Relieved that they are finally headed to the mine, Zaranna follows Alric.
”It was time well spent,” Cardren says to Alric.
As they walk towards the mine, Cardren looks at the people they pass, nodding and smiling to any who meet his eye.
You head up to the Ruby Hollow Mine. Getting to the entrance, the level of activity is surprisingly low. Not what you were expecting for heavily exporting mine. Perhaps these Mephits were disrupting operations more severely than you thought? One of the workers directs you to the Head Mine-Boss building.
Thank you says Zaranna to the worker who gave them directions, and then heads for the main building indicated, proceeding in unless something seems off.
As you reached for the door handle, you notice that it's locked.
Zaranna knocks on the door.
Hello? Anyone in there?
Zaranna finds her thieves' tools, wondering if she would be able to pick the lock if no one came. She'd really never tried on a real lock... only practice ones, but she had the tools of the trade in case she needed to try.
A few moments pass. You then hear the door unlock and start to open. A familiar gnome woman opens the door, it's the same one that was attempting to climb the alley wall last night. Her eyes go wide as she slams the door and locks it. You can hear the receding sounds of footsteps running from the door.
Shortly there after you hear another set of steps approaching. The door opens once more, this time it's the Gnome that was carried up to his room at the Miner's Respite.
A stern look on his face and his arms crossed, "I knew you were trouble when I laid eyes on you, but I never figured you'd accost my fiancé. If it weren't for the fact you send reparations I'd be calling the guards. What do you want?"
Alric waited nearby the others when the door opened, looking over Zaranna's shoulders to see the little gnomish woman that they had encountered the night before. The woman quickly slammed the door and there was a moment of silence before another humorous snort escaped Alric.
"Brilliant." He muttered as the door opened again and there was the gnomish gentleman that had been watching them the night before. Of course it would be. Zaranna and Elyana were up by the door, handling people was much more their thing than it was his. He would keep an eye on the miners coming to and from, trying to get an idea of the atmosphere here at the quiet mine.
Hey, sorry again about that. Try to see it from our perspective. We saw what looked like an assassin on the way into an inn from outside. We were trying to protect someone from being killed. When we were informed of the mistake, we did our best to make up for it with the little money that we have. Please forgive us.
If we can put that behind us, we've heard there have been some problems here at the mine, and we'd like to help look into it. We're already involved because Kristoff is missing. This is his brother, Alric, and we're also inquiring on behalf of Larissa, his fiancee. ... Please, if you can see past our mistakes, I believe that we can help sort things out.
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The Boss looked up at Zaranna with an incredulous look, "Kristoff? This whole thing started when he disappeared in Shaft thirty-seven. Hard working lad, though I to keep a local smith from lynching him. Accusations of impropriety and all. Fiancé though? Never heard of that. Still, come inside."
Ushering you inside his office, you see poor Illa in the corner trying not quiver in fear. Pulling a piece of parchment, he scribbled on it briefly then handed it to you, "That should allow you access to the mines. If you can get rid of those damned Dirt Gargoyles and get up back up into production, I'll pay you three hundred gold. Deal?"
Deal. Thank you for letting us help.
She takes the paper and turns to leave, but then turns, bows very low to Illa, and says
Please forgive us Illa. We wish you no harm. We just misunderstood the situation.
Then she takes her leave, not wanting to scare the young woman further.
When the familiar gnome opens the door, Cardren groans internally. He lowers his head and bows in apology.
As the foreman speaks, Cardren listens to the man’s tone and pauses between words. Is he giving us all the details? Is he holding something back?
After Zaranna accepts the pass to the mines and apologizes to Illa, Cardren also bows again and says, ”I am very sorry for any injury I caused.”
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Elyana, as usual, had her hood up as they went to the mines. She decided it was worth being magnanimous and letting the others do the talking for the moment so she let Zaranna have the lead. She decided that her friend did a passable job and decided to let any critiques pass...for now. That the mine supervisor would be the gnomes they had caused so much trouble for the night before should have surprised Elyana but truthfully it did not. It seemed to be the way of things sometimes.
They were able to quickly reach an agreement, one that seemed acceptable. If they didn't have the mess from the night before hanging over them she would have haggled for more. The mine supervisor was too eager with that sum and she was sure they could have gotten a higher payout. It was best not to push their luck though so she calmly accepted the bargain without comment.
As they prepared to leave Elyana turned to Illa and curtsied gracefully to her as she said, "It was our mistake and I hope you can forgive us. May the green bless you and your husband with as many children as you wish." With that Elyana rose and turned to leave the place with her friends and enter the mines.
Illa slightly blanched as each approached, but seemed to relax eventually.
Getting to the mine entrance, you see two dwarven guards that cross their halberds. One of them then spoke, "What is your business?"
Zaranna presents the paper from the mine boss.
We've been asked to go in and investigate. Have you guys seen anything unusual?
The left guard took the parchment, looked at it, then up at all of you, "Unusual? You mean other than the Mephits that have been acting like Imps, no. Are you sure the lot of you can handle this? There's a lot of them down there."
We must. Thank you for the warning.
”Are there torches lining the tunnels?” Cardren asks the guard. ”Any extras I could take?”
He surveys the entrance to the mine. "Should we bring a pick or two in case we need to dig?"
Before stepping into the mine, he inhales deeply, as if savoring the air. "This is my first time inside a mine."
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The right guard answered, "Lanterns line the tunnels. To get to Shaft thirty-seven, you'll go straight through three intersections, turn right at the fourth, go until you come to a T junction, turn left, go past the next four junctions turn right, then left, then two rights. You should be at Shaft thirty-seven."
Zaranna memorizes the directions and then starts into the mine.
Responding to Cardren's comment she says
Me too. I kind of like it.
"Thank you, sir. We'll keep a cautious eye out." Alric mentions, taking the lead down into the mine. The walls all around him makes his skin crawl; he prefers the open sky and drifting breeze. Now though, his senses try to sharpen like he is hunting a beast in its lair. The lanterns provide illumination around them, his dark cloak swallowing the light eagerly.
As you begin to enter the mine, a mystical barrier shoots up and prevents Fel and Vei from entering. The angel moved up and touched the barrier, it rippled like the surface of a pond when touched. [This is.......very old magic. One that keeps other planar beings from passing through. I cannot pass through it, and unfortunately Fel as how our connection works. But this would explain why the Mephits have not left the mine. You will have to proceed without us.]
Okay. That's unfortunate, but we'll figure out what is going on and be back soon.
She follows Alric, her bow out in case they run into trouble.
Cardren pats Fel on the shoulder. ”Be careful,” he says.
He follows Alric and Zaranna into the mine. He stretches his arms and shoulders for half a minute. His wrists get attention next. He knocks a knuckle against the mine’s support, assessing how safe it appears.
Elyana was disturbed to see Fel and Vei being unable to enter the mine but she understood things like this happened sometimes. She looked back at her two friends and said, "We'll be back as soon as we can." With that Elyana turned and followed the others into the mine, reaching over her shoulder to make sure her blade was loose and easily drawn if she needed it.
A slight twinge of deja vu washes over you of the Piper's lair due to the lantern-lit corridors of the mine. Good thing they were not purplish lights, but the warm glow of orangey-yellow.
As you make the first right, Alric holds up a fist to indicate everyone stops moving. He looked up and pointed out three Mephits as they suddenly descended from the stalactites from above.
One dropped directly behind you, one in front of you and the final clung to the wall of to the side.
Zaranna moves away from the mephits, trying not to get engaged in melee, and shoots at the mephit on the wall.
Elyana was not about to let these little bastards get a chance to do any more than she could prevent. She focused on the one that Zarana hurt and chanted and gestured sending an arc of electricity from her hands to zap the mephit and bounce to the next closest one.
◆◆ electric arc
One of Zaranna's arrows finds its mark while the other goes a little wide.
The little bastards appeared to be quicker than expected, dodging some of Elyana's spell damage.
Round 1
Cardren, Zaranna, Alric, Elyana, Mephits (Concealed vs Cardren and Alric due to Dim Light)
Mephit 2 (Front): -4
Mephit 3 (Wall): -9
Alric will move swiftly and quickly, attacking the closest one to him.
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Alric moved up and managed two solid hits against the one Zaranna shot.
Round 1:
Cardren, Zaranna, Alric, Elyana, Mephits (Concealed vs Cardren and Alric due to Dim Light)
Mephit 2 (Front): -4
Mephit 3 (Wall): -18
Cardren sees that Alric is protecting Zaranna, so he moves to protect Elyana. Thinking Speed is a weapon, the monk unleashes two strikes to nerve points, or at least where he thinks they are on this creature that Elyana’s electricity hit. Instead of his usual vocalization when striking, he grunts, the sound deep in his throat. He follows the two quick blows with a snap kick.
The monk managed to land one punch on the Mephit.
The little creature shook its head before unleashing a couple of punches of its own.
The one Zaranna shot moved into position and belched forth a spray of pebbles at Alric and Zaranna.
The Mephit behind the group suddenly started growing in size and moved in on Elyana.
Round 2:
Cardren, Zaranna, Alric, Elyana, Mephits (Concealed vs Cardren and Alric due to Dim Light)
Mephit 1 (Back) (Enlarged)
Mephit 2 (Front) (Stunned 1): -12
Mephit 3 (Wall) (1): -16
(fail)
Zaranna once again moves away from the mephits and from Cardren to a position where she can get a clear shot at the one she had already hurt (the one that had been on the wall and had just belched pebbles at her).
She shoots badly, perhaps thrown off by the pebble belching, and tries to get ahold of herself and focus.
Alric easily manuevers out of the way of the pebble spray, his blade deflecting a myriad of stones that threatened to catch him in the face. Moving quickly, he would wrap his cloak around him suddenly and the dark material would swallow the light around him. He would seem to disappear in the dim light. With his shadowy cloak enveloping him, he goes after the mephit once more.
Elyana realized that he mephit behind her did something when it suddenly grew in size drastically and didn't like the looks of this. It was too close to her and she couldn't go anywhere so she decided it was time to see if she learned what her father taught her. Elyana pulled her curve blade free and lashed out once and twice in rapid succession.
Unfortunately, the oracle's arrows failed to find their mark.
Alric completely vanished from sight (except for Cardren) as his cloak absorbed what little light there was in the tunnel. However this new ability threw his senses off making him momentarily loose sight of the Mephit.
Elyana's blade gashed deep into the Mephits flesh, a wound that on most creatures would have been gushing blood, yet none came from this thing. Her second strike was more of a scrape than a cut.
Round 2:
Cardren, Zaranna, Alric, Elyana, Mephits (Concealed vs Cardren and Alric due to Dim Light)
Mephit 1 (Back) (Enlarged): -10
Mephit 2 (Front) (Stunned 1): -12
Mephit 3 (Wall) (1): -16
Cardren assess the damage from the blows against him, feeling the slight pain, knowing it isn’t serious. He attempts to trip the mephit with a leg sweep and push from his hands. He then follows through with two kick attacks.
Due to a trick of the light, the monk's last kick was the only one that connected.
Elyana noticed that the large gash she caused seemed to be slowly starting to heal up.
The large Mephit took a couple of swings at the elf in front of it then stepped back.
The Mephit in front of Cardren tried to punch him again.
The little bastard then hopped back.
The one on the wall, not seeing Alric anymore, moved over and tried to punch Cardren in the back.
Round 3:
Cardren, Zaranna, Alric, Elyana, Mephits (Concealed vs Cardren and Alric due to Dim Light)
Mephit 1 (Back) (Enlarged): -8
Mephit 2 (Front): -10
Mephit 3 (Wall): -14
With the mefits still standing Elyana watched in worry as the wounds she inflicted seemed to get better on the one before her. She quickly lashed out thrice more in rapid succession at her target.
Stepping up to enlarged elemental, the sorceress's first strike cut so deep she's certain a normal creature would have been disemboweled . Still, it caused the creature in front of her to clutch at its new wound allowing her to swing around and remove its head entirely. The decapitated body fell and crumbled into thousands of tiny pebbles, which then further disintegrated into nothingness.
Round 3:
Cardren, Zaranna, Alric, Elyana, Mephits (Concealed vs Cardren and Alric due to Dim Light)
Mephit 2 (Front): -10
Mephit 3 (Wall): -14
Seeing Elyana decapitate one of the enemies, Cardren speaks softly, ”Well done.” He scans the darkness and listens to find another mephit. Thinking he perceives his next target, he steps towards it. With a grunt he throws a punch. Finally he attempts a trip.
Moving up to the one he was pummeling earlier, the monk punched so hard he heard a distinct crack from the neck-breaking. Its limp body fell apart similar to the one that Elyana dropped.
Round 3:
Cardren, Zaranna, Alric, Elyana, Mephits (Concealed vs Cardren and Alric due to Dim Light)
Mephit 3: -14
Zaranna moves to get a clear shot at the remaining mephit.
(deadly d10)
◆Stride, ◆◆2 shots
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Zaranna's arrow pinned the Mephit's head to the cave wall. It to deteriorated into tiny pebbles then nothing.
From the shadows nearby where Zaranna dispatched the mephit, Alric would seem to manifest again.
"Good shot." He says, looking towards the others before nodding down the tunnel. Taking the lead once more, he quietly led the way while keeping an eye out for any more ambushes.
After the last mephit falls, the monk waits a few seconds staring deeper into the mine, before lowering his defense. Cardren exaggerates the length of his breathing through his nose, taking long and slower breaths. Standing near a lantern, he examines the handwraps he put around his fingers, making sure they are secure. He asks, ”Everyone is okay?”
When Alric moves down the tunnel, Cardren follows.
Zaranna nods to Alric and Cardren as they each speak up after the battle, and then follows with her bow still ready.
With the fight over Elyana gave a slight flourish of her sword as she hummed a tune, "Duhduhduhduh duhnuhn duhn duhduhn," before slid it into it's sheathe across her back. Elyana looked to Cadren and nodded as she said, "I am fine and it looks like all of you only have minor scrapes and bruises."
Once the others began to move, Elyana did too staying in formation as they went.
Continuing on, you come to the T junction, turned left, and reached the third junction. Where again Alric raised a fist to stop everyone. He immediately pointed left and right and got into a defensive stance.
Suddenly, three large Mephits came out of the stone floor. One on either side of the group and one ahead blocking the way.
Round 1:
Zaranna, Alric, Elyana, Cardren, Earth Mephits (Concealed from Alric and Cardren)
Mephit 1 (Front, Enlarged, Clumsy 1):
Mephit 2 (Left, Enlarged, Clumsy 1):
Mephit 3 (Right, Enlarged, Clumsy 1):