Journal #21 - The Depths

On the tenth day, we set out. We left the horses and carriage behind, as we knew we would be venturing into territory unsuitable for them. Korrigash’s family met us on the bridge as we departed, of the noble Flystone family - plus his wizardly mentor.
 
We first journeyed through the jungle, being sure to avoid Highrock Tower. It was not long however, before we picked up wolves on our trail. On just the second day they picked up our scent - they must’ve been expecting something. For eight days we outran them, but they gained on us each day. Eventually things came to a head along a small river, on the tenth day, we knew they were close on our heels. We chose to stand and fight, to make a clean break of them before entering more dangerous ground. Lug sang the forest to life behind us, making it nearly impassable. We hoped that would hold them, but we had been ambushed.
 
While those behind us were blocked, waves of wolves, dire wolves, hyena-men, and goblins entered from in front of us. We fought for our lives, bloodied and wearied from eight days with barely any sleep. Eventually, the leaders were thrown down and the remnants scattered.
 
Leon found some runes from the Bonebreaker clan, and he traced them on the bank of the river. This opened a secret passage in the mountain, which we used to escape.
 
As the tunnel sealed behind us, Leon noted that this would be a thirty day journey underground into the Sunken Summits. We can’t rest here, had to move further into the depths, away from the entrance.
 
They had scouted this passage before, and came prepared. They handed out masterwork climber’s kits, five healing potions, and five antitoxins specially formulated for the hazards of this land, as well as fifty feet of rope, to each of us.
 
We journeyed on, until we came to The Descent. Above it, we took a short rest finally. As we licked our wounds, Amber proposed to Orlando, as she feared she may not ever get another chance. I had to bite my tongue regarding Ghiravont. After, we approached the descent. A massive hole, 150 feet wide and unknowably deep. Where we are headed, it is not just the Sunken Summits, streams of pain of an entire race echo into the Fade here. It is twisted, mangled in Malice.
 
Leon bade us farewell and departed. We began the long descent. We paired off, and used our climbers kits to go down as far as our rope lengths would allow before resetting the lines. I went with Firefly. It was a sore trial, and besides us Tanabraya and Sunay came into disaster, and had to join our lines. It took all my strength to hold us up while they were tied off. I also arrested our fall when the ropes became tangled. From that point on, we were fairly successful. Tanabraya was able to spot hazards from afar, while my strength kept us safe from falling.
 
We passed toxic plants, crumbling rock walls, electrocuting sapphire veins flowing with primal energy, briar growth, molten rock vents spewing steam, toxic mushrooms, and loose shale. After more than 1,200 feet, we saw a silhouette of the bottom, more than sixty feet away.
 
There was a strange noise, cracks from above. Buerig of the 891st seemed to be impaled on a rock spike. I was surprised, but then it started moving and I became horrified. It was no rock spike, it was the terrible tail of a monstrous large creature, bestial like a lion, but with an exoskeleton, batlike leathery wings, and broken chains upon its wrists. On the wall, broken chain loops show where it had been imprisoned. Who could keep such a thing under control?
 
Beyond such curiosity, it seems we had a more pressing matter. We were weak to the point of exhaustion, and now had to fight for our lives…