Kythorn 28, 1491 DR
Thinking about it some more, the PCs decided it would be best not to test the fungi cave. They decided to back track and check some unexplored mining tunnels to the west. For the most part this maze of tunnels all ended in dead-ends except for one, which led to a natural cavern with a large natural pool in it. After some investigation, they learned that this was the pool that was feeding the stream and waterfall they had noticed in the rift room where they battled the bugbears originally.
In fact this chamber led directly to the ambush spot where Farooq and Finder were almost killed. They saw no bugbears in the area but there was the sound of commotion coming distantly from the east somewhere in the mine. Listening at the door to the barracks, it seemed as if it was happening somewhere near the furnace room or beyond. They decided to barricade the other door in this room in case they needed to back track.
Now was the time to investigate the unknown area to the north that Ara had spied the day before. They ascended the stairs and quickly checked the waterfall room and it was empty and quiet. They explored the double doors in the north of the hall and determined it was quiet and un-trapped. Carefully opening the door it looked like they were entering into an ancient worship hall of a dwarven deity. Pillars held up the roof and there was a large statue against the north wall, with glittering green gemstone eyes.
There was a large wooden table set up near the west wall between two pillars, with papers and a large sack on it. Near the centre of the room was a campsite with a lit fire and several bedrolls. The ceiling and it's corners were heavily obscured by thick webs and the PCs correctly noted that this is where the spiders were likely coming from.
Keeper and Finder were eager to check out the statue and they determined that it was a shrine to the god Dumathoin of the dwarven pantheon. While investigating, Keeper noticed something wrapped up in spider webs like a cocoon near the ceiling of the north east corner of the chamber. Before they could do anything a giant spider climbed down and attacked them. With their experience with giant spiders they quickly defeated the monstrosity before it could do significant damage.
Giant spider Ara climbed the webs and pulled down the figure trapped in the webs, ripped it open and revealed Gundren's brother Nundro within. He was barely conscious, but alive. Keeper rushed forward to heal him, bringing him to full consciousness. He spoke of The Black Spider and his minions and how he was after the Forge of Spells. He had been kept in another room nearby and was tortured mercilessly in an attempt to find out who else knew about the mine and where the forge of spells was located. It seems the Black Spider wanted the forge all to himself.
The table held some nonsensical papers and a make-shift map showing areas of the mine that The Black Spider had explored. The area of the furnace room was marked "Undead - Find a way around!" and beyond and south of that room were unexplored. The west and some of the south were explored and the Fungi room was noted with "Danger". The area where the large feast hall was labelled as "Many Ghouls". The area of the Rift was labelled with "I sense treasure here. Dig!" There was some coin in the sack, which was quickly scooped up.
They searched the room where Nundro was held and found nothing of interest. The race was on to find the forge of spells before The Black Spider did, and the Rockseeker brothers were not going to be left behind to lick their wounds. They headed to the rift room and saw another tunnel on the far side that was not explored. They took the rope into the rift and spider Ara helped them get to the top and they soon learned that this tunnel connected with the large lake area.
Still searching their quarry, they ascended some stairs they knew led to an area with doors left unexplored. It was there that they encountered their enemies and a desperate battle ensued. They were attacked by bugbears on the stairs and the archer fired his arrows down at the PCs. A giant spider flanked the group to come up behind them, quickly webbing Gundren even as a second spider lay in waiting on the ceiling above the stairs, concealed from view.
After taking down one bubgear, Farooq quickly took away their positional advantage as he rushed up the stairs to begin a battle against the second bugbear, the archer and a giant spider. Some unseen force was trying to dominate Farooq's mind to have him attack his friends. Soon the archer was defeated and Farooq moved into the room to try and find the sorcerer trying to control him. Finder moved up the stairs to help and they defeated the bugbear. Meanwhile spider Ara, Gundren, and Keeper worked together to bring down their spider.
Farooq checked the first door that looked like it led into an empty storage room, there were destroyed undead bodies in the area that looked like they had come from this room. Just then a dark figure stepped around the corner of the building to the south and a web spell filled the area that Farooq and Finder occupied, solidly restraining them.
The giant spider hungrily moved in and scored a poisonous hit on Farooq while The Spider blasted him with magic missiles, which combined to take him down and leave him hanging limp in the webs. Spider Ara and Keeper moved around to a different tunnel and came in at their enemies from a different angle. They attacked The Spider and all they got for their efforts was the evil dark elf firing a fireball directly at them, severely wounding them both.
Gundren and Nash worked to free Finder from the sticky webbing as the Giant Spider tried to pierce him with its deadly fangs, narrowly missing. Keeper and Ara backed off after the fireball and the villain turned his attention to those at the stairs. A green haze of vapors coalesced magically around him as he walked with purpose towards the stairs as the PCs there backtracked and launched attacks on him. Words ages lost in darkness begin to form on his lips as he prepares to cast another spell at those at the bottom of the stairs….
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