The party deals with Ukhlar's dead (truly?) body and leaves the scene of the crime to create a scene on the surface.
The party gathers around the dead body of Ukhlar. Edwyn acted impetuously, and now they face the minor real problem of disposing of the dead body and the major unknown problem of having killed one of elites of Gathela.
Down the tunnel the constructs stride in their direction. They're close enough to identify them as Shield Guardians. They have a few rounds to gather themselves and fire in their direction.
They retreat to the stairwell, carrying Uklar's body. The entrance is too small for the Guardians. From the advantageous position, they beat them down without receiving equal damage return.
During the battle, Ulkhar's body stirs. He coughs. Shield Guardians are constructed to transfer some of their livelihood to those their bound to, and there most have been an unextinguished ember of life left in Ulkhar's body.
The party is now in the inverse position. Two dead Shield Guardians and one alive Ulkhar. He is still near death, but stable.
He doesn't want to talk, but the party has leverage and he reluctantly does.
Ulkhar says that where they are doesn't lead to the Fortress. He says he the cavernous passageway leads to a giant, underground stadium. He plays it off as simple "only joking" journey. The party at the response---he tried to get the Guardians to kill them---but not surprised.
He tries to work out a deal: his life for information. He promises nothing will happen to the party if they let him go. He says that he'll get the party to the Fortress is they only take care of a few people for him. He has a long list of people that he believes are in his way. One is a local commissioner of his housing district. He details the man's movements, including a Sunday park dinner that he suggests would be a good time for assassination.
His arrogance and duplicity are too much. None of his promises can be believed, and the party gets more and more frustrated.
The party isn't safe with him alive. They kill him again. This time he stays dead.
Andrazel looks at the body of Uklar and the battered remnants of the Shield Guardians.
He has an idea. He gets to work and frames the scene as a tragic accident: The Guardians killed Ulkhar. He work is superb. When everything is finally positioned and the rubble moved, it looks authentic. Happy with the result, the party continues down the hallway to, past the neck of the tunnel with the now empty pedestals where the shield guardians stood, and into the arena.
Their tunnel opens to a large, recessed arena. A hundred rows down is an open stage of well-raked dirt.
Above their heads, still some unknown depth under the surface of Gathela, is a network of elevated catwalks and tangled rigging.
They continue down to the main central portion of the area. As they approach they notice the slight outlines of trap doors. Surrounding the central area is a network of large doors, some barred, some solid, presumably to lead monstrous creatures in and out. The whole area smells damp, even though the sand and dirt in front of them is dry.
Some doors appear to close off lit rooms.
The party decides not to explore further. They continue back up to the top of the arena on the other side, to another tunnel. Orryn has decided that this direction would be closest aligned with their goal of reaching the outskirts of the Fortress.
A good half-an-hour later they reach the end of the tunnel and pick a random upward staircase well to enter.
At its top, they look out of a thick closed door to a busy outside avenue, still within the enclosed city within a city of Nobles.
Nobody wants to head back down. They create a distraction. They cast darkness through a crack in the door. Animals are summoned. They bust down the door to the outside world.