Descent into the Basilisk's Lair (12th-13th of Bearguard, Rose: 47)

The party rested for nearly a day and a half in the mines of York & Barrelborn. They sealed themselves in the apartment again and took ample time to heal.

They returned to the 3rd Tier of Jackal and investigated its adjacent mine shafts. They also activated the control panel to both unlock the church and open air to Drake, conceivably the lower-most level of the mine. After four hours, they found nothing of particular interest except for an increasing volume of white vines growing from the rock and walls of this place. They descended further.

It wasn't long before they encountered webbing along the walls, floor, and ceiling, then statues of large giant spiders ominously in the corridor. When arriving at the 4th Tier of Jackal, they found the corridor to their right was sealed by portcullis but to the left it hung open and couldn't be closed.

Suddenly, a giant spider rushed the party from behind the closed portcullis! Its arms flaying, its body pressed up against the iron bars. More spiders came, and the party was thrust into melee. Spiders were on the walls and ceiling, rush the party from deeper in the mine shaft and from the open portcullis. The spiders tried hitting the party with bites and webbing.

Meanwhile, during this pitch, glowing orange eyes appeared. It was a basilisk! Some in the party made their saving throws, but not Tamroohk, whose body began turning to stone! Luckily, Tamroohk made her next saving throw and the process stopped.

The spiders kept coming and the party was fighting two adversaries, when suddenly, more orange eyes from the darkness! Another basilisk! Soon the party realized that their deadly gaze was only good for 30' feet, and backed out of its effect range so they could smite the creatures with arrows and magic missiles. It wasn't too long before the third and final basilisk, Mama Basilisk, came rushing out of the darkness! Tolman did a daring move and backstabbed the creature, risking his own life by looking into its eyes as it turned its head in pain. But Tolman made his saving throw! No turning to stone for him!

It wasn't long before all the creatures were dispatched and the party explored the final tier of Jackal. There was a relief of a church carved into the side of the wall here, and its large double doors cracked open (as they opened the doors from the control panel on the 3rd Tier).

On the inside, just three rows of pews and thirteen dead dwarves, remarkably preserved. There were idols for the dwarven gods of greed and fighting, but a much larger bas-relief of Berronar Truesilver behind an altar bearing the body of a former dwarven hero in bluish-silver half-plate armor. And along the side walls in six alcoves sat tributes to the gods: a slew of dwarven weapons - a crossbow, an enormous hammer, a battleaxe, a great war axe, a shield, daggers, and of course, the half-plate armor.

Just then, at the doorway, a light appeared. The ghost of the dwarf holding the lantern was there, and he waived for others to follow him, back up the mine shaft! The bodies of the dead dwarves - their eyes suddenly became alight with a blue radiance, and all of the dwarves (Tamroohk, Vongur, and Gorbash) felt in their heart of hearts to follow this apparition! To run with it!

Yet only Tamroohk headed the cry within her spirit! She ran after the ghost (and Siegride raced after her) as it raced back up the mine shaft! Behind them, a bevy of ghostly forms materialized, emerging from the floors, walls, side mine corridors; Siegride and Tamroohk could hear their shouting "It's closing! Hurry lads! Before it's too late!" They could hear their breathing, pounding legs, racing up the mine shaft with them!

Racing towards the spindle, the lead lantern-carrying dwarf reached its wall and extended his arm to the ceiling, grasping at a way out of the mine. Knowing just what to do, Tamroohk lifted the spindle's control and placed it to RAM, and the device started spinning clockwise and rising to the upper level! The ghostly forms rushed in, amassing above their heads, racing around in circles, screaming, crying for a way out! And when the spindle stopped turning and arrived on RAM, they gushed out, racing towards the top of that mine shaft!

Siegride and Tamroohk raced along with them, rushing up the stairs and arriving at the door switches that would open both the internal and external doors to the entrance. They flipped the switch, and the blinding light of daylight (which they hadn't seen for about a week!) caused them to shield their eyes, as a brilliant rush of blue, ghostly energy fled the mine and rushed outside. When there were no more noises or ghosts, they re-closed the mine, and returned to the church at the bottom of JACKAL.

Once there, the party started taking inventory. Ma'yah collected the blood and guts of the basilisks (which Ma'yah appears apt to do when encountering magical adversaries), and a plan was hatched by Elan, Tamroohk, and Siegride to go into the Starlight Cloak to rid it of the Black Pudding that had taken up residence there. One by one, Siegride wrapped her cloak around both of the other players, and they slipped into an alternate dimension ...

... and that's where we left off, around eventide of the 13rd of Bearguard, Rose: 47!

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