Unless anyone has further business in Motherhorn, the party, including six goblins, together with Elkhorn, Amidor, Pollenella, and Golmo, head back into the strange tunnel, carefully replacing the loose stones behind them. (If you had more in mind, we can retcon this.)

The tunnel is endlessly long and winding – time and space to flow strangely as you walk through the roughly-cut stone passage. It weaves and twists in disorienting spirals that seem to defy ordinary space. There are no junctions or side tunnels, nor any sign of occupancy.

Ultimately, after what could be hours or days or just minutes... it dead ends. The 8-foot-high, 3-foot-wide passage ends with a solid-looking rock wall.

Ben:

If Ben feels the goblins that wanted to stay were led away well enough to not see the secret path, he does not permanently block the way behind them, though he does work on making sure the camouflage is as good as possible.  When he gets to the solid wall, the stonemason puts his hand up against it, trying to remember if it was an illusion.  Surely Golmo will speak up if needed...

Along the journey, Pud chats with some of the Kizz and her children. He is quite curious about their skills, talents and interests. He's silently hoping to find out if anyone of them are interested in learning magic, though he doesn't outright ask. He has always been quite fond of goblins as he grew up around some very kind and ingenious goblin-folk. One of his grandfather's friends and mentors who was a locally famous alchemist who was a brilliant old goblin with hunchback and hairy ears who was completely blind from a lab explosion at a young age.

Matilda moved up and tapped the wall with her blade...

The goblins are excited by the strange tunnel you have been navigating. Pud learns that they are very curious about the legendary Brigganock Mine, where wishes are physically manifested and mined. While the children are intrigued by magic, the adults seem to be much more interested in mining, which they were accustomed to before Endelyn seized Yon.

Trying to tap the wall, Matilda finds it completely illusory.
"That's right," instructs Golmo. "You can step right ahead."

Beyond the wall, you are once again greeted by the old brigganock, Obud, and his cozy home atop a piebald donkey. Also here is Break-a-leg, the wooden marionette, resting on a tall stalagmite. "Golmo!" cries Obud. "They found you!"

(How would you all like to continue this portion of the tale? Do you want to tarry here? Get a long rest perhaps? Or hustle along to Hither, which Amidor has promised he can lead you? Do you have any business here with the Brigganocks you would like to complete? The goblins express their interest in parting ways here - to stay if the Brigganocks will have them, or find new mountains to mine if not. Golmo will stay here, of course. Elkhorn will continue on with the party, still grumbling his wishes to go straight to Zybilna’s Palace and find his old companions.)

"Both Ben's and Matilda's wishstone glow with golden light (bright light out to a range of 20 feet and dim light for an additional 20 feet). The Brigganocks will let you keep your stones as mementos or leave the stones with them to be cut into sparkling gemstones—a process that takes 8 hours with the help of the brigganocks’ Time Lapse action. (You can return to the mine to collect your gems after attending to other matters, if you choose.)

The Brigganocks indeed have Ben's stone ready. Formerly a shapeless (well, roughly round) lump of crystal, glowing with golden light, it has now been cut into a sparkling gemstone. It looks like something that would claim a respectful price back on Ben's home plane, and it is definitely beautiful on any plane. But for now it has lost its magical glow, and appears to be an ordinary, if quite valuable, gemstone.

The Brigganocks bring you comfort and safety, although as before little in the way of palatable food. Elkhorn has a long talk with his old comrade, the well-leathered human Molliver, who is still comfortably spending her time with the Brigganocks. Everyone may receive the benefits of a long rest.

Pud finds some place to rest and recover. He sets out his alchemical tools, some reagents and concocts a couple vials of elixirs. Much to his delight, he creates another elixir of flight and as well as an elixir of health. He secures the vials in his belt pouch for safe keeping.

(OOC: rolls in game log. 5 = elixir of flight, 1 = elixir of health)

He kicks his boots up to relax and read his artificer journal. Pud studies some new spells that he's been reading up on and commits them to memory. As he reads though his journal, he finds some old notes scrawled by his grampy about something he called a Lantern of Revealing​. After some reading, he remembers that invisible piece of parchment he found in the library! He looks over the instructions he's sure he has everything he needs to make the lantern, but he needs some oil. 

After some fabricating and tinkering around, Pud has a neat little lantern that might do the trick! Once he get's some rest, he'll check in with the Brigganocks and see if they have some lamp oil to spare. For now, Pud takes a well deserved nap with Rizzo curled up on his chest.

 (OOC: DM, do the Brigganocks have some lamp oil to spare?)

Matilda took some time for herself relaxing and organising her considerable collection of gathered nick-nacks.

The Brigganocks have no need for lamps, as they have their own "Soul Lights," as they call them – an insubstantial ball of light that accompanies them wherever they go. Nevertheless, they do maintain some stocks of oil for other purposes - heating, lubricating, and industrial uses.

And indeed, the oil works sufficiently well in Pud's new lamp to light up the invisible scrap of paper found in Endelyn's Oracular Library.  A short verse is written upon it in the Elvish script. Unfortunately, nobody here seems to read or understand the Elvish language.

""Are you prepared to enter the foul foreboding fens of Hither?" asks Amidon. "The dank swamps of Downfall? I know the way!" He rattles his little rapier in the air. "First we have to ascend from the Brigganock's mine. Are you ready?"

Ben:

Once they have rested, Ben chimes in, "Yes, let's go.  I know we are retracing our steps a bit, but I feel like we left something important behind in the swamp."  Feeling better that he is more well-equipped, Ben follows until they are out of the mine and prepared to travel over land.  He asks for a brief break while he casts a spell.

After ten minutes, a celestial warhorse phases into view, and Ben mounts up.  "Now I'm ready!  Let's go!" he says with enthusiasm, almost feeling like a knight himself astride such a noble steed.

Matilda looks rather put out that Ben gets a pony and she doesn't......then pouts even more because she misses the owlbear, even though she knows he was a wild animal and should be free to roam.....finally she puts on her resolved face.....yes, there was something in that swamp house.....she felt it....something that belonged to her.

She doesn't know if it is her brother......but she wants to find out...

Pud frowns when he see's that the script is in elvish. He tucks it back in the book for safe keeping. Just then, he get's another idea. He wonders of a little dab of this oil might help him remove that stubborn little glass vial tucked in the spine of the book.

He dabs a tiny drop of oil around the vial, sure not to drip any on the stopper or around the rim so that he can get a sure grip.

Dex check: 20 (18+2)

Once he's done futzing around with the vial and book,  he'll pack his things and rejoin the group. Pud's jaw drops when he see's Ben on his steed. 

"Is there room for two up there?"

Titaani enjoys a moment of rest, curling up beside Tiny and falling asleep, using his fluffy body as a pillow. Waking up to see Ben atop a glowing horse, she gasps and rubs her eyes. 

“Wow! Am I still asleep?” She wonders out loud. “That’s incredible!” 

As the others get ready to leave, a thought crosses her mind as she remembers asking one of the Brigganocks to make her a chain, in return for her ant lollipop. She quickly hurries over to the Brigganock in question and whispers to him: “Hey, would you happen to have that chain I requested?”

Ben:

”Sure, there’s room for you, Pud.  Come on up,” replies Ben, pulling up the youngster behind him on the great warhorse.

With the help of a little oil, Pud successfully extracts the thin, wax-stoppered vial from inside the spine of the hefty, green-covered tome.

"Chain! Right , I almost forgot!" replies Obud to Titaani. He whispers something to another brigganock , and in a flash the creature named Ajak returns with a delicately made iron chain coiled in his tiny wheelbarrow. "It's designed to hold Ben's wish stone, you see..."  Larger than any of the brigganocks, the looped chain and attached locket are sized perfectly for a human necklace.

You bid your goodbyes to the Brigganocks, and make your way back up the twisting passages to the surface. Outside the mine entrance, you are met again by the inert, stone statues of irate, hairy creatures with cloven hooves, positioned so that they lean around trees and peer over boulders, all staring balefully at you as you exit.

"Pay no mind to those," exclaims Molliver, who remains behind in the mine entrance. "The Korreds plant those there to scare us. The statues are harmless. Good luck! If you see Strongheart, tell him I'm sorry."

Unless you have further business with Molliver or the Brigganocks, you trod off into the dark, barren, rocky landscape of Yon. Ben and Pud are mounted upon Ben's new warhorse; Amidor and Pollenella lead the way on foot. The winds howl under heavy thunderclouds as you begin to navigate the narrow ledges and footpaths curling around the mountains. Skittish goats leap and bound across the slopes with ease, but they carefully avoid the party. Lightning flashes overhead, and cold rain begins to fall. "Won't be long," promises Amidor, cheerfully.

Matilda makes a note to come back some time and find out what Korreds are but follows the flower knight happily.

Horatio smiles as the others prepare to return to the swamp. This time they will be ready. This time they are much stronger. 

"Thanks, Ben! I never been on a horse before. Whaddya think this vial is? Think it's magical?!"

Pud focuses in on the mysterious glass vial that he finally got out of that book! He focuses on it and casts identify on the vial as a ritual to try and figure out what the heck this thing is.