Newt - The Company and the Mountain

Newt's Journal - 7/4/749AE (2 weeks since last entry date)

Sunday.  Cloudy.  Glad to be out of the Mountain.  Shark hunt ended unexpectedly.  We were attacked by Giant during the hunt and teamed up to escape with mountain man Bromoung.  Escaped by cavern in mountain side, Nibbles found tunnel before Giant could carve the company out.  Others were inside.  Bard and Goblin with cat.  Tunnel collapsed and trapped inside.  Followed tunnel deeper into mountain side.

Carved stone tunnel, humanoid-made, lead into magical trap.  Used ropes to lead out of illusion.  Entered following room filled with shallow pool and small pillars leading out like small, circular islands.  Company attacked by young Beholder, we worked together and survived.  Goblin, Tilly, took one eye.  Shallow pool emptied out of room and we moved onward.

Bard, Io, found icon of her Goddess.  Revealed passage into a room of rest.  All but Shark, Nargash, slept.  Door on far wall lead deeper into the mountain.  Came upon old, wood and rope bridge across deep ravine.  Far below what looked to be dwarves.  Further down path encountered the dwarven city.

Had audience with king.  King spoke of drow coming from within the darkness to war with the dwarven people.  We pledged to bring 20 drow heads to learn of the secret passage out of mountain.  Managed to slay 4 drow the following day at edge of dwarven territory.  Wounded dwarven child came to us from the darkness, died of the fatal wounds shortly after.  Discovered a small, flesh eating orb inside the body.  Set off to return to city.

Were trapped by a company of drow and dwarves strangely working together.  Brawl was stopped when lady drow, Ulvrain, urged diplomacy.  Explained that the city dwarves were using us, did not know the way out, and she would show the company the true passage out in exchange for information about the origin of the dwarves and why they came into the mountain originally.  We negotiated and agreed.  They would bring topsoil as proof of the passage out, mountain man Bromung would confirm the soil's origin, while the company learned the secrets from the dwarves.

Company separated upon return to city to find more information.  Bromung and I slept in an inn for a short time.  I awoke first, saw guards had waited for us outside in the streets.  They were hostile.  I fled, killing many guards as they pursued.  The chase led through the city.  I met with Io who was also being pursued.  We fled to the city gates.  Saw Tilly, Nargash, and Bromung behind us, also being chased.  Everyone managed to escape with some damage from archers on the city walls.

Ulvrain found us in the caverns.  Topsoil sample was confirmed as actually surface soil and the information Io and Tilly provided about the dwarves brought trust between our alliance.  We were still being pursued by something in the darkness.  Ulvrain lead the party to the secret exit of the mountain.  At the last chamber we were trapped by an ancient land shark.  Despite its brutality, the company fought hard and nearly slayed the great beast before it fled into the mountain.  We left the mountain as the cavern collapsed behind us.

Outside we headed to nearest city, Avalon, home of one million souls.  Bard got us room and board at Red Dragons Inn while we restocked supplies.  Bought a new journal and made contract with Nargash to hunt and kill the white masked man who wanted the shark man's head.  Setting off to hunt in the morning alone.