[A continuation of this campaign]

Dorian, entranced by the history lying in this cell, turned to Barnes. “Can you draw this? We need to capture every detail—the scratches on the wall, the pendant, even the way the bones are arranged. I think it’s important.”

Barnes nodded, their gaze shifting to the solemn remains. They set down their journal, using their charcoal pen to sketch out the room, their strokes capturing the eerie beauty and quiet of the scene. Every line and detail told a story as they worked carefully, focusing on the scratches, the worn grooves, and the delicate bundle Viv had uncovered.

While Barnes sketched, Viv motioned for Seraph to follow her further down the hallway. “Let’s see what else is down here,” she whispered. They ventured deeper, the glow of Viv’s pendant guiding their way. As they moved, more cages emerged from the shadows, each one locked and containing the skeletal remains of different creatures. They passed a cage with the remains of a goat, horns curled and cracked, then one with the massive bones of a bear, and finally, a smaller, twisted skeleton that looked unsettlingly human.

Seraph grimaced, her voice barely a whisper. “What was this place?”

Viv shook her head, a shiver running through her. “It may have been a prison… or possibly something worse.”

They headed back to Dorian and Barnes, who were just finishing up the drawing. Sharing their findings, they exchanged uneasy glances, but they didn’t hesitate to press onward. With Viv at the lead, the group moved down the corridor, her eyes darting constantly as she spotted and disarmed a few traps—pressure plates that would release bolts from the walls, and tripwires that, when cut, seemed to release ominous clicks from deep within the dungeon.

They continued along a dimly lit path, the shadows thick around them. Just as the tension in the air seemed to settle, a low rumble resonated through the stone. At first, it was a gentle tremor, but it quickly grew stronger, vibrating the ground beneath their hooves.

“What now?” Dorian murmured, glancing around with alarm.

A sudden rush of sound filled the hall as murky water poured toward them from somewhere down the tunnel. The water was thick and dark, carrying bones, coins, and debris that clinked and rattled against the stone walls as it surged forward.

“Run!” Viv shouted, spinning on her hooves.

They took off, their hooves slipping on the damp stones as they sprinted away from the encroaching flood. The sound of the water roared behind them, close enough that they could feel the chill of it in the air. Dorian’s gaze darted around desperately as they ran, until he spotted a narrow incline that sloped up, away from the rushing water.

“Up there!” he shouted, leading the way.

The group scrambled up the incline, slipping on the slick rocks and stumbling as they clawed their way upward. The water surged beneath them, swirling with bones and coins that flashed in the dim light, but they managed to pull themselves just high enough to avoid the deluge.

The group collapsed against the incline, panting and sweat soaked, but safe. The murky water surged past below, its roar fading as it continued down the hallway.

As they sat catching their breath, Viv glanced over at the others with a smirk. “Alright,” she panted, trying to keep her voice light. “Which one of you triggered that trap? Anyone feeling guilty?”

Dorian let out a small, nervous laugh, shaking his head. “If it was me, I’d admit it. But I swear, I didn’t touch anything!”

Seraph gave an exaggerated shrug, deadpan. “I mean, I only looked at the bones in the cages. Don’t think I stared too hard.”

Barnes shook their head too, a faint smile tugging at their mouth. “Guess the dungeon just has it out for us,” they muttered.

Viv chuckled along with them, but her mind was already racing. She had been looking for traps, and she usually didn’t miss much. How had this one managed to slip past her? Her gaze drifted to the dark ceiling above, noting the strange way the stones had been laid, forming hidden grooves and pockets where mechanisms might be hiding. The dungeon had known how to conceal its secrets well, lulling them into a false sense of security with plain walls and straightforward paths, only to unleash chaos at just the right moment.

She wondered if this place was watching them, setting things in motion just as they got too comfortable.

Shaking the thought away, she turned back to the others, grinning. “Alright, so maybe it wasn’t anyone’s fault. But we’ll have to keep our eyes and ears open from here on.”

[Campaign will end here & I will be doing a skull run next!!]