Session 7 (Enter the Mine)
With their new compatriot Aurelian Delaunay, a combat mage from Bethana that joined them in Nembutal on behest of the local Blessed of Hesinde, the heroes raced into the Kosch Mountains. First on the small road to Amleth but soon on an even smaller pathway. By midday they entered a small wooded valley ending at a cliff-face. A small clearing surrounded an encampment, protected by a crude palisade, more made to protect from wildlife than an actual fortification. The missing coach and a cart very similar to the one they found at Hilberts Farm are outside the encampment with the horses and some tents inside.
No other movements visible, Savertin climbed on top of the coach to peak over the palisade and can see a hole in the cliff with some tracks coming out and a empty mine cart on the tracks. The heroes decided to sneak in, not sure if someone was still hiding in the tents. Halvar took up position on the coach with his bow and Savertin and Barukh sneaked to the gate but despite using a fate point Savertin didn’t manage to open it quietly and Barukh used loud brute force.
Intrigued a woman in Farm Clothes peeked out of the mine entrance into Halvars field of fire and sure to discover the heroes trying to break in any second.
Halvar fired. Hit but not dead she went down, shouting alarm.
Barukh rushed in, knocked her out and pulled her limp body from the tracks at the mine entrance.
He the pushed the empty mine cart on the track forward into the dimly lit mine, hoping to crush any further defenders.
Followed by Aurelian and Savertin and a little bit later Halvar the heroes entered the mine. It appeared to be a mostly natural cave at the entrance with some signs of dwarven craftsmanship. After a narrow curve the cave opened up and shortly after the mine cart pushed by Barukh crashed into another cart full of rocks. Two more farmhands and two dwarves, one of them
looking like a blessed of Angrosh and a few combat turns later even a mindslaved Nitor engaged the heroes. Outnumbered Barukh bore the brunt of the attack, in particular the heavy swings of the silvery axe wielded by the priest of the dwarven god.
Aurelian first cast a Fulminictus successfully on the other Dwarf. He then tried to cast a Fulminictus on the priest whose toughness was almost too much but with a luck roll he still hit him, though the priest didn’t seemed to be fazed by the pain. So he again tried his luck on the other dwarf, killing him and easing the pressure on Barukh.
Combat was a bit static as the heroes were lodged in a narrow passage with the enemies between them and the further depths of the cave/mine system. Savertin found a natural opening to a different cave but it was too narrow for him to pass through. Aurelian managed to squeeze through and while the others were fighting he found deeper in the caves an altar where Mara was sacrificing a number of old men, mind controlled and unable to react. Aurelian again used a Fulminictus spell and Mara passed out from the pain.
