Vaxfar looks at Grub, the last of his group that joined, other than good ole Murph.

"Sorry for your losses Grub, if you want to join up with a new band, if we ever get free of this cursed place, you and Murph are welcome wherever I go next."  a moment later he adds, "Who brought the adorable skunk?"

"May Avandra's Light guide those who gave their lives here to save others," Dame Daflin intoned.  A prayer for those friends lost.

"Let's not push our luck," she said after a moment.  "We'll see if we can find the mules and then make camp in the wood."

Ovo leads Eoni, Grub, Murph, Sarah, and Vaxfar back through the ruined stronghold. There are fewer tremors now and those that can be felt are likely the result of settling stone and not the earth's upheaval. In any event, the adventurers emerge from the Fane of Tiamat and rejoin Elam on the stone ledge.

Elam has neither seen or heard any unusual activity over the past hour since his companions went back inside the Fane.

Perhaps thirty seconds after the last party member passes through the Tiamat Door, the adventurers hear what sounds like a large cave-in somewhere within the Fane. Moments later, the Fane belches a cloud of dust that wafts over the adventurers. When the dust clears, the the Tiamat Door is choked with rubble and access into the Fane now seems impossible, anyone left inside, likely perished.

"Lot of blood, sweat and tears lost here and equal shares of nothing is still...nothing," Grub is heard to say while pouring Murph a saucer of water from his waterskin.

After doing so, he turns on his heels and addresses the party in as clear a tone as he can manage, but Eoni in particular. "Lost a lot of my friends today. For their sake, we need something to show for our efforts. We can rest. Fine. But we should make a go of getting something for our troubles."

"Tales only buy so many free drinks. Coin goes farther," he says with finality while eyeing the mouth to the cave high above the Fane.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:53, Wed 09 June 2021.

"Whaddya suppose happened to the dragon that was up there?" Sarah asks nobody in particular.

"We can see if there's a way back in," Dame Daflin agreed wearily to Grub's desire.  "Tomorrow.

"For now, we find the mules if we can and make camp."

They weren't entirely empty handed.  A few of them did manage to hold onto their new magical items, including Grub's bag of skunks.

Grub nods in agreement with Eoni's proposal and adjusts the bag of tricks now slung over his shoulder. He wonders how the wolf and skunk were getting along and what other animals might be carousing within.

"Okay," he replies.

Vaxfar nods and having scouted the way in, leads the way out in search of the mules.

Elam continues to wair, praying nothing happens

Looking up at the night sky, Dame Daflin took a deep breath.  They'd been underground for so long it felt good to be out from under the mountain.  She hadn't even realized it was dark until she'd looked up to see the stars.  So accustomed had she grown to seeing by just the light of her tiara.

"Let's at least get across the bridge and find a place to rest," she said to the others.  "We can wait until dawn to search for the mules and I want to be away from this entrance if anyone comes to see what befell the fane."

They'd make a cold camp and eat what they had to avoid being spotted by any errant patrols.

OOC: Avoid dangerous night time travel options, but don't hang out on their doorstep.

The party crosses the natural bridge in darkness, Ovo and Vaxfar leading the way for those unable to see in the dark. Fortunately, it's a clear night and sliver of moon shed enoigh light to not make the trek overly dangerous. Arriving a short distance away, the adventurers take shelter in the lee of the large rock outcroppings they hunkered down beneath before they first approached the Tiamat Door. Here, they take their rest and await dawn and better light to traverse into the slot canyon back toward the mules' last known position.

Presumably, they set watch and remain vigilant for enemies who may emerge from the Fane or, worse, the dragon cave high above. Several hours pass uneventfully, with no enemies seen or heard, and dawn's first light begins to spread across the eastern horizon.

With the benefit of light filtering into the slot canyon, the party makes good progress through the difficult terrain, bouldering where necessary and following the same path, in reverse, they previously trekked. Four hours later, they come upon their mules. Some are dozing in the shade. A few are absent-mindedly pawing at the ground. The rest are drinking from a natural spring. None seem particularly happy to see the adventurers and treat their arrival largely with indifference.

"We'll make a hot meal here and then push on for a few hours until the heat rises," Dame Daflin said as she carefully reached out to stroke one of the mules.  It was a good sign that nothing had run them off and she was glad they were all right.

Sarah takes a deep breath.  She says nothing, but something is clearly on her mind.  Whatever it is, she contemplates it as she runs her fingers over her newly found cape.

Ovo removes his armor, stretches out for a bit, and is seems content to relax for the time being.

Some time later he comments to his companions, "I swear by me forge, if I never see nothing like what we saw in that Fane again, it won't be too soon. Got a bit toasty in there, for sure." He chuckles then adds, "Between the pickaxe and rockface we were!"

Dame Daflin collected wood and started a fire to cook on.  She was as tired as everyone else, but didn't want to find out what she'd see when she closed her eyes.

In the end, it all happened so fast.

The adventurers eat, relax, and eventually drift off to much-needed sleep after their harrowing experience inside the Fane. They awake several hours later, rested, if not still a bit weary.

It is now mid-afternoon with enough sunlight remaining for a possible return trip to the Fane to explore the dragon cave for treasure. Grub broaoched the idea earlier, but he does not raise the point again. For his part, he seems quite content to continue resting, if allowed.

Eoni, Sarah, and Vaxfar have accomplished what they set out to do. Wyrmlord Kul has finally been defeated, albeit three years after the Battle of Brindol, but defeated nonetheless. Those who signed on for the promise of material gains may feel less than satisfied, but none express as much. Laurenbeth would likely have something crass to say about empty pockets, but she didn't survive the ordeal. Neither did Dergan, Rogar, or Shmee.

Occupational hazards.

Ovo busies himself with securing his equipment within his pack and refilling his waterskin from the nearby spring. Upon completing these tasks, he addresses the group by asking, "We headed back then?"

It's not clear where the dwarf means by 'back' and he doesn't clarify. He just seems ready to move on.

"Well," Sarah starts -- and there she stops.  She isn't entirely certain how to finish.

"I hadn't really thought about 'after.'  I can always go back to the Dwarven clanholds near Hammerfist . . . I guess.  I don't feel the need to hide so much anymore, but I did like it there."

Vaxfar stretches his sore muscles, "Healed, and replenished of magic, and invisible, I'd be willing to go back and do a soft search for easy treasure.  No big risks taken.  As for after, I'm not done, I don't we've all been through this much, honed our skills, just retire.  I'd like to take a few months off, see something that isn't trying to kill me, enjoy some fine things, but, there are evils in the world, who is going to oppose them if I don't?"  He shrugs and leaves it at that.

Having already stayed longer than she'd wanted, Dame Daflin was eager to head back to Drellin's Ferry and a bed, but as they'd seen no sign of patrols and the mules left unmolested, she was having second thoughts.

"We could stay here through the night," she said reluctantly.  "In the morning when we're rested, and if we still haven't seen any activity, we can see if there's any way back in."

She wasn't too hopeful as it sounded as though the mountain had just crushed everything beneath it.

"We'll keep a sharp watch tonight and no fire," she concluded to make a point that they weren't out of danger just yet.

The adventurers decide to camp within the slot canyon through the night and set watch rotation accordingly. The evening passes uneventfully.

Presumably, the group decides to return to the Fane in the morning to take a closer look. Doing so, they take shelter in the shadow of a large rock outcropping with an unobstructed view of the Tiamat Door. From this vantage point they see smoke wafting out of the ruin of the Tiamat Door, but do not see or hear any other activity. Looking above, at the mouth of the dragon cave, they likewise do not notice anything unusual.

OOC: Did you guys come back for Elam???

OOC:  I didn't know he wasn't with us . . .

Oh I thought I was outside guarding when you guys went back.

"Sarah," Dame Daflin asked the young woman, "would you like to scout it out while we cover you from here?

"See if there's a way in and let us know if you need help."

Although she felt better after a night's rest, the Sister of Avandra still tapped everyone in the morning with her staff for good measure.

OOC: Eoni Daflin rolled 9 using 1d3+8.  Overnight Rest.
Eoni Daflin rolled 3 using 1d6+1.  Staff of Healing, Ovo.
Eoni Daflin rolled 5 using 1d6+1.  Staff of Healing, Vaxfar.
Eoni Daflin rolled 6 using 1d6+1.  Staff of Healing, Elam.
Eoni Daflin rolled 7 using 1d6+1.  Staff of Healing, Grub.
Eoni Daflin rolled 6 using 1d6+1.  Staff of Healing, Eoni.