The Silent Paths Report

The Lost Sons moved into the central building in the cursed village. They followed the sounds of combat to the upper floors where they encountered a man in odd armor. After dispatching a horrific undead, the man introduced himself as Birstan, a follower of the Titan. He mentioned he was headed to the under-city, piquing the interest of the party who sought the hidden paths to the Silent Spring. He questioned if they were looking for a woman but the Sons would not share the details of their mission with him.    Birstan offered to copy over his existing maps of the twisting caverns below while the Sons investigated the room. Wriothesley found a safe hidden behind an enchanted painting which Sawbones could easily open. Inside, they discovered a magical scarab and the missing journal Wriothesley had been looking for. In an adjoining room, Sawbones found a flayed body being magically sustained while a ritual had been performed. Who or what had started the ritual was gone, but the bones of the creature were being inscribed and enchanted with gems. With the help of Kaziel, Sawbones decided it was best to end the creature's existence.    Vaas, meanwhile, searched another room that had Ziin carvings of protection on the door frame. After inspecting the room, he found some letters addressed, presumably, to the former occupant informing them she was leaving and taking the children if they wouldn't "stop digging in the depths." On the wall of this room was also a Ziin dagger with strange sand properties.    Once Birstan was finished with his transcribing, he went ahead of the party. With one final look through the building, the Lost Sons made their way into the lower passages. Whoever had been digging in the depths certainly dug deep. The mined-out passages beneath the building swiftly became natural caverns that led to ancient roads far below the surface.    Eventually, the Lost Sons found themselves in the streets of a long-forgotten city. Massive buildings towered over them, bridged with soaring catwalks, lit by crystals still fed with arcane power. The cobbles of these streets were littered with the remains of all manner of creatures, all with evidence of being eaten by something. As they moved through the streets they became aware of humanoid beings watching them. They decided on a path they hoped would allow them to avoid the creatures where they encountered Birstan again.    The knight cheerfully informed them of these fallen forms of man and mentioned they were led by a chieftain of sorts. These creatures would happily dine on anything they could get their hands on but if their leader is killed they would most likely scatter. The party deemed it most prudent to avoid them altogether and so Birstan told them if they could get on the other side of the Smithing Gate the creatures wouldn't follow. He gave them a key and told them to close the gate behind them. While some of the Sons were suspicious of Birstan's aid, they took his advice and made their way to the next part of the city.   After several hours of travel, the Sons found a building large enough to house them and their mounts and decided to rest for the night. During the watch Vaas and Myr witnessed a horrific flying creature that had eviscerated some humanoid, scattering the remains near their camp. They vowed to keep vigilant watch but did not try to engage the monster. The sounds of screams, sobbing, and tempting lullabies were heard throughout the night, but the party maintained their camp and emerged unscathed.    The party moved through the city once more, trying to maintain in the direction they believed the under-mines would lead them to the Silent Spring and the vizier. They witnessed numerous monstrosities that dwelt within the caverns such as the flying mantas, grey oozes, and a nightmarish aberration that hung from the roof. They avoided them all as they moved to the main gate of the city. As they found themselves in the courtyard, there was a large obelisk covered in ancient writing. Myr was able to identify the culture of this city as the Komuni. But, opting for speed, the Sons moved towards the open gates rather than investigating the city further.    On the other side of the gate, the caverns extend further into the depths, obsidian halls beckoning the Lost Sons deeper and deeper.