Edward sees nothing but a strangly familiar inky black void, masking his vision. A dark and gravelly voice echoes in his ears, his Patron.
"Flee from this place, a powerful being lurks in its depths. It seeks to corrupt you, undo you."
Edward sees shapes emerge from the inky blanket before him, long shapes, tentacles reaching for him. They grab him, shake him.
Edward struggles against them and throws a fist in defence.
Mornington receives a fist square to the jaw, knocking him back. He rises and reaches for his rapier, drawing it and pointing it towards Edwards throat.
Edward blinks, regaining consciousness, realising what he has done in lapse of his senses.
The party feel the burden of accumulated fatigue and head back to the element stone where the surrendered cultists remain.
They speak with Dorothy Bramble the halfling girl who surrendered alongside the other remaining cultists. They speak about the mine and the Gemcutter.
They learn of the Quaggoths, the hulking humanoid that was spotted earlier and found that Knillback would be able to negotiate safe passage when ever they were encountered.
Needing to leave and take Knillback to the nearest jail, the party gather the survivors and begin to retrace their steps. They now see that the onyx-like walls are oozing an unidentified thick fluid. After a short journey the party encounter the natural cave once more but can hear creatures lumbering in the dark.
The party are ambushed by three Quaggoths, Artax attempts to bargain the surviving cultists for safe passage, but fails as carnage ensues. A bloody combat tears through all the cultists bar Dorothy, and the party are now worse for wares after chasing off the final Quaggoth.
The cave has now begun to fill with the sticky fluid oozing from the walls and has started to soak into the bodies of the slain. To the shock of the party, the bodies begin to animate, repulsively dragging themselves towards a large - seemingly bottomless - pit. Artax and others begin to destroy the bodies so that they are incapable of moving further as Mornington looks on in horror at the acts of his fellow adventurers.
After navigating their way through the labyrinthine mine, they return to the surface, the land lit with a soft moon glow. A deep relief washes over the party as they head back to Dundel.
The party waste no time and head straight for Dundel's Military Ward. Dorothy parting ways and returning to Greener's Hill as to avoid the heat from her cult activity. Knillback is jailed at the barracks after Warner Kilner is given a purposefully abridged debriefing. Then the party throw themselves into various establishments in Silvers Throw to celebrate their victory. All but Mornington, who retires early, contemplating many many things.
The next morning arrives and the party are summoned by Wolfgang Minerson, who wants an account of the parties recent movement. As the party have now nulled the source of the ongoing crimes in his town, he sets out to reward the party.
He summons forth a new associate the party have not met before, Iravius, a tall looming member of the Servants of the Weave. He has been sent by the capital as a watchful eye to investigate the inappropriate use of magic in Dundel. However, now that the party have gotten to the bottom of that riddle, he insists on uncovering more information regarding the element stones. The party comply, and it is agreed that Iravius will travel with the party to investigate the element stone within the Faunar Watchtower.
Wolfgang rewards the party by officially hiring them as Watchmen of Faunar, adding them to his military forces and payroll, albeit with far more agency than his normal employ. They must return to Faunar no less than once a week, keep it manned, repaired and gradually improve its defenses. For this they will be paid 200 gold each per week, and must report back any news of the goblinoid forces that have brought havoc to the surrounding area.
Wolfgang offers a toast of fine wine in the party's name, and a new chapter begins.
Next Session 27
Previous Session 25