Having hidden the bodies of their fallen adversaries, and knowing that a search party is prowling the area, the band of adventurers takes the opportunity to enter the mine – hopefully without being detected. They heave open one of the massive doors and peer inside. They see a ten-foot wide, round tunnel curving downward and to the right. The stone walls are striated by grey, red, pink, and beige layers of stone. A fine dust of salt lingers in the air. Luminescent crystals set in sconces at intervals along the length of the tunnel allow even a human the ability to see adequately, if somewhat dimly. They find a metal bar leaning inside the doorway and they use it to secure the door shut, hoping that this will hinder any pursuit by a returning search party.
They head down the mine shaft which curves in a wide, downward spiraling loop. Having made one full revolution, they come upon an intersection. Scouting ahead, Mishok spots a pair of hobgoblin guards within that intersection. They spot him as well, and they quickly duck out of sight, around their opposite corners. Mishok notices that they are both grasping ropes that lead to a set of pulleys mounted on the wall. Curious, he approaches them, attempting to present himself as if he belongs there. As soon as he enters the intersection, the hobgoblins yank the ropes, dumping, with a crash, a tremendous pile of rocks and rubble. Mishok, luckily leaps aside from the worst of it, and only takes a few glancing blows. He is knocked forward and to the right. The intersection behind him is effectively filled by the rock fall, separating him from the rest of the team, and leaving him face to face with one of the guards. The other guard seems to have been left on the far side of the rockfall.
Cycek sends Fuzzidong to find a way up and over the debris. The helpful weasel scrambles up the fallen rocks, finds some openings up near the ceiling, and passes through to the tunnel beyond. A narrow route thus identified, the rest of the party slowly and carefully clambers over the treacherous, loose rocks, and joins Mishok, who has just slain the hobgoblin guard in hand-to-hand combat.
Mishok leads the way, putting the rock-fall behind them, and explores the mine shaft. It curves in a large descending loop, with a few branching passageways to either side. They find a larger chamber where several passageways intersect in a sort of staging area. Several mine carts sit at the ready, and rocky debris is piled along the perimeter. They select a passage that seems more freshly excavated. It too curves away and downward. As Mishok explains it, the curving aspect of the tunnels is due to the natural structures of the salt veins, but the result is very limited sight lines. Thus, it is not long before they have rounded the bend and can no longer see the tunnel entrance behind them. To their consternation, they soon hear harsh voices and the booming tread of heavy footsteps behind them.
They turn to see a hulking, stonelike behemoth bearing down on them. Nearly nine feet tall and built with the solid, bulky stature of an ogre, this imposing figure seems to be carved out of stony slabs of salt. It has powerful legs like pillars, and massive arms like battering rams. It is being commanded by a pair of hobgoblins who are dwarfed by it. They follow behind, barking orders in goblin-speak.
The monster quickly sets upon Sartan, slamming him with fists resembling boulders. He fights back, hacking at it with an axe. He learns the hard way that attacking at close-range is hazardous. He is blinded by a stinging spray of salty grit.
Sartan’s colleagues, farther down the tunnel, fire arrows. Several of them connect, leaving divots in the monster’s bulky crystalline torso, and flinging out more shards of salt. The hobgoblins return fire, but fail to connect with any targets. Davros and other members of the party move farther down the tunnel, keeping their distance from the deadly fists of stone, while focusing ranged attacks on the two hobgoblins. It is not long before the two hobgoblins are brought down. Mishok slips past the creature, and out into the main passageway to watch for additional enemies. He sees none, but he does take note of a large metal door farther down the main passageway.
Meanwhile, Sartan has begun shouting commands to the salt monster in goblin-speak. The dim-witted creature accepts these commands, and it begins running down the tunnel at Sartan’s behest. In doing so, it slams into Cycek at just about the moment that a new threat emerges from the far end of the tunnel.
A horrid nightmare of a creature shambles into sight. It has leathery red-brown skin, stretched over what appears to be two human forms merged together in an obscene assemblage of parts. Two distorted semi-human faces stare balefully from a pair of heads fused side-by-side into one lumpy visage of malice. It lurches forward on four disjointed legs, and four arms reach out aggressively for something to destroy.
Sartan orders the salt golem to attack. It barrels toward the leather creature and pummels it with two heavy fists. The leathery creature is rocked on its heels, and its already-distorted frame is knocked all the more askew. But it keeps coming.
Krago, intent upon stopping the original monster, strikes the beast in the back with his war hammer. The ill-conceived attack does little to slow the creature, but it blinds him with a face full of salt shards. He stands still, shaking the stinging salt out of his eyes. Cycek uses this opportunity to leapfrog over him. He launches himself up and over Krago and over the head of the salt monster. He lands atop the head of the leathery monstrosity. It is greasy, but smells delicious. He stabs it in the head with his dagger and tumbles off its back, falling to the floor at the feet of an oncoming hobgoblin. He launches himself upward, burying his blade in the hobgoblin’s vulnerable nether region. Blood gushes forth, and the hobgoblin shrieks as it dies in agony.
The leathery creature shoves past its salty assailant and goes for the nearest party members. It comes upon the still-blinded Krago. It strikes him two terrible blows, and Krago is driven to the ground. He lies bleeding on the floor of the tunnel while the melee commences around him.
Sartan orders the salt golem to “Attack big man!” At that moment, Sartan himself is the nearest creature meeting that description. It turns to him and strikes him a dreadful blow. Cycek, covered with hobgoblin perineum blood, and barbecue monster grease, pulls out his short sword and stabs it deep into the midsection of the barbecue creature. The hilt slips out of his grasp, and the sword is left embedded in the monster. The injured creature begins to thrash wildly, lashing out at anything within reach. Sartan grabs the sword handle and holds on tight. The monster twists and turns and a huge gash is torn open, severing skin and sinew. Sartan sees an opportunity to finish it off. He commands the salt golem again, “Attack the four-armed monster.” This time the monster understands and complies.
The salt monster pounds the weakened barbecue monstrosity to the ground, and following its command to the letter, keeps on pounding it. Bits of flesh, bone, and gristle fly as the terrifying rocky fists crash down over and over again upon the gruesome wreckage of mangled flesh. To Cycek’s chagrin, his shortsword is smashed into a bent, ruined piece of junk. He grabs a longsword from the fallen hobgoblin.
Mishok runs forward to attend to the grievously wounded Krago. He calls upon the healing grace of Divoc, and brings his fellow dwarf back from the brink of death. Sartan, meanwhile, regains verbal command over the salt golem. He orders it to run down the tunnel. As it turns and thunders away, the party notices two startled men peering at them from the far curve of the tunnel. The pair let out a squawk of fright and flee before the oncoming golem.
Mishok and Sartan follow. They see the two men slip past a bulky metal machine that fills much of the tunnel, and disappear into a hole at the ragged end of the tunnel. The salt golem is too large to get past the contraption. It rams and bashes at it until it is knocked at an angle and off to the side. It bullies its way past the damaged machinery and follows the men through the hole and into a dark space beyond. They hear its heavy footsteps pounding away.
Curious about this machinery, the group gathers and inspects it. It is a boxy steel tank on heavy iron wheels. A massive crank with four handholds is mounted on a steel shaft at the back, and a massive drill bit protrudes from the front. Some of the metal casing has dented, and a pair of support braces have buckled. It lies canted to the right, with its left and rear wheels off the ground. The drill bit protrudes through a hole in what would be the end of the tunnel. It is pitched somewhat forward as if the floor has given way before it. They notice words engraved on the side “Property of Shadowfurst Stoneyard.” Below that, smaller, is the inscription “Frandlehoobin and Son.”
As they discuss their next course of action, Sartan, injured in the battle, swigs the cloudy “healing” potion he had received from Gré, the elven druid. A strange feeling comes over him. His wounds persist but he somehow feels the potential for more power. If only he could shake this growing dizzy sensation. He becomes dizzy, staggering about, then begins speaking boisterously. He is quite drunk. Yet he revels in the newfound strength, constitution, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma that is sure to be his as soon as he can sleep off his inebriation. They decide that next, they will investigate the iron door that Mishok has seen.