Ghislain Lorah - The campfire burned at an even temperature. The heat, a reminder of the cloying cold that held this underground maze in a permanent autumn chill. They were taking watches. Mildly concerned that the Derro we had encountered on two previous occasions might find the boldness necessary to chance an encounter. The campfire light was sufficient to update my maps and write these words, but deep in my soul was a growing need for the warmth and light of the sun.
On this day and the handful that preceded it I have been witness to a growing pantheon of creatures each more unsettling then the one before it. In my haste to escape the chamber occupied by the skeleton reef I stumbled into a sickening horror whose very presence would quiet a room full of veteran soldiers. The mockery of mankind clawed and scrambled forward using human parts never meant to bear weight as its form of conveyance. Its mouth formed from the ribs and spine of a man. So stricken was I by the sight of the creature my only response was to backpedal toward the madness of the enchanted reef.
I had no sooner rejoined Floki when the creature pounced. Its speed and agility were startling for a creature of that size. The Oronci, I would later learn, had inhabited these halls for near a century. forgotten soldiers from a long ago war. My employers would best four of them before retiring for the day. As I lay here writing these words I am unable to chase the memory of their twisted forms from my conscious mind. I shutter to think how they with darken my dreams and for how long.
My employer and his companions have kept their bargain of protecting me from physical harm. When I signed up for this mission that was my chief concern. I understand now that I was naive in my assumption of the ways in which I could be harmed.
When the others are rested we are to return to the reef. Danin and Bromm confessed to seeing someone or something, perhaps a woman, on the far side of the room. It had gestured for them to draw nearer. Armed with the Beacon of Light, a magic item discovered in the room on our first entrance. We proceeded to cross the room and reveal the mystery of shadowy figure. Our journey across the reef was not without incident, but our protections and prior experience found us safely on the other side slightly worse for wear.
We discovered the creature was waiting for us not far from the original encounter site. It was not a creature of flesh and blood. Even now I struggle with the words to define it. Formed from polished stones and other indigenous debris from the cave. It pantomimed accurately the movements and behaviors of men. Its voice was a harsh breathy whisper that managed to cut through the surrounding symphony of chaos. He introduced himself as Konusmaci, a sort of herald for his master Asumentium of the infinite black.
It seemed as though we had stumbled on a pair of planes travelers who had happened upon this area as a part of their journeys and become trapped her by ancient magic. Over the last eight decades the creature Asumentium had been locked in a proxy war with the high priestess of Dulari in Dowry. Weary of the conflict and anxious to return to The Void. Konusmaci was empowered to negotiate their freedom.