WB1, Session 9: What Lies Below...

Session 9: "What lies below...
Friday 26th, March 1001 AC
(destiny token: 1)

And so the companions had survived a massive cave-in but were now stuck within the buried stone structure, tons of debris of rock and earth between them and the surface...

Not wasting any time, they searched the areas still accessible to them and after some time, Serrin found an illusionary wall in the larger room. Past it, a ladder leading down. Eager to get out of their current situation, the group climbed down.

About 40" below, they arrived in a larger cave room that appears to have been dug up like the tunnels near the entrance. Almost immediately, they noticed a couple of the re-animated goblins. The fight was brutal and fast, Urist now making sure that every downed enemy had it's head properly crushed.

As the last filaments of black ooze evaporated, the companions explored the cave chamber. Serrin noticed a tunnel going deep into the darkness and it seemed natural, not dug up. Apparently the creatures had breached it earlier. Urist and Danik found two bodies near small body of water on their left.

• An Heldaner man, large and past middle age. Probably a warrior of some kind according to what he was wearing. Nothing to reveal his identity however. 
• An Heldaner woman, in her 20s. Quickly the woman proved to be Asnia, the governor's daughter! She was now dead, badly mangled by the creatures. Searching her revealed a journal that Danik and Urist quickly checked. 

Flipping quickly through Asnia's journal, a couple of things become clear:

• A couple years ago, while living in Hockstein with her father, Asnia began looking into the legends of a long lost Heldaner artifact after a dream she had. 
• Her research linked with that of an Alphatian exile named Nigulas Rebane. This Alphatian was a mage who had amassed considerable power in his search for a long lost civilization that appeared to be the origin of the legendary artifact. 
• Asnia found notes about the Exile and his travels in the Pflenzen region about 90 years ago. Upon learning this, Asnia used her father's blood feud against the old governor in order to gain some footage in the region so that she could continue her research. 
• Asnia seems convinced that her father knows something about Rebane and that he has something to do with the bloody feud between the Longreach and the Frostbeard clans that started before the Order's conquest of the Heldan territories about 50 years ago. So far however, her father has remained secretive on the matter. 
• In the Pflenzen library, Asnia found traces of the Alphatian mage passages through the region and mention of an old cave known as Cross Maw caves, up in the Mengul Mountains. 
• The Artifact seems to be some kind of crown that allowed "Control of age-old White Wings". Asnia believed this referred to old white dragons supposedly sleeping in the glaciers up north. 
• Asnia seems to be a fervent Vanya follower and often mentions dreams and visions that she claims comes from Vanya herself though most of the time, she can't really make sense of any of it. 
• Asnia apparently wants to prove herself to Vanya by recovering the artifact in her name, then control the white dragons to help the Order's conquest. 

As the group were discussing their next move and getting ready to depart via the tunnel that Serrin discovered, the water from the pond were disturbed and a small creature emerged from it, gasping for air. As it reached the shore, it proved to be a gnome.

After some presentation, the gnome turned out to be Adran, an adventuring bard who ran into some bad luck and got separated from his party some time ago. Here is his overall description of the events he gave until now (I checked with Adran, he's ok with this recap being shared).

• Adran joined an adventuring group late January 1001AC in the port town of Landfall (in Heldland, north east of the Heldanic Territories). They were tasked in finding and studying a recently discovered ruin west of a village called Theridur. 
• The group found the ruins mid February and started exploring them. The stonework was very crude and the scholar among the group could not give proper estimation of the age but guessed it was very old. The ruins seemed buried underground and only revealed now due to the recent tremors in the region. They appeared to be some kind of mundane house, though no hint as to which civilization had built it. 
• Under the ruins, they found a tunnel network and explored it. Early March, a massive earthquake caused a cave-in and Adran was separated, apparently the only one alive. 
• Adran has been wandering aimlessly underground for more than two weeks, living off grubs and roots. Lack of proper food and water severely weakened him. 
• While resting near an underground river, he was attacked by gigantic spider like creatures and fell into the river, then carried by the current for what seemed forever. Finally, he hit a hard rock and could surface, right in the middle of a cave chamber where he met the others. 

For hours, the group followed the tunnel ever deeper. Urist, using his innate Dwarven senses, managed to keep a good sense of direction while Danik was trying to keep a record of their journey. Grom, unfamiliar with the undergrounds, could not find anything edible.

Finally, the little gnome started showing signs of exhaustion and the party decided to rest in the darkness of the tunnel. With the only light coming from Serrin's torch and the only sound from the singing voice of Adran, the companions rested as best they could.

Feeling refreshed, they finally resumed their search down the tunnel. Some hours later, Urist suddenly stopped, wiping webs from his face. They had reached a large cave chamber and Adran noticed an odd smell about it, like...pig?

As Urist proceeded to burn out whatever web he could find, he disturbed a massive spider-like creature. Covered by a whitish chitin, the cave-spider was biting and spitting jets of webs left and right while Adran started singing a Call to Battle to motivate his newly found allies. As it was dispatched by well aimed bolt from Serrin, another spider jumped down on their right. For some time, the spider tried to lure them and web them but in the end, Adran's crossbow finished it and it also collapsed.

• Two animals were caught in the webs and seemed to be some kind of large mole-like creatures, paralysed apparently but for their blind eyes moving in panic, their skin white and fur-less. They were promptly dispatched by Urist though deemed too risky (for fear of poison) to consumption. 
• The two cave-spiders were massive and as Urist noticed while he was bashing their heads in, their eyes seemed not to serve any purpose and actually only be chitin in eye-like form.

Continuing past the spiders lair, the group finally stopped some hours later once Danik and Adran started feeling tired from the journey. Camping once again in the tunnel, their rest was only disturbed when Adran and Urist were awaken by tremors. Urist senses and quick inspection of the tunnel indicated that there was no immediate danger and some time later, refreshed, the companions resumed their travels.

Six long hours later, snaking through the belly of the earth, following whatever most obvious and safe path Urist could find, the companions finally arrived in another large cave chamber. Ahead of them were another white granite building that seemed buried. The stones were alike the ones found previously during the cave-in: White granite with thin veins of black. Quickly, Urist confirmed that this building was as old as the other...

Past a step of stairs was a wide hallway with seven large alcoves on each sides, each containing stone sarcophagus. Fearing the worst, Urist started praying for each. When Danik indicated that they should try to pry one open, a heated discussion between Urist and himself began. Trying to keep the mood light, Adran began singing a light tune while the others argued. 

• Danik noticed engravings on one of the sarcophagus but could not them make out. They were damaged and eroded by time. At the head of the one he approached was a circular symbol but here again, time had taken it's toll. Trying to pry one open proved a feat of strength too hard for the scholarly mage, despite his best effort. Finally, he shrugged it off and moved in deeper, letting Urist do his thing. 
• Urist proceeded to "Spare the Dying" onto each of the fourteen sarcophagi. Grom and himself started stacking rocks on one of them to prevent any opening but it became clear that sealing each of them this way would take a very long time and tremendous effort so they stopped. 
• Adran thought he heard something down the stairs but a quick further investigation proved fruitless and eventually he moved on to join the others. 

At the end of the wide hall was a massive archway opening into a large pentagonal room. The ceiling, about 20' above, was cracked and unstable under the tons of rock that were burying the structure. Four pillars of white granite stood erect but in bad shape, one completely destroyed. In the middle was a large square pit surrounded by a low wall. North were two exits leading to massive doors that seemed to cast a silver reflection under the light of the torches and lantern. To the east, another wide hallway leading further into darkness...

Checking the pit briefly, Danik noticed that:

• The pit walls were stone but here and there was a silverish coating, damaged by time and debris. 
• At the bottom (20') was a dark liquid. 

Adran, still singing and now dancing, noticed some bones and other remains in the pentagonal room. After a quick analysis by Urist, it seems that:

• The bones were from small animals, rodents and mole-like creature like the ones they had met probably. There were also some carapaces, from some large insects. Some were quite old, however some were more recent as well. 
• All the remains were very clean, without any traces of fleshy remains on them. Urist figured they had decomposed completely or something at cleaned them up nicely. 

Danik meanwhile moved into the eastern hallway:

• The walls are covered with engravings. 
• There are remains of massive jars, four on each side. Only two seem to be intact, the others destroyed by time or debris. 

As Danik was checking the first intact jar and Urist was studying the remains, Adran checked the pit and dropped his torch. As the lit torch hit the black liquid at the bottom, it instantly moved away from it and surged out of the pit! The liquid was a creature, like a massive black oil oozy form! As it reached the top of the pit, a tentacle tried to strike Adran but he dodged adroitly.

As combat erupted, Urist was grappled by one of the massive tentacles, acid burning through him until he could break the restrains using Sacred Flame to make the creature recoil a bit. Serrin started unloading bolts after bolts but they seems to go right through the creature without leaving much of a trace while Adran dodged slams attempts by the tentacle and once again Called for Battle with a rhythmic tune. A missed dodge almost sent him flying across the room as a tentacle slammed into his legs, almost snapping them instantly. Through his trusted raven Kilek, Danik joined the battle, unleashed chill touch after chill touch.

Finally, the slimy black creature went inert and slid back down the dark pit and all was silent in the buried structure....