Double Tunnel Struggle

## **Synopsis**

In Chapter 45: Double Tunnel Struggle, the party descended into the hidden passage at the recommendation of Josco Tibbets – who was no longer present to see us safely across his bridge.  True to his word, the tunnel kept us well out of sight of any lingering Laqha'Phuyu or Black Lion Barbarians – but some cave-dwelling creatures didn't take kindly to our intrusion nor a thrown rock to the face.

The squid-like Darkmantles used camouflage and innate auras to black out our vision, which put us on the back foot and almost took Erland to the ground after attaching themselves to his body.  A few fortunate swings were able to tip the momentum back in our favor, though one of our remaining horses was killed in the fray – further diminishing our riding and carrying capacity.

Before resurfacing, we spotted a door that seemed out of place in this otherwise natural environment with a plaque that read "Champions Only" – a reference, we assumed, to the challenges we faced in Josco's castle.  It was Beezaura who officially held the title, but Orba attempted to slip through and was met with a pair of painful shocks that knocked her unconscious – forcing Graven to use what little magical energy he had left to bring her back.

Beyond the door was a small storeroom where Josco had kept a few precious items – including a package with a note and a promising lead on acquiring a first edition copy of Grahmari's Giant Grimoire.

We added that to the list of potential avenues to explore in Mukmu – but it was one thing at a time, and after ascending to the open air on the other side of the canyon we set our sights on the Mancuso Mine, which we hoped would lead us back out of the Chaki Mountains.

While resting for the night, Graven was spoken to by Q'usni – who had mostly allowed his cleric to complete the Harvesting Yard scouting mission without interference, but who now wished to strike a bargain in the continued hunt for their elusive prey.  Acknowledging that Graven's power had not yet fully returned to him – Q'usni would abide by the presence of companions if Graven was willing to destroy the items he'd acquired from the healer back in Urin-Chupa.

By the early afternoon of the following day we had reached the mines, though we were surprised to find them back in some degree of working order.  A group of dwarves had begun collapsing tunnels in anticipation of streamlining their operation, and their foreman stubbornly refused to let us through until Graven threatened him and demanded entry.

The dwarf told us when there would be a break from the explosions and gave us a map with the inaccessible routes marked on it – but while it proved to be mostly accurate, we hit a dead end on the lower level and heard the footsteps of an approaching team of pissed-off miners.  With shoddy armor and little more than pickaxes for weapons, they seemed outmatched – but an eruption of black powder sent us sprawling before we could get our bearings.

The ringing filled our ears and Orba nearly hit the floor for the third time in 24 hours.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: seven natural ones were rolled in this Chapter. 1 by Matt, 2 by Leah, and 4 by Jordan.