It has been a busy month. I have spent much time contemplating the Ouroboros Band I borrowed from the academy.
We restocked our supplies, once again buying the stock of the entire village of Stonehome. We also hired some mercenaries at an obscene cost to guard our equipment as we venture below.
Backtracking, we encountered the dwarf and orc encampments, both largely unchanged. I found a tome bound in weird leather, emanating dark power. WE ran from some giant centipedes and found ourselves in the Contested Corridors. They are a mess; well traveled and well bloodied.
The company finally made contact with the main camp of the Open Sore Tribe, and we were escorted to meet with their Chief. We passed approximately 30 orcs, including women and piglets. The Chief was a self important, grumpy fellow, but we managed to wheedle safe passage out of him and his tribe. They have captured a gnome and tortured him. I attempted to ask for his release, but it will cost me two live goblins. They agreed to let us stay in their camp for a night.
June 7th Evening
We ventured out into the corridors. Some friendly kobolds, tails wagging, told us of some caves filled with tasty fungus. We explored the caves for some time, discovering a source of food, traces of brigands, some valuable looking red slime, and a highly magnetic vein of lodestone.
I answered the riddles of a sphinx statue, and received some magical treasure. The riddle was extremely simple and rudimentary. The room holding the sphinx had crude drawings of a desert on the walls, perhaps made by the inmates in imitation of the outside world they could no longer reach.
Some orcs, returning from a hunting trip, did not believe we were friendly and attacked. I was forced to rot them into dust.
In attempting to make it look like an ambush from goblins, Elaine found two hiding in a closet. They surrendered immediately, so we bound them and dragged them to the orc camp.
With them and half the silver from the hunting party we killed, we purchased Johann and invited him into the company, perhaps as my adjutant. His previous company left him for dead, and we swore we would never do the same.
Gods above this has been a trying time. We have uncovered most of this area I think, slaying goblins, mutated inmates, and more. A doom lure, emotion made clay and formed in the shape of a man, tried to tempt us into a trap. When this did not work, it fled. We ambushed some goblins, using my ouroboros band to turn the room around them into dust. We saved some kobolds, which did not appreciate our kindness. A hunting band of orcs, which we kept out of sight of, massacred a group of wolves. We found an abandoned throne and altar, to what gods I can only guess. Whatever unholy abominations the inmates dreamt up . Finally, a crystal statue attempted to cut me to pieces, but Johann has proved to be a valuable asset. We return to the orc encampment with giant ferret carcasses, in hope we may get them processed into much needed supplies.