Session 15

The group heads back to The Broken Cog. Gimli is already there and actively drinking, pretending to be drunk.

Theo, before heading to Gimli, Theo heads to the barkeep and remarks that Gimli has had too much to drink. The keep replies he will not serve him more alcohol. The barkeep replies about 5–10 minutes. Athtar audibly chuckles hearing this, knowing Gimli is lying.

The pair head to where Gimli and Pete are sitting. Theo sits and tells Pete to sit down. Pete tries to avoid sitting, but Theo tells him to sit down. Eventually, he complies. The group has a conversation about the events in the church. Calling out the behaviour where Pete and Gimli went behind Athtar and Theo's back to do it. Pete attempts to lie to Theo about the events that started the fight. Both Theo and Athtar don't believe him as they've heard the story from the Priest. Even so, Pete still tries to lie until Theo and Athtar lay it out that they don't believe him.

Pete questions if the others would ever use his ways. Theo replies no, and Athtar replies that he left the ships to leave that sort of mentality behind.

Theo asks why he even questioned the preacher. He replied that he mentioned things of his past. Of Billy's gang. He goes into some of what Billy's done. Pete asks if anyone even knows of him. Billy is much more notorious than he is. Theo, however, does know of him. He's seen Pete's wanted poster years back while he was still alive. Theo mentions that Pete was a member of Billy's gang. He intuits that something happened between him and Billy, resulting in Pete's death.

Theo asks for more details about Pete's past. Mentioning that Theo and Athtar need to be able to trust him to tell the truth in order for to help him with Billy. They explain that they don't have qualms helping him if he's not willing to trust them.

Pete mentions not in a public place. There are likely spies reporting to Billy about people who are going after him.

Gimli tries to order a drink, but is shut down by the barkeep. Theo tells him that he's been cut off. As Gimli starts to get upset, Theo tells him to leave it behind.

The group heads out to the mines the Preacher told them about. Theo asks Pete to tell the group about his past.

Theo tells the group, around 6 years ago in the Thundervein Plateau, they were raiding some dwarven mines for some strange black metal. He mentions that Billy shot in the back of his head and took the metal for himself. The next thing he knew, he woke up again on the Plateau, but the mines were dilapidated, and a dust storm had just passed. He knew he was not the same person he was before. He thinks it had something to do with the metal they found in the mines. Theo thinks it might be Abyssium. Theo offers his piece of Abyssium to see what Pete thinks. Pete feels sick when in contact with it.

Eventually, the group makes it to the mines. They decide that Theo and Gimli will stay at the front, maintaining their auras, while Athtar scouts, and Pete searches.

They push the gates of the mines open. Two mounted ballistas are stationed by the entrance. There is a burned out fire pit, and a furnace that has gone out on the opposite side. A fine layer of dust covers everything as the mine appears shut down. Theo pulls out his hooded lantern, and the group heads inside. Theo examines the dust, learning that it's left behind from the previous dust storm.

Two ladders lead up to the levels with the ballistas. Theo wants to examine them. He notes that there is a bucket of 5 ballista bolts by each one. He suggests rotating it the other way, baiting the construct out, and using the ballistas to take it down.

Issue is that turning it around would mean firing it over the edge of the wall...which isn't possible. Athtar then suggests mounting it inside a minecart instead, allowing the group to move it with them. Theo agrees. He and Gimli work to dismount the ballista. Athtar and Pete put a pully system to lower the ballista down into the cart. They then push it into the mineshaft.

Theo explores one of the open caverns. He turns off his lamp to keep hidden. He doesn't see much but is listening for anything odd. He begins to feel himself slip on something, but he can't make out what it is. He hears a slight creaking from what sounds like wood or metal, but he can't be sure if that's just cave sounds or something else. Theo asks back to Athtar, who asks Pete for a glowstick. They hand it to Theo, who quickly lights it, and throws it deeper into the cave. He is able to see that what he had stepped in was blood. Which is splattered all over the floors and the tables.

He goes deeper in and finds corpses of miners. He quickly realizes that a duststorm just passed, meaning that those corpses will be coming back as dustwalkers.