A real deep and creeping darkness.
Exploring the lower levels of the manor, the party finds notes and portraits relating to the ruling family of Vermeillon. On the top level, the party runs into a creature surrounded in a darkness and fear. While fighting, Aranar notices that a few things on the body of this creature are similar to the ruler noticed downstairs. With this creature defeated, the party finds a few notes of these creatures being called “Meenlock”. Once the manor is cleared, that party leaves the house, and finds a cart out the back, looking like an attacked merchant’s cart. The party also lays flowers to rest on Lukas’s beloved grave and search the rest of the town.
After searching the town, the party exits the town to rest a few kilometres away for the night. The night’s sleep is rudely awakened 6 hours in as a creature sets Thryn’s alarm spell off and the party is roused and sees it bolt off into the darkness. This, combined with the frequent nightmares that night leave the party exhausted the next day.
After waiting till daybreak, the party get up, once over the town and set off to the mine. Initial exploration of the mine shows several shadowy figures, but never reveal anything of note when reached.
After a Meenlock attempts to slow the party down while searching the caverns, the party comes to an opening with several Meenlock, all appearing to be leaning over unconscious friends to the party. During the ensuing fight, both Anya and Thryn fall unconscious and Aranar ends up managing to pull the party through to save the day. After the fight this room is searched and it looks to be that it was used to somehow transform humanoids into more Meenlock, not many seemed to survive the process.
Searching out the rest of the caves, Thryn decided to touch a pool of differently coloured liquid and gets smacked out of the room by some amorphous monster. Bravely leaving the caves, the party come across two more Meenlock and manage to overcome them too. With this, after a few minutes the ever-present fog around the environment starts to lift, and the knot in their stomach starts to loosen.
After Aranar recovers from his paralysis, the party immediately decides to take a long rest. While taking their break and recovering from their exhaustion, a small snowfox sniffs around the camp, the first animal they have seen in a long time.