After taking some time to recover from a series of tough battles and play with their newly-found collection of magic items, Hytton discovered a large metallic lever protruding from the wall.  Proving once again that dwarves can't be trusted, Hytton decided to pull on the lever, causing a set of nearby stairs to collapse into a slip-and-slide of doom.  Unbeknownst to the party, this also released a caged Umber Hulk in the room below.  Fortunately, the steep incline of the stairs prevented the Umber Hulk from reaching the vulnerable party.  The party would remain absolutely safe from the horror below as long as nobody was suicidal enough to flip the lever back up.

Which Hytton immediately chose to do.

The party sustained a number of nasty wounds in the protracted battle, but eventually managed to knock the Hulkster out of commission.  Moving down the oil-slicked staircase, the party found the remnants of what appeared to be an ancient mine.  Of note was an incredibly ornate stairwell that led deeper into the earth.  Hytton's fetish for dwarven stonework paid off as he recognized the obscenely detailed handiwork of the stairwell's carvers.  It was decidedly older than the rest of the mines.

While attempting to break through the iron bars protecting the entrance to the stairwell, the party was ambushed by a grick, a large snake-like creature with four massive tentacles surrounding a toothy maw.  The grick chomped on Exees and Oni for a bit but was quickly laid to rest.

The party then returned to the iron gate at the top of the stairwell, eventually breaking off the heavy lock before remembering they had a number of unused keys in their possession.  Exees, in a display of excellent decision making, split off from the rest of the party and began exploring the mines near the entrance to the stairwell.  He stealthily snuck up behind an orc-like creature called an orog and four slaves.  Exees accidentally broke wind and attracted the creature's attention before he could strike.  The rest of the party hurried to the ranger's aid, quickly subduing the orog.