Forgotten Realms Tales

Unfortunately Dr. A. doesn't really knows much about these creatures. 

Thandril, who is kneeled at one of the creatures seems to exchange some thoughts with his familiar and he finally stands. 

"To reply to your questions Gorm, this family was, indeed, in a desperate situation, but they fear that, if they are not able to stop that threath, it would spread to the entire valley, so... " he taps the creature with his boot. 
"These beasts are Kuthriks. They are subterranean yes, as long as they find food below. Once their colony is bigger enough or there are no resources avaible they are known to go outside. By the look of that wards, the dwarves decided to trap them here. I am surprised that it took the beasts so long to dig a way out but by the look of those runes and the way they carved out a way, I guess it has taken a long time to do it and the dwarves did a good job. But it is obvious that they couldn't end it back in the time. Proud creatures you know... the dwarves not the kruthiks I mean, so having to seal and abandon their mines should be what made those we found to be... so grumpy, more than usual I mean. " he had approached the hole Logan is exploring "Anyway it seems that we have come in the nick of time. If these creatures reach the surface... They work as a hive... they use to have a queen, and the warriors protect her and the workers. I am not sure what we have found, workers or warriors but I think we have stumble into more that we initially thought... "

At the other side of the hole, Logan, who has been able to hear all finds himself in a corridor made by the dwarves, just the continuation from they  came. There is a big difference in this side though. As soon as he steps outside the hole he hears the crack of old bones break under his feet. 
Scattered along the floor there are dozens and dozens of kruthirks and behind him some of the dwarves runes still pulsing silently in the rocks. As he was starting to ask himself how they could have cast that runes on this side he finds the remmants of a dwarf skeleton. Barely half a skull, and partiall left arm is left, but the hand still has a silver ring that reflects the light of his light source.

Logan:

”Many corpses of the Kruthick lie here, along with a Dwarven martyr,” says Logan as he moves to inspect the ring.

Who is closest to the hole that Logan crawled through and can hear him?

     "Sounds like we have no choice," Gorm says as she starts following Logan through the rocks.  "Someone must eliminate this threat and the dwarves were unwilling to..."

Quote from GrantFromCanberra >>

Who is closest to the hole that Logan crawled through and can hear him?

 (You all can hear him ) 

Logan:

Picking up the hand with the ring, Logan also looks for anything else that might give him a clue who this dwarf was.  He inspects the ring, trying to make out if there is anything special or significant about it other than it being made of silver...the very material they came here to find!

Perception:  20

"This mines were closed long ago " add Thandril as he follows Gorm "probably those who still know what happened here, think that the creatures were stopped and probably died long ago. It seems to me that they did what they could at the moment to stop it. "

Fortunately for Dr. A. the Kruthiks are big creatures and he can crawl through the hole without much problem. 

Once they are finally reunited at the other side, they find Logan still trying to find the rest of the body of the dwarf, but he cannot locate any more parts of it between the carcass of the dead kruthiks. He notices, thought, that the ring is as clean and shinny as new, despite all. 

     "If the sealing of this mine is what made the dwarves from the tavern grumpy then they must have known what happened here, no?" Gorm asks, a bit confused as it seems contradictory to her that they could not know but still be grumpy about it.  "I cannot help but think they know what happened and know it is still a threat.  I never met a group of dwarves who would ignore a profitable mine without a good reason."

     Gorm climbs to the other side and picks her way through.  "What you find there?" she asks Logan as she glances at his trinket but then she concentrates deeper down the path to see if it looks like more live threats may be coming or not.

     "Any idea how far these mines stretched back in the day?  Can we expect clearing them out to be a day's work or a years?"

Logan:

Carefully pulling the silver ring off the skeletal finger, Logan hands it to Gorm, saying, “It was on the hand of the Dwarf that must have stayed on this side of the wards to trigger whatever rune killed all the Kruthiks.”

Logan clears a space under the brightest remaining rune and assembled what is left of the Dwarven skeleton in a respectful pose underneath, then starts to pile loose stones on it to make a cairn.

With much muttering, grumbling and cursing Dr A gets through the hole. Logan and Gorm can hear snippets of muttering that sound like ‘’the youth of today”, “don’t understand that just cos we tortles age well it doesn’t mean we’re all hatchlings” etc etc etc. When he does finally make his way through the hole Dr A says to Gorm “might I examine the ring?” Assuming that Gorm does in fact share the ring with him the good doctor examines it closely (Arcana 18)

"My best guess is that they were grumpy because they had to abandon the mine in the past. Unfortunately we do not know what that particular group of dwarves know about this place and what really happened here... they are proud people, so maybe knowing that they had lost a profitable mine and that it is forbidden for them to come back here, either by an actual law or for the tales of this accursed place... I mean, they probably doesn't want to admit that they had to abandon the mine... perhaps they see it as an offense to their pride... as miners and as warrirors... but.. I am just speculating... " replies Thandril to Grom while they crawl the hole to the other side. 

Unfortunately, even with the help of his friends, Logan doesn't find any more remmants of the dwarf to make a more proper resting place to him.  
 

Examining the ring, Dr. A comes to the conclusion that it is, indeed, magical. The band is actually not made from silver but from Mithril.

"I could check it and see its properties " offers Thandril "But it will take some time to complete the ritual. And... to answer you Gorm... no.. I have no idea how far the dwarves dug here... or even if that creatures made it even farther... " 

     Gorm had no real interest in the ring so gave it but a cursory glance before passing it on to the hood doctor.  “Perhaps you need to engage in such strenuous obstacle courses more often, not less?” She suggests.  “May ge easier with practice.”

     Gorm nods as Thandril speculates about the dwarves but doesn’t really understand a people who would release something so easily just due to a few invaders.  City dwellers, she thinks to herself with scorn and then moves on.  “Perhaps we could scout ahead while you solve the mystery of the ring?”

Logan:

"I'll stay behind while you scout, Gorm, and Thandril identifies the ring.  I am less stealthy than most, but I will come running if you get into trouble," responds Logan.  He settles himself to rest a bit while keeping watch.

Dr A pulls out his journal and starts making notes of what has happened so far.

     Gorm nods to Logan and says “I want go too far.  If a choice must be made, I’ll keep to the right if possible,” and the she moves ahead into the darkness.  With no sight but her Darkvision she moves slow and carefully ahead, trying to be stealthy.

Stealth: 22

Gorm dissapears in the darkness of the abandoned mine, following the trails of old carts. It doesn't take long, about two hundred feet until she enters a more rough part of the mine. The walls aren't polished and propped up, but she can tools and the marks of the dwarf miners. She can even see a vein of silver in the left wall. 
The tunnel, to her right, continues, but it is an even rougher tunnel and she hears a distant "click click" inside that tunnel.

     Gorm listens for a moment trying to determine if those clicks are similar to what she heard from the kruthik things or if it sounds like something else entirely…

Perception if needed: 4

     Unsure of what it could be, she advances slowly, trying to maintain her stealth…

Gorm enter in what seems to be a natural corridor, or that's what she thinks until she noticed another one that opens to the right, another to the left, a third one clims in a steep angle from her corridor, while other descend to her left, making a close turn to the right as it descends. This tunnels must have been carved by the creatures. And it is a real maze. It would be easy to get lost in here.

Her suspicions are confirmed when she sees one of them crossing another corridor from her left to her right. This one is smaller than the ones they faced before. The small kruthik doesn't notice her, and it goes towards the clicking sound she has been following.

     Now would be a good time to go get the others, Gorm thinks to herself.  Surprisingly, she decides to do just that.  Backing away, Gorm attempt to backtrack to the others and advise them of what she found.

     “There are definitely more.  I can’t say if it was a young one or what but it seemed to be attacked to the clicking…”

(Does Gorm make it back to us?  Is she followed?  Do we get a short rest?)