You spent the night with Ada’s mother “Lina” at the small farmstead. You set out early, shortly after dawn to attract the least attention leaving your pack-mule and two oxen in Lina’s care and dove into the tall weeds towards the tunnel shaft. Quickly before the morning sun was too bright you set up a (single?) rope system to descend into the darkness. By the quivering eerie light of your torches you investigated an ancient ‘cart’ which once upon the tracks made a perfect connection.

Everyone packed into the 9 passenger cart and you rumbled forth at a full walking pace. It was then when the keen-eyed Cersie LaFontaine spotted the blot on the ceiling ahead and shouted the warning for Glover to heed. Several of the company deserted the rolling cart and lit up pre-prepared oil flasks hurling them in flaming arcs towards the creature. Only Fryx’s aim was true enough to catch part of the enormous gray carpet with some flames. The remaining passengers braced for the eventual drop by setting their javelins while the cart was pushed forth to maximum speed. The creature crawled along the ceiling towards the cart and timed a perfect hunting drop covering the cart but suffering greatly from the prickly landing (It is a miracle the cart did not continue forth at maximum speed and instead began to stop.) The trapped occupants began to burn instantly from the digestive juices and struggled to escape the dank, wet and heavy blanket of death. True to form, their minecart carried their lucky hafling charm and Fryx was able to pop his hand through a tear in the blanket and douse the creature with a swath of flaming oil which consumed a large hole in the center of the creature by which all escaped. As they watched, the cart rolled to a stop near the dessicated corpse of an old demi-human. By the light of the burning growth, the party examined the body finding a platinum ring with intricate geometric designs. After some healing and the pronouncement of Lady Malessandra’s test of Humility, the group ponders its next move…

The group proceeded down the tunnel for 1000’ additional feet (dessicated corpse along for the ride) and came upon another tunnel which branched off to the left and a small alcove to the right. They slowed the cart down and disembarked. The alcove revealed a slightly smudged possibly ancient chalk drawing of a Hammer on stone wall, it was touched and searched but did not reveal any secrets.

The group made it’s way down the hallway with Lady Malessandra leading, her eyes aflare with ‘magic sensing’… There were two rooms on the left which were explored, one empty and another replete with ancient rusting stone tools and wheelbarrows. A small hallway branched to the right which ended in a sturdy iron-bound door which was locked and in good condition. It was checked but not forced. Next the group proceeded to the end of the corridor where their light could barely reach. Malessandra had nearly reached the threshold of the open double doors which gave entrance to a workshop of sorts characterized by a cart in the center, various tools seemingly discarded on the floor and chains with hooks hanging from the ceiling, when she was set upon by a group of unearthly dwarves with glowing red eyes. The dwarves moved quickly yet in a twitchy fashion. Their hands were shaped like hammers and they used these to bash the group. A frantic breech fight ensued. These dwarves were silent and resilient and once hit with a weapon would let out a frightening wail and their hands would turn into sledge hammers! After a over a minute of intense fighting and powerful Gorham magic from Romak and Malessandra, the battle was won and all the dwarves lay about on the ground along with Cercie LaFontaine, struck down by a powerful hammer-hand. Glover leaned against a wall, his eyes blinded by the dwarve’s red glow. The clerics brought Cercie back from the brink of death and Glover’s eyes recuperated shortly thereafter.

Continued exploration led to large ‘hall’ with an imposing somewhat dark and transparent crystal column dominating the room. Ancient script circled its way along the bottom of the column. Here (pardon my briefness) the group encountered two more strange red-eye glowing dwarves which they dispatched with little trouble. Then in an adjoining column-filled room with a balcony they explored the remains of what appeared to be a great collapse of the continuation of the tunnel and perhaps combat from years bygone… upstairs they discovered an impossibly preserved body of a beautiful dwarven (priestess?) but the group was attacked by strange and deadly shadows… Glover barely escaped with his life as the shadows were kept at bay and then destroyed by a collective effort…