An Ally, a Battle and a Race

 17th of Planting, Low Summer -  late morning

The adventurers continue to delve into the mines of the Cursed Goddess.

Further whispered discussion and a plan is devised. A group of kobolds can be seen in a large worked stone room overlooking the vast cavern. 

Boxes, crates and barrels are stacked around the room. On a wide area of the floor is a mosaic of tiles  dwarven or gnomish - most certainly as it shows the crossed hammer, pick, tome and glasses heraldry, now mostly scarred up and disfigured assume by the kobolds. 

The vast cavern is barely  lit by bluish glow on pillars and ceiling. Looked to have once been a set of forges and furnaces dominating the centre area. Now destroyed, bent and melted ruin of metal,
stone and wood. The imprint in the floor shows where the metal and wood tracks on the mining rail tracks were once, the vast majority of it removed.

Massive pillars in the room hold up the high ceiling, covered in the blue glowing moss in vast patches. Along the west and flowing South a glowing river of orange.. Lava one would assume.

Southeast corner of the cavern is a large stockade. From the distance a variety of humanoid and
smaller sized creatures can be seen. All the missing travelers and townsfolk, perhaps..?

Halfway along the west wall is a tunnel where the glinting red ruby scaled dragon head rests. A number of pinpoints of red light glow where scales or rubies lie scattered around the long neck and head. Over the river of lava is a partially destroyed stone bridge which leads to another tunnel in southwest corner.

After discussion with female kobold, it is decided. To take out this group. Pyra moved forward very quietly and keeping an eye on the kobolds in the room missed the tripwire at the entrance way. 

TRAP!

Swinging down is a hidden urn on a string to crash open on the door frame. A large cloud of white powdery dust billows out obscuring the area, and covering nearly all the party in the slightly
choking white dust. Even Mephisto the invisible imp is now a white flying creature.

Battle!

Pyra found two further traps - pits this time, by nearly stepping into them, fortunately the very lithe infernal was able to catch her

self and not fall into one filled with a black oily ooze and another with a fleshy pink and yellow mass with pseudopods, mouths' of sharp teeth and eyes.

It seemed the white party was very flammable when small clay pots were thrown fire engulfed and burned brightly and painfully on the party. Another pit trap this time filled with spikes.

These delayed and set back the heroes, but their coordinate efforts and tactics honed in the wilderness and previous caverns against the mephits proved invaluable here. 

Pyra's stealth and skill with a crossbow and sword continued to do attacks from stealth as well as

against engaged opponents did devastating damage. Irakul with his Echo knight again and again engaged and sliced kobolds dead with his Giant's hand ax. Vencer the wizard - swordsman dashed and teleported into and out of combat, then hurling spells devastated the kobolds. Faust, at first avoided the dust wanted to draw the kobolds into the tunnel, to try and engage  them on the party's terms, but it seems these kobolds were very cunning and more than willing to stay back, not to be drawn in. Using missile weapons and spells from the witch docktor. Stepping up, the warlock sent his imp Mephisto to do poison stinger attacks which most of the

time took down the small kobolds. Skrit, using buffs to assist the party falls into the black oily pit and starts to take damage from the acid.

The female kobold, a potential ally is left tied up and is attacked and killed by a draconic wolf. The kobolds clang a gong, alerting four elite flying kobolds whom join their brethren in defending against these hated invaders. But it is not enough, two are taken down, one sliced in half as he flew into the chamber by Irakul. Another takes a bolt in the eye from Pyra's Dwarven Crank Crossbow.

Vencer is grabbed by a pseudopod from the put trap and is restrained and taking damage from the caustic skin.

To tip the battle, Irakul throws one of the larger urns with a cloud like rune. As it crashes into the floor near the strongpoint of 3 kobolds and a heavily armed and tattooed gnoll, black clouds roil out in all directions and none can see them, but their cries and coughs tell that they are dying in the black cloud filling part of the room.

The witch docktor wove his hands together and threw a packet of dust at Mephisto the imp. The small creature seemed to change allegiance. Unable to be contacted or controlled by his former master Faust. Turning on the nearest opponent, Mephisto attacks Vencer. While this happens, the witch docktor makes his escape through the black cloud - coughing and gasping.

Vencer staggering and covered in blood, not seeing Faust able to control his infernal familiar, grits his teeth and flashes his swords up to slay the small but deadly creature. With a pop and screech the imp returns to the Nine Hells.

The battle over, the party looks about, all injured. The decision is made to go back to the checkpoint, and rest there. Traps are set and guards posted, but the adventurers are not disturbed.

Heading back to the chamber onto the cavern, it is still, no kobolds. The trap doors to the pits are closed automatically reset? Dwarven and gnomish ingenuity it seems.

Seeing the stockade the party moves out into the cavern stealthily up through the destroyed and ruin of dwarven forges. As they get closer it seems there is an alert kobold as the creature opens the stockade gates and races away into the dark. The humanoids start to leave. Then the party takes a closer look.. they are dead. Undead. Zombies mainly it seems and alerted to the party's approach.

The decision is to try and get to the bridge over the river of lava to the southwest. Taking a circuitous route they are able to fend off the majority, with missile weapons and spells. Going along the West wall, they come up to giant dragon head, seemingly dead, nearly mummified,

although not smelling of death. rubies and ruby scales litter the ground around the massive head. All stop at the untold wealth.. just lying there. As the zombies slowly move closer. All in the party grab either scales or rubies and the party is cut off. "Climb over the dragon's head!" 

All jump off or use magic to transport up onto the massive mostly skeletal head. As soon as they do, all are now elsewhere.

A blackness all around. They sense a presence. A vast intelligence. It.. SHE talks to them. IT is HER the Cursed Goddess. Any time one of them responds to Her they feel a crushing weight in their mind has Her mind seems to fully encompass theirs. After what seems like an eternity or was it a day or an hour.. or a split second - they feel Her presence leave. Something else takes Her god-like attention..? 

Their wits again their own, the mass of undead fully surrounds the dragon head. Reaching out but not touching. All are weak and tired [DM: 1 level of exhaustion for all] from their link to the Cursed Goddess, but they persevere onwards.

A bead of energy flies out from Vencer's fingertips and WHUMP! as a fireball clears an area and the
party tired but determined race towards the bridge over the lava.

"Run!" 

They make it, taking steps two at a time and it seems missing two traps as zombies fall as loose flagstones tip them. Kobolds again..

Racing into a long tunnel, this one wider, but still low. It seems the remaining zombies have
become occupied by something else in the cavern and move away. With a long breath, the party lean against worked walls and flagstone floors. This area it seems was built by the dwarves and gnomes. The Cursed Dragon awaits..