Plugging along on an outline. The original object of their quest, a prisoner at the heart of a labyrinth, has vanished entirely. From the story, that is, not the plot. Went back and rewrote the part where the paladin explains that they have to find him, and put in their new quest, namely to figure what the heck the labyrinth is. Eh, he was a MacGuffin, anyway.
But they are plugging along through the obstacles, and I'm looking to wrap up, and I remember one of the first obstacles I thought of. One that was a major inspiration for their dungeon crawl and the somewhat complex history and relationship of two characters. The entire point of said obstacle -- which is more psychological than physical -- is to poleaxe them near the end.
Is it even going to appear in this story?
And if it vanishes, is it going to reappear, nibbling at clover before it pounces to demand that I write it, again?