A few days in the mine were spent resting while Tienarth analyzed the magic items they’d recovered from the vault so far. Nothing more was learned of the broadsword except to confirm it’s magical enchantment. Likewise, the suit of chainmail was of exceptional quality but simply provided a bonus to protection. He learned the command word of the wand (“jenuko”), that it produced multiple effects and that it held 25 charges. The dust in the small box proved to provide the ability to erase all trace of passage through a room or a down a path.
On 6/2, they returned to the vault. Using the net and several cloaks, they cover the pit. Tienarth tried casting dispel magic on a yellow dome to no effect. He transformed into a blue dragon and snatched the vial. Tremendous electricity shot out over his dragon body and he was badly hurt but alive. Some attempts were made to knock the items from under the blue domes. These were known to turn flesh to stone. The rod was dislodged with ease using a grappling hook, with care taken to let go of the rope before it touched the dome. Next, Nate attempted to recover the ring and carelessly let the rope lay over his boot at as the hook touched the blue dome. He felt a strong surge of magic. His limbs stiffened, but he shook off the effect and managed to retrieve the ring.
Tienarth gathered all of the magical items taken from the vault and flew home. He encountered no hazards and made it home safely. The next day (6/3), Tienarth spent with Benabil, who identified the items. His wand was revealed as a “wand of wonder”, which produced effects at random. The two potions were of invisibility and water breathing. The ring enhanced jumping four times a day. The rod could transform into a magical flail on command, and once per day it had the ability to provide extra protection from blows for 10 minutes.
In the afternoon, Tienarth flew back to the mine.
On the 4th, the party went back to the dungeon. They descended the winding tunnel. Tienarth transformed into a gold dragon and used a mirror image spell. No bugs crawled out of the pool, but a strange figured came running around corner. At the sight of the dragon, he turned to run but the party pursued. The mage attempted a charm on Aderian to no effect. Ollie grabbed him around the waist.
They interrogated the mage who called himself Dillon, that last of a party that was called to the dungeon by the same visions of a lady trapped in a glass tube. He explained that he’d lost his red backpack, which contained his spellbook, but he did not worry so much about the loss given his backup saved at home. Urgesh hit him over the head when he wasn’t being particularly cooperative. Eventually, he talked his way out of captivity and Nate provided some healing. He ran up the tunnel to safety.
Next, they returned to the room with the machine embedded in the wall. Ollie stood on Aderian’s back in order to place his hands in the holes. His mind was filled a vision of zooming over a landscape ontop of a metal platform that reminded him of a flying carpet. Aderian tried the machine and had a vision of be a bug soldier in a large battle. Saul attempted the machine and found himself as a three-armed and three-legged creature on a pink beach beneath a pink sky. Bright green water rolled up the beach to touch the toes of other creatures, one of which approached with a bowl of thick, blue liquid. Tadpoles paddled around the bowl. Saul felt immense peace and then took a long drink from the bowl before coming to his senses again. Finally, Ferris used the machine to witness being a parade marshal as soldiers marched by in a city of tall buildings.
In a nearby room, they found a pile of charcoal and several brands with an unusual M shape. Ollie stuck one in his increasingly heavy pack. Next, they pondered the adjoining room which featured a deep pool of water. A boulder was pushed into the pool and two short rods were fetched from the bottom.
Swimming beyond the pool, Aderian found another flooded room with coins scattered all over the floor. In a ruined cabinet, he picked up a metal tube. The party then turned around and went down a large tunnel. It went down another mile underground and ended in a small room. A body in plate armor lay splayed out on the floor. The lower half was squashed flat. Ollie took a brass ring from the body. It bore a hammer design.
End Notes
- Days
- 5/29 – 6/1 — Downtime in the mine
- 6/2 — Exploring the vault
- 6/3 — Tienarth flies to Benabil
- 6/4 — Into the dungeon
- Treasure
- Oil of Acid Resistance. Immunity to normal acid. Half damage from magical acid.
- Rod of Flailing – Transform from rod to flail +3. Once per day AC+4 and Saves +4 for 10 minutes.
- Ring of Jumping. Four times a day, jump 30’ forward, 10’ back, 2’ up for each 10’ running.
- Brands with an M shape
- Two short rods with grooves
- Metal tube
- Brass ring from squashed knight
- Combat: Dillon the mag subdued and let go. 1,390 xp
- Characters 154 XP each
- Aderian (fight, lead) 172XP
- Ferris 169XP
- Hocuspo 169XP
- Nate (fight, heal) 172XP
- Ollie (underground, fight) 157XP
- Saul and Lion 169XP
- Tienarth (collects magic, patient, magical knowledge) 159XP
- Urgesh (aggressive, bully, fight) 159XP