Journal of Cassian Octious

Expedition II - The Search Continues

We began by following the only reliable evidence available to us: scent. Death lingered to the east and south. Smoke drifted from the north.

The northern chamber opened onto a vast chasm that cut diagonally across the room before plunging hundreds of feet into darkness. The shaft appears to connect multiple sections of the complex, perhaps intentionally, perhaps through collapse. I had only begun examining it when a barbed devil emerged from below.

My observations ended abruptly.

The creature’s spear fingers passed cleanly through my side, tearing both coat and flesh before throwing me backward. Had Ira not charged into the chamber when she did, I suspect this journal would have remained unfinished. She dragged me from the room under pressure while the others engaged the devil. From the doorway, nursing a healing potion, I watched

Dareya seize the devil’s own spear rather than surrender ground, while Ira herself was nearly thrown into the abyss. Only her balance and the quick work of Vincent and Caelum kept her from disappearing into the darkness below. The devil was eventually slain.

A sealed stone doorway nearby became the subject of Whispering Portal. Resting my hand upon the stone, I saw beyond and drew it on the wall.. As midnight-blue chalk traced the chamber across its surface, the image slowly unfolded before us. The adjoining room revealed that the same chasm continued far beyond what we had seen, with several additional passages, including what appears to be another entrance into the complex.

Continuing north, we entered a long hall swallowed in darkness. I released four Keylights, letting them drift ahead to illuminate the path. They revealed only enough for us to discover the first trap. Darts burst from hidden walls. My ward held against the first volley, though not all of us escaped the second. Vincent’s sharp eye eventually uncovered the pressure plates and, through simple leverage with a crowbar, exposed a concealed chamber hidden within the walls.

The room beyond contained wine, preserved food, and enough comfort to justify a short rest.

There, away from immediate danger, Gromthok asked after my wounds. The potion had done its work, though my coat will never forgive the devil. In return, I showed him what another scar might look like upon his arm.

When we resumed exploring, we found another lesson disguised as treasure.

A stone statue offered an orb.

Ira took it.

The orb "accepted" her.

revealed itself as a mimic, fastening onto her before the room erupted into chaos. While the others fought to pry it loose, I withdrew to the nearby intersection and stationed myself there.

“Finish it. I’ve got the rear.”

Latch took wing, gliding silently through the darkness while I looked through his eyes. At the end of the corridor stood another stone door, marked with a luminous D unlike any mundane inscription. Even at a distance I could tell it was magical.

The battle continued longer than expected. Caelum kept Ira alive while Gromthok and Dareya struggled to free themselves from the creature’s grasp. Eventually I judged the hallway secure enough to return. A triangle of blue fire took shape between my fingers.

Midnight Flame.

The mimic burned.

With the creature reduced to ash, our attention returned to the marked door.

Again I drew a Whispering Portal.

Again the stone answered.

This time the vision revealed something far stranger.

A corpse rested within the chamber, surrounded by several glass vials. Beyond the body stretched an intricate maze. As I hurried to sketch its layout, another presence crossed the vision large, horned, unmistakably a minotaur wandering somewhere within those twisting passages. The glimpse lasted only an instant.

Our plan seemed straightforward enough: retrieve the vials and withdraw.

Dareya stepped through the doorway first.

The moment she crossed the threshold, her name appeared across the magical barrier.

I called for everyone else to stop.

When I asked her to return…

She couldn’t.

This item we are looking for it seems more mystery surrounds it than we anticipated. somewhere beneath these halls, something is waiting for us.