Department of Exploration, Adventurers and Defence: Stone Face Caves

The Myste-Hass Calender

26/07/2022

A group of individuals assemble in The Halls of Myste-Hass to meet with the the Adventurer's Liaison, having seen posters advertising the Department of Exploration, Adventurers and Defence. The liaison, Eliza Falstaff, opens the door to her office, introduces herself and beckoning in those waiting outside. Bill, Crassus, Duke, Garrett, Garton and Steve head inside. Eliza explains that the Council seek to make secure all the surrounding land up to the Northern Pass.

The Stone Face Caves, the location the group are being sent to secure, are to the North East of Myloch's Way - near the Tower of Dariss. D.E.A.D has certain expectations of those embarking upon its work:

• That the location is to be cleared of any monsters, animals or criminals that may be residing within.
• That any loot recovered may be kept by those who find it, but that all magical items must be reported
• The layout of the location should be mapped
• Any stone chairs or thrones should be avoided at all costs and reported back
• Any iconography or writings should be recorded where possible
• The return of various materials will be rewarded
• Those embarking upon these tasks must report back within 24 hours, if they do not return, a recovery team will be sent in 48 hours.

With their briefing complete, the group head north along Myloch's Way, and then east in to the woods adjacent to the road. Hearing a cart approaching from the north, Garrett sneaks up to the road's edge to investigate. the cart appears to be being escorted by a Helvettian and a couple of other guards, with a man and a woman at the reins. Garrett decides to shadow the vehicle for a short distance. Meanwhile Duke searches for tracks leading eastwards within the woods towards the potential location of the cave, Crassus and Quinn follow.

Steve steps out into the road in front of the carriage, calling out to the drivers to see if they would be interested in buying his magic beans. The drivers politely refuse. Garrett steps out, inquiring about the contents of the cart. They indicate that they have come from north of the Northern Pass in order to trade. Both the drivers and the guards have an almost unnaturally easy-going attitude. As Garrett pushes forwards to attempt to get a look inside the cart, the female driver prompts the guards to see to him. While Steve tries to talk down the situation, Bill and Garton emerge from the woods. Bill quizzes the female driver about their intentions. She continues to calmly tell Garrett to mind his own business. The male driver steps down towards Bill and Garton. The group decide to leave and not press the issue on the road. The drivers wait for the group to be gone from sight before re-mounting and getting on their way.

As Duke presses on in to the hills, with Crassus and Quinn in tow. Quinn, who has left a druidcrafted path behind them, points out some craggier areas to Duke, who explains that he is "taking them down wind" to avoid "trolls". As the others catch up, they head over towards the craggier area to investigate. As they explore, the group find an outcrop of rock that resembles a face and a set of cart tracks that lead towards a screen of scrub obscuring the cave entrance. The group move in to the cave, the first few feet consists of hewn stone, but as they progress in the stone becomes more natural in form. After a short distance, a stack of crates can be seen against the cave wall, just in front of a pair of stone columns. Hyal's Warehouse is stencilled on the sides of the crates, and upon further inspection it transpires that they contain small amounts of a powdered substance concealed within. Attempting to press further in, Crassus and Garett get blasted by a lightning trap that runs between the two columns. After taking some time, Garrett is able to disarm the trap, allowing them to continue onwards.

Steve pushes forwards towards a sound at the back of the cave. He discovers a doorway, beyond which, the walls once more return to hewn stone. Garton brings up the rear of the group, mapping the cavern as they go. Heading down the corridor, Steve discovers a cadaver lying at a crossroads to his left and right there are side rooms containing fonts of magical water, ahead he can see a flaming skeleton pacing back and forth through an ajar door. A look through the ajar door reveals four of the flaming skeletons pacing back and forth, and four large braziers burn in the corners of the room. An altar sits opposite the door. The group push in to the room to confront the skeletons, retreating back down the corridor as they fight them. With their foes defeated, they move forwards to investigate the altar, although it seems nothing special.

Proceeding carefully through the door on the right hand side of the altar room, the group emerge in to another corridor. A single door stands on each side of this new corridor, and one ahead at the far end. The door on the left contains a small room with a symbol painted on the floor of a red, branched "V" within a black circle. The door on the right reveals a natural cavern full of mushrooms. The door at the end of the corridor opens up in to a large room, four large stone columns flank the room, with a large stone throne at one end and a font containing a strange viscous liquid that smells like sulphur at the other. Wary of the previously trapped columns, Garrett throws a stone between them which is violently hurled up the room towards the throne. Seeing this, the group opt to skirt around the edges, avoiding passing between the four columns. As they edge round Steve stops to stare in to the pool. As he passes, Quinn tries to drag Steve away from the pool which seems to be captivating him but is pushed back between the columns and flung towards the throne. Bill successfully drags Steve away from the font. On the far side of the room, the group head through yet another door in to an ominous corridor. A lit brazier sits at the far end, illuminating steps heading deeper down in to the earth. Two large ornate stone urns sit a little distance off to each side of the stairway. Bill warns the group that they should head back soon in order to return on time. Duke, Garton and Garrett decide to creep onwards down the stairs before they leave to get an idea of whats down there. The stairway opens up in to a chamber with the same symbol as earlier painted upon the floor, with some of the same viscous liquid in the throne room font on the floor.

The group head back out of the caves, rearming the trap at the entrance behind them. Traveling back along Myloch's Way in to Myste-Hass, they return to Eliza in The Halls to report back about the throne, the symbols on the floor, the layout of the caverns and the link to Hyal's Warehouse.