The date is Friday, 30th June
The time is 8:00 PM
The passage opens out into a large natural cavern. The floor has been sensitively levelled, but the ceiling has many impressive stalactites. Here and there outcrops of lurid fungi bring a splash of colour to the place. The sound of a distant fall of water echoes around the cave.
Water cascades into a huge hole in the ground, the spray fogs the air and your light causes bright rainbows to appear. In the distance, a pathway seems to descend around the edge of the hole, its flagstones slick with wet moss. Away from the hole, the cavern disappears into the darkness.
Through the mist and gloom Sigmund spotted a
large creature ahead on the other side of the huge chasm. It had the head of a vulture and the body of a beetle. Sigmund decided it was nasty and unleashed eldritch bolts of force at it. As such, the battle was joined. The creature let out a great roar of pain and it started rushing towards us, cutting off our escape in the process.
Tinnan moved forward to intercept it and then another one moved in from the south. Chi moved to support Sigmund only to see another one approaching from the south. Chi used his wand and blasted some bolts into the first one in the south. Sellis chanted a prayer to the Earth Mother and highlighted one of the aberrations in a green glow. The north one moved in and slashed at Tinnan and then a fourth came out of the shadows in the south. Sigmund blasted one.
As the battle unfolded, Idris blasted the north one with bolts of fire. He then headed south to support Chi and Sigmund. Tinnan engaged the north one in melee and then the first southern one came in. It swung at Sigmund but the warrior was too nimble. Chi danced in and out striking with his spear and hurting one. The three in the south raced in and Sigmund stood bravely against them alone as Chi danced back out. Fyren blasted the northern one with fire but it was still on its feet, though looking frazzled. It was hurt bad enough to struggle to hit Tinnan. Sigmund then shouted a word of power which hurt all three horrors he was facing.
Idris blasted the north one as he came south but it still refused to fall. Tinnan missed it terribly. Chi moved south and tried to finish off one of the southern ones but failed. Sellis was also having trouble blasting the north one who was proving very resilient. Fyren saved the day and finally brought it down. Yay. Idris got slightly slashed by one of the remaining ones. Sigmund then smashed the one he was fighting, nearly finishing it off.
Idris blasted the one he was fighting but was unsuccessful. Tinnan ran in but had a long way for his little legs to carry him. Sigmund took a couple of slashes from one but the warrior was again nimble. Chi killed it and danced off again. The back one moved in and Sigmund butted it with his staff but it then hit him heavily with a claw. Sellis lit up the last two horrors, immolating them both. The fight seemed to have turned to our heroes' benefit. Fyren blasted one which retaliated by slashing Idris and Chi, clearly enraged. Sigmund smashed one and it hurt.
Idris, facing one, tried to zap the one he was fighting but it was too nimble. Tinnan moved in alongside Sigmund and smashed into the fray, hurting one. Chi helped Idris by unleashing a flurry of attacks and both remaining horrors were badly hurt but still fighting. The two remaining ones slashed about them, hurting many of us. Then Sigmund dropped one with his staff. The last one didn't last long.
We rested up for a bit and patched our wounds but were feeling pretty sore. There was only one place left to go and that was the far side of the lava pool. We made our way back to the forge and there were greeted by the huge fire elemental,
Shimmer. Fortunately, Fyren was able to speak to him. He asked us if we had changed our minds about the small gem. We told him no and he said he was happy to take the gem from us anytime. He then left and we circumnavigated the lava pool to the far side.
In the distance, you can see several dwarf-sized humanoids with bright lights moving down the passage towards you. As they get closer you can see that the light is actually their hair and beards on fire!
We greet the
Azers politely (knowing from the large fire elemental that azers often visited to use the forge). We ask what lies beyond - they mention sulphur pools (they've been collecting sulphur) and "water elementals" (which are friendly to azers, but may be aggressive to us).
We moved off east and came into a new area. Although considerably cooler than the magma chamber, the air here is still very hot and humid and smells of rotten eggs. The yellow crystals seem even more prevalent here. A few large bubbles gently float up out of the lake, one by one they burst with an abrupt "pop" and wispy tendrils of the steam escape.
More and more appeared. They were watching us but not overtly aggressive. We tried moving past them and deeper into the chamber. One put its hands into Tinnan's backpack and was rebuffed but would not be rebuffed. The
Steam Mephit then got aggressive and it all kicked off, as per usual.
Idris called radiant damage down on the one fighting Tinnan but it nimbly dodged. A mephit flew in and spat a stream of steam at Sellis and Chi. Fyren froze him slightly in retaliation. Sigmund blasted one and Tinnan hit it but it was still flying and clawed at Tinnan in response. Chi danced in and finished it off but it exploded in a burst of steam which we dodged nimbly. Chi danced on and struck another but could not kill it. Sellis exchanged spells and steamy breathing with one.
Idris was breathed upon but then called upon the power of the Hunterton ancestors and blasted them all with radiance! Three dissipated in a puff of steam, leaving just 2 mephits. They did not last long.
We completed the whole level and decided to leave the dungeon.
2 hours later we found our way out to the surface. It was a dark but moonlit night. We moved off to
Javik and reached there at midnight. We drank some ales in the long house and drank some more ales. We told the people what we had found.
We spent a couple of days resting in Javik and chatting with the locals. We asked about dwarves and about knowledge of the dwarves we knew about but the locals were not very knowledgeable on these subjects. Though it was good to be back in the fresh air we knew there was one more level of the mine to explore and so we also prepared ourselves to return.
Levelled Up To 6th Level
The date is Monday, 3rd July
The time is 8:00 AM
We rose early and headed back into the bear gully where the entrance was. Chi reached out to the shadow realm and granted those of us who could not see in the dark the power to do so. He also drew the shadows from the Void and cloaked the party in them. A long trek took us into the deep darkness. We then began the descent into the
5th level of the dungeon.
Water cascades down noisily into a large pool, and the smell of "animal" is overpowering. The occasional bat flitters to and fro. A string of marble columns lines the water's edge, a wrought iron lantern dangling from each. The cavern floor is scattered with worked animal skins giving the impression of a barbarous encampment.
We spot
Grimlocks milling around the cavern and they have not noticed us yet. So we piled in.
Chi teleported into the middle with a new show of ability. Sigmund span his staff in his hands and demolished one small one. Spells flew from the casters but to less effect at the start. Fyren blasted a big one and Tinnan ran in and finished it off. He then carried on and took out one of the small ones. Idris advanced and blasted another but it dodged. Then the grimlocks woke up and responded.
Many more poured south towards us from the north end of the chamber.
Idris called upon the power of the ancestors and obliterated many of the small ones, leaving a few big ones still standing and fighting. There were more to the north though. One of them retaliated and smashed Idris across the back, making him stumble. A shaman and witch doctor appeared at the back and boosted their troops. Idris, Sigmund and Tinnan waded into the melee in a big way whilst spells flew from the back lines. The witch doctor cracked the ground and hurt the warriors but they still moved in. It tried to paralyse Sigmund but he was too strong of mind and resisted the magic.
The battle was turning in our favour and soon all the grimlocks were killed.
The cave was huge and full of Grimlock crud. A few coins of low value were recovered.
