DM: Reddestmage

Leader: Hanna
Scout: Hanna
Trailblazer: Hanna
Chronicler: Eight
Cartographer: Tor

Mission: Clear out a mine so Darcy’s people can move in.

I’ve been largely inactive after the gnoll bastards took over White Moon Cove, so going out again felt great! Time to work hard so we can eventually reclaim our home.

Day 1, Weather: Clear & Chilly
Deciding to knock out some smaller objectives instead of the giant warband of gnolls, our party decides to head north of Ruined Oak along the Briarwall. Our target: an abandoned mine we need to clear out so Darcy could raise her children there. After some confusion about the location of the mine, we set off.

Along the way we spot some strange, moving mounds at the edge of the Briarwall. Hanna goes to investigate and lures a mole-like creature to the surface. Unable to overcome the language barrier, the mole growls, scratches at Hanna and resumes tunneling. We leave it be and move towards our destination.

After a few hours of uneventful travel, we arrive at the abandoned hut near the mine. The hut is falling apart and the only things of note are some loose coins scattered about, rusty mining equipment and a map. The map details plans to expand the mine and notes out ore deposits, all written in dwarvish. We move past the hut and spot our target, the mine.

The exterior is much better fortified than we expect, a 10 ft. tall gate of wooden spikes blocking access into the inner courtyard. Hanna quickly climbs to the top of the gate and reports the entire courtyard to be overgrown with vines, dead trees and other shrubbery. In an impressive feat of strength, the small Saoch manages to push open the gates so we could enter. Rekbi and Eight climb to a vantage point and we enter the courtyard.

As we enter, two dead trees down on the ground and two giant flytraps on the cliffs animate and attack us. We all spring into action, rushing to engage the plants or slinging spells or bolts at them. Saoch is brought unconscious a few times and Hanna gets chomped on by one of the flytraps, but otherwise we deal with the plants easily and are victorious.

We take a short break to catch our breath and survey the exterior of the mines. Two side tunnels have collapsed but the main shaft is still open. There are lots of vines pulsing with green energy going inside the mine though. Watching our step, we stealthily enter into the mine.

Inside the mine, we come to a four-way junction, with the bright pulsing vines spreading in every direction. Rekbi quietly scouts the passageways and returns with worrying news. To the left he spotted a massive tentacled flower resting amidst skeletons and corpses. To the right he spotted a dark green bark covered humanoid with tendrils whipping around it. Straight ahead he spotted a giant skeleton, interwoven with glowing vines.

Not liking our chances with a full-on assault, we decide to try and clear the rooms one at a time. A zone of silence is created at the junction with the plan being to take out the humanoid first. Hanna rushes down the tunnel as the vanguard, but quickly comes back, telling us to retreat. Noticing Hanna running about, the large flower uproots itself and comes at us.

Thinking fast, I create an area of sharp spikes at the junction, hoping to wear the enemies down. A corpse controlled by vines runs through the spikes and gets destroyed by a bolt from Rekbi. Another corpse and the bark-covered humanoid emerge from the right hallway and wade through spikes into the melee. From the last hallway we hear a roar, as the skeletal giant charges towards us.

The junction turns into a grand melee of spikes, vines, claws and weapons. In brutal fashion, Eight drags one of the plant humanoids across the spikes and skewers it. Hanna and Rekbi weave around the enemies, striking and retreating with grace. Behind me, Saoch turns into a blindingly radiant beacon, lighting up the cave nicely. Meanwhile I shoot an arrow into the last animated corpse’s head, the battle is turning more manageable.

A second bark-covered humanoid enters into the fray, the flower spews out zombies and blows are exchanged to and fro. Saoch manages to conjure a great tidal wave to batter the enemies, and using this distraction, Rekbi slashes the flower apart with a flurry of sword strikes. We converge our efforts onto the skeletal giant and eventually wear it down. The zombie goes down easily, as does the now alone plant humanoid. We are victorious.

With all of the plant monsters dead, the glowing vines inside mine go dull, shrivel up and die. Seems they were connected to the plant monsters somehow. We take stock of the situation, search the cave and discover a small cache of goodies. All that’s left now, is the grueling process of hacking apart the vines, bringing them outside and burning them to ash. I was far away from the burning and just dragged stuff myself.

With the cave cleared and hopefully suitable for Darcy’s people, we retrieve our pack mule and head back towards Ruined Oak. The trip back is uneventful and we get back to town by nightfall. All in all, a very successful and productive day.

Signed – Tor

Important notes:

The Briarwall was the cause for this monstrous overgrowth. The vines had spilled from the wall and spread into the mine. Is the Briarwall trying to expand?

If you’re heading inside the Briarwall, be prepared for difficult terrain and plant-based monsters. Bring lots of fire.