With more caverns and passageways available to them the Mothers again went left. This took them northwards along a fairly wide straight corridor. This continued northwards while a passageway led off to the west. Since this took them left, Fonesca insisted on them following it. Just as this route was opening out into a larger cavern Gaspode tripped over a cord that stretched across the passage and set off a trap that loosed hundreds of crude, hollow, metal balls which clattered down into the opening with a very loud noise indeed. The party had trouble keeping their footing with all of the spheres rolling around, but they discovered that the cavern beyond was abandoned and had no other exits, so they had to re-trace their steps.
Going north along the straight passage, they came into a cavern which glittered and sparkled from the lights that the Mothers carried with them. They took a moment to enjoy this spectacle amidst the dark tunnels that they had been exploring. The clerics and mages were clamouring for rest, however, so they continued on, finding another passage than went west (left) just next to a sinkhole on the northern wall. Three passages lead off to dead-ends to the north and south of this spur as they went along, the last one having been used by the drow as a guard post, but now abandoned.
Continuing west the Mothers came out into a chamber lit by the river of lava that bisected it from the southwest to the northeast. The roof could be made out over sixty feet above them. There was only one route across the cavern: a solid narrow bar of metal that was square in cross-section and cold to the touch, despite its location, that spanned the flow with a good ten feet to spare on either side. Not wanting to dare the bridge, the Mothers looked around to see what they could from this side of the flow. When they went as far to the southwest as they could on this bank they could make out a passage escaping off into the underdark on the westerly edge of the opposite bank. the clamours for rest were now overwhelming, so the Mothers returned to the drow guard post to the east and set up camp.
After the third watch, Theon the Titan woke Gaspode and Kurtalla to explain that he had heard noises which he took to be the stirrings of a real dragon echoing along the tunnels. They went back to the glistening chamber to investigate and they convinced themselves that the sounds came from south of there and had not approached closer than that. Keeping a close watch (and listen!) they allowed the party to regain their strength as planned. In the morning the priests started using the healing magic that they had regained through their prayers.