Post
by ChrisDDickey » Sun Mar 28, 2021 8:36 am
You are reading the writings of Truck, Windlong Warrior.
Arphen and I were approached by Thane Bookbinder.who told us that there was trouble in a tin mine not far from Coalton. Something about shoddy materials and supplies causing accidents. We learned that some other Adepts had been hired by the mine owner Tallermass, and a Questor or Lochost. We all decided to join forces and investigate together.
When we arrived at the mine, we found chaos, with the mine owner blaming the accidents on saboteurs among the workers, the workers blaming the accidents on shoddy materials, and the Questor blaming both the owner and the Union. We got things calmed down enough for a clearer explanation. The tin mine was opened no quite a year ago, and was quite productive. However for the last month or so there have been accidents and disappearances. Tunnel cave ins, a sinkhole, and an exploding gas vent were the worst. A few minors have died, but 8 more have just disappeared.
We went into the mine with two guides, who showed us the accident sites. We determined that the materials used in the mine were good, and had been apparently well and skillfully used by the minors. Some party members reported hearing giggling, or even voices, but I heard nothing. Arphen found some tracks to follow, which eventually led us to a cavern where we fought some awful monkey-like creatures. Two were slane, but one led us off though a gauntlet of traps (which fortunately we detected most of), before we finally chased it down and slew it. We later discovered that these were low level horrors called scurriers, who delighted in traps.
We found traces of where dwarf bodies had been dragged, and followed that.to a newly opened cavern that had a small seam of living crystal running through it. There we found a something that looked like an enormous maggot. We alter learned that this was a Gharmek. It was accompanied by some undead constructs. In fact we arrived just as it was finishing animating one. It turned out that several of the constructs were cadaver men, while others where ghouls. The Gharmek was too far to reach, and in fact while it sent it's undead forward, it itself retreated halfway into a burrow.
On my first attack I slew one of the undead that I could reach, but then of course moved forward to attack the Gharmek. Unfortunately the others all stayed back to waste their time with the minions. I can understand taking the time to kill a ghoul, especially if it has poisoned somebody, but I guess none of the others had never heard the maxim that you should never attack a cadaver-man who was not already enraged unless there were literally nothing else that needs to be attacked. They kept attacking almost harmless un-enraged cadavermen, and converting them into dangerous enraged cadaver-men. When they could have concentrated on the Gharmek, or at least the ghoules instead.
So I found myself fighting the Gharmek one on one. We each got some very good licks in, but I made what turned out to be a strategic error. I was knocked down, almost out of karma, and almost unconscious with damage, I knew that I was going to take a lot of strain on my acrobatic recovery, and my other talents. I decided to not aggressively attack (just as well), but also decided not to Air Dance.in order to save Strain and Karma. Big mistake, The Gharmek went first and I was knocked out before I even got a chance to act. I was woken up after the fight by my comrades telling me that the Gharmek had gotten away (they had cleaned out the minions).
We stayed a few more days, but it seemed like the Gharmek had fled the entire mine.