Feeling they left one partially alive, as far as they knew, they descended from the hills and decided to see if the thing had anything to do with the attacks on the vineyards. They fetched a wagon from Daercag's sheds, and made journey to a small village to the west named Ubhaltuit, or Applefall. Seeking the help of a local witch they believed could translate the language of the half-dead sapper, they met with Hilfard, a scholar of the woodlands. She proved incapable of decoding the sappers words, but brought the party through a breaking of the Mortal plane to a town (in the same place as Applefall) on the Falling Leaves plane. A moss spirit proved capable of helping the group. He told them of the sapper and its fellow's deeds, as well as their supposed location in a realm of eternal wilt. Hilfard gave them a carved stone idol she said they could use to bridge the gap between the Mortal world and the place of wilting, provided they locate the place they overlap.
They searched the hills of Daercag's valley, around the area they were attacked, and soon the one called Roth spotted the connection. On a pair of dead trees, ancient letters were carved to form sentences across the two of them, forming a rune-circled doorway. They used the idol, allowing its ancient magic to warp the land around them to that of the Wilt. Into the muck and rot they ventured, toward what they thought might be the sapper's base for their attacks. For all they knew, however, the entire plane was against them. Trees would twist and strain into unnatural positions after being seen in another, and the wet earth seemed to swallow them with every step. Surprise took them, however, when they finally found semblance of their quarry. Outside the mouth of a cave, they saw a gathering of several sappers. They were in a sleep of sorts, and Paola suggested taking them by surprise. Even a perfect plan would've been ruined, however, as it seemed the corpses of men and orcs rose out of the spoiled earth and upset a fair number of our heroes. Salu, in particular, for as he was cutting the risen corpses of those claimed by this forest down with spells and steel, he was overwhelmed and only with the help of his fellows was he able to make it out with his life and dignity intact.
The party finished off the last of their enemies with a few brutal attacks, and turned their attentions to the cave. Using the sword dropped by the mad mage who attacked Gangkou as a light, they made their way into the dark, wet tunnel. It seemed like the entrance to a small mining operation, carved into fickly shifting earth. Their steps took them to a cavern with sure signs of resource collection, with carts laden with chunks of earth and switchback pathways extending down into a deep chasm. Veins of a magical, plum-colored ore pulsed with an eerie light from cracks in the earth, surrounded by chunks of the wall blasted out by the violently rapid growth of magical plants. A winch started to wind up a thick chain across the gap, causing a large crane extended halfway out to their side to sound with a great rattling. The group hid themselves behind the mining equipment. Upon a rising platform some 40 feet across stood the enormous creature, what must have been the one to destroy the valley: The Catoblepas.
Accompanied by a group of sappers who held onto long chains attached to hooks in the Catoblepas' hide, it must have been brought up for another foray into the valley. However, before the platform could fully rise level with the dock at the top of the mine, the ever-enterprising Raquim let fly a fiery ball to burn the ropes that kept the platform attached to the large chain along the crane. The sappers panicked, and leapt off the platform. The Catoblepas' panic was far more destructive, for as it was pelted with magical and mundane attacks from the party, it broke its restraints and hurled itself onto the dock, dragging the platform after it. The party fought with the sappers as the Catoblepas splintered a large wooden doorway, charging out of the mine with a great force.
They killed the sappers, with some falling into the chasm. They left the mine to chase after the Catoblepas, and saw the results of its hysteria as the trail to follow. Soon finding themselves in a settlement torn apart by the rampaging Catoblepas, the stalwart Paola challenged the beast by hurling a ball of muck at its haunches. It swung itself around, and charged at the party. They drew upon some unknown reserve of power, and it was dead in seconds.
