What Lies Beneath? Report

General Summary

Ready'reat 9th, 595 CY

2024-09-04

Back at the mine office, which they had decided to purchase, the Topknots spent a day working on the place. Malakai continued work on the stone foundation and first floor, but wasn't able to make any progress, finding that the damage was more extensive than he first thought and requiring more work. Kaszu had some success repairing the roof, another half-day of work should finish the roof off, but the stonework would take another full day if no further issues popped up.

Ready'reat 10th, 595 CY

Heading back to town, they spoke briefly with Allustan who was working to piece together the Vaati sigils from the Whispering Cairn. They spent some time on the Vein discussing their infiltration of Dourstone Mine. Argan suggested just raiding the place and killing anyone in their way, they had to all be cultists anyway.
Taking a more measured approach, they decided to keep an eye on the mine and see if there were any opportunities they could find. Dourstone Mine was always busy during the day with miners and wagons coming and going. They saw a familiar face the first day, Jerras, the laborer they freed from the Red Hand Goblins almost a month ago. As the mines let out for the night and the guards changed shifts, they met up in the Vein. Deciding that Delilah should be the one to talk to Jerras, they gave her some room.
Jerras was happy to see Delilah and again thanked the Topknots for his life and freedom. His was a sad story. As a farmer, he was a sort of jack-of-all-trades, so he tried doing odd jobs and supporting himself that way. Eventually, he found himself out of work and money. The only reasonable paying job for a manual laborer in Diamond Lake was the mines. He had heard that Dourstone was better than most of the others so he applied and started a few weeks ago. As he spoke, he coughed a lot, being newly exposed to the mining dust.
Delilah asked him about Dourstone, he said that past the mine entrance, there's an area marked unsafe to the south. The miners all take the passage north to the fresh ore lodes. Delilah then suggested he could work for them, doing odd jobs and taking care of the Topknot Office, and her mule Tulip, while they were away. He jumped at the chance, and was about to even return his equipment right there and then until Argan convinced him that the mines, and Dourstone were dangerous and he could even be killed if he went back.
As Delilah was talking with Jerras, the companions watching the mine was something interesting. Wagons bearing Smenk's logo rode up to the guards and were let inside under cover of darkness. After a few hours, the wagons left, emptied of their crates and barrels. They Topknots returned to their base and rested.

Ready'reat 11th, 595 CY

Due to the late night, the Topknots woke and made their way to Diamond Lake somewhere near noon. Allustan still didn't have anything for them, so they decided to be a bit audacious and speak with Smenk. Let in by Kullen, they were taken down a large hall where they saw the place was protected by apes, almost as large as Argan and Crichton. They were in chains which slid along tracks in the walls, and didn't have enough length to reach the center of the hall, but it looked like the chains could be lengthened, probably after dark.
They didn't wait long for Smenk, who was obviously unhappy to see them. Showing Smenk the letter they found in Filge's notes, the mine manager knew that they had evidence pinning the necromancer on him and that they knew about the cult. His eyes practically lit up when they expressed an interest in "taking care of" the cult. He suggested that he would provide another wagon of supplies for the price of Filge's note. Argan said flatly that he could have the note after the cult was dealt with.
That was how they found themselves on a Smenk wagon heading to Dourstone mine after dark that evening. Kaszu explained to the guards that last night's shipment was contaminated and these were replacements. They were allowed in and shown a 10 by 10 mining cage-lift. They were told to stack the supplies and bring it down. It was a tight fit, but they were able to lower themselves and the crates down 200 feet into an expertly-crafted hall.
The black marble tile floor opened to the south into a large circular chamber with a pool of black liquid surrounded by a staircase hugging the walls with three platforms built into its ascent. The northern area was columned with three short passages ending in doors. The eastern passage had a gauntleted fist grasping six arrows, the symbol of Hextor, God of Tyranny. The west door was unmarked, but the northern door had the symbol of a human hand grasping an eye, the symbol of Vecna.
Two tieflings moved to engage with the companions, each bore the sign of Hextor on their leather armor. Kaszu explained again about the tainted supplies, to which one of the tieflings chuckled, saying the priests could have just purified them. As one of the tieflings made his way to the eastern door, the Topknots attacked. Crichton entered the passage and severely injured the guard, while Tolman engaged with the other guard, his strike bouncing off the guards armor. Argan and Kaszu also attacked the second guard, who struck the spider defender as it moved into attack. The guard then turned his attention to Kaszu, slashing with his longsword. Malakai also attacked the second guard and struck with his shillelagh, augmented by Argan's drake. Delilah was able to toll the dead on the first guard, killing him. Crichton followed up by taking out the already significantly wounded second guard.
Malakai moved ahead and listened at the door. When he heard nothing, Tolman moved ahead and picked the lock. Crichton then moved to the front and opened the door. The passage went another thirty feet before opening into a room. Twelve suits of armor stood at attention. Crichton stopped just inside the room, with Malakai behind him in the corridor as eight of the suits of armor began moving towards him, as their helmets opened each had a skeletal warrior inside.
The skeletons began to move to surround the dragonborn, but their first few attacks missed. Crichton's glaive slashed at them while Kaszu's spider defender moved into the room ahead of Crichton. A skeleton warrior sliced the spider with its longsword, getting a good strike on it as Kaszu first his crossbow from the hallway. Being stuck in the hallway, the companions found themselves shooting around corners and at barely-visible targets. Crichton and the spider defender took all of the attacks, and the skeletons were capable warriors. Argan and Tolman fired their bows from the hall while Malakai and Delilah used their chill touch cantrips. One of the skeleton warriors fell, but the others continued to rain blows down on Crichton and the spider defender, dropping Kaszu's creation. Kaszu followed up by killing it with a crossbow bolt. Tolman dropped another as Crichton began to suffer under the onslaught. Two more dropped before Crichton fell. Malakai used a healing word to revive him, but another skeleton dropped him again. Malakai healed him again as the companions stuck in the corridor rained down spells and arrows. Crichton was dropped a third time before the last of the skeletons were defeated.
The Topknots took some time for Kaszu to repair his creation and Crichton to heal up some. To the north and south short corridors ended in doors while a ten-foot-wide passage headed further east, ending in double doors emblazoned with the symbol of Hextor. The ten-foot-wide hall had one doorway in both the north and south walls.

Campaign

It Started in Diamond Lake

Protagonists

Tolman K’hurzz

Malakai Steelbuckle

Delilah Raincloud

Crichton Eogen

Argan Agu-Ulakanu

Chaotic Good Goliath (Outlander)
Ranger 4

36 / 36 HP

STR
18

DEX
14

CON
14

INT
10

WIS
12

CHA
8

Kaszu Billowcase

Chaotic Good Rock Gnome (Guild Artisan / Guild Merchant)
Artificer 3

24 / 24 HP

STR
8

DEX
12

CON
14

INT
17

WIS
14

CHA
10

Report Date

14 Sep 2024