The party finds itself at the foot of The Long Stair, having travelled first from the Tomb of the Serpent Kings to Burdock's Valley, then to Gosterwick.
They entered the The Tower of Madness, where they found nothing valuable, but did discover a trap door in the floor. Upon opening it, Summers Eve was attacked by a vengeful spirit, which aged her 30 years. She now appears to be a 48 year old woman.
The party then began the treacherous climb up the Long Stair, which is rocky, steep and slippery. Several characters almost fell but their rope system kept them safe.
They explored one small room at one of the switchbacks, finding nothing but a fire circle and 2 weeks' worth of dry firewood.
At another switchback, they found a long-abandoned waystation of some kind, crowded with ropy cobwebs. They lit the cobwebs on fire and had to flee the thick black smoke.
They also met Hama and Company, a friendly group of fellow adventurers. They swapped information and kept it friendly, though somebody stole 30 gold pieces from Shaka Kahn.
Further up the trail, they found a Small Grove of Scraggly Trees and spotted some kind of white ape swinging down the cliff face.
Finally, they made it to the top, entering the city of Arden Vul, passing two guard towers. One was collapsed completely, but the other still stands, though careful recon (for once) suggests it may be the home of spiders.
They ventured a little ways further into the city, finding a tall obelisk covered in ancient writing with a large rough ankh carved into the side...