Following the air being pulled into the mines, Jaren leads the group further into the blackness.

After hours of walking though the depths, the mine tunnels become more rough hewn, delapidated and broken down. At some point, the airflow slows to a stop and then reverses, with freezing cold air pushing past them and up and out. It is at this point that Jared spots the clawed three-toed and heeled avian tracks of winter elves. Wary now, the group proceeds until the tunnel they are following drops away into a black chasm whose far side is invisible in their feeble light.

From the depths a freezing wind rises and flows path them while the hammering of picks and the scraping of shovels can be heard.

At the noise, Mar’Khabazza balks at proceeding any further. It is clear that winter elves are mining the depth here and there is some discussion on what they are doing. Ravenna speaks up, hypothesizing that the winter elves are mining cold ore here. She theorizes that cold ore from Beryl and the laen from Opal could be used to create powerful weapons for the winter elves. To what purpose, they have no answer.

With the prospect of facing a mine’s worth of winter elves before them, Mar’Khabazza decides they’ve learned enough to head back to Opal to brief the council about the impending threat and it is time to retreat. They put the chasm behind them and begin to retrace their route back to the surface when they come across a pair of winter elves patrolling the mines. The duo fling void and disintegration spells at the group, tearing bloody wounds into the group before they are overcome. Within minutes of that encounter, the group encounters a ruined and twisted Shapeless One that grows limbs and extra fanged mouths to better grapple and rend. Ravenna puts it down quickly with her own spells of disintegration.

Battered and weary, the group flees back to the surface to decide that it would take an army to retake Beryl and is a total loss. They return to the upper camp to reunite with the soldiers and the rangers, who have been nursing Kehopu and Gredi back to health after hiding in Mordant Grimsby’s secret hide for two weeks.

November 25, 7761

After a six day trek over the gathering snow, the group returns to Opal during the last daylight of the year. That evening Opal hosts the Festival of Lights. Every window in the city has a light in it, every church and chapel is full of worshippers singing songs of springtime and rebirth for those who will not survive the winter.

November 26, 7761

The long night begins as the sun dips below the horizon, not to be seen again until February.

Ravenna wakes up in the Salt House with a hangover and feeling ill. She and Mar’Khabazza send runners out to arrange a meeting with Senior Sergeant Joktuk, the Overseer and the Postmaster three days hence with the intent of delivering their report on Beryl and get paid.