The Undermines Report

The Sons made their way further into the dark roads beneath the deserts. Not wanting to force themselves to march beyond exhaustion, they searched for a spot to rest. They headed towards what appeared to be a dead-end. As they examined the area, however, they discovered strange signs of people having recently passed this way.    There was a smoldering bonfire with a unique type of wood still red with embers. Tracks told the story of two adults in armor, a man and a woman, and faintly the tracks of a bare-footed child. The walls of this cavern at first appeared to have primitive structures of an ancient necropolis but the rocks shifted and revealed an illusion. The true state of the caves revealed a city of soaring towers and fetid water.    The party moved into one of the buildings for the night, but not before Wriothesley examined the strange wood in the fire. He relit a piece which gave off a black flame. The burning amber in the pit was a clue that this wood held the properties of the First Flame. Realizing that this may be an opportunity to awaken his blade, Wriothesley placed the sword into the fire before retiring for the night.    As the party rested, Vaas was on watch. He heard the sounds of combat in the distance as he watched the fire. Within the flames, he witnessed a female form emerge from the blade of Wriothelsely's sword. She was burned, silently screaming in pain and they dissipated as ash. Then, after the sounds of battle had faded, a form came limping towards their resting place.    The figure was Birstan, heavily wounded, bleeding, and clutching a brightly glowing object. As Vass watched, a crack appeared in a nearby wall and a new figure stepped out. This figure was cloaked in stars and darkness, their face entirely obscured. The two spoke briefly about destiny and a mission Birstan was sworn to carry out. They spoke of waking someone but did not elaborate enough to be understood. Then the shadow figure left the way they had come and Birstan made to shamble away before Vaas called to him.   Birstan was pleased to see them. Sawbones demanded that the warrior allow him to treat his wounds, which Birstan obliged. After a while, the warrior stood to make his way towards his destiny. Before he left, Birstan informed them that there might be objects of value left where he had been fighting. After giving the Sons a bit more information, he made cryptic comments about his fate and left. Before they broke camp, Wriothesley recovered his sword, now completely changed from its original form.    The Lost Sons made their way to the tower Birstan had indicated. When they reached the top, they discovered the bodies of several people. These bodies seemed to decay much faster than would be natural, but there were a few items worth recovering. Some of the party collected what they could while Myr and Vaas inspected the room. They found the altar which would have held the "sun" that Birstan was carrying. It displayed words in several languages, all seeming to be messages from the Titan himself, promising renewal.    Taking a unique shield and what else they could, the Sons then made their way towards their goal. After a few hours of travel, they finally came to the entrance of the cavern that would lead to the prison mines of the Silent Spring. The cavern was quite large, and they watched to see what would be their best course of action. As they watched, they witnessed significant defenses and then the gates opened. From within the prison, a line of people emerged carrying corpses. They walked some distance away and deposited the bodies on the floor of the cavern. As the prisoners retreated, the ray-like beasts swarmed and swooped, devouring the bodies.    The Sons discussed what could be their best approach. Sigfried wanted to free all the prisoners, but the others reasoned this would be impossible. They needed to be as stealthy as possible. Eventually, they decided they would try to rush towards the walls when the patroles were at their lightest and scaled the walls. Kaziel offered his magical blessings though it would mean he would have to stay behind.    So the Lost Sons each now sport a red sigil on their foreheads, granting them Kaziel's blessings, while he shelters with the mounts. The Sons prepare to enter the Silent Spring.