Mornington and Edward investigate the Death Stone, seeing if there is anything they can do to recover it? It is smashed into many pieces, broken beyond repair, and the magical glow that once lit its carvings has faded.
Crom and Amarion both have discoloured wounds from the Aboleth's tentacles, ugly marks that seem to have a network of irritation around the wound.
Crom moves over to the pile of gore that slipped from the Aboleth's empty eye socket as it perished. There is something within the dark blood, a round object, a flat ring, an iris of sorts. Crom picks it up, fluid dripping. He peers through its hole to see if he can see anything... nothing changes. He calls Edward over to see if this is something worth identifying. Edward sits, and prepares his materials for a ritual.Mornington shouts over to the two wizard apprentices, trying to ease there nerves that the danger has passed. They are very alarmed at what has transpired, but share the parties desire to leave.
Crom and Amarion both begin to feel a prickly sensation across their skin, an irritation that grows with each moment. Then as the sensation grows to become a stinging pain, their skin changes further, it slowly becomes translucent, revealing veins, tendons and muscle beneath. Mornington sees this and in horror retrieves some soap from his pack and tries to help wash whatever is causing this off of Amarions arm. His skin does not change, but the water soothes the irritation and it no longer hurts in that area. Crom takes an escalated approach by diving into the water, his skin relieved as the acid like burning subsides.
Edward finishes his ritual of identify and discovers that the one that bears this item can occasionally use it to plane shift along with others close by. He loops a cord through its hole and wears it round his neck. An amulet of the planes could be useful indeed.
The remaining party members start to look for a way out while those afflicted tread water. Edward commands his Familiar Artax to fly and scout ahead. Upon entering the mind of his familiar, seeing through the fiendish owl's eyes, he notices a tunnel leading out of the lakes cavern further up the shore. But just to scout a little more, Artax is sent upward to the waterfalls source. An enormous cracked hole in the ceiling leads to the cavern above, a river leads into it producing the waterfall. The cave is full of stalagmites and stalactites and in one direction Edward notices a source of light, purple in hue.
The party gather themselves and look to leave through the tunnel. Amarion has the idea to soak his bedroll in water to stave off the effects of the skin irritation, Crom follows in suit. To their relief, the tunnel gradually ascends and turns and takes them to the large cave of mineral deposits. They realise the giant chasm that splits the chamber stops them from getting to the river 'as the owl flies', so they must tread carefully to follow a path between the chambers wall and the chasms edge.
They work their way around, seeking the waterfall, but their path leads them to the glowing object first, as it comes into focus. A giant crystal, floating, tethered to the floor with large chains, clearly magical. They see movement! Several Unknowns are shambling close to the crystal, one of them a good few heads taller than the others. They start to piece together their findings. The crystal growths where the The Gemcutter cult previously occupied, they were able to store spells. Has the necromancer the Servants seek to apprehend set this up? A constant bleed of necromancy bolstering the number of horrors that walk freely from the mine. As they get closer, keeping enough distance as to not alert the Cadaver Horrors, they see tortured, ghost like faces that shimmer across the surface of the crystal. They also remember there was a line of magical energy travelling from the Death Stone up to this chamber, well at least until it was destroyed.
This is clearly a problem that needs to be dealt with. But the party are badly wounded, Crom and Amarion have to empty their waterskins to aid their burning skin as the sensation starts to peak again. Edward puts forward the idea of using the Amulet of the Planes to travel to Exile's Henge, to a safe location. Mornington is not pleased with the idea of leaving the crystal. They are right here, can they not try to destroy it before they leave. Amarion and Crom are in no fit state to take on one of the Cadaver Horrors, let alone three! Then a plan formulates.
Amarion, Crom, Edward and the two wizards Yourcil and Eilen join hands, as this is needed for the plane shift to work for all of them. They leave an opening in the circle for Mornington, who sneaks closer towards the crystal. As they all wait in silence, tension building, Mornington casts Shatter! An ear piercing whine rings out in the cave and builds to a climax as a sonic explosion triggers next to the crystal. It is flung to the side, barely kept in the vicinity by its chains. One of the Cadaver Horrors is also caught in the blast, jolted by the force. A huge crack forms along the crystal's length, but it does not break entirely, and the horrors all turn towards the bard, towards the source of the shrill tone. Mornington calls out in panic and Edward turns, leaving the circle, leaving the immediate plan. The horrors start towards Mornington, limbs twitching, noises of joints clicking. Energy forms in the warlocks palms as he focuses on the damaged crystal, two eldritch blasts fly through the chamber and collide with it. It cracks further, and then shatters, glass like fragments jingling as they collide with their surroundings. The horrors slump, the energy drained from them as their charge is halted. Mornington runs! Runs back to the others and together they complete the circle.
Edward focuses his mind on the amulet, the ring like iris of the aboleth, and pictures the henge. A bright circle forms around the six individuals, it crawls like lightning across the floor and lights them all up in bright light, it gets brighter and brighter, the dark cave surroundings fading into white, into nothing.
The light fades, everyone blinking away the assault on their senses. Then they can see ramshackle huts around them and at the crest of a hill, a moss covered henge.
They made it..
They are safe.
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