Chapter 2: Rotten Halls

Underground river flow is stopped by Zean magic and it soon runs out of water revealing slippery riverbed but nothing live.
Zean follow upstream until he smell rotten odor. Looks like transparent gas in this area. And there are stairs up

"Watch out... this air smells strange... don't light any fire in here... just in case..."

I will follow Zean. I have a light spell cast on my wand.

Throgin goes into the river with a splash. stinks in here

Stairs up is a dead end and you follow the river until it turns into a larger pool of water that seems to ignore Zean's magic Tinkara flies few foot forward and explain you the reason:
Water were pouring from cracks and seams in the rough walls of the cavern she fly in. Since magic can't make river flow upwards the water stay in this cavern but no new water is flowing.
Just above the muddy pool's surface, a large treasure chest dangles from rusty chains embedded in the ceiling. A keyhole shaped like a cackling demon skull decorates the front of the lid. Encircling the keyhole, a tiny inscription in Common reads, "I devour all but the greatest thieves."

Vatois announce an aura of evocation magic around the chest.

Zean having no ideas how he could help with opening the.... very suspicious and interesting... chest. Ask anyone if they think water would help somehow with this chest or if he can help in any other way and then departs to the unexpectedly ending staircase and looks for something that could tell him if there would be any secret passage or something in the place the surprising wall is.

"Well, I am no thief at all, much less the greatest. Anyone here happen to possess those kind of skills?"

I fly back to where Zean is examining the stairs, staying behind him to provide backup should things go wrong.

Throgin holds up his maul in a gesture like "would this work?" and shrugs his shoulders.

Effort Zean put into checking the dead end upstairs pays off: Zean discovers a way to open vert well concealed secret doors that lead into the tomb you visited before - the one where 6 undead attacked you from their thrones I only know the chest bears magic. Chest may be magical. It may be mundane chest affected by a spell. Vatoris explains. As a matter of fact I can try to unlock it.

"Vatoris, please try picking the lock if you would."

"Vatoris... another opportunity to show us your tricks... but will those be magic tricks or tricks by hand?" - Zean tries to support Tinkara's request.

I just need to reach it somehow. Anyone help? Vatoris asks, double checking his lockpicks.

I got you

Throgin simply takes Vatoris with two hands and swig him up on the chest. Wow, that was impressive! Vatoris pause a moment to deal with the surprise and then picks his lock picks and sitting on the chest tries to pick the lock.After spending some time he unlocks the chest This one was a master piece lock. I managed to bypass magical protection I felt he announces with a relief and retrieve following from the chest:
- 300 gp,
- a gold tankard embossed with a sad face that smiles when the tankard is filled (250 gp),
- a stoppered bone tube containing a spell scroll (he will later identify it as a scroll of remove curse).

Moving into the other direction you make quite few turns and it is hard to precisely understand where you are when you find another stairs up ending with dead end and:

The underground river plunges down into a dark, rocky chasm. Cold air swirls up from below like the breath of some monstrous creature. Through the gloom, you spot an ornate treasure chest resting on a ledge opposite.
Ixion's superior vision allows him to see the bottom of the rift: he see water approximately 100 feet down.

Another one... Vatoris is ready to pick this one as well. Let's tie a rope around me and I will try to reach that chest.

"Let me fly over and I'll try to find a place to anchor the rope."

I take one end of the rope and fly over to the ledge and look for a place to attach it.

Throgin holds the side of the rope on his side of the cave. Lets get this chest then see what we can go next

Tinkara, I don't think I am strong enough to move a horizontal rope. I prefer climbing if you would help

Vatoris tie a rope around himself and not without help from Tinkara makes it over.

As he start lock picking he screams It moves!
As this chest appears to be a mimic

Vatoris try escape mimic on his turn but fails

Throgin grunts a little as he pulls out his handaxe, backs up 10ft the runs and jumps the gap to the other side. His eyes spark with lightning as whips of electricity spark off the axe. then attacks the mimic.