Once the spells had been prepared, or at least decided upon, the Mothers set watches throughout the night. Occasionally, Obrana, Fonesca or Kurtalla would pass amongst them dispensing healing, so that by the time they were ready to depart everyone was at full strength. Then the debates started as to which route to take. They went out to the web and tested the strands. The only ones that would allow them to pass without the stickiness were back the way they had come (clockwise to the major strand running vertically), and one that led straight down at an angle to the centre of the web, where they had been told, the commoners' level lay. Beneath this on the far extremity of the web, was, so they understood. an entrance to the nobles' level. Seeing that they could not find a route that did not pass through the centre, they decided to pay the commoners' level a visit.
When they arrived, the Mothers tentatively peered into the cavern beyond. They could make out two huge pack lizards, burdened with all manner of goods. Several figures were surrounding these beasts, two of which were drow. The owners of the lizards were three duergar, the grey dwarves of the underdark. They carried out negotiations with the drow, a mauve-skinned mind flayer and three kua-toa. As the Mothers approached the fish-men began to leave and the others turned to them cautiously. The Mothers decided to fight and Jito managed to loose a fireball that engulfed most of the traders before they could move. Two kua-toa at the back suddenly realised they had not moved far enough and died. One drow was quick enough to react and ran at Gaspode and sliced him with his glaive. Siosiann let loose a lightning bolt and Fonesca followed up with an acid storm. Most of the enemy lay dead already.
The mind flayer moved beyond the area of his fellows and turned when he had a clear view of the Mothers. Immediately they felt an assault within their skulls that left Jito, Fonesca and Gaspode stunned. Orbrana fired her crossbow at the mind flayer and buried her bolt in its flesh. Kurtalla ran after the illithid and managed to land a blow. The last remaining grey dwarf started to retreat to the back of the cavern, while the only live pack lizard became enraged and charged at Siosiann. Its attack came to naught. Siosiann finished off the lizard with her flametongue sword while Kurtalla's head was clasped by one of the mind flayer's tentacles and another scored him across the neck. He responded with a flurry of blows that left the illithid in pieces. Obrana cleaned up by freezing the fleeing duergar in place with a spell. The Mothers who could still move mopped up the remaining combatants, dispatching them with efficiency. Gaspode, Fonesca and Jito had still not recovered.