Sir Beauregard's investigation doesn't find any obvious weak point or means of passing through the narrow fissures. Nothing larger than a tiny animal could make it through.

Vinn, however, successfully blocks the sunlight in the cavern temporarily, granting easier access to Sinensa and his retinue. They move into the cavern and approach Sir Beauregard, aiding him in his search.  They respectfully wonder how this mysterious villain could have passed this way without leaving any evidence. It's clear to all that no human-sized creature could pass through the small fissures.

Nevertheless, the colony brings your awareness to the slick fungal coating that covers the moist fissures. The colony makes you aware that they can commune with this fungus, compel it to rapidly propagate, grow and potentially reshape the passages.

Doing so would release more gasses into the chamber, potentially putting the colony at risk again. If they do this for you, they ask that you find a way to quiet the fumes once and for all, to ensure their protection.

Will you agree?

Seeing the narrow fissure that Sir Beauregard found, Morlock says "If needed, my little mouse familiar could fit through that. "

"That's a resourceful idea, Morlock! I'd be worried that if the fumes are harmful to us, that perhaps such a small creature may be even more susceptible. I'm all for widening the gap to fit through and 'm more than happy to find a way to redirect the gases at our first opportunity."

Vinn cups his chin with a hand, fingers drumming along his jawline. "Yeah, the mouse idea is great, but we need to get in unless your mouse is also some kind of cool assassin who can target our Author. Othetwise, here's hoping that we can find a way to permanently end the fumes further down..."

The genasi suddenly bumps his fist into the other hand. His face glows with excitement. "I can cast gust!! Do you think if i do it forever, it'll just push the fumes further in and it won't seep out as much?"

Sir Beauregard listens and then turns to Sinensa.  “We will try.  If we do not return, send word to the Dragon’s Rest.  They hope for aid from the mainland of a much more powerful kind who should be able to seal your chamber again even if we fail.”  He looks somber.  “Unless the worst comes to pass and the evil below wakes.  Then the island itself may be a place from which death covers the land and sea.”

The colony responds with sober, silent acknowledgement as Sinensa steps forward, kneels on the ground and places his hand on the rock....

You watch as a web of thread-like hyphae spread from his limb, carpeting the earth and extending into the crevices. The network of mycelium seem to have an immediate interaction with the slick substance that coats the crevices. You become somewhat aware of the substance's own vegetative consciousness joining the psychic chorus that you're all currently a part of into. It has no thoughts per-se, only an imperative biological mandate to thrive...

In your minds you become aware of Sinensa tapping into this mandate and amplifying it to a bracing volume. Your breath catches in your throat as you sense the fungus responding with deference, rapidly growing, spreading, pushing against the physical environment.

It's so compelling you almost forget your own innate senses for a moment... but the sudden crumbling of earth at your feet pulls your focus back to the tangible environment around you. You watch as the fungus surges through crystal and porous stone, shattering minerals, cracking it open rock, pushing the rubble aside to make space for a bulbous fungal mass about 5 feet in diameter.

Once the space has been made, Sinensa releases his hand from the rock, ripping it free from the web of mycelium that he generated to create this catalyst. As he does, the consciousness of the vegetative fungus goes silent. You watch as the 5 foot wide fungal mass quickly grows dry once untethered from the myconid's influence. The mass starts to wither, crack and crumble. Sinensa gives the desiccated mass a good kick and it breaks open like a piñata, releasing a cloud of harmless spores into the air.

The space created by the broken fungus is enough for you to squeeze through, single file, shimmying down a steep, claustrophobic shaft into the depths below...

UNDER THE ISLAND

As you slide deeper and deeper into the under-island, you begin to worry this passage may narrow to a suffocating point and that you may die in stifling darkness before you have a chance to face your mysterious foe.

But finally, you break free, into a larger chamber. Oddly, the hot, gaseous wind billowing from deeper within the cave system is a welcome relief from the strangling narrowness of the shaft you just crawled through. Still, it's hardly much comfort.

There is no light down there. Morlock and Vinn are currently operating blindly.

The rest of you see a large cavernous chamber with ceilings that rise to nearly 40-'60, covered in stalactites formed from some dark obsidian-like mineral. The cavern stretches forward as far as any of you can see, bisected by a large pillar of volcanic rock that stands in the center of the chamber.

Almost immediately, you heat the pitter-pat of approaching footsteps echoing through the chamber. Could be someone was alerted to your presence. Could be a few beings are headed in this general direction for some other reason. Either way, they're far enough that you have time to prepare for their arrival.

What would you like to do?

Vinn crouches, almost curling into a neat ball while his arms graze the ground. From the arch of his back long pins start to unfurl. Soundless, a large wolf spider is suddenly between Augustus and Morlock.

Vinn skitters 10 feet up the wall, but stays alongside the group. Although his many eyes peer unblinkingly into the darkness, Vinn's heart races. It's strange, traveling these deep into the earth where the air is still and musty. He strains his eyes to see any light refracting from a crystal-- wary of encountering another elemental egg with the monsters that nearly killed him and Sir Beauregard almost a month ago.

Sir Beauregard holds the line at the mouth of the tunnel so that any attack will have to hit him.

(Morlock will be using his Bat familiar's sences to see) 

Morlock, with Mouse (his bat) on his shoulders, makes he way out into the chamber. Hearing the approach he readies a spell (Toll the Dead) if they are attacked. 

EPILOGUE

After clawing your way back out through the myconid cavern you are treated to a sumptuous celebration for eliminating the threat that plagued the colony and the whole of Stormwreck Isle.

A feast is thrown in your honor. Though some of you may have abstained from the compost that was served, the fermented beverages and psychoactive fungi provided... a unique experience for anyone who chose to partake.

You return to the cloister to the welcoming embrace of Aidron and the apostolates, both human and kobold.

Within a few days, Mistress Runara returns in the company of two other mighty dragons, one Gold and one Silver... Each of them a descendant of the dragons that originally felled Sharruth and imprisoned his essence far beneath the surface.

Together, they will reforge the protective magic that binds Sharruth to his tomb. Once this work is done, they will commit themselves to uphold Runara's vision for the island as a place of knowledge and enlightenment for all dragonkind and their mortal allies.

In gratitude, Runara bestows Sir Beauregard with her favor, and agrees to a formal alliance with the followers of Sune. The Lady's worshipers will be forever welcome on this island to appreciate its beauty and seek whatever wisdom they can attain here.

As a surprise for Vinn, the kobolds reveal a new private cottage they built for him to stay in whenever he'd like. It's decorated with statue they made in his likeness... or as close as Frubnotsosmart could manage in the allotted time.

Morlock is granted a chance to oversee the integration of the observatory library and the author's secret study into the cloister's private collection. He is given unfettered access to study and meditate on all of the library's contents for as long as he should wish it.

Augustus finds himself in long conversation with the silver dragon who accompanied Runara back to the cloister. The two form a fast friendship that looks like it will last for a long long time.

The heroes are free to stay on the island or go off to seek their fortune, but they will always have a home on Stormwreck Island and they will be the first to receive word if aid is ever needed in the future.

THE END