Heart of Acid

When we reached the end of the stairs, we found ourselves in a vast underground cave. Several pools of acid cast an eerie glow, which was reflected by clusters of jewels embedded in the walls. Creating a mesmerizing spectacle of light.
 
To our surprise, we were not alone there. Standing before us was a most terrifying looking creature, with three arms surrounding a massive maw. Inside of which, several gems sparkled in its throat. According to Hayley, this creature was a Xorn. An elemental being that was generally harmless, feeding primarily on gems. Thus, we chose to leave the poor creature in peace and continued our adventure by heading into one of the tunnels at the far end of the cave.
 
As we ventured ever deeper, I started to notice several tracks, clear signs that the Xorn wasn’t the only inhabitant here. The tracks were vaguely familiar, and after a moment I was able to identify them as belonging to a pack of rust monsters. Likely three to six in number. Alistan immediately tensed up, understandably so as he was covered head-to-toe in metal armour. Which had already seen better days following our encounter with the oozes.
 
Still, we pressed on, passing by several more acid pools that, according to Luke, radiated magical energy.
 
After several twists and turns, we came across a larger pool. Though the path continued onward, our attention was drawn to a masterfully carved statue of a dwarf. Its hand outstretched hand with an inscription carved near its feet:
 
“A glimmering frost from depths untold,
A timeless spark that can’t be controlled.
Reflecting light with every glance,
This gem’s allure, a mesmerizing dance.”
 
It was clearly part of a riddle of some sorts. But before we could begin deciphering it, Luke detected two conjuration auras emerging from the acid lake. Moments later, two streams of green vapor rose from the pool, taking on vaguely human shapes and surging toward us.
 
Our weapons had little effect, simply passing through the creatures. Fortunately, Luke disrupted the magic sustaining one of them, sending it back from where it came. This in turn gave us the opening we needed to take down the second one as well.
Returning our attention to the statue, Luke attempted to solve the riddle by placing one of his crystals in the statue's hand. Though sadly, nothing happened. Perhaps we needed a specific crystal, or maybe our interpretation was simply wrong. With no way to tell, we continued down the path.
 
Not far ahead, we found a similar statue near another acid pool. Thankfully, this one wasn’t guarded by any more hostile vapours. Its inscription read:
 
“In nature’s embrace, a lush green gleam,
A gem of balance, it does seem.
Symbol of life and prosperity’s bloom,
This treasure shines, dispelling gloom.”
 
It seemed that solving the puzzle required placing the right gem on each statue simultaneously. This one likely called for an emerald. But as we didn’t have one at the time, we moved on once more.
 
Turning another corner, we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of a pack of rust monsters. Unsurprisingly, they made straight for Alistan’s armour. We tried shielding him, but the monsters were relentless. Their feelers scraping his gear, causing flakes of metal to fall away. Out of frustration, or maybe some desperation, Alistan kicked one into a nearby acid pool. Its anguished squeal being enough to send the others fleeing.
 
Personally, I had no issue with the creatures. They were after all simply following their instinct and we were trespassing in their territory. But not everyone felt the same. And a few well-placed attacks later, little remained of the pack.
With a clear path in front of us, we pressed on and soon encountered a third and final statue. This one bore the inscription:
 
“A fiery gem, a passion’s blaze,
In hues of red, its beauty amaze.
A symbol of love, desire and power,
This gem reigns supreme in every hour”
 
Once again, we lacked the appropriate gem, this time most likely a ruby, and thus continued our exploration.
 
As we neared the tunnel’s end, a faint green glow appeared in the distance. Reaching its source, we entered a large chamber with pools of acid lining the walls. The largest of which, near the northern side (I think, we’d turned around so many times is was hard to tell) had a small island at its centre. And above it hovered a large, shining blue gem.
 
As we stepped forward, a booming voice echoed through the cavern, sending dust raining from the ceiling: “Leave now, for thou art not welcome.” Now In my experience, such words, especially when presented with a magical mystery, only serve to fuel Luke’s curiosity. And true to form, he sprang into action. Using his divination skills to identify two magical auras, abjuration and evocation, surrounding the island.
 
Suspecting a trap of some sort, Luke summoned Pim, the boggle from our keep that he bonded with. Hoping he could use his shadow-stepping abilities in order to bypass the defences. But as Pim stepped through Luke’s shadow, he struck an invisible wall and was thrown back.
 
The voice boomed again: “Meddlers, thou shalt leave, for I have claimed this place.” Moments later, a massive ooze, vaguely humanoid in shape, rose from one of the acid pools. But as Luke had already identified the gem as one of the tower hearts he’d been seeking, he wasn’t about to just walk away.
 
Sensing the odds were against us, I suggested we retreated for now and regroup. And after some convincing, the others finally agreed. We’d spent most of the day battling after all and were thus running low on resources. But Luke countered with the valid point that delaying might allow the defences to reset.
 
Thus we came to a reasonable compromise. Take an hour in order to rest a bit. Allowing Hayley and Liliana to address our most grievous injuries. And give Alistan some time in order to come up with a battle plan in order to maximize our chance at success.
 
Once we felt ready, we returned to the chamber. The creature immediately demanding to know why we had returned. Prompting Luke to issue his challenge. For as the master of the Heart of Fire, he had come to claim the Heart of Acid.
 
What followed was truly a battle for the ages. Liliana and Alistan charged forward but were quickly intercepted by several oozes that slithered from the pools. The Ooze Master, as we later called him, unleashed a wave of toxic vapours towards them in turn. Luke immediately stepped forward and countered with a fireball. But sadly not before Liliana took the full brunt of the attack. Thankfully, Hayley send her trusty Fiachna to deliver a healing potion just in time to stop the remaining vapours from eating away at Liliana’s skin.
 
To keep us at bay, the Ooze master then summoned a swarm of ooze-like tentacles to hold us back. But Liliana in turn used her teleportation magic to quickly close the gap and was soon joined by her brother. Even cornered, the creature remained a formidable foe. Even Landing a brutal blow on Alistan that would surely have ended him, were it not for Hayley’s timely intervention. With the ooze distracted by their combined assault, Dadroz was able to land a final bolt straight to what I assume was its face, bringing the battle to a satisfying end.
 
Now only the barrier around the crystal remained. We suspected solving the riddles would disable it. But as the necessary gems likely lay inside the Xorn we met earlier, none us really wanted to kill the poor thing in order to get them. Thus Luke
opted for a more direct approach. using his magic to temporarily dispel the barrier and giving Pim just enough time to snatch the gem inside.
 
There was little time to celebrate however. For as soon as Pim removed the Heart, the chamber began to shake violently. And remembering what had happened last time Luke claimed one of these crystals, we started to sprint toward the exit.
It was a bit closer than we would have liked for sure, but upon reaching the statue of the dragon, we were fairly certain that we were no longer in immediate danger. And thus with a heavy but contented sigh, we made our way back to the surface.
 
Upon reaching the surface, we found that, with the threat of the wyverns passed, the Dragonnels had returned. One of which, approached Alistan and addressed him in draconic. With a somewhat sheepish look, Alistan turned to us and explained that we had made a small mistake. As the hoard we’d found wasn’t abandoned after all. Its owner being very much alive.
 
Geroda, the Dragonnel, explained that the dragon wouldn’t be pleased we’d stolen from its hoard and asked us to return what we had stolen. And seeing that, despite some of our quirks, we were honest folk, we naturally returned what we’d taken. It was the right thing to do after all, as it was its rightful property and we were no common thieves. And before you ask, no Dadroz is not a common thief. He’s an exceptional one.
 
Thanking us for our honesty, Geroda added that one day the dragon might come to visit us in order to offer its thanks. A day which we would sadly learn would come sooner rather than later. She also asked us to leave the nearby basilisks alone. As they were also part of the hoard’s defences. Something that we also agreed to as the lived deep enough in the forests in order not pose a threat to random travellers.
 
For good measure, we asked Geroda to escort us to the wyverns’ nest. Just to ensure no signs of the infection remained. With that handled, we made our way back to the village to share the good news.
 
And after collecting Hayley and Liliana’s cows, we set off once again. Bound for Latebra Velora.