Beyond the Grave

Dawn came and the time to enter the rat-infested nest in the graveyard of Pine Grove has come. Breakfast is eaten and everyone meets at the dugout entrance where the others camped. Everyone except Carilius. He didn't sleep well in the cold of winter's snow and apparently tried sleeping on an uneven rock. He went back to the Dead Raven to get some much-needed rest. I search for the tracks from yesterday only to find the snow had covered most of it and the trail went cold towards the woods. Shortly after the party gathered, my traveling companion Hellah Fernthorn decided to see what trouble we were up to this morning. She is a Half-Elf ranger I befriended on my travels to this town. We figured it was safer for two female Half-Elves traveling together so we shared the road. Hellah said she was keeping watch from a distance and offered her skills towards dispatching the rat infestation. A cleric of Shallya named Sodyrin, a traveling companion of Malor, also was to join us on this little adventure. I don't know much about Sodyrin as we have a language barrier, just as I do with Tycone.
 
Down the rat hole we went with Tycone leading the way. It wasn't long before we came to a small room that had some urns about. Tycone went to look at the urns first to see if someone was searching for something in them. *tink* *thwock* Arrows flew at Tycone, we were under attack! Rats! Skaven! It was a short, but brutish skirmish as they came at us from two adjoining tunnels and we almost lost Tycone who fell during battle. I did manage to get a few strong blasts in that helped put down our foes. It was a good day to send Morr evildoers to his realm that were disturbing the dead. Malor found a mangy, shabby sleeping area where the party rested from the skirmish so Tycone could recover. I prayed to Morr for our companion, hopefully I can better aid him in the future. I also prayed for our foes to remain in the underworld and took the urn that was still intact. I will have to learn how to mend broken urns in the future. I also ventured down the other tunnel only to find it was literally a rat shit hole. Just wow...
 
After the party recovered we ventured further down the tunnel system, ultimately coming to a much larger room. Large enough to hold a couple carts, which we could only hope meant the exit was near. We found a recently deceased goblin on display next to a small cart. Upon investigating the cart we found three more recently deceased. A couple dead villagers and a rotting orc. I had a drink from my flask and prayed over them to Morr. My prayers were quick however as more Skaven were coming from the other end of the room. We got the jump on them, making short work of them. I let out a huge blast again on one of them, Morr would be pleased. We searched the Skaven and their cart and were pleasantly reward with 2 Silver, 53 Copper, 17 Brass & a blood red gem.
 
We started to head out the cavern when Hellah tripped a protection trap and got zapped. I cast Mage Hand after that to verify the trap was expended. We followed the tracks until we reached a river in a small clearing. The river was about 40ft wide, mostly frozen over, although you could see some parts where the water underneath moved at a decent clip. The Half-Elf rangers decided to follow the Skaven tracks North and made it across without much of a fuss. The larger and more encumbered dragonborn fighter and cleric decided to follow the cart tracks down the river to the West towards Deep Bank. Seeing as I didn't share a language and couldn't talk to Tycone or Sodyrin, I decided to tempt crossing the river to join my fellow Half-Elves. By the grace of Morr, I was able to reach the other side, albeit slipping and getting my foot stuck for a moment in the icy waters. I have found new meaning in the word brisk. Maybe in the future I'll take better guidance from Morr.
 
It wasn't long before we caught up to someone, as the rangers noticed something in the trees. As we started to find cover and foliage to hide in, there was a nice *thunk* as I felt a crossbow bolt hit me. I was never one to be quiet. I was able to get behind a tree, my new friend, as we attempted to bring down our adversary. A few blows landed, however the archer was able to dart off under the cover of the forest trees. Shortly after the skirmish, I caught up to the rangers as we came up to a small mountain cave. After a brief discussion, Hellah decided to head back to find the others as Malor and I rested and watched over the cave entrance. A couple hours went by as a Skaven hunter came out from the forest. We decided to get the drop on him and dispatched him accordingly. We took the rabbits from his hunt and headed back to the river to look for the rest of our traveling companions.
 
As we came upon the river, the sun was fading over the tree line. Hellah had found the others and were waiting on the other side of the river. We decided to follow the river on either side and head back towards Pine Grove where we could regroup and receive some food and rest. As we came to the inn I waited outside for a moment alone to cast Comprehend Languages, a most gracious gift from Morr, before heading into the tavern. For now I could understand all the locals as well as my companions to see if anyone was saying anything behind my back. After some rabbit stew and ale, I ran into William and gave him the urn in hopes he could find a resting place for it. Shortly after I overheard someone talking to Sodyrin about receiving some healing and followed the priest to the temple for a little aid. Afterwards before retiring, I prayed to Morr at his shrine for the will to carry on in this venture so that I may further do his bidding.
 
Adventurers of Interest:
Hellah, Half-Elf Ranger
Tycone, Dragonborn Fighter
Carilius, Tiefling Sorcerer
Malor, Half-Elf Guide
Sodyrin, Human Cleric