After dealing with a couple of smaller creatures the adventurers choose to explore the cave under the stealthy protection of pass without a trace. Sneaking through the cavern, following plums of smoke and avoiding Michadins left and right, it became clear that the party was going to have to talk to a Michadin leader to find their heart cap mushrooms. Lindir, with some help or maybe sabotage from Sahva, is able to chat up Ornata and Enok. The two are the defenders and caretakers of the cave and the Michadins’ leader Senensa. Suffering under an illness Senensa had entered into a trance, after using the last of her energy to protect the other Michadins by placing the guardian (which the party murdered) at the cave entrance. The Michadins were happy to offer the group some heart cap mushrooms in turn for them dealing with the thick purple smoke that had crept into one of the cave’s chambers and was seemingly making them all sick. 

Ready to face danger the party ventured into the cave, where they discovered dragon-like smoke creatures blocking their way. After a bitter fight the adventurers make it deeper into the chamber, they discover an orange fire crystal – clearly not of this realm – covering the vent of a volcano resting deep beneath the cave. With a fair bit of effort, Naivara, Sahva and Ulfgar are able to shatter the crystal. Out of which comes an obsidian orb, from which hatches a lion’s head creature hissing like a flamethrower. The adventurers must now deal with a juvenile salamander, which knocks Naivara unconscious and results in the first usage of a healing potion. 

Having defeated the mushroom cave’s foe, our adventurers emerge from the chamber victorious and are granted the title of Protectors of the Cave, with Lindir getting the special nickname of crystal smasher. They were also granted five heart cap mushrooms and a ruby marrow, the first of which Tarrack can turn into healing potions and the latter into an elixir of health. The party rows back to Wyrm’s Respite, which is all in all an uneventful journey. Having returned the mushrooms quickly make their way into Tarrack’s hands who, together with Maila, makes several potions which he hands back to the party. After some negotiations they manage to agree on a deal that he would continue to replace their healing potions for as long as they continued to stay at the cloister. 

Upon leaving Tarrack’s home our tired adventurers are flagged down by Eliara, who provides them not only with a history of the dragon wars but also a new problem to solve. [Story]

The evil on the island, the undead water creatures which attacked the Maurauder, is seemingly the result of an artefact of magical nature. Eliara assumes that it is somewhere on the shipwrecked Compass Rose, an old trading boat which beached a couple of hours away from Wyrm’s Respite. Ready to rest for the evening, the party makes plans to solve the island’s undead problem the next day. However, Sahva as the only elf in her troop of adventurers decided to use the couple of extra hours she has to scavenge the grassy lands of Captain’s Foley. In doing so stumbling upon a large hole in the ground which she earmarks for a later day.