Exploring the Mines (10th of Bearguard, Rose: 47)

Play continued in the evening of the 9th of Bearguard, Rose: 47.

The party sealed themselves in the antechamber of the mine and healed up for the evening; Tolman made dinner. During the rest, the following was revealed:

• The mine contains intricate stonework and attention to craftsmanship and detail; far more aesthetic concern than a human mine.
• Claustrophobic, Tam didn't like the lack of airflow in the antechamber and was getting nervous, clammy, sweaty. 
• Llewellyn has this awesome '70's mustache!
• Vongur called this mine a "fledgling" - a relatively young mine that was sealed 259 years ago; that's what the date meant on the locks. The mine must have been operational some 250 years before that, coinciding with the books Ma'yah had read on the colonization history of Rhackdalia.
• Vongur revealed that he's in excess of 4,000 years old.
• Siegride's Cloak of Starlight: when holding it up to the sky, the stars remained in position; the cloak could be used to navigate by the stars even when the sky is completely obscured or underground. What a fantastic navigation tool!
• Siegride performed an experiment. She wrapped Gorbash up in her cloak and took him into the pocket dimension with her. It worked! Gorbash wanted to go home. Vongur was fascinated.
• Within the cloak, Siegride asked Vongur about the missing constellation in her cloak's version of the stars. Vongur confirmed: "Dhekan-song is missing - the Harp Player".
• Within the cloak, a fine dust had settled over the stuff she's put in there.
• Siegride, Gorbash, and Vongur were in the cloak for about 10 minutes. However, they exited the cloak in roughly 53 minutes. Time is obviously distorted for staying in the cloak for more than a couple of seconds.

When venturing into the mines on the morning of the 10th of Bearguard, the party encountered switches built into the stonework. Large slabs of rock with gripped handles that are either pulled down or lifted to activate doors and lifts. The party descended into the first level of the mine and explored an area where there was once smelting and acid baths, crafts work, ingot-forming, and basic stone mining used for carving, statues, and bas-reliefs. They explored a commons area with dust-ladened dinner tables, metal plates and tankards strewn about, kitchens; the walls adorned with ornate carvings of dwarves drinking, celebrating, mourning, enjoying life. They found a sleeping area with wreaths (symbolizing loss or death) and small statues to the dwarven gods of Greed and Healing (Abbathor and Berronar Truesilver). These statues, by the way, matched the illustrated description on Tam's Map.

They also found a ransacked cartography room. Most of the maps were gone. The party was able to surmise from piecing together information they were able to find that the mine was closed - hastily - following the death of one of the partners (York) 259 years ago, and that the "Drake" was sealed along with everyone in it, and for their sake, Barrelborn (the remaining partner) would dig no further. The party discovered that there's at least three levels signified by Ram, Jackal, and Drake; each level has at least five planes. The party believed that they were on the 1st plane of Ram, based on the buffer heads they saw when they entered the mine.

When descending further into the mine, the party began to notice that the dust was disturbed. That there were fresh claw/talon like prints everywhere, leading in various directions but mostly to supply stations throughout the mine. The party is not alone here.

Arriving on the 2nd plane of Ram, the party found portcullis' askew in one corridor but working in another. They went into the corridor with the working portcullis and found three statues carved into the side of the wall representing dwarven labor, their eyes common gemstones that hadn't been taken. Whatever may be down here doesn't value them, apparently.

The party entered a large archway that was labeled "Nickel" in Dwarvish. It was strip-mined: a large cavernous space with wooden beams supporting the 9' tall ceilings, with cave-like gouged walls and earthen columns around the parameter. It wasn't long before the party encountered a pile of bones securely tucked away in a corner. Those bones were suspicious and when investigated revealed it to be home to three Gricks!

There was a brief battle - the Gricks were no real threat to the experienced might of the party - but one Grick managed to slither into a hole in an earthen column. Vongur suggested that somebody follow the Grick into the hole, snuff-out its lair in the stone! Nobody thought that was a good idea; Tolman suggested that he use Mage Hand to send Vongur in there. Vongur cursed in dwarvish under his breath.

There were lots of bones. Bones of animals mostly, some of dwarves, some of humans, some of dogs, small birds, maybe even a pony. Not finding much in the way of loot, the party pressed on.

It wasn't long before they encountered something very troubling. A suspended iron cage some 3' off the floor with two human males (decaying) tied to the inside; blood (no more than a week old) splattered across the floor under the cage, and it's obvious that this cage has been used before; the floor is stained with blood. The mechanism to lift the cage was also not dwarvish and has been installed after the fact. Now the party really knows they're not alone!

Disappointed there was - again - no loot, the party turned towards a very long, dark corridor, ready to explore what's next!

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