"Thank ye!" Voldan says as the rocks move off him. As feared, his foot is swollen and bruised from a bad fracture.
As you turn back to the tunnel, the ground rumbles ominously. The passage Rogar created collapses before your eyes, the rocks blocking the way out completely. They resist the kineticist's efforts to move them again, as if some malign force were pushing back against his powers.
"Argh, it's the damn haunts again!" Voldan wails. "This place be cursed!"
"We'll have to take the long way out," Meslin says, looking at the passage north nervously. "That's where the creature that attacked me was. It may still be lurking about!"
Wulfram inspected the dwarf's foot, and healed him. "I'm Wulfram. We've come from Fort Trevalay, which we liberated from the Ironfang Legion."
He turned to Meslin. "Are you injured?"
"Looks like the long way, then. Can you tell us anything about the creature?"
Once everyone was ready to go, Wulram moved along the northern passageway, the light spell on his spear illuminating the dark tunnel.
Seeing that they'll be unlikely to make extra trips, Rogar extracts as much gold and quartz as he can from the ore in the cart, "Well, don' worry- we can protect ye." he assures them.
Meslin has several bruises from his encounter with the creature, which Wulfram heals with his hex. "It was dark and I didn't get a good look at it. But it was if the very rock itself animated and attacked me!"
Rogar uses his geokinetic powers to separate the quartz and gold from the stone. There's quite a treasure trove here, though it is bulky and heavy. He's able to condense the valuable so they fit into one mine cart instead of three. You also find a magical candle on a table nearby.
Wulfram leads the way to the northern tunnel. This fissure winds through the stone, large enough for an adult human to pass through. Bone fragments litter the ground and a pungent stench fills the air.
Wulfram's Gentle Breeze spell spared him the stench in the tunnel. He continued to advance, expecting trouble at any moment.
Eustoma will take her turn pushing the cart. It's a funny sight seeing a cart apparently move on it's own.
"How many others were down here with you with the hobgoblins? It would be nice to now about how many people we are looking for. Can you tell me about the haunts?"
"About two dozen of us survived the hobgoblins' initial attack," Meslin says. "But I don't know if anybody else made it after the mine collapsed. We've been stuck here for days but you're the first to respond to our efforts to get help. I hope my husband is okay. I've been worried sick about him!"
"This place be haunted for sure!" Voldan says. "It collapsed the first time a decade ago. When we tried to reopen it, the same thing happened again. And now the gobbos made us open it a third time, and the same bloody thing happened again!"
Though Wulfram's senses are sharp, he doesn't spot the danger in the tunnel until it's too late. Without warning, a jet of caustic sulphuric acid and natural gas erupts from the wall, spraying him and scouring his flesh!
As the jet fades away, a small creature rises up from the ground ahead. Grasping arms emerge from a tangled cluster of stone and timber. A rocky skull hovers above the clanging mess. It gestures at Wulfram's spear, trying to rip it out of his hands with telekinesis, but the shaman maintains his grip on it.
Rogar, firmly in his element (both figuratively and literally) draws a veritable storm of metal dust out of every crack and corner of the tunnel, sending it at the undead in a sort of reverse explosion.
Wulfram pulled back, avoiding the brunt of the caustic fumes. He fought for control of his spear, as an unknown force tried to pull it from his grasp.
He had heard stories about such a creature, but couldn't recall any details. He moved forward and tried stabbing the skull with his spear.
The strange creature shrieks as Karla coats it with glitterdust, blinding it. Nik'o rushes in to snap at the flat-footed creature, tearing a chunk of stone out of its body.
Rogar gathers power and pummels the creature with a barrage of stone, badly battering it.
The geist swings its fists blindly at Nik'o, but doesn't hit the nimble cat.
Wulfram moves forward and stabs the skull with his spear, splitting it in two. The broken pieces of the thing's body collapse back to the ground, lying still.
"Are you alright?" Meslin cries. "That's the thing that attacked me!"
"I'm OK," Wulfram replied. "Just some minor chemical burns." He cast a healing spell on himself.
He looked around the area. "Do you know if there are any others trapped or hiding in the mines?"
"I think it's just us," Voldan says. "But keep yer eyes open in case anybody else made it with all these ghosties around!"
Ahead, the tunnel opens up. This wide, natural cavern is eighty feet across and nearly as tall. A wooden bridge spans the forty-foot drop to the stone floor below. Across the bridge, another mine tunnel opens to the northwest.
"Let me take a quick look. I'm wearing the acid resistance ring." Eustoma moves forward this time to examine the bridge.
Eustoma inspects the bridge, quickly determining that it is rigged to collapse if too much weight is put upon it.
Rogar, looking at the bridge, shakes his head, "Ah think tha' we coul do a better job wi' this." and spends a few minutes creating a stone bridge from the surrounding stone, pushing out and arching the earth in a way that would be both stable and last a good while.
Wulfram moved up and surveyed the situation. "We could climb down to the bottom, and then have Rogar climb up and secure a rope, for the ascent up the other side of the chasm. I have 50 ft of rope and a climber's kit. Eustoma, you could use the same trick as you did at Fort Trevalay to enable Sia to climb down and back up, right?"
"I can do that. If Rogar's bridge building skills don't work. I'll give that a try."
Pele looked at the wooden bridge. *You're all too big and fat! I wouldn't have a problem going across!*
Wulfram just rolled his eyes at Pele's ridiculous comment.
Rogar carefully crafts a stone bridge across the chasm, his stonemason skills ensuring that it is sound enough to support your weight. You carefully cross and continue down the next tunnel.
The passage turns south and starts heading back towards the mine entrance.
With his stonecunning, Rogar notices the ceiling ahead is unstable. It is rigged to collapse when somebody passes underneath it.
Stopping his companions before they get too close, Rogar points out the weak ceiling, and raises a stone column as a support from the ground to keep it from collapsing.
Wulfram stopped while Rogar shored up the ceiling. He said a prayer and then walked forward nervously, hoping that the Dwarf's measures would work.
Rogar shores up the ceiling enough to prevent collapse. You emerge from the tunnel back into the mine's entry chamber, but two more of the strange undead rise up to block th exit!
They gesture to the ground beneath your feet, which suddenly drops away into deep pits!
Wulfram jumped back just in time. He cast a spell and moved towards the evil creatures.
Rogar easily dodges the pit as it opens, and sends shards of metal flying at the closest ghost.
Eustoma fires off a trio of shots, two of them finding their mark in one of the geists' stony bodies. Sia leaps over the sudden pit and rushes up to bite at the same undead creature.
Rogar hurls a metal blast at the wounded geist, blowing it to shrapnel with the force of the impact!
Karla tries to trap the remaining geist in a web, but it swiftly darts forward to avoid getting caught.
Wulfram blesses himself with divine power and moves up next to Sia.
The geist howls as it tries to attack Sia. It lands a lucky blow that doesn't seem to hurt the wolf much!
Embued with divine power, Wulfram roared and rapidly thrust his spear at the remaining undead horror.
For good measure, Rogar also unleashes a torrent of metal against the undead.
Rogar's metal torrent tears into the quarrygeist, leaving it badly wounded. Wulfram strikes true with three powerful spear thrusts, tearing the creature's body to shreds!
There don't seem to be any more geists to contend with. Before you leave the mine, you can search the mine manager's office to the north. It contains simple maps of the mines, as well as logs of various miners' shifts and daily output. Ironfang soldiers looted the pay box but ignored a box marked "emergency supplies," which contains five potions of cure moderate wounds, five bandages of rapid recovery, and a chime of opening (8 charges remaining).
"Thanks for getting us out of there," Meslin sighs as you exit into the daylight.
"Aye, we gotta find the rest o' our friends, though!" Voldan says.
"We're glad to be able to help," Wulfram replied. It was good to be back above ground, and to be able to see the sky.
"We're new to this area. Do you have any ideas about other places your friends might have taken refuge? We did meet four dwarves in Fangwood forest who had fled from here."
"Dwarves! Was me sister Solba among 'em? I hope she made it out o' here in one piece!' Voldan exclaims.
"There are just a few hamlets scattered throughout the hills," Meslin says. "If they didn't go towards the Fangwood, they might have tried to make it to Longshadow. It's the only town of any size here."
Wulfram told Voldran the happy news. "Yes, we rescued Solba and three men dwarven men from an evil creature; it was controlling them through an enchantment! They're on their way to Fort Trevalay, which is back under the control of the Chernasardo Rangers."
"We're headed to Longshadow; hopefully it's still holding out. We might check on Redburrow on our way."
"Excellent! I'll head to this fort so I can reunite with me sister!" Voldan says.
"I'll stay with you, if you'll have me," Meslin says. "I need to make sure my husband is okay."
"The journal we found makes it sound like there are likely slaves being held at the ridgeline camp; I say we go there and free them!", Wulfram suggested.
Eustoma uses her CLW wand on Sia. "Yes let's clear out the camp. The less the enemies are comfortable here the better I say. At the very least it will be an annoyance to them."
She waves the survivors in the direction of the Fort.
You head southwest from Radya's Hollow, stopping after several miles to camp for the night again. This time, you are able to rest without incident. In the morning, you continue traveling, and only an hour or so later, the ridgeline camp comes into view.
Two tall towers flank a collection of drab tents along the uppermost ridge of this steep hill. Red banners flutter in the prairie winds, and the smell of animals and rotting meat tinges the air. You can see a single hobgoblin sentry keeping watch atop each 30-foot-high tower.
Wulfram rose in the morning and ate a breakfast of dried provisions; he didn't make a fire, as that might give away their presence.
1st lvl: Bless x2, Cure Light Wounds, Liberating Command, open slot
2nd lvl: Barkskin x3, open slot
3rd lvl: Magic Circle against Evil, Stinking Cloud, open slot
4th lvl: Divine Power, Greater Magic Weapon
Wandering Spirit: Battle
Wandering Hex: Battle Master (one extra AoO, weapon specialization longspear)
After breaking camp, a short hike brought the enemy camp into view. "Let me meditate for a few minutes to make my final preparations," he said to the others. "Eustoma and Rogar could do some scouting while I do that, but don't alert them before I'm ready."
Eustoma slips out and tries to see what she can without getting close enough to be noticed.
Rogar slips in, creating cover from the earth when needed, trying to get the lay of the land.
Rogar is like an earthen shadow, creating rock cover and clambering silently along the walls of the cliffside as he sneaks in to scout the camp. Atop each tower is a hobgoblin wearing a breastplate and holding a composite longbow, as well as a large owl--likely the sentries' animal companions.
The core of the camp consists of a semicircle of hide tents, as well as a mess tent and command post. Nearly two dozen hobgoblin soldiers mill about, but it doesn't look like they're expecting a fight. A dire wolf with chain shirt barding and a saddle lies down next to the command tent, and Rogar can spot the apparent commander within--a hobgoblin in a fine breastplate and animal hides, with a shield and flaming flail. A female gnome is chained to the table, attending to the commander's whims.
Slightly removed from the camp, a line of 10 iron gibbet cages dangle from wooden posts along an abrupt cliff, which drops 80 feet to the ground below. Seven contain prisoners—six miserable-looking humans and one naked hobgoblin.
When Eustoma and Rogar returned from their scouting mission, Wulfram asked them, "Does it look like we could make our way close to the top of the ridge without being seen, if we're far enough away? Once they see us, we'll need to close as quickly as possible."