Under the Dark 2

 

Objective

Investigate the rail system in the Underdark and attempt to determine where it goes
 
 

Observations

-The rail system heads deeper into the Underdark and is controlled by a not fully understood (at this time) system
  -A deceptive old man (likely a necromancer) appears to have set up in the Underdark as well, masquerading as a friendly explorer before setting a trap
  -Like last mission, a strange spider statue was present on the way to the railcar, though it's purpose (if any) is unclear.
 

Follow up

Further investigation into the railway is warranted, as is further investigation into the identity of the old man and the purpose of the stone spider
 

Preparation Details

We received a map with details on the quickest path to an exit, while Ilya and Elouise had prior knowledge of the location, cutting down on travel time.
 

Operation Details

We were informed of our objective and given a map before we teleported to the outpost. After about an hour's walk, we melted the snow covering the entrance and descended into the cave, following the map until we reached the railcar and rode it. During this walk, we did encounter the "spider" once again, though we are unsure if it is a spying device or merely decoration.
 
 
  After a quick, somewhat hectic ride, we found ourselves in a small campsite with both a destroyed circle and a pile of bones in the corner with the rail seemingly traveling further past the site. An old man, seemingly friendly and supposedly wielding the ability to see anything we wished, invited us into his tent to offer wisdom, but instead merely distracted us long enough for the railcar to get away and for a fully prepped remote Fireball spell to activate, though we thankfully avoided any casualties in the ensuing blast. In the ensuing period of rest, during which Halar and I dismantled the campsite, we uncovered a small circular stone inside the wizard's tent that will require further study.
 
 
  After some time, the railcar returned, this time loaded with a group of skeletons led by a bow-wielding warrior, though the warrior was quickly felled thanks to well-placed attacks from Sketch, Elouise, and myself. The skeleton horde, however, rushed the bone pile, and though we fell many of their number, three managed to reach the pile and summon a half-living, half-dead entity that struck Elouise, Sketch, and myself with nightmarish...visions of the deaths of hundreds of people in service of dark rituals. I was able to slay the entity, but it did attempt one final dying attack on us that we managed to survive.
 
 
  Following the battle, we left the campsite and returned back, though we in our haste failed to see if the spider statue had moved.