"Ah... nah."
"He may be part machine, but it's also part alive, he's not a tool isn't that right Mr. Bigglesworth?"

Yulya stares at her irrational comrade who prioritizes her immortal monster summons over fellow humanoids in disbelief and shakes her head. Then she trots after the others who are disregarding anything she says as usual.



This is insane... Or am I the crazy one? We will all die here...
Yulya casts GUIDANCE on herself and  at least tries to search for traps mustering the tunnel from floor to ceiling.

Ashley grouses, "Anyway, why didn't we just take the elevator? It's locked you know. Is it some kind of self-flagellation thing?"

Yulya smirks
You heard Sir Mormesk! Our sins are grave and we need to atone. Besides true strength comes from hard work not taking shortcuts...
But seriously if we had taken the elevator whoever is down here could have taken the stairs and evade or even ambush us or destroy our loot. I do not like to have the enemy behind or above us. And we need to explore everything in order to clear this mine and it is better to take the stairs down than up. We (you) will get the elevator after we cleared this level.

The small room at the bottom has three ancient crates and two oddly shaped metallic busts on the walls reminiscent of a goat and a pony, revered animals often used by dwarves in mines.

Yulya casts LIGHT on a small rock. She tosses it into the middle of the room and searches the area for traps.
We should explore this first! Alice poke them with your pole! If the room is safe we will store our belongings here!

Yulya is taken by surprise as she had not anticipated such a hostile reaction
Thank you for mediating Ashley! Alice is right there is neither need nor time for such hostilities. Let us focus on our objective!

"You will be granted this if you return with the head, and if not, you will return with this royal mage for further investigation and verification."

"Deal Yulya? I bet Summer would be up for it."

Certainly as it always was! I said we would retrieve Nezzners head. There was no need to threaten us to begin with! May we please proceed now?

You settle in and within minutes of resting you get an unexpected visitor.
From the glowing non-corporeal vestments, this appears to be a former wizard, the bones animate and creek in a unsettling way and the power emanating from this form is unmistakably that of a lich with the exception that there is no phylactery on his person, which is rather puzzling.

In contrast to the frightened Cat and curiously amused Alice, Yulya experiences an oddly calm reaction to this horrifying undead appearance. More akin to sorrow and pity.

He carries a scepter with a brilliant crystal of the same color and shape as those clusters that were growing in the chamber with the Myconids
Yulya's eyes fixate on this implement and recognition floods her mind, this is a legendary artifact of a bygone age, a royal scepter that was lost hundreds of years ago and though she has no idea what effects or powers it would wield, she knows that its power is devastating, if it still contains charges and is still functional it is well advised not to be the target of that ornate wand's magic.

Like Alice - Yulya immediately identifies this being and the wand as source for the beam holes. To her own surprise she still feels nothing. There is no point in running hiding let alone fighting this undead. Yulya speaks a silent prayer to Eldath and SheShe and hopes he can be reasoned with.

The jaw of this frightening skeletal being opens and your minds are filled with knowledge. He addresses you as Mormesk, a powerful mage of the Greycloaks of Neverwinter, wizard premier of the king, sent to protect the Forge of Spells. You understand this statement but also question it as he is communicating as if he is still a corporeal being, as if he doesn't fully remember he's now undead.

A sense of worry befalls Yulya as she realizes this powerful man - or what is left of him after centuries - probably has lost most of his rationality.

The impression you get is that this is the year 941, but you know this isn't right, it's 1296, and when your minds connect that to his, he pauses in confusion a moment then continues. Until he met his end in the spell battle at the climax of the orc invasion of Phandalin he was a well known and respected protector of the realm. However, you sense centuries of lost time and hatred, frustration and boredom. Ancient memories of lost comrades and friends as if it was yesterday and one final memory is rather recent, a confrontation with bandits that blew the door off the 'visiting wizard' chamber. In fact, further puzzling memories follow and he's apparently rather confused, he recognizes new excavations and none of this woodwork you now occupy with your tent. He wonders how that's possible in such a short time. But all that is immediately overshadowed by one question of grave concern, and this comes out in a shrill bone chilling voice.

"What is the disposition of the Forge of Spells, I no longer feel its presence."

Seeing Cat trying to hide and Alice trying to entertain a newfound curiosity akin to an exotic animal, Yulya finds herself stepping forward to address the sudden visitor as it is her role as party leader, presenting her adventurer's tag and Holy Symbol as she bows. Yulya uses Persuasion.
Sir Mormesk I am Yulya a Peace Cleric of Eldath and adventurer of the guild of Neverwinter - leader of this party. These are my comrades Alice Ashley and Cat. We are here on a quest to rid this mine of orcs and other foul beings. I humbly ask you to listen to our story as I believe we share the same goal. We will lend our aid to you to the best of our limited abilities and answer your questions as far as we can but I am afraid we lack crucial information about what is going on here. Please help us out so we can support you!

To keep it short we were tasked by Dwarves of the Rockseeker family of Phandalin to investigate this mine which is now rightfully theirs. A mine which was described to us as a simple ore mine called the Wave Echo cave. We are not aware of the Forge of Spells or the battles that took place here centuries ago! Nothing to be honest! Yet when we arrived here we found no sign of living orcs, but human bandits and bugbears, even fume drakes from the Underdark!
Sir Mormesk as far as our investigations have led us -  a criminal organization of bandits has infiltrated this mine- for reasons unknown to us. The very bandits you defeated recently. That organization called the cloaked wolves appears to consist mostly of ordinary humans but also a high level druid, elves and even half orcs! The leader appears to be a powerful drow elf wizard by the name of Nezzner who also calls himself the Black Spider. He is said to be here in this mine! We interrogated bandits and they told me they found a method to nullify magic probably by earthstone shackles. I do not know if this would affect your powers Sir Mormesk but be careful!

But that is not all! Unfortunately the world itself is facing difficult times right now! Monsters run rampant along the Sword Coast. Refugees are taking shelter in the city of Neverwinter. We were among them originally before we became adventurers to make a living. The town of Phandalin was destroyed by orcs and only recently rebuilt. But soon afterwards it was cut off from trade due to banditry and monster attacks. And on top of that - a magic spell of monstrous proportions is freezing over the entire land from the High Road over Phandalin to the mountains here! And a white dragon has made its lair on a nearby peak. All of this appears to be connected to this mine! This mine we know nothing about.

Yulya sighs and takes a deep breath closing her eyes.
Sir Mormesk forgive my insolence but I believe more than 350 years has passed since your - passing. If you doubt me please look at yourself in the reflection of the lake here! Centuries have passed since you battled the orcs here with your comrades! And it looks like this place has been abandoned until quite recently. No it was even sealed! There were inscriptions speaking about a powerful watcher at the entrance and that nobody should enter.
Yulya can't help but wonder if Mormesk was indeed the watcher in question...

Oh there was another inscription saying the greatest treasure was taken about 10 years after uh your passing so in 951 if I remember correctly. So maybe what you cannot sense anymore is long gone. But I neither know what it is nor where it could be...



Sensing it is not wise to hide anything from this man, Yulya also presents her wand.
And my apologies for taking this wand from your fallen wizard comrade whose remains rest in this lake - I spoke a prayer for his soul. We are not strong and we must fight evil by all means necessary. I hope this is also what he would have wished. That said Sir Mormesk please tell us what you remember! What happened here and above all what is the Forge of Spells?

Yulya - now for the first time nervous - glances over to Ashley with a pleading expression and whispers:
Please be courteous with this man or we are all dead! Well at least Cat and me! And make the Bigglesworths presentable! Maybe he liked cats when he was alive!

I guess these dwarves - at least Sir Gundrens brothers - really had no idea what is going on down here. But they must have known it was more than 'just a few squatters'. Recklessly sending us into this cursed mine without a map or any information and expecting us to clear it to its deepest parts for a few gold coins - I do feel cheated. How disappointing...

Alice gives Yulya a worried look.
Yeah Ashley's right! we pulled the elevator up! You spent too much time as a tree. You should rest as well, Yulya-sama!

Yulya blushes.
Indeed - where is my mind? This wild magic really takes its toll on me. I need to rest.

Yulya is not happy about the bickering between Alice and Ashley.

Please cut that out you two! We are surrounded by insanely strong and numerous enemies! This is not a school field trip! Take this seriously!

Yulya enters the tent past agitated felines and refills her focus during her rest.

This lower area has been recently disturbed by rockfall and reveals fresh corpses of bandits; they look like they lost horribly. Some have burn marks reminiscent of the stones, appendages are cut clean off and cauterized. some have the look of horror frozen on their lifeless faces. They're still wearing their armor equipment and brooches, 7 in all; whoever killed them took nothing and left them where they fell. Even a sword seems to have been cut clean in half by some magical means, the metal pooled on the end as if melted by extreme heat, hotter than the hottest known forge. The air is still and stale with the scent of fresh kill not more than a day old. You sense no traps or signs of life.

Yulya watches the carnage with horror and speaks a prayer for the fallen bandits as always. Criminals or not - they are (or were) still human beings. She covers her face in her hands and whispers.
Do you - realize what this means?!
The rock we found when we returned from the goblin cave to Phandalin - it had a fresh beam hole. Identical to the ones here. I doubt there are several beings around here who can do this. That means - whoever did this went to Phandalin before us and is now in this mine. The ones who left the goblin den before us were Sir Gundrens brothers Tharden and Nundro - and Sir Sildar.
Yulyas paranoia increases further as she ponders if any of them could be responsible for this incident.

I still cannot quite make sense of the dwarves reaction - I do not remember who if the brothers it was - who analyzed the rock. He seemed agitated but might a well have been drunk. I furthermore cannot comprehend he would not have recognized it as it would mean the dwarves had never come to this place. None of this makes sense. None of it...
Yulya shakes her head

We see very old and fresh burn holes meaning no human could have done this. Unless it is a spell that has been passed on. What is your take on this? Could the drow elf who leads this organization be the cause of it? He might be old enough to have caused the ancient beam holes. I would not rule out he killed his own men for whatever reason. Still why? Treasure was obviously not the goal. Perhaps something magical. Whatever was in this chest. Too bad we could not communicate with the myconids they must have witnessed what happened here.

[/i]

Cat turns to Yulya and whispers:
Yulya Nya we should turn back now Nya at least until we know what the hell was going on here Nya! Or we'll end up like all the other guys over there Nya! I'm serious Nya!

Yulya is more than happy to pick up Cats words and glances over to Ashley who appears to be already charmed by the treasure
I absolutely agree. I just want to get away from here...



Ashley we will not forsake this treasure but now is not the time. I agree we should retreat. And why are we out here without your summons in front? I did not give you these rings to pocket them! Get us some summons as front guard before we get ambushed again! Let us carefully move back now before we trigger whatever caused this carnage!

Yulya, using her last 2nd tier slot, imparts the energy of the spell into Ashley but it's no use.
"well that did nothing, who writes such a worthless spell and it's 2nd tier!? I do feel like I could use this though, forget fox's cunning, I want Eagle's splendor."

Ignored by the Myconids and declared useless by Ashley - Yulya falls into yet another existential crisis, cowering on the floor

The Myconids both begin to outgas a purple haze, using Spore Domination (a physical/mental ability not a spell) on everyone within 60ft. Ashley is immune.
Yulya, Cat and Alice are charmed and compelled to do the bidding of the Myconids, being both helpful and unable to be hostile toward them.
Yulya comes to her senses first, finding herself standing near the smaller Myconid.

Unsure what to do, Yulya moves backwards mumbling excuses

"I figured out a few things. One, they hate noise, two, they love corpses, meat would also make a good offering. If we see any more of them, we should offer them some. These two kept getting angrier as we spoke, so speak softly around them. I think they'll let us pass, let's go." Ashley gestures South.

Ringless and still shaken, Yulya stumbles South after the others

Regaining her human consciousness Yulya looks around in confusion. Relieved she finds the enemies have been eliminated. She turns to Myconoid 1 and bows.



I do not know if you can understand me but we deeply thank you for your aid! Without your interference this could have ended badly for us. You have my deepest gratitude!
I apologize for the intrusion but we are adventurers from Neverwinter tasked with clearing this mine from evil creatures like those drakes! We do not come with any hostile intent against your species! I am Yulya, a Peace Cleric of Eldath and these are my companions Alice, Ashley and Cat!

Yulya signals to the others to keep it down and appear none-threatening to the Myconoids