Session 13: The Man Before

General Summary

5th - 7th Myrkule 234 4E   The party scoured the destroyed camp for any further clues and supplies. After saying farewell to Stievna, who was going to take the bodies of fallen comrades back to Brombie for burial, they descended into the well. Meridas went first, using their magic to slowly descend down the shaft and making sure the bottom was safe and secure. Willum went next, using his pitons to affix the rope to the stone face. The others followed them down, but not before dropping two of the dead bandit's down before them. Once at the bottom, Avina reanimated the corpses to accompany the party through whatever lay ahead.   The stone at the bottom of the well had been broken away over the years, leading through to a large cave system that lay for miles under the surrounding hills. The party slowly pushed through it. They found a scrap of fabric caught on a sharp rock, the cloth ripped and crusted with blood. Willum caught its scent and tracked it through the darkness. At the trail's end, they came across a huddled figure. The man's hair and beard were overgrown and matted and his body was a mosaic of scars and scabs. Several of his fingers and toes were missing or cut short. One of his shoulders was dislocated and hunched, and his forearm was broken.   The party set about healing the wounds they could. They talked to the man, who it turned out had no memory of anything before arriving in the caves. He had awoken at the bottom of the well, broken and bruised, and had been trying to find a way of the darkness ever since. He couldn't even remember his name, and so the party gave him the name of Cavendish.   They pressed on through the caves for a day and a half. Several times during this time they felt tremors in the ground, coming from somewhere far in front of them. They also came across a small rock that floated in the air, perfectly still. No matter what force they applied to it, it would not move. They examined it for magic but found no sign or source. Something else was causing this. When they went to leave the rock shot forwards, narrowly missing Meridas, and ripped into the cave wall. Water burst out of the hole and flooded to the cave, knocking everyone off their feet and washing them down the cave before the water subsided. Something weird was at play.   When they made camp, the party decided that they should touch the nightshadow stone again in an attempt to get more information and clues about what might be going on. Willum, Meridas and Tawny each touched the rough surface but none were able to fend off the presence within and each had a memory torn from deep and brought to the surface. Cavendish also touched the stone, hoping that it might provide some answers to his forgotten past. The memory he was shown was of him as a child playing in a courtyard with another boy and a female voice calling out the name 'Baernan'. Avina remembered that this was the name of Haem's brother in the story they had been told about Kydus Castle.   Later that night their camp was beset by small creatures made of stone and metal. These creatures were after the various metals in the party's possessions, diving into their bags and munching on tools, coins, and weapons. The party managed to put them down but not before several pieces of their kit had been consumed.