We find the dwarven engineer, and bring him back. About a week had passed and the excavation of the 'complex' was moving along nicely. The mage(Todd)decided to get OCD and invent archaeology to try and decode the meaning and use for this facility. The ranger(Tim) figured out how to create the weekend, with his chits and general store/indentured servitude to prolong our excavation and exploits.
The engineer figured out there was a movable plate that turned on the water, so now it looked like 4 days to find out what happens when it fills up the large room. Back to the digging, trying to piece back together the rotunda using make whole and elaborate logs to catalog everything, it begins to take shape once again.
The excavation uncovers a hallway, which leads to a room with statues of gilded elf beings like the statue in the basement room that is filling with water.
Still unknown who, but we do sort of know what. They appear as tall elf like beings, who seem to like armor and swords and by the ruined tapestries that were pieced back together, very interested in sewing portraits of themselves.
Door leads to a mirror image of the first room, that leads to a large room with a raised portion and pedestals with idols on them and more ruined tapestries.
We decided to stop there.

So after dispatching the two accomplises of the old resident of the crypt/ancient 'something' we did lots of research to find out what the ancient language was, all to no avail. So searching for sages, we come up short again. So on to plan B. We hear of a dwarven engineer and decide to take the river boat to set him up on retainer to help up figure out how the water and drain work . Being woke up at night to the sound of the barge being grounded and the wheelman dead, and a small black canoe with small humanoids rowing silently away.
Then they attack the beached barge. The ranger and I(mage) take them out and find out they are feral cannibal halflings. During the next day we try to unbeach the barge but nothing works, and no other barges come down the river. Night two, see the halflings attack with like 5 this time and flaming arrows.
We nearly die but end up taking them out and the next day another barge comes and helps us out and we continue on our way.

Several days after cleaning out the lair of the necromancer, you happen to find a small book tucked into a crack in the wall behind the wardrobe. It appears to be a journal of some sort...

Journal of Miserat Denagol,
associate necromancer and humble servant of Curmash and Aailya

Day 1
Curmash and Aailya have sent me off to some god-forsaken little farming village called Mermot. I'm starting to wonder if they doubt my talents. I should be involved with the group in Seyruun, damn them.

In any case, causing a little chaos in the town shouldn't be difficult. I'll take a few skeletons with me for starters. I just need to find a place to hole up.

Day 4
Mermot is even smaller than I imagined. I can't imagine what Curmash and Aailya want with this little hole in the ground.

It does have a small cemetery with a crypt. I should have enough raw materials to get the plan in motion.

Day 7
The crypt wasn't even sealed. These rural types are all the same, much too trusting.

Two of the corpses were in good enough shape to zombify, and one had a nice suit of chainmail that even fits me. I'll just have to shake the crud out of it.

There's a nice big hill behind the crypt and I think for the scare value, I should use it as my lair.

As far as I know, the people here don't suspect me of anything yet. I'll have to wait a week or two before I start causing problems so they've forgotten about me.

Day 11
Between the skeletons and the magic device Aailya furnished, I have carved out a nice little lair for myself. I've also found something interesting under the hill. Some kind of stone wall. It looks very old. I will send word back that I'm ready to begin and tell Curmash what I've found.

Day 13
Things are progressing nicely. I've got a few zombies made already.

Haven't found anything of interest on the corpses. Poor people die poor I guess.

Day 14
The floor of my room collapsed today. I nearly fell in and a few of the corpses I was preparing did, along with all of my equipment. This will present a significant set back. As I do not possess the capital to purchase new equipment, I'll have to send for some gold. Aailya will not be pleased.

Day 19
Amazingly, Aailya sent not only gold, but several gems, new equipment and many new alchemy ingredients. They must have big plans for this little town in some way I have yet to imagine.

Neverthless, I have dug out a new room for myself and tested the floor this time. I will recommence operations tomorrow.

I do have to note however that the gold bars are stamped with some symbol I do not recognize. I'm not sure what they expect me to do with them, there's no way I can use them as normal trade bars.

Day 21
Things have progressed much faster than I expected. I will start sending out the skeletons to harass the people here tomorrow night. Why Aailya said not to kill any of them I don't know. It must be part of some scheme her and Curmash have cooked up.

I'm getting the hang of these alchemical compounds. The notes Aailya sent with them have helped immensely.

I sense some grand purpose in this, but I don't know how it all fits together.

Day 24
Those foolish idiots sent some foolish adventurer in here after me. I expected them to be scared witless, but apparently they have a little more spine than I gave them credit for.

Unfortunately for them, my minions made quick work of him. Maybe it was some farmer's kid who thought he'd be a hero. He did have a nice flail though, I believe it's imbued in some manner. I will have to look into it.

Unfortunately for me, the zombies pretty much destroyed his body and I can't use it for the operation.

Day 27
I started to run low on supplies for myself so I gave the skeletons simple orders to pick up specific things. They aren't too bright, but at least they can do this. I've got enough food to last another few weeks now, though it's mostly milled grain. I'll have to have them get a cask of wine tonight.

Day 29
Things are going very well. I believe I've nearly mastered these recipes from Aailya. I especially enjoy the acidic throwing stones.

I will send word tonight to Curmash and Aailya that I am nearly ready for phase two. I am eager to find out what it is exactly.

Only a few more weeks in this hole and I...

Stopping by the Adventures Camp...
we advertised for a tank and a healer, and once we have introductions out of the way we went back to the crypt. Of course then we all realized that we didn't have any rope and we also had a warforged in the group. So off to big city again to buy 3 times the rope 1600ft, climbers kits for us all and two sets of hammers and pitons and a wagon using our riding horses to carry it all.
Back at the crypt, we set our ropes and dropped down in. Finding a semi collapsed tiled hallway. Following in one direction we came to a huge gallery room with a 40-50ft diameter pool of water and a huge spout on the ceiling and finding nothing else. Off in the other direction, we found a zombie, two skeletons, and another caster type.
We decided to rest after that.

Some background is required

Following our total party wipe, we rerolled characters and began again. Last week just the ranger and wizard were able to adventure so we looked for something to do. We found a small town, a four hour ride from the other big city that we have been based in, and found a crypt that needed cleaning out of undead. We made pretty short work of it. A few zombies and a necromancer were all we found. The loot was good 12 gold trade bars with a strange conglomerate of two mage guild symbols on them, and some gems and gold, etc. There was also a large pit or hole that we thought might go somewhere else and the ranger got a disease.
Off to the big city to talk to mage guilds to find out why they might have strange guild symbols on them. First guy offered us 1500gp to just forget the whole thing, the parties mage found this suspect. The next few offered just standard rate, and I forget what the other guy said.
Needless to say we tried to go back and sell them for 1500 and got turned down. So the moneychanger changed the 12 bars for us, we got the ranger cured of his disease and we rested.

On our second session of the new Wizards of the Coast RPG or Fourth Edition to other people, we experienced a Total Party Kill (TPK) from a group of kobalds.
Usually, these little bastards are a push-over, but not now...