A Final Salute!

18 Yarthmont - Melinir and the Whispering Cave
 
Pickman requested more of the tainted water for study as it was so diluted. Thinking we would need more containers we were thinking of where we could procure them when Durbin pulled out multiple containers from the dresser on his back. That made it very simple. We went back to the mine and gathered water from the same spot. Dram and Sorin suggested maybe trying to find something more concentrated but we decided to wait to delve deeper until we had more information. Nothing was touched or changed. I shaped the water to gather it into the containers and we made our way back to Melinir. During this time I sent Melwin to deliver a message to my clan that six of these Iron Ring members were loose and to keep an eye out, even actively search them out if possible.
 
When we returned I quickly glanced over the documents and saw that they were unreadable. The letters made no sense so I thought I would consult with Connor since he deals daily with these types of things. He quickly realized it was some sort of cypher. A way to make it so no one else without the cypher was likely to read it. I had heard of such things before. He said it is possible to decipher but it was a lengthy process sometimes. Although in this case he quickly was able to do so and showed me how to change the letters around so we could read it.
 
Connor was able to actually scan the documents as he could decipher in his mind. For me it took longer as I had to actually write out the message again using the code Connor gave me. It was pretty chilling. This mine was indeed the main camp of the river bandits. It seems we had all accounted for except for the six members that escaped. The Captain we found murdered by his Lieutenant was taking orders from someone else via these cyphered letters. It was a pretty detailed account of theft, drop offs and payments made. What was even worse was that recently they had been ordered to take lone travelers for someone buying people. They were exchanged for goods at some unknown drop off point. There’s also someone referred to as “Black” who is apparently the secondary person behind the one writing these letters. It seems there was something far more sinister at work here than just some men down on their luck.
 
We worked through the night to get as much info as possible that could help us. Connor also lamented his job in dealing with humans sometimes. They didn’t seem to have the best sense of community and working together. I suggested he get an assistant to help with the human interactions. He thought that was a wonderful idea. He thought a pretty woman would help as some people get quite angry sometimes. He thought they would not do that to a pretty woman and that did make sense. I’ve never seen anyone angry with Rhiannon and her smile washed away any of my frustrations. It was a good idea.
 
19 Yarthmont - Melinir and the Whispering Caves
 
In the morning I told the others what Connor and I had deciphered from the letters. It wasn’t all of it but it did seem to paint a general picture of what has been going on. The others were concerned as well, especially about the missing people and another unknown out there. We had breakfast and discussed possible theories of what can be happening. While parts were pretty obvious there was still a lot hidden. Who was this mysterious boss and their secondary? How was the water tainted with a mana infused poison? There was really only one way to find out and that was to go back into the mines. This was all much simpler chasing down kobolds who stole a book. Which by the way I still don’t don’t understand how it drove people to such extremes. Perhaps a mystery that will never be solved.
 
We went back to the mine first thing after finishing breakfast. It seems we were not careful enough and left the doors open. Something had come through and destroyed everything. And by everything I do mean everything. All the items in the main entry were smashed. Going to the main room with all the crates and foodstuff. All smashed and destroyed, rummaged through by some large creatures whose prints were everywhere. It was too bad all this was destroyed but I was a bit more worried about what did this. Sorin said they were big but not exactly sure how many or what exactly they were.
 
He did say it seemed like they continued into the mine but had not come back out yet. Fantastic. We would need to delve deeper into the mine to determine what is going on which I of course expected. It didn’t make me feel any better though but this needed to be done. Sorin led us cautiously through the tunnels. It was a mind numbing twisting labyrinth. Multiple intersections, dead ends, ore tunnels, nicely finished areas, more branches, more dead ends. Very soon after starting the exploration I was lost. I had no idea how deep we were or where we were. I just followed the others and muttered a prayer to Ilsundal that Durbin would know how to get us out. Hopefully he would hear my prayer down in the earth here.
 
After some time we came to a stairway going down. Great, now we had to go deeper. But wait…no we can’t go down yet because there are other areas. After a bit more exploration it was decided we should just go down the stairs. With the ruckus these creatures seemed to be making we doubted they would be hiding quietly to ambush us. We made our way back to the stairway and went down. I don’t know how they kept track of where we were going, I had no idea how to even get out anymore.
 
We went down the stairs to another level of twisting mines. Here though we ran into something very interesting. As we started exploring we came across two dwarves fighting but making no sound. They turned out to be ghostly apparitions replaying out a scene of what happened here in the past. One ran towards and through us and they disappeared. As we approached the scene where they were fighting we found two “tombs” dug into the wall where it seems their bodies had been laid to rest. Like everything else they seemed to have been desecrated, their bones tossed about like trash. Durbin solemnly put the bones back how they should be and said a prayer of rest over the bodies and put the stones back up that entombed them. Hopefully they will find some rest. He did mention they were actually brothers. Of course Dram was saying see I told you it was haunted. I found it easier to just not correct him anymore.
 
As we pushed on we saw more scenes of violence. Unfortunately the more we pushed on it seemed like the entire weight of the earth above us was pressing down on me. It was giving me a headache and making it a bit difficult to focus. Nothing horrible that I couldn’t function but a sense of wanting just not wanting to be underground like this. I can’t even recount the number of tunnels again. More winding paths, forks, intersections and dead ends. Is this how Durbin feels all the time on the surface? Or maybe just in the woods? I feel odd asking him about it but perhaps some time I should.
 
We found more of these tombs carved in the walls. Some had bodies in them, all desecrated of course and some were empty. Durbin took the time to put them all back and say prayers over them. We put together their tombs as best we could. This poison is devastating. We will need to find the source and destroy it lest it take the whole rift. As we delved deeper we got a point where one of the dwarven apparitions actually seemed to notice we were there. He looked at us and shed a tear. In another vision a dwarf ran cackling holding something and others chased after him. The dwarf running away looked…wild. We followed the apparition and found a long winding set of stairs going down. Great, yet more stone between myself and the sky. We backtracked the direction the others chased the wild dwarf from.
 
Inside we saw a clearer vision of the wild dwarf taking something out of a large iron chest in a storage and running away. There was a purplish glow from the chest so it seems it had grabbed something and ran with it. Perhaps an object that could be the source of the poison? It seems we were getting closer to the source. We went back to the stairs and followed them down. It was becoming insufferable now. I can’t remember how long we walked down those stairs but it was too long.
 
When we got to the bottom it was a very large natural cavern. Later Durbin said it was likely cut out by an underground river. There were giant mushrooms in mounds of dirt all over. As we started to move through the chamber suddenly dozens of apparitions appeared around us. It was hard to tell but there were gnomes for sure. Maybe some dwarves also but it was a large frenzied brawl. I didn’t know there were any gnomes here as well unless the vision was wrong or of something else?
 
Inside this natural cavern off to one side was a large hall that Durbin said was gnomish. There were brightly colored tiles and mosaics on the walls going down it. We decided to investigate the rest of this large cavern before checking that out though. We found large groups of mushrooms and a crystal clear large pool of water. Pristine water that was not tainted and likely undisturbed for centuries. This was odd, if the source was down here would this be heavily tainted. Maybe there were other forces at work here.
 
As we were cautiously exploring a sudden sound of a rock falling interrupted the quiet. We moved towards it and found a huge pile of rock blocking off another cavern and bugbears furiously digging at it. They quickly noticed us and rushed in. Thankfully everyone was already set for battle and they were only able to get to Durbin and Dram. I quickly thought about shaping the stone on the ceiling to fall on them but by the time I went to start to prepare they had two down already. I asked if they had the situation in control which they did so I just watched our rear. The battle was over quickly but Dram was shouting that one of them made it through the rubble. He also mentioned they had oddly glowing purple eyes which I had not heard of in bugbears.
 
As we made our way towards the rubble to investigate we got another vision. Three heavily armored dwarves fighting the wild dwarf who was almost naked. They hit it hard over and over but this thing was vicious. It jumped on one Dwarf and just snapped his neck in full armor and did more damage to them then they did to it. Finally the thing retreated and the remaining dwarves pulled out some sort of satchel, threw it into the cavern and it exploded. They tried to move out of the way but were not quick enough and the blast consumed them. They had trapped it but at the cost of their lives.
 
As we got even closer an apparition rose from one of the skeletons of the dwarves (which were still lying there) and stared right at us with tears in his eyes. Very sad indeed. We went through the hole one by one into another gnomish hall. Dram was very worried about letting this thing loose now that there was an escape route for it. Shaping a large stone wall was very tiring so I contemplated saving my strength for battle or putting up the wall. I asked for the opinions of others but they weren’t much help, trusting on my decision. I weighed the benefits and negatives and decided that I would still be strong enough to assist. I shaped the stone and locked us, and the thing, in. I don’t believe Rhiannon would be too happy about this.
 
We cautiously moved forward down the hall until we came to what seemed the end, opening up to a small natural cove and an eerie purple light. As we rounded the corner a wave of revulsion shot through me. This emaciated short humanoid creature was hanging the body parts of the bug bear that had been ripped to pieces. It was hanging them directly over this purple crystal on the ground. As the blood dripped and touched it the glow brightened quickly and went back down. The next second or two seemed like an eternity. The thing turned, looked at us and ran leaping onto Dram slashing at his face.
 
I stepped back dumbfounded. No ice sphere this time though I had no problem destroying that thing. No shape earth it was way too fast to be tricked. The best thing I could do was try to ensnare it with mana. I could see blood dripping from its claws as it slashed at Dram’s face. I held out my staff forcing the mana through it and wove it around the creature but was not successful the first time. The second time it was if Ilsundal himself guided the mana through me, my staff and surrounded the creature. I lifted it up off the ground and back off Dram and told them I had it but not for how long. They hit it hard multiple times literally just smashing the body to bits. Everytime something broke off this purplish “mana dust” floated in the air. I didn’t know if it would do any good but I created air above Durbin which pushes out the existing air creating a breeze. It didn’t do anything.
 
The battle didn’t last much longer. The creature struggled but with the help of Ilsundal it was not going anywhere. They literally smashed the thing into dust. I moved the rest of the body parts to the corner and dropped them. The blood was still dripping on the crystal and I swore it grew a little every time. With each drip the light pulsed eerily in the silence. Durbin moved to pull down the body parts but I warned him to not go near the thing. I could just pull them down by wrapping them in mana but that would be tiring as those bugbears were heavy. I decided to just shape earth to cover the crystal and roll it up into a ball we could take out. Durbin said he had a large chest we could put it in which was perfect. I wrapped up the crystal and moved the stone towards the chest. As I did I opened a small hole to ensure the thing was there and it was. Suddenly I had an idea. If we could split the taint from the crystal it would be a powerful source of mana. It should be possible to cleanse it and leave the raw power behind. I excitedly told the others we could harness this thing so I opened up the shaped stone more to see more of the crystal. This was exciting! It would be far more powerful than any mana stone anyone could create. With that much power I could fix Castle Krall myself! Open up the passages to the outside world with ease! Do whatever I want with that power and Barriks knowledge! It was all possible right here with the power contained in this crystal. I would put the elves back into their rightful place in this world! Just then I saw Durbin with lighting reflexes smash his hammer down directly on the crystal turning it to powder and the power contained within evaporated.
 
I fell to my knees and screamed although quickly my mind cleared. What was I thinking? No one could harness that crystal! The effects of the thing were quick and brutal. No wonder so many dwarves fell to its power and before that the gnomes it seems. It seems it had ensnared the others too as they seemed to be blinking as if just waking up. I thanked Durbin and told him I owe him a debt of gratitude as that could have ended badly for many.
 
There wasn’t much else here in this hall. A dead end and one small empty room. That creature must have been stuck here for centuries trapped in this cave in. We all needed rest though as we had been down here for hours? Days? It was hard to tell down here but we were in for roughly a day. Durbin made some of the mushroom stew that we had in Hearthome which I thought was fantastic. Dram and Sorin were somewhat disgusted as those mushrooms grew from the dead gnomes. I tried explaining how nature works and this was perfectly natural but they were having none of it. Durbin and I shrugged and enjoyed our stew. Humans.
 
We made our way out of the rubble and back into the main cavern. Durbin put the bodies out there to rest. There wasn’t much else here. The other gnomish hall had a lot of empty rooms with more colorful tiles and many murals. We found a locked store room that Dram asked me if I could get it open. I told him yes, I could just remove the stone from the sides and let the door fall. He wanted to return the objects to the gnomes in the area, only one I know of. I was leery though. Would this be breaking any laws? Hospitality or something else? Would they be angry I did this if we ever have any gnomes in the rift? I asked Durbin for guidance and he said it’s no issue, open it up! I did so hesitantly. There wasn’t much in there, a bunch of old rotted food and equipment. Dram took some old tools that were half rusted. Nostalgia I suppose.
 
We went back upstairs and I felt a little better. Not a lot. The length of time, the dreariness and the maze of tunnels were all compounding now. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could last but the others wanted to check everything out and leave nothing unturned. We found all the dead ends in that level. Durbin found a book of maybe what events were that happened down here. I wasn’t too interested in it at this point. I was just watching the stairs going back up waiting for them to be ready.
 
We investigated more tunnels again on the top level. Eventually we came upon a very murky small underground lake. The taint was heavily concentrated here and the water was dark and muddy. There was a small dock and an old boat and by old I mean old, there were mushrooms growing all over it. The others wanted me to freeze the water over or make a boat which was very tiring and wouldn’t help much. They wanted to see why there was a boat here and if this went somewhere and if the bandits were using it for this and that. In the end I wrapped a light stone in mana and sent it out of the water for as far we could see. There wasn’t much here. I doubt the boat was used in the last century and probably did not get out. We could hear what sounded like a small waterfall close by. I suggested we go out and look because I was over being underground. They said we would but wanted to check the other tunnels first. Great.
 
They went through more winding tunnels. More dead ends. I had enough. I told them over and over we should go out and see if the source was leaking into the water from outside instead of from the crystal area where there was no tainted water. I must have either worn them down or they finally saw my way and relented. We finally made our way outside to the blessed sun and fresh air. Immediately I felt better and that weight on my shoulders disappeared. Thank Ilsundal for that!
 
We went up to the top of the hill and sure enough we found a stream. We found a spot where the stream leaked into the ground and there was a disturbed rock and a splotch of a black tar like substance that was glowing purplish with mana. Once again the elf was right. I was immediately revolted by it but Dram was worried it was like the crystal. I was sure it wasn’t, this was made by someone or something. The worst part is the way the stone was shifted and how this was placed, this was done intentionally. Someone or something did this and poisoned the River Bandits. Perhaps to weaken them to get to the crystal down below? How would they know about it? I shaped stone and did to that substance what I was going to do to the crystal.
 
We went back down to the entry to the mine. I wrapped the wood to bar the door in the mana, we closed it and I dropped it into place and we left the whispering cave. As we made it back up to the road there was a large contingent of dwarves in perfectly shined metal armor gleaming the ray of light as the sun was beginning to set. Law of hospitality! I knew it. I knew we should not have gone in there without express permission from the dwarves! Now we have to go on trial again and they weren’t going to take kindly to an elf being in there. It turns out I was worried over nothing. It was just another apparition. This one was definitely directed directly to us though. They saluted and gave what seemed to be a very deep thank you and disappeared. I could not wait to compose this song!
 
We went back to Melinir and made it back as the final rays set over the horizon. We stopped by Pickman and dropped off the rock and went through everything that happened. He was very curious as to what was actually happening here as were we. After that we stopped by Valum’s but he didn’t have much to say. The prisoners weren’t talking so we didn’t have any new information. They would be put on trial and hung likely. I would need to discuss the deal I had made with the one but later, it was late and i needed to just relax. Connor brought out some drinks and stew. Afterwards I wanted to head to Edgewater but it was dark and Dram didn’t want me going alone still. So I stayed and we went to the Sarcastic Goat. I played some and then spent some time out in the courtyard putting down an outline for the epic song of ill fated dwarves and the evil crystal.
 
 
19 Yarthmont - Melinir and Edgewater
 
In the morning though I told the others I needed to go to Edgewater and find Rhiannon. They all escorted me there and the exact opposite happened of what i thought would happen. Rhiannon was furious at me! I figured she would be happy I was safe but it was “oh no I had no idea where you were or what was going on!” I suppose I was in the wrong but this wild emotional swing wasn’t the best way to tell me but I kept that to myself. After telling me loudly how much of a fool I was she started to act somewhat normal but not normal towards me. I wonder how long this would last? In the future I must do a better job of letting her know what is going on. She did make it plainly clear that we were going to be inseparable for a while although when I was there she didn’t seem to want me there? I’m not sure, I’ll just give her some time I suppose. I figured it better not to try and reason with her in this state. Perhaps these wild emotions gave her music such an impact. Time will tell…