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Meeting     Into the Crypt     Umber Hulks    Stone Heart    Vampire    Beryn     Keep     Sand Giant
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To Karnak     Dice     Oracle     Mogradjinn     Battle     The Hilt     Exit     Strange Allies     Ghorak Lan
Farigon     Calrhuvianne2     Wraithking     Columns     Last Column     Galent     Zeres-kai     Eyrie
Elementals!     Golem

The party enters the next room to find darkness and a vast cavern, sloping downwards. Although there are still columns intact, most of what this place surely was has been burrowed away and it almost looks like a natural cavern at its sides, riddles as they are with passageways and tunnels.

After a brief check of the nearest area - and the discovery that there are at least giant rats here - the part decides to rest a while so that they will be sharp for any troubel; it's been 7 hours since they entered the mines. Beryn is contacted via Karnak and is told of what has happened so far - the party is also informed that there is some aid on its way through a second entrance to the caves. They organise shifts and get some rest, thankfully undisturbed.

Morin and Jarek set off on a scouting mission to check out the rest of the area but no sooner has Morin, in front, discovered a pit than the pair are almost ambushed by two umber hulks. Charging back to the rest of the group, battle ensues and the beasts are destroyed surprisingly quickly - there are some bad wounds but nothing that won't heal and the only real loss is a lantern, crushed under umber hulk foot!

After a brief discussion and some disagreement, the party moves on and soon meets up with two new comrades-in-arms, Rhadogan and Karnak's brother, Jiriki, waiting at the end of the cavern near the door out. Brief introductions are made and it is explained that Jiriki and Rhadogan navigated their way here using a curious 'horn in a cage' item that beryn gave them. Unfortunately, they now realilse that they have no idea how it works! Still, the party realise they now have another way out and will not have to backtrack completely.

Before the door is opened, Jarek brings the party's attention to some curious marks on a cloumn in the cavern but after inspection and puzzling, nopthing can be made of them.

Beyond the door, the party is met by the alchemical symbol for water, blocking the corridoor. There are some tankards on a shelf and a scroll in a case beneath them - it reveals a riddle which Morin hastily solves and his strength is drained by drinking the wrong draught. Rearranging the tankards into the correct order, his logical now works and the party drink from the correct tankard and pass through the aqua obstacle unscathed to reach the end of the corridoor.

A door awaits them which seems to be unlocked and untrapped but is abandoned in favour of a concealed door found to its right: it's a half-door height and and is pushed in until it swings down on a hinge to reveal a ladder descending a square chimney. Jarek, who has been a little nervy since Rhadogan joined the party, sets off to investigate with Morinready in support and Darius keeping him safe by holding onto a rope tied about him.

Eventually, after, discovering that the bottom of the chimney held water, Jarek swims across it through the chimney exit and into the large room beyond. The water is filled with razorfish and swimming is not the way that anybody else would want to go so magical aid is required.

The party each remove their footwear so that they can benefit from a spider climb spell with Balin and Darius picking up the excess items from the about-to-swim Morin and those Jarek left behind. Morin is aided by a sanctuary spell from Rhadogan and the rest of the party clamber around the walls.

Dalrylshana waits by the opening for Morin in case of trouble but although his grim face shows concentration, it needs no signs of worry - Morin is in the water for only a few seconds, as Jarek was, but the fish he is aware of approaching him rapidly are somehow repelled, as Rhadogan had hoped. He pulls himelf out of the water, shivering and glancing around the dim blue lit room and collects his equipment. Seconds later, Karnak brings up the rear - he would not give up his weapons to anybody and is unprotected by magic as he crashes into the icy water. He disappears from view momentarily and then comes soaring out of the water onto dry land a few seconds later, sharp cuts covering his blood-washed body, one fish in each fist and a third clamped between his teeth.

Even small victories count, it would seem....

Rhadogan attempts to aid Karnak, who is having none of it but accepts some basic first aid from Dalrylshana. The four warrior statues in the corners of the room look on soundlessly as everybody takes the opportunity to apply a long overdue re-annointment of Beryn's Oil of Wightbane to their weapons.

After the darkness of the caverns and the annoyance of the chimney and water, there is something almost relaxing about the dim blue light that permeates the large room. But it's too cold to relax for long and the party is soon ready to move on. Gathering about the western of the three double doors, Jarek opens it and the party edges forward.

Beyond the door, the air is stale and there is a slight smell of something acidic in the air. A corridoor opens out almost immediately into a room that extends beyond vision. About thirty feet in, thick cobwebs drift from wall to wall. The party investigate, burning the webs away with a torch and find a small pool in the room. Tiny spiders in their 1000s are abruptly noticed and Balin spots something baleful above for a moment. This is looking bad, so a retreat is attempted.

Unfortunately, two now animate stone warriors block the route out...