[Feb 16,2020]

Whilst travelling, the group stops at a wayfarer’s rest site along the wild Road. Looks like a Pelor shrine which is odd in these parts.

Offerings to the shrines can sometimes provide protection for travelers — protected from a couple of cursed thresholds & items in the dwarven ruins.

Continuing on, Ceiba & Rashara hear thrashing and yowl-like sounds from just off the road. A leopard-sized cat-like creature had been snared in a trap, Ceiba frees it (persuading it not to eat any of us) and then sabotages the trap. Party spends some time looking for further traps and are able to find and break a few more, freeing a smaller, injured creature which Ceiba heals. Traps were simple, but well-made.

Shael notices a figure in the woods, a hunter who shoots a stoagan - a roughly badger-sized stoat-like mammal. Hunter needs to work on his social skills and is quite unfriendly, initially Ceiba threatens the hunter but upon learning that he is hunting for survival and plans to use the animal almost entirely, she backs off a little and he gives us some info. Mal offers him rations for information.

The hunter did not place any of the traps discovered by the party, but does mention a pair that he knows are active a few miles away, seemingly amateur possible poachers: describes them as "a short blondie" and "a tall douche".

Continuing on according to the map’s directions, the party cross a patrol wearing the symbols of the Explorer’s Guild, probably more caravans of explorers arriving from northern Tolara. Later in the day while travelling, there’s a very loud noise and sounds of crashing trees presumably due to a massive creature in the woods - party stays silent and waits for it to pass before moving on.

Party rests overnight by the road once more, before heading into the underbrush of the jungle the next day in order to locate the ruins. Underbrush is thick, requires a lot of effort to pass through. By lunchtime, party gets to a murky pond and forages for berries & nuts. Shael spots what could be ruins in the distance on the other side of the water.

After this, the party continues on and eventually reaches a ruined gateway covered by thick foliage, unaware of its curse (but protected by the offerings to the traveler’s shrine earlier!). Rough travel uphill, walking through more underbrush slowly & carefully to avoid falling, eventually reaching a large closed door made of iron. Aneirin uses detect magic and senses an enchantment to prevent rusting on the door, which is not locked but is firmly closed. Carved around the doorframe are old dwarven-based scripture, cannot be read by party, and a motif of two crossed axes though we are unsure what it refers to.

The elves manage to pry the door open after a few minutes using Shael’s crowbar (with Mal adapting his form to slip through a thin crack in it and pushing from the other side). 

The group comes upon another door. This door has no visible way to open it aside from three buttons in a triangle shape by the side of it. Ceiba pushes all three on a whim and the doors open, freeing old dust and grime that comes flying out in a cloud at the party. 

Ceiba and Mal are both blind in darkness, so Ceiba casts Darkvision on them both that lasts for 8 hours. 

Inside the ruins, there is little to no light and the group makes their way downwards. Halls were built for dwarves, some of the ceilings are a little low. Going down a flight of stairs both Ceiba and Aneirin hit a low portion of the ceiling. As a bat flies out from the dark interior Ceiba falls into Mal on the way down, both of them taking a hit on the way down.

Exploring, the party finds a room filled with urns stacked on one side (cursed, filled with ashes as confirmed when Mal opens one to inspect), withered trees, and a pool of fresh, clean water with a humanoid statue inside it. The urns are carved with geometric patterns and have the same symbol as the doors of crossed axes, but these ones are shown as engulfed in flame. Aneirin fills his water skin with ‘dead people juice’, and while Ceiba is inspecting dark stains on the floor drips some water on it confirming it to be blood. Blood stains are smeared across the floors in adjacent halls, and a stairway leading downwards has collapsed. Probably some ritual sacrifices in this chamber. They find one urn with a visible name, Firlota.

Crossed axes is a symbol associated with Kunmener, a dwarven god of war & protection. He is often connected with his wife, the dwarven goddess Zandneta, commonly associated with fertility & possibly death.

Continuing to explore, the party loops back round to what appears to be a mess hall area, with a humanoid skeleton on the floor and carved bone dice resting on a mantelpiece above hearth. Ceiba inspects the dice, going to pocket them or offer to somebody else. Fire rekindles in the hearth, slowly coalescing into an elemental.