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You all eat and rest for the rest of the night. The rain out side is intermittent. thankfully the dwarves set up a temporary barrier of old scrap and wood to keep out curious animals form the outside. On the inside they reset their traps on the tunnel they came out of. As they do they then eat and rest. All these were simple, but a deterrent was a deterrent.
”Right.” Kardin said. ”We all be properly rested. Let’s do this before we all die of old age.”
”I’ll take point.” The dwarf said. ”It seems fitting.”
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The Dwarves start by dismantling the Traps and Barricades. Freya and Elmo step up to help. The tunnel goes straight for awhile.
Once you get a good mile in the track continues on in a bridge and you see several crystals and metal in the larger cavern. They continue on and you find a collapse of an outer wall. The Dwarves stop the cart before the cavern entrance and point to the opening.
"They be in there"
Before you there are several small stone carved huts with scale shingles and rusty chimneys'. Beyond these in a Relief wall. This wall is well decorated with strange engravings.
"They come from beyond that door. We tried opening it, then one of the buggers popped out. Can't tell ya much of whats behind, save a temple. the old runes we found said it in dwarf. Along with maybe goo. My Ancient Dwarf is rusty" Dinger says as he holds up the light gem in a lantern.
Jairdan was a bit uncertain about fighting slime-type things, and had spent the whole time nervous about the undertaking. They had some tricks they could use to help fight, but getting close enough to use a staff was something that was to be avoided at all costs. So after some thought, being in the back and using the crossbow they had with them was the best of the ideas that they could come up with.
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”Should we survive then I’d be mighty interested in the ruins.” For the first time he was taking an interest in their task that went beyond just coin. He truly wanted to see this through. With that in mind he strode forward.
Herala grips her mace tighter, but there is a clear air of nervous energy and unease from her. What if the slimes where guardians of some vengeance spirit? She didn't know how to deal with spirits. She barely understood how to deal with Freya, let alone something that was restless undead spirits that summoned spiders and slimes.
"Maybe, maybe you got them all? I mean... Surely there isn't that many left..." She does stand ready, but she wasn't showing any signs of being truly ready.
"To the shrine then." Kardin said. Lifting his shield, he lead the way.
Herala looks to her friends for support and courage, the cleric clearly having never really fought anyone before, outside of a few fist fights when younger, and having fought against Freya a few times. Which meant she had little experience for combat against an opponent that would harm her seriously. But she does follow Kardin's lead into the shrine, reading her mace to hit the first slime she was able to.
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The door opens to a foray that has its walls ten feet in high, finely carved with dwarves in the Facade with well carved dwarves of accurate size and shape dressed in finery with strange menacing grins.
half way through the 60 foot long sixty foot wide room, are a ten foot stair with a strange statue in its center that has a Huge dwarf pillar. A rotund Dwarven woman holds a pair of vials in one hand and a huge pot under the other arm. She is mixing something in the pot, with the same unnerving grin on her face. Beyond her on the next level is a door with two dwarven reliefs that hold glowing orbs over thier head.
Kardin looked around inquisitively. The mines were certainly more than what they seemed upon entering. And that alone was somewhat of a defense. The statue, especially, caught his eye. He tried to recall what he knew…
Walking in with them, Jairdan was looking around at the statues with some curiosity. It would take a bit of thinking to try to name the statues according to any pantheon, if that was even what this was. That they were all grinning was worrisome.
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Elmo is alert looking at the area as his supposed scout moniker dictates. Freya seems to avoid looking at the Statues.
"No, I agree those smiles are creepy"
Kardin sighed. ”Not something I like talking about. See those reliefs? Clearly they be from the Clan Wars. Many a dwarf was led astray by false gods. They fought in the service of Demon Lords and Arch Devils.” He frowned, as if though even talking about it left a sour taste in his mouth. ”The smiling statue? Don’t know. But the Clan Markings make this seem like it was dug by an offshoot of the Clan Axehand.” He left it at that, as he pushed forward. It was one thing to smash some slimes. But who knew what might be waiting for them now?
" Did this clan fight for the true Goddess or did they follow one of those demons? I... I can not help but feel there are forces here to work more than we think. I wish I was more powerful, this place needs a blessing of both good fortune and good health for those mining it. Something had to drive them out, yes? The mine does look like it has more to offer, so why leave?" Her voice shook some, because she was looking around for slimes, and trying to hard to not feel uncomfortable in the shadow of this statue. It creeped her out, as the smiles and eyes seemed to follow her, and she really did not need more reminding that not everyone was a good person, and some creatures may not always be good by nature. She still held the fear that perhaps she was not a good person herself, even if there was little proof otherwise.
Kardin gave his cousin a slight nod of the head. He didn't know how to answer Haela, so he didn't. Grunting noncommittally, he marched on. She raised good points, and it didn't feel good to be at a loss for words. He steeled himself to face whatever was to come, even if it was evidence of the shame of his people.
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As you head up the stairs having looked about and found no signs of slimes, you move up to the narrow relief into a funneled hallway.
The relief is pox marked and rough the sculpts having been worn by age. at the end of this hall is a solid metal door, with a pair of dwarves who have the creepy smiles and are reaching to the seem as if to open the door.
Herala looks to the others, and from a moment stops and says " I do not trust this. This seems very easy for a trapped location. Friends, you saw the slimes where in here exactly? What drew them out to you?"
Their quarterstaff was held a bit awkwardly, more for support than any combat proficiency, though the uncertainty is only physical. Jairdan is looking around the room and taking everything in as best they could, wishing that they could read the language enough to make sense of anything that might seem to be worthwhile knowledge.