Reaping 22, 594 CY
Exag Mines

We stayed at an Inn with a rather disturbing sign above the front door. We discussed our plans for the next day, and decided to help out with a mining issue just outside the town, since we felt ourselves to be mine experts (and thought there was a chance that the runestone from the last mine was somehow involved). The accommodations were pleasant enough, if you don’t mind sharing a room with three other people. Still, I was somewhat surprised we were all alive and well in the morning— but apparently, that wasn’t part of the trap.

The girl who waited on us for breakfast was surprised though— she said people often go missing in the night, and, with none of us being human, we seemed like ideal targets. She also told me she thought Commander Bragus was “hot.” I wasn’t sure what she meant, but after breakfast, we passed him as we were leaving the city, and I passed her sentiment on to him.

Well, I guess I really don’t understand humans as well as I thought I did! It took me a good long time to extricate myself from his presence after that comment, and I was only able to get away at all by promising to “meet” him when we returned from the mines. Janet thinks it’s all very funny. I’m not sure what to think, but I am curious.

It took two hours to get to the mines, much of which involved half-running to catch up with my friends who had stranded me with the commander of the town watch. Thankfully the watch at the mines, which were surrounded by a wall, was staffed with a small boy, Trey, who let us in without requiring any promises.

We were told that the miners had been dealing with creatures that were attacking their metal equipment, turning tools into piles of worthless rust. Nothing made of metal was surviving for long down there, and they had taken to providing a guard armed with a wooden club for each two miners that went in. Fash and I needed to take off our mithril chain armor before going in (stored easily enough in our haversacks) and, least expensive weapons in hand, we entered the mines.

We were directed down to the lowest level, about 80’ down, were the “rust monsters” had been seen. We found some creatures that didn’t belong down there alright, but now I was wishing I still had my armor on. Hobgoblins! We dispatched the first few easily, but before we could get armor back on, chaos erupted. I was stuck using my crossbow, as I hadn’t wanted my very nice sword destroyed by what we thought we’d be fighting. But, something else was going on. Elizair and Fash were caught up in a fight with more hobgoblins, and a group of miners arrived, but rather than helping us fight the hobgoblins, they started to attack us. It took me a while to get through that lot, by which point Janet was standing with my friends. Something was obviously wrong though— Janet wasn’t moving and Fash was trying to kill Elizair! Suddenly, I saw the reason for their bizarre actions— a squid-faced creature was orchestrating the entire combat. Worse, Elizair had been hit hard enough to go down, and the tentacled creature was leaning in towards his head, when I realized that it was one of the fabled “mind flayers” I’d heard stories about. I leaped onto its back and tried to sever a tentacle— I managed to injure it, but I’m sure it could have destroyed me. Instead, it disappeared, leaving the cavern scattered with the bodies of the miners and hobgoblins. I don’t know what to do about Fash, but I dumped a healing potion down Elizair’s throat and he’s helping me cart the still-unmoving Janet out of here as fast as possible….