With the Unknown smouldering on the ground, the scent of burnt flesh filling the air, the party exit, taking the minecart sleepers with them to the fissure. They set up a crossing by standing two sleepers on end and carefully lowering them with rope attached to the top end. They take turns crossing, most doing so with ease. It comes to Mariel, the soldier, who's plated boot slips off the edge of one of the sleepers. He stumbles and falls, Crom attempts to grab the slack rope attached to the two beams of wood, it goes taught for a slight moment as Mariel collides with it, but alas is sent tumbling into the darkness, his scream fading into the abyss below.
Now a man down, the two Servants of the Weave are dubious to follow across the wooden sleepers. So the party decide to split up, Mornington, Edward, and Amarion down one corridor, Crom and the two mages down the other. Amarion notices something glimmer down the corridor, but upon approach can't see any source that would have reflected light. They make a right turn at the T junction at the end of the corridor and have to get over a simple pit trap. By this time both parties converge on the room containing the element stone. Or at least, where it used to be... A huge chasm has opened up in the room forming a giant pit, and the element stone is no where to be seen. All of the walls and much of the floor is covered in giant crystalline growths, some bigger than a man. Many shards of broken crystal are scattered across the floor from seismic activity that has split the room wide open. The party find some small remnants of The Gemcutter cult, but nothing worth their time.
The hairs on the back of Mornington's neck stand on end. He feels something is watching, something is following the party. He begins to question his sanity when he sees a floating eye in the middle of the passage behind them. He then hears his own voice in his head, speaking words not of his own thoughts, further giving the feel of madness. "The depths welcome you Mornington. Mother will be pleased. So much for you to gain, or so much for you to lose. Time will tell."
Others notice the eye and Crom leaps the chasm, shield raised, to stop the eye from possibly enchanting them with cursed magic. The eye flees, hovering down the corridor at a pace out of sight.
The party reconvene and get the Weave members across the makeshift bridge. They go to the last unexplored room, where a lake once resided. With the seismic shift in the mines it has since drained, revealing a glittering mass of treasure thrown in its depths as tribute. The party collect the coin and find a smooth tunnel leading down at the far end of the chamber, where it looks like the water drained.
Pressing onward they crouch into the smooth, slimy tunnel, until Mornington loses his footing. Landing hard on his arse he starts sliding down, failing to grip an outstretched arm. He rounds a corner, smashing his bull's eye lantern and is thrown into darkness as he continues to pick up speed. The others, not wanting to leave him, leap down the tunnel after him. Everyone sliding, trying to keep their balance, taking a few knocks as they do, make it to the bottom. They all spill out into a pile at the tunnels destination, showering the pebbled ground beneath them. They groan and get back to their feet.
Edward produces a flame, the pebble shore they stand on leads out into a lake, its outer limits unknown. The shore and the cavern walls stretch out, far beyond the reaches of light. An ancient subterranean lake lies before them. Then, in each of the party member's minds, a voice, their own voice...
"Mother will be pleased."
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