With the discovery of new twisted horrors in the mine, the party are cautious of their next steps. They look the room over, now that the threat has been dealt with, and find an old miners boot and a scroll case half buried in dirt. Prying open the case reveals a mostly intact cross-section map of the mines layout. Two pits feature in the hewn chamber they occupy, and to get a better understanding of the layout Edward sends his Familiar Artax to scout the room below. Both the pits lead into the lower floor but one continues down again to an unknown depth. Edward, through the eyes of his fiendish owl, sees a Unknown very slowly shambling at one end of the chamber. Artax's flight is silent enough to not catch the attention of it and Edward flies him into a neighbouring chamber. Featuring the central mineshaft, Artax narrowly avoids a Unknown that drops from the ceiling. Edward takes notes of the various exits, return's Artax to the party and updates everyone.
Everyone heads to the mine shaft on the ground level and they construct a makeshift pulley system made of climbing pitons hammered into the floor. They then use this to lower Mornington to the lower level. However, a mishap occurs, Mornington slips trying to jump from the rope to the lower floor, the endless dark depth looming below him. The hooped end of the hemp rope catches on his leg, leaving him dangling by his ankle. Mornington hears the Blood Ooze closing on his location, attracted by the noise. After a momentary struggle, Mornington dextrously gets himself upright, gripping the rope with his hands once more before being hoisted up by the others.
With the noble bard back to safety, the party decide on the alternate route. They head down two tunnels, each descending at a steeper decline. This brings them to a now empty Unknown hive, they approached this chamber with caution, based on the more seasoned party members' previous experience. But, there are no monstrous insects to be found, assumed to have been wiped out by the now greater threat occupying the underground labyrinth.
Two exits lead from the porous walled chamber of the old hive, and the party follow their past footsteps, heading down a previously trapped tunnel that ends at the central mineshaft. As they descend, being careful to push aside broken traps of sharp wooden spikes, they notice the walls and floor are shiny with moisture, slimy even. While they slow their descent in caution, Mariel, the Dundel soldier, slips and tumbles down the descending tunnel, taking down another three party members with him. They land as a pile of twisted limbs, groaning from a sore landing. A grim squelch is heard as the Blood Ooze closes in!
Half the party scramble to their feet, while the others take up tactical positions. The fight is over as quickly as it starts, the Ooze dealt with by leveraging their fresh knowledge. A healing potion is launched into its centre of mass by Mornington, a violent reaction occurring within it. Amarion follows up using his Lay on Hands to heal the necrotic ooze, a further reaction bubbles up as others join the effort. The Ooze explodes, another gory mess left in the parties wake.
They know a Cadaver Horror lurks in the next room, but they have no interest in that direction. Edward remembers that the room containing the Death Stone is nearing. They travel down the obsidian walled corridor, perfectly straight walls and ceilings, at least for a time. A fissure through the earth has broken the corridors structure, a thin crack no more than a foot wide. They continue and find a junction, a passage opens to their right where they find the old (now snapped) trip wire that The Gemcutter Cult had built. The corridor continuing ahead however has a much larger fissure, 5ft wide spanning the entire corridor.
Wishing to continue straight, they head back to excavate a couple of the minecart track sleepers. The rails of course all rusted away from prior six-legged occupants, makes this possible. Building a bridge would allow greater safety for the less physically able to cross over the fissure. Crom begins digging, carving with his axe and harnessing his great strength. He pries a sleeper from the ground lifting it up on one end. Suddenly, "WHACK!". The trunk like arm of a Cadavar Horror strikes into Croms head, just under his horned temple. The party, struck with shock as they watch Crom flung aside by this monstrous creature.
Everyone is thrust into action as the spotlight of Morninton's lantern outlines the horror in their midst. Crom keeps toe to toe with the irregularly-proportioned undead while others shuffle into more beneficial standings. Blows are exchanged and spells called upon to try and bring the abomination down. Edward sends scorching rays into the creature, lighting it up in brilliant flame. Amarion calls upon Eloranos to bring down a beam of moonlight energy from the ceiling. The radiance of this holy spell burns the creature more greatly than the flames already engulfing it. The muscles of the disparate corpses that form the Cadaver Horror go limp as it staggers on the spot. Crom sees his opening and swings his axe in a great arc, carving a wound so great it would split a regular man clean in half. The creature staggers, about to topple over, when a crossbow bolt whistles past Crom and strikes into the centre of the creatures body. The last effort sends the creature toppling backwards, it thuds against the floor and the crackling of flesh is all that can be heard over the laboured breaths of the party. Crom turns to see one of the Servants of the Weave standing with a loosed crossbow. He narrows his eyes, one should be careful taking the killing blow from him.
The party are no longer unscathed, wet blood streaked down the side of Crom's head and chest, they all wonder, how many abominations lurk in the depths...
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