Session V, Part III

As the party packs their new shinies from Reverend Mother Guinan:

[OOC] K says to S, "Regardless of how this mission turns out, we're keeping whatever we don't use, right?"

[OOC] S says, "Of course!"

[As DM] I ask, "Is there any other gear that you want to take?"

[OOC] K says, "Fire has been our usual backup plan."

[OOC] S says, "Yeah, everyone's carrying lots of oil!"

The party also raids the infirmary for healing potions, grabbing two each.  With weather starting to look decidedly preternatural, the PCs ride out from the Keep:

The Colonel leaves a token force to monitor the Việt-Khmer border and a small strategic reserve at Fort Champa and then deploys the rest of the garrison around the gold mine, securing the entrance and first level of the mine:

Silently, the party tries to mentally work out the horrors awaiting in the depths as they enter the mine.  Heading toward the elevator, the winch creaks distressingly as the PCs meet the returning platoon of legionnaires who initially secured Level 1.  As the soldiers pass by the party, the Nameless Magic-User makes a Spot Check, noticing one of the legionnaires is acting a bit strange and surreptitiously trying to get close to Aleena.

Quickly, Vasquez and Zakalwe move to intercept, when they are showered with blood and viscera as a new Chryssalid bursts out of the legionnaire!

Suddenly, magic smoke fills the room and the PCs make out an insectiod figure fleeing for the elevator!  The party beats the Chryssalid baby on Initiative and Lieutenant Phùng zaps it with Magic Missile.

The Chryssalid baby is slain!

Following a rickety ride down the swaying elevator, the PCs meet Captain Đào on the first level of the mine, who tells them that it's all clear here and leads them to the entrance down to the second level:

Without further ado, the party heads down the steps to Level 2 after grabbing some miner helmets and canaries.  Vasquez and Zakalwe take point, and the veteran legionnaires surround the spell casters.  At the first fork, the party listens and hears something trying to get through the barricaded door on the left.  They decide to leave well enough alone and proceed down the slightly downward sloping right corridor.

Slowing down to search for traps, the PCs find a covered pit with scarab beetles scuttling around at the bottom.  Marking it off, they move around the trap and continue cautiously north, stopping before  they reach Room 1b (the ledge to the east and 20 feet higher than Room 1a).  Since there's no thief and Zakalwe has 18 DEX and Stealth, he shuts off the light on his helmet and crawls forward, slowly peering around the corner but seeing nothing.

Ready for action, Zakalwe crawls forward onto the ledge and turns on his light...but Room 1a, the cavernous Operations Center of the mine, is dark, empty and eerily quiet.  Offices are racksacked and equipment is smashed, but the party is alone, as far as they can tell.

After conferring for several minutes, the PCs decide to continue north to Room 2.  As the party passes  the north end of the ledge, an increasingly noxious stench of death and decay assails them.

Zakalwe crit fails his Save versus Fear!  He curls up into the fetal position and the Nameless Magic-User takes over, leading the party forward.  Rounding the corner, the party finds dozens of empty  Chryssalid eggs and dead webbed up miners:

There are no survivors.

[As the Nameless Magic-User] S says, "We burn it.  All of it."