Baptism of fire

4 November, 595
Part Two

The party retreats to the chamber with the masks to discuss what is to be done next. While they are talking they are surprised when a figure slips out from the shadow of the stairway and offers to attempt to open the locked door. He introduces himself as Jimmy, and explains that an anonymous benefactor sent him to help the group recover the missing children.

After introductions are exchanged, Jimmy gets to work on the lock. To everyone's disappointment, he finds the lock too complicated for his limited lock picking experience. From there the group decides to explore the open passage to the west.

A long hallway with several long doors is explored, and at one end Jimmy falls into a spiked pit. The pit shakes him around a bit, and the others manage to fish him out in one piece. At the other end of the hallway a secret door is discovered, leading to a laboratory left in shambles. Approaching the center of the room, a strange pile of rags jumps to life and attempts to wrap itself around Bruinor. The party attacks with sword and torch, but it is Plenty's blade which manages to free Bruinor likely in the nick of time.

After this the party decides to return to the surface for rest. Some party members opt to remain to guard the shop while the others return to the comfort of the inn. Later in the day Keygan arrives at the shop and inquires about the progress of the expedition. He offers a warm breakfast and then proceeds to open his shop back up for business. The rest of the group meets back up at the shop and another expedition is planned.

A rough passageway is explored, which leads to an odd-shaped room with a husk of what appears to be some large mechanical device. Exploring this room, the party is ambushed by another rag creature, this one apparently wrapped around and in control of a skulk. Both the skulk and the rags are disposed of, an the party procedes into a large room containing an object hidden under a sheet. The sheet is removed and reveals a mechanical beast embossed with gnomish runes. Brisk attempts to climb the device and it whirrs to life, attacking the party. After a gruelling battle, the automaton is defeated. Brisk speculates that the device must be powered by a valuable gem. Sure enough, Jimmy finds a hidden compartment in the remains and produces a beautiful spinel gem.

The party continues exploration of a passageway and finds alcoves with strange machines lining the walls. At the end of the hallway is a makeshift barracade, constructed of wooden beams.

Jimmy scouts out one of the smaller passages and encounters a room completely filled with an eerie mist. He enters the room and manages to stir up a group of large carniverous centipedes. Beating a fighting retreat, the party regroups in the large room and defeats the insects, but not before Jimmy collapses after having being bitten several times. His body is sweating profusely and some members of the party suspect that poisonous toxins are coarsing through his body.