Session 118

Session

Session 117

Session Date:

12 July 2024

Game Date:

Evening, CY627

Synopsis:

The party completes its search of the mines and heads back to Coregilia.

This Session:

Nail discovers another level

Nail leaves the large cavern by a different passage and after some walking enters a eerily purple and blue lit cavern with its walls covered in fungus that gives off a faint light. The light reflects on still un mined sapphire stones in the walls. He also notices a crumpled body of a dwarf along the far wall and as he investigates he's hit by multiple tendrils coming from the very walls. A group of violet fungi attempt to entangle him but he avoids any major damage while knocking them off the walls. He hacks them up quickly and then searches the body discovering:

• A silk scroll depicting a strange sea monster (in a language you don't understand)
• A rotted pouch containing gemstones (amethyst, citrine, moonstone)

A rough 2' hole is nearby. The hole appears to be a partially dug shaft leading to another level some 40' below. He hears sounds of mining and indistinguishable voices from what seems like another cavern below. Unable to fit in the hole he cautiously heads out of the cavern down another passageway.

The pirates return

The PC's meanwhile make their final checks and decide to try for a short rest before resuming their search of the mines. Three hours go by before Balmaris hears the sounds of something heavy bumping. into the docks. He looks outside and see's Myra Ironclad and her crew arrive in a wooden john boat.

They disembark stealthily taking up defensive positions around the docks. One of the crew attempts to open the doors to the warehouse and after pausing a moment as though hearing something finds it securely locked moves away. Satisfied the docks are secure Myra rings an old ships brass bell hanging from the cavern wall. They wait for five anxious minutes, while the party watches from their hiding spot in the warehouse.

Clearly irritated at this point Myra rings it again with more energy. After a few minutes pass Myra motions for her crew to move forward just as Rutgar arrives. They begin conversing in Suel and the party is unable to make out much of the conversation until Durmen casts a comprehend languages spell. Myra is clearly displeased with having their transaction interrupted. Rutgar says they are a party of adventurers and he has sent a request for reinforcements to his contact in Coregilia. Myra isn't having it and tells Rutgar he has 12 hours to pay up or she'll terminate the deal. She and her crew then head back out to sea while Rutgar storms up the pathway back into the mine.

The PC's decide to attempt another rest before deciding what to do next.

Nail finds a weapons cache

Nail continues to follow the cool breeze of fresh air and ends up passing by another cave. This one appears dark but shows signs of recent use. He heads into the cavern and finds its been stacked with shipping crates. After taking a short rest he begins cautiously and quietly rummaging through them and turns up a substantial amount of well made weapons. (Clearly not by goblins) The sword pommels in particular catch his interest as they are engraved with a crest he's never seen before. He grabs a light crossbow, sword, and some bolts before catching the sound of some goblins approaching.

He sets up an ambush and as they enter the cavern he leaps out surprising them and before they can react he cuts one in half, then savagely kills another in quick succession. The 3rd one uses a devious goblin technique to withdraw while both shooting at him with a bow and still avoiding Nails attack. Nail pursues the creature to the hallway and just manages to skewer it before it made was about to make good its escape. Satisfied he's not been heard, he proceeds ever upward though the winding passageway.

The one that almost got away

A few more hours go by and Egon now on watch spots a shadowy figure moving from the mines onto the docks. He readies his weapon as the figure pads softly across the dock and fumbling with the lock manages to open it! Egon unsuccessfully attempts to grapple the individual (who appears to be a starving sailor by his tattered attire) and realizing he has not rested enough to recover his spells decides to close the door. By now the rest of the party is awake and acting quickly they get the sailors attention by offering him food. After a tense few minutes the sailor and the party come to more amicable terms especially after they provide him food.

The sailors name is Quinn, formerly of the merchant ship the Dalmatian who was captured a few months ago by Myra Ironclad and sold to Rutgar to work the Silver Mine. Quinn says he and two others sailors escaped after his goblin guards failed to return after responding to an alarm gong the day before. he and his compatriots were separated and probably recaptured or killed. He was attempting to flee via boat before running into the PC's.

Balmaris heals Quinn, and he agrees to help guide the party out of the mines. They outfit him with some of the pirates gear and head up into the mines. The path winds its way upward into a large cavern where a massive elevator winch assembly juts out over a gaping hole in the earth. Peering over the edge Egon can just make out 2-3 sub-levels of mines going down some 100' or more. At the bottom most level what looks like Rutgar and another group of goblins are preparing to ascend in force. Thinking quickly he jams some broken mining implements into the gears seizing the mechanism up (inspiration point for Egon). Following Quinn the party rushes through the cavern pausing briefly to marvel at the raw gemstones before following what can only be Nails bloody handiwork (path of dead goblin bodies) towards the mine entrance.

Back in familiar territory

Still well ahead of the party, Nail continues along the passageway before realizing he's in the northern tunnel that he first spotted the goblin patrol rushing upon them as they entered the mine yesterday morning. Soon after he spots the now cold remnants of the pyre at the junction of the passageways. The entrance way is just beginning to show a splash of yellow as the dawn light begins to shine through the mines opening a few hundred feet to the east.

Having completed a loop through the mines Nail decides to see if the dwarves they rescued are still in the entrance guardroom. He bangs on the still locked door, after a brief conversation they cautiously open it and Nail rejoins them to await the rest of the party, or if needed set out for Coregilia that evening. After another short rest Nail awakens to hear the sounds of the party moving past outside.

Decisions, decisions…

Finally reunited the group debates their choices. Stay or go back to town? Everyone would like to finish the job in one go as nobody is seriously wounded, however the spell-casters have not had a full rest. Another likely major battle looms and without combat and healing spells prepared they may not survive another day. Rather than risk a fight, they gather the wounded and make a hasty retreat towards Coregilia. Without horses its a full days forced march to town but if all goes well they should be resting over a pint of ale at The Snapping Line tavern by dusk.

| Rescued Prisoners | Names | | ----------------- | ----- | | 2 gnomes | | | 3 dwarves | | | 1 sailor | Quinn |

PlayerCharacters

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| Characters | Player | | ---------------------- | ------------- | | Aldran Stormheart | Al Hayat | | Balmaris Dullostii | Phil Klohr | | Durmen Tredan | Ian | | Nail | Mark Johnson | | Poision Egon | Steve Politio | | Ricfire Teabridge | Keith Welch |