WB1, Session 8: Buried Alive...and Dead

Session 8: "Buried alive...and dead.
Tuesday 23rd, March 1001 AC
(destiny token: 1)

And so the companions found themselves back at the Raven Claw Pass, sitting around a small fire, resting after their encounter with the White dragon and their recent escape. Outside the small cave, the stars were bright and the skies clear. Protected from the chilly northern winds, the party discussed their future and made a quick count of their resources before setting up a watch for the night as Grom quickly fell asleep.

By morning, everyone was rested but still on edge. Throughout the night, echoes of falling rocks kept the watchers tense. Not wasting any time, they headed back toward the cliff where the previous encounter had been and spent some time checking the bodies, looking for equipment and whatever the dragon had left behind.

The scene was quiet but still painted the carnage that occurred, frozen body parts littering the snow. Within an hour, they had gathered what could be salvaged and after packing what could be, resumed their journey down the valley, toward the Little Lei river as Lotek had indicated back at the Cold Heart Mines.

In the valley, travel was easier. The snow was more practicable and they felt less exposed amid the low pines. Sadly, spring was still fighting against winter here and the river was still partially frozen and snowed in, offering little possibilities for fishing, especially without equipment and so they quickly resumed their march North, toward a gargantuan glacier in the distance.

Night came as it often does and after a quick look for a decent camp site by Grom, the party rested in the valley.

By morning, the skies were still clear though clouds were gathering in ever greater number further west. By midday, they reached the foot of the glacier and the Little Lei River seemed to disappear beneath it. The massive ice structure seemed to go on forever on both sides and towered them by 200'. After a short rest discussing the beauty and dangers of such natural phenomena, Serrin indicated that their path would now be toward the west, and that the cave they were looking for should not be much further.

An hour later, the party finally reached the Cross Maw cave and it's name seemed to make sense. With about 40' high and 50' wide, the entire entrance seemed to have taken the shape of a gigantic cross. Outside, two carts in poor condition seemed abandoned, empty. After a quick scouting, everyone gathered outside while Serrin went further inside.

The area had plenty traces of passages but none apparently recent. There was traces of a camp-fire near carts, but again, not recent. Just inside the cave, two massive structures stood erect, each a large bone pole planted in the ground, capped by a large skull.

While Urist checked the carts, Grom kept an eye on the sky above, as if expecting wings of death to fall on them at any moment. Further inside, Serrin found two Heldaner corpses, frozen in death while Danik kept a close eye on the hunter form outside. The corpses faces were still showing signs of terror or pain, their entire body seemed drained of all fat, leaving only the skin wrapped directly on their bones. Apart from their armour and weapons, the corpses revealed nothing.

As Serrin rejoined the others, they all decided to move in cave itself and investigate a small tunnel at the end of it. Urist took the lead, trusting in his dwarven senses but as he passed in between the large bone structures, he suddenly collapsed to his knees, vomiting heavily. Quickly regaining composure, he had only this to say: "The air is filled with the dead...."

Reaching the bodies, Grom quickly determined that they didn't die from starvation and most likely nothing natural but more as if something or someone had drained their very essence. Resolute, the companions pushed deeper in through the tunnel, Serrin lighting a torch so that him and Danik could see in the total darkness now surrounding them.

After a couple minutes, the tunnel seemed different and Urist quickly confirmed that it was not natural but dug up, mined by either poor miners, or with poor tools. There was also a smell permeating the air, stronger as they moved further in: foul, rotting bodies and smoke mixed together.

Pushing on, the tunnel in front of them seemed to have collapsed and they would have to squeeze to get through. On their right, a chamber opened up, the stench even stronger now. As Serrin and Grom carefully moved in, they found a pile of corpses, tangled together. Bodies of goblins and wolves thrown in with the ones of ogres and some odd large humanoid creature, covered in white fur. While the cold had prevented decay somewhat, a sense of rot and decay engulfed the companions.

A quick and careful investigation by Serrin revealed nothing of note and as the others started squeezing through the collapsed rock in the main tunnel, he lit the pile ablaze with oil and fire. The smoke was dark and heavy but luckily, it moved toward the exit without suffocating the rest of the cave.

Past the collapsed passage, the party entered a very large chamber, also dug up. There, they found a couple dozen more bodies, sometimes tangled together, sometimes apart. Added to the corpses types they met before, there were human corpses as well here, armoured and with weapons lying close by. In the south corner of the chamber, there was a large Chasm. Dropping a torch down, it revealed a direct drop of about 65', and some water at the bottom.

As they slowly moved further in, the walls around them seemed burned in some places. In others, it seems that something had exploded, leaving terrible impact marks. Everywhere, chunks of rocks and other earth debris.

Pushing ever deeper, they found another tunnel at the South East corner of the large chamber. Here, there was something different however: Stonework. The walls, floor and ceiling were some sort of granite with small black veins, crudely shaped but immediately Urist remarked how old it felt.

As they moved into the stone tunnel, two purple glyph appeared on the walls where Urist was and blackish rays surged out of them, grabbing his arms and legs. Slowly, Urist apparently paralyzed was lifted in the air and tendrils of black smoke started oozing our of his body, snaking their way toward the main cave chamber, past the companions.

Urist seemed totally paralyzed with only his face showing the signs of some struggle. Serrin immediately pulled out his crossbow, ready for anything while. Grom rushed toward Urist, trying to pull him down but some unseen force seemed to be holding Urist in the air.

For seconds it went on, as if time itself had slowed down. Urist seemed to be trying to resist whatever was happening, the flow of the black tendrils being the only representation of his fight. Serrin took out his rope and lassoed it around Urist while Danik helped but still, they could not pull Urist down.

Grom kept pulling at the dwarf legs but also to no effect when suddenly he turned about, hearing footsteps coming from behind them. Serrin jumped ahead and pulling out one of his iron spike, smacked one of the glyph...

...it all happened fast then: Urist fell on the floor, Grom suddenly finding himself pulling against no resistance. All was silent then for a second, then a small "pop" from the other glyph and it exploded, catapulting everyone close-by away, Urist, Grom and Serrin flying into the tunnel walls.

As everyone stood back up, the companions heard slow footsteps, more and more as seconds passed, all coming from the main chamber behind them. In the distance, an echo also could be heard...."clink.....clink.....clink....".

Suddenly, a form appeared into the tunnel: A goblin but not a goblin. Moving but clearly not alive, massive wounds seen on his body and yet still it came, shambling toward them.

Immediately, Serrin fired his crossbow, hitting the creature in the chest, sending it tumbling down under the impact, then moved toward it, as more creatures were arriving. Urist called onto Kagyar to bless and protect the party while Danik moved slightly further in, and readied his trusted sling. Grom remained slightly behind and started cleaning up some of the debris blocking a possible retreat.

As Serrin unloaded his crossbow into another of the creature, it seemed to have little effect this time, not even registering the fact that it had now a bolt in it's leg. Suddenly, the creature Serrin thought he had killed previously, shook back to life and grabbed his legs as the hunter screamed in surprise. Urist immediately charged the creature, throwing himself forward onto it, bringing his hammer down full force and weight. Once again the creature collapsed, releasing its grasp on Serrin.

Meanwhile, the recent explosion seemed to have shaken the already unstable cave and rocks and earth falling could be heard in the distance: A cave-in!

Urist senses roared into full throttle and he immediately recognized that the dug up part of the cave would be unstable but the stone area might offer protection and he ordered a retreat further into the tunnels. Serrin joined him after throwing some flaming oil to cover their back.

More footsteps could be heard but were soon covered by the echoes of cave-in and yet..in the distance, there was still the faint odd rhythm through all this:"...clink....clink....clink..."

Not wasting any time, Serrin entered a room in the stone tunnel, looking for a way out while the others moved further back inside, battling the creature that just would not die. The room itself appeared to have been burned and all the furnitures with it. Finding nothing of note, Serrin joined the others as Grom entered another room on the south wall.

Now pressed against a dead end in the main tunnel, the cave collapsing and more creatures approaching, a frantic search for a way out began. Serrin, Urist and Danik investigated the new smaller room further while Grom secured the main hallway. Here too, it seems that everything had been burned down, bed, chest and other furniture now charred remains. Nothing could be found, as it someone had emptied everything then torched the place. 

Past a burned leathery curtain, Serrin and Urist found another small room, with a stone altar and a partially destroyed symbol on the ground. Hoping to find some secret tunnel out of there, the dwarf prodded and poked the stone. Meanwhile, Danik noticed that nothing natural could burn like that and became convinced that only magic could produce such result.

In the main tunnel, Grom kept watch on the shambling creatures. Dust and debris started filling the cave, blurring vision but past the torch Serrin had left behind, the half orc saw a massive creature, once an Ogre, now no longer, also coming their way. Calling out, Serrin joined him and they tried to bring it down from range, but slowly, and steadily, the creatures filled the tunnel.

Back in the small room, Urist found no secret passage but he found something else....and all that was said was: "This is....this is impossible."

Suddenly the cave-in reached the tunnel. Tons of rock and earth fell onto the approaching creatures, burying them in a flash. A wave of dirt and debris filled the tunnel, sending Grom coughing into the smaller room with the other companions..

...and once more...everything was quiet.

A quick peek outside the tunnel revealed that their way out was now blocked by tons of rock and earth. For now safe within the stone structure, it soon became clear however...they were now buried...alive.