17! plus guidance (2) and the final is 19! Feeling a bit more confident now.

Lana, you walk towards the sounds of the voices and the rushing waters, about 60 feet before the tunnel turns to the right and you find stone steps leading down with some faint light at the end. Descending the steps, it isn't far before the path opens up and the stairs end. 

You see before you a waterfall rushing from the ceiling above where the light enters the room. The water, falls onto the hard stone surface and then falls down passed man made stone archways and down several carved out levels to a rushing stream beneath. You can also see the source of the voices, on the bottom level you see two dark robed individuals chatting a bit as they finish packaging some sort of crimson colored stone into a crate. You can just faintly hear one of them say "I thought they already had enough for the rite" The other responds "Maybe just reserves in case of a mistake..." 

Lana paused for a moment - the view was spectacular! - but voices returned her to reality. Those figures did not look like vampires. Not that she knew what vampires look like but definitely not like this! And they were packing something for some ritual...

Lana moved along the ledge to her right to better see (and hopefully hear too) what is going on. If they finished packing they should transport the crate? Or move away themselves? Or maybe simply say something else?

Lana's main hope was that the group's patience would not run out while she was scouting.

Softly moving along the upper ledge you position yourself such that you are slightly further form the rushing water and more in straight view of the two robed figures. They continue loading and talking amongst themselves "She can be harsh but who can blame her. She knows how to handle herself if anyone goes against her." The other scoffs, "She knows what she's doing that's for sure. Strong as she is smart. I can see why Lord Agustin trusts her more than anyone." You watch as an unmanned skiff arrives near them.. "Another one? How many we gotta carry back this time?" They move to begin loading more of the crimson minerals into the crates.

(Lana has now been gone for about 5 minutes. What is everyone else doing in the meantime?)

Rel resists the urge to chew her lip in apprehension as she waits, wishing she had taken the time to learn the Message cantrip.

"If Lana has been caught, we will not know.  On the other hand, if we send someone after her and she is fine and still invisible, we cannot see her either.  Anyone have any ideas?  Beyond the default of just waiting, which is all I can think of?  Perhaps glance at the other passage?"

Dutifully, Rel maintains the default of continually casting Minor Illusion, slightly augmenting the sound of rushing water ahead to mask Lana's footfalls.

"I think we must give her some time, a few minutes easily pass by just walking back and forth in stealth. If we rush in, her efforts are meaningless. I think we should wait until the spell nearly reaches its limits, that's what on hour? I think after 45 minutes we should check on her if she isn't back. But yes, best would have been to facilitate some manner of communication," Tex reasons, while checking on Lizzy's mechanism. 

Zane says, "Yes, invisibility lasts for an hour and I will know when it ends. It has not ended yet" 

"That does reassure me that she is fine if the invisibility is still active, though I hope she has not run into any trouble" says Bellamy

He will wait with many glances down the path Lana went. Waiting for any signs of trouble.

It was so very tempting to get closer and maybe even get on that unmanned boat to learn where the thing is going... But Lana understood the danger all too well here. By her calculations, she had a lot of time until protective invisibility will fall off but unless she indeed planned to jump on the boat, it seemed she learned all she could here.

A few minutes later others heard her voice close by. "I am back". Despite the waterfall noise she tried to keep her voice down while re-telling everything she saw. "Do not know what this mineral is, but if you wish can try to get a sample. Those two down there do not look too attentive." It was risky but seemed possible with invisibility in place. "Can only assume, that "she" they are talking about is that woman. And it seems, we have two destinations now - one where those two came from (and where they are getting mineral) and the second is where the boat is going.

Zane says, "And a third one - which is away from the water down the other tunnel up here at the intersection. While your invisibility lasts - why don't you explore that one as well?"

“Could we catch these two and deliver the minerals ourselves as their replacements?” Tex thinks out loud. Knowing that there are red minerals being transported, Tex suggests to re-examine the floor for residue of red minerals, if there are it would mean the quarry or mine lies in the third direction that Zane refers to.

"Interesting idea," answered Lana's voice from nowhere. "But they are all the way down right now, not sure how we can ambush them. Maybe that other entrance Zane wants to check? I'll go look."

A moment later faint footsteps indicated Lana's move toward the second tunnel.

Venturing down the other path, for a ways as the sound of Rel's rushing water illusion fades. Your footsteps can now be heard as you walk along the hard surface. The damp, heavy air gains a scent of decay to it as you continue on. At this point you can tell that you have traveled much further than the other tunnel so far. Suddenly the smell becomes much more prominent. You spot just ahead, a gap in the floor. Walking up to it and looking over the edge you can see now a ten by ten foot pit in the cavern floor filled with skeletons, decaying corpses, and even one freshly deceased body. From where you stand, having only darkvision for sight currently, it is difficult to make out any features or traits of the bodies and bones lying within.

The smell alone would be enough to turn away but the presence of a fresh corps sealed the deal. She lingered just a second more in the hope to figure out how the freshest humanoid was killed (Medicine: 7) and then any possible tracks that the killer could leave behind (Survival: 15).

Unless the tunnel visibly goes down (hence potentially to the same cave waterfall cave) Lana turns back to report her findings.

The tunnel continues on the other side of the ten foot pit but you cannot see how far it goes or any light at the end.

(Any track around hinting at how the bodies were transported into the pit? Like dragged by someone?)

Lana lost count of the minutes passed but her eyes told her she is still invisible. "Dead end. Literally." Reported she once returned. "Well,  not exactly, but there is a serious obstacle."

She described the pit with dead bodies. "We can probably get past it, but not sure we should. If there is a way to quietly get down the waterfall cave or if we can outwait those two down there and then walk, it feels like the safer bet."

Quote from BlueBayou >>

(Any track around hinting at how the bodies were transported into the pit? Like dragged by someone?)

 With the 15 survival, you cannot see anything kn this side of the pit telling of how they got there. You can assume they came from the other side

"The best I can think of is that we try to surprise and subdue the two men Lana saw.  They may provide us more information if questioned.  About what the minerals are and how they and the corpses may be involved in the 'rite' they speak of."

Rel finds herself repulsed at her own eagerness to 'interrogate' the men... a sadistic instinct from my own mother that I cannot shake.

"Or, if we are not confident in stealth, I can magically take on the appearance of the brown-haired woman in violet and gold once more, since she seems to lead them.  The ruse will not last long or hold up to queries I cannot answer, but it may give us time to get in position to surround them."

She looks around.  "Does anyone else have any other ideas?  Time may be of the essence, so we should move quickly no matter what the plan."

"I think if we all approach with you leading in disguise of that women, they will not dare to run or attack until it is too late for them. And maybe they even answer a few questions, or can be intimidated into bringing us to the ritual site," Tex suggests. He attaches his pack on Lizzy and mounts up, "I'm ready to go and try." 

Zane says, "I'd rather approach via back door. Nobody expects anyone to come from the direction of the mass grave. Our goal is to figure out if we can save a man, not to dismantle this whole operation."

He looks at the others.

"Lana saw an unmanned boat come from somewhere and it will probably also go to somewhere unmanned. It means there are other parties working along some route. If we disrupt this flow then someone will come looking and we have probably not gained a whole lot of new knowledge."

He shrugs, "But if you want to go with that then we can go with that. It's just been a really long day and I'm out of almost all of my magic."