Having defeated a wary band of leftovers guarding the entrance to the Bloodstone Mines, the Heroes consider the three adits that provide entrance.

12’ tall entrances, buttressed by distressed timbers and lined with disused mine carts provide entry to the west.

The pack of approximately 20 remaining Red-Ears from the battle of Hillsafar Hall indicate only the stone giants moved in and out;  orcs were forbidden and only provided assistance to the giants for scraps of food and protected shelter.

“Kailute, get your kin moving toward the mines.”  Quilro jibes.

“That is not the plan.  Some will come;  others may go.” The barbarian responds drily.

DonBrapp lists an exhaustive accounting of the known treasure in the carts, causing confused looks among the remaining guards and orcs.

“Thees dwarf…  mayhap not as smart as ees powerful.”  Petra mumbles to Quilro, who is considering a room in the mines that might serve as a cloudkill chamber if necessary.
“We’re taking the cart!” DonBrapp shouts, before turning on his heel toward the northern adit.

Behind him the other heroes chuckle at Quilro’s description of a treasure laden donkey making its way to a village, all its protectors long ago slain but the coins arriving intact.

“Shouldn’t you lead, and check for traps?” Kailute nudges the elf, and Quilro advances muttering something about Fyrnlocke drinking and whoring back in the village.

Upon entering the passage, the dwarf grimaces at the reckless pike and chisel marks marring the otherwise fine mix of quartz and sandstone that makes up this level of the mines.  The tracks themselves appear in relative disrepair, but it is clear that humanoids have moved in these passages.  Spawling in the floor and wall indicates rock settling.  Some is old, but some of the crevasses speak to recent instability.

DonBrapp inspects the wall, and aside from his innate dwarven feel for mine he is only able to discern some seismic shifting has recently impacted the integrity of the mine complex, but it is not clear to what extent.

In the immediate entrance Quilro almost trips over a pile of recently gnawed humanoid bones.  Ripped and bloody clothing, scraps of personal items, the remains of captives recently consumed.

The elven thief inspects the cart rails, which rests upon a thin layer of crushed rock but discovers no traps in the immediate entry.

The dwarf can feel the energy building in the attenuarium, and the orcs, guards, and the cart approach the entrance to the mines.

“Better the coin be buried alive with me, than left to be scavenged by those who barely trade…” DonBrapp thinks, casting an eye to the rear where Ulrik and Ilkarn are attempting to get the pack animals and cart into the mines.  “I know the measure of every coin!” he whispers toward the rear.

Quilro kneels and presses his ear to one of the cart tracks.  His keen ears register vibration, but cannot make out any distinct information.

45’ in the entrance a tunnel diverts to the north. The northernmost passage-way simultaneously appears to be once well traveled, but no longer in use.  Immediately to the north a steep and circular stairway carved into the walls of the shaft. without a railing circles around an extremely rough hewn shaft that heads straight up into the darkness above.  A thick but fraying rope suspends a deteriorating wooden basket 5’ above the floor in the center of the space.    The work in this space appears to be exclusively human.
“…have that lantern?” The thief asks over his shoulder.

“No.  If Vergadain blesses my memory, ye gave it to the fey brownies, eelf.”  DonBrapp responds, handing another enscorcelled stone to the elf to light the passageway.

Tossing the magic stone down the passageway, a magical shimmer catches the elf’s eye.  As DonBrapp moves north the attenuarium’s energy continues to increase.

Taking a step next to the elf, both can see the magical imprint of arcane script on the ground.  The pair points out the glyph and all leap over it to proceed to the shaft chamber.
The elf creeps up the stairs, and as he approaches the top it appears the rope in the center descends through a nest of webbing completely covering the top of the shaft.

“Spiders.  Gross.” DonBrapp peers up, considering if his snake companions could pierce the webs.  After reflection, the dwarf grunts and fishes a potion from his pack.

Uncorking the vial, smoke and sparks emit before the cleric quaffs the burning liquid.  He is instantly warmed from his stomach to his limbs, and the liquid tastes of peaty fire.  As the pressure builds within, he gently pushes Quilro to the side an expels a 30’ gout of flame toward the roof, blasting away the rope and webs and filling the top of the shaft with fire and smoke.

The chittering cries of mandibled creatures and the burning scent of flesh fill the shaft as multiple sets of eye appear for a moment at the top, before disappearing to reappear in front and behind the two heroes on the stairs.

Giant grayish purple arachnids pour from the opening above and magically blink in and out of the stairwell.

Quilro conjures a strike of magical energy at one of the horrifying arachnids, and Kailute carves dripping chunks of spider flesh from the closest foes.
Draxos lands a series of arrow shots as the dwarf releases his hammer, crushing one of the ethereal spiders.

Another of the beasts explodes from a volley of the ranger’s arrow strikes.
Closing one eye, DonBrapp angles a lightning strike off the chamber wall, and with an booming crack electrical energy races from the hammer, to the wall and bounces within the chamber atop.  The scent of burning flesh is mixed with ozone, but the enormous shock brings rocks and boulders from the ceiling, showering crushing debris upon the group.  The barbarian deftly dodges some of the falling rock as a jagged boulder catches the dwarf on the shoulder.

Draxos is suddenly covered with ethereally appearing spiders, and one makes him nauseous and notably weaker with a bite on his neck.  The remaining scrum of spiders are unable to pierce the armor of the elf or half-orc.

Kailute slices through the hairy carapaces of the spiders on Draxos, shouting “Finish them!” up toward his companions on the stairs above.

The powerful swings of the elven thief-mage send spider legs and chunks flying off the stairs, showering those below with ichor.

The spiders on Draxos continue to gnaw at his flesh, and one of the wounded spiders pierces Quilro’s armor to scratch his stomach with their envenomed claws.
DonBrapp hurls his sticks toward the air and they magically transform into venomous reptiles to attack the spiders, sinking their fangs into bulbous phase spid
er hides.
Draxos drops his bow and pulls his sword to swing and kill one of the spiders.

The stairway is now slick with phase spider ichor and gore.  DonBrapp’s snakes poison two of the spiders sending them twitching over the edge, landing on the ground with a loud “schlop!” atop the ruined pulley basket.

Sensing a moment of advantage as well as significant wounds, DonBrapp reminds all of their healing potions, and then uses a scroll to heal the elven thief.

Having destroyed the arachnids nested in the chamber above, the group finds a mix of accumulated coin and treasure from those unfortunate enough to have stumbled into their lair.  The dwarf estimates the haul of gold and silver while the others pull a nice wooden and iron shield emblazoned with Cormyrean coat of arms.  A double vial and a trapped wooden scroll case with a fireball spell are also recovered from the scorched pile of loot.
After an initial survey, Petra pokes her head above the landing.

“More talk of coin?  Something approaches from the western passages.”

The group descends the stairs, weapons at the ready.  Quilro calls forth a magical eye that floats down the hallway, heads west and hears clacking and chortling before spying four winged, feathered fiends with large tongues and misshapen beaks floating toward the entrances from the north.  Quilro reports what he has discovered as the group makes its way south back toward the entrance tunnel.

Quilro magically transforms into a bat and then flits forward to hang from the ceiling in a position to ambush the demons.

At the end of the entrance the orcs and soldiers woo the donkeys back out of the tunnels with the cart.

DonBrapp gulps down a potion of healing to address some of his minor wounds.
The heroes take up an ambush line just south of the passageway back to the spider cave and west of the northernmost entrance tunnel as four demonic vrock round the corner and stumble upon the Heroes of Waymeet.

With a surprised series of clucks and rasping clicks the monsters screech “Who is this who enters the mines?” as they advance baring their beaks and claws.

“So sorry, great ones!  Nothing to fear here!” Kailute attempts his parlay to the demons.  The gambit almost succeeds until they notice the elven members of the party.

Kailute runs forward and cleaves into the wing of one of the advancing demons.  DonBrapp sings out a prayer to the father of coin, enveloping the group in protective magic.
The bat-elf falls behind the last one before transforming back into an elf and thrusting his moonblade into the brain stem of one of the demonic chickens, and the Bloodstone guards are amazed watching the elf fell the fiend.

“Classic Killro.” DonBrapp states almost absent mindedly.

“These smell of the heroes of Waymoot.  Destroy them all!”  The remaining demons hiss, working themselves into a frenzy of clawing and biting at the elf, while shifting their movement beyond and to the rear away of the party.

A magical darkness enshrouds the combatants as Draxos releases a series of bow shots toward the creatures.  None hit in the darkness save one that lands in Quilro’s thigh.

DonBrapp follows the rangers lead and hurls his hammer into the darkness, and is rewarded by the sickening crunch of bone and gristle.

“SCWAARK!”  Screeches one of the demons.

“Vrocks!  The most cowardly of all fiends!” Kailute yells in attack, nearly losing his balance in the magical darkness.

Quilro transforms back into a bat and flits back toward the party away from the magical darkness just as the dwarf hurls another axe blow pummeling the demons.

Three of Draxo’s arrows find their way to the throat of one of the demons, while it’s remaining live companion begins to attempt to wing away.

“Ahar!  Truly the chickens of the Abyss!” Kailute yells giving chase and swinging at the vrock attempting to flee.  The barbarian ruthlessly slices down the demon as the dwarf swings and misses and it collapses in the passageway to the north from the final magical missiles the two spellcasters unleash.  As the fight subsides, the half-orc catches the scent of putrifying flesh wafting from the north.

Recognizing their wounds, the heroes step back into the entrance courtyard to seek a place to heal their injuries and rest.