a powerful wind storm to help clear the fog so we can see where we are going. The fog peels away in layers like an onion being shredded. As we look down through the cleared chasm we see a massive fortress built in the middle. I feel a tugging in my head pushing me toward the NW branch of the chasm. We decide to investigate the fortress first.

The place is old. Thick rust coated porticullis block our entrance, but with some effort we wrench it open. Woken from their slumber just inside the next set of gates are two massive, mutated hydras. Eight scaled heads surround a massive fanged maw in the beast's chest. Unphased we wade into the swarm of snapping heads. A short while later one of the beasts lies crumpled on the ground and for the keep a figure emerges. He calls off the remaining thesla-hydra and demands to know what we want.
As he approaches we notice that it is a liche, probably the ancient wizard Thesla himself who created the abominations we faced. We question him about Dragotha and he laughs.
Go to your doom if you wish, but you would do best to leave while you still can.
We manage to persuade him to give us more useful advice by opting to not tear his little keep apart.
A short ways away a massive hole in the chasm floor drops down and that is the entrance to Dragotha's lair. I still have this pulling desire to head to the NW so we decide to check that out before we decend down to Dragotha.

The northwest branch leads to a cave entrance. A hidden drop awaits us at the entrance and a cavern filled with green and white centipedes that flow through the wall that ripple around them.
Definitely warped by Kyuss these things are and it is only bound to get worse.
As we head farther in some black three tailed scorpions skitter close and attempt to attack, but we don't give them the chance. During the fight we were sounds of spell casting coming from a side branch.
As we pass down the side path towards the casting a field washes over us and peels several layers of spells from our wardings. We press through as the field seems to require some time to recharge, but it catches at least a few others as we go.
Around the bend a mirror imaged massive worm clinging to the ceiling amid a cloud of whispy tentacles. It looks to be a somewhat larger version of the worm we fought in the arena, but this one is casting spells. Its foul sucker mouth intones a chant that leeches the moisture straight from our bodies.
As Slivik launches throught the air at it he find nothing but air as his blade passes through where the beast seemed to be. Xaan attempts to dispel its array of wards only to find that his incantation is turned back upon him. A tricky one it seems. But tricks will only get you so far and we have a lot more tricks up our sleeves. Moonbrook's volleys quickly diminsh the distracting images and with its defenses dropping more of Slivik's swings begin to have thier desired effect.
Beyond the worm a chamber lies and I am pulled to a small sack. As we pick up the sack we get images of Tenser's associate who was investigating the fissure rolling through our head. Other lost knowledge also seems to appear out of no where. It seems like part of him has some unfinished business to do here. The pulling sensation moves and we go to investigate where it leads next.