The first thought was to use the vampire crypts as a secure resting location, but the Mothers thought better of this, so after Gaspode and Kurtalla had scouted the route ahead and brought the group to the surface again, the ranger was set the task of discovering another suitable location for their recuperation further afield. He found a shallow cave a few miles south of the crypts that seemed dry and comfortable, so the Mothers settled there to regain their magics and to plan their next moves.
The watches that they had set encountered no issues for the first twenty hours. It was the penultimate watch that encountered the drow. What had drawn them there, the Mothers did not know. But they had come in greater force than the last group that the party had encountered. Two of the flayed drow creatures were in the vanguard of this new assault. One of the drow, who was equipped with a two-headed flail also engaged in melee. Meanwhile a female and a male drow hung back, out of range of the swords of the Mothers.
Jito and Fonesca quickly threw up false images of themselves to confuse their attackers. Siosiann launched a lightning bolt and managed to catch most of their attackers in its arc. One of the flayed creatures attacked Siosiann with its fists hurting her. The flail wielding drow attacked Jito, or rather his images for a while. The drow at the rear responded with by dropping a column of flame around Obrana and Fonesca, they could not avoid the full effect of the fire. Obrana called on Tyr to smite the gory creations of drow flesh before her, and they turned from the fray. Jito, Kurtalla and Gaspode sprang in to attack, concentrating on the gory skinless figures. The flailing drow landed some blows, removing all of Jitos protecting images and even doing him some damage. Then the whole party was disrupted as most of their number became confused and began to act randomly. When this effect had taken hold the female drow ran forward and managed to lay her hand on Gaspode, who fell lifeless at her feet. Fonesca and Jito were the only Mothers who could think clearly.