Ghislain Lorah - After a journey of what seemed like hours we came across the first gate lock. The complex network of doors was seemingly designed to manage traffic and airflow through the tunnel system. The tarnished mechanisms that controlled the doors functioned well enough for being neglected for so long.
Once through the first door we were presented with three options. Continue on the main road or take on of two side tunnels. The process of selecting the first tunnel on the right was chosen through no ordered system could identify. It seemed like whimsey was in charge of our mission. My confidence still intact, we penetrated deeper into the tunnel complex.
The tunnel was narrower and shorter than the main road. We came across an intersection and once more the right-most tunnel was chosen to investigate. Perhaps there was a system in their search after all. The tunnel soon came to a dead end. Master Hakaar revealed that some rotting plaster work was all that stood between us and an old mining hole. The company agreed that the condition of the area beyond the hole was unsafe and not part of the mission. I updated my map and followed them back out of the room.
Back at the intersection we continued to the left hall off the side spur. This hall ramped down to what was once some king of a mining hall. I guessed that its original purpose had something to do with shift changes or equipment storage. The room had a set of stairs that descended into stagnant water. Our light revealed a similar set of stairs rising out of the mirky water on the other side of the room. Between the two stairs was an iron gate that divided the room in half. Much discussion ensued regarded traversing the room. It was Master Sigismond that revealed a method to drain the room before crossing. He produced a bag perhaps only large enough to hold three or four suckling piglets. He cleared enough material out of the sack to fill a small store room. I had heard of such magic in children’s stories and university drinking parties. Seeing it first hand was another thing altogether.
Within half of an hour the water was drained enough to reveal a gate inset to the bisecting bars. The water itself was filled with a number of unfortunate souls. As the water had been evacuated they sank lower and lower. The Half-orc seemed keen to make the messy journey to the gate as soon as he had cleared enough water. Before that could happen, one of the floating bodies reached out toward him, attempting to bash and drown him. He wasted no time dispatching the creature. The whole company reacted to the presence of the creature with the efficiency of her majesty’s royal guard. Needless to say, my confidence in this mission swelled seeing their competence at handling the reanimated corpse.