After finding a bit of relative civilization, a good meal, and a nice night’s sleep at Mistle’s, the party had set off back into the Underdark. This time, at least, they had something of a map to help guide them. A map drawn on cured human skin but a map nonetheless. As we ended the last session, they found themselves confronted by one of the most dangerous creatures in the Underdark (or anywhere else for that matter)…a beholder!!!
This recap is from Muse. RJ was missing this session and so Thomas played Adran. We are also joined by a new player, Dave, who took on the role of Skarr. Jubi’s comments, again, are in [brackets and italics].
When we last saw our band of adventurers, they were in dire circumstances indeed.
A beholder had just turned and spotted them…and so this is where we pick up.
With alarm clear on his face, Verrak shouts…”Run!!” and with a nimble move, turns and runs pell mell back the way we just came. We waste no time following in his footsteps and retreat as fast as we can.
After about 100ft, we stop to catch our breaths and to see if the beholder is following us. We pause to discuss our options, slim as they may be. Can we appease it? Can we make a bargain with it? Verrak is not so optimistic about our chances at surviving this encounter.
We creep forward a bit to see if it has followed us, and yes it has, but wonders of all wonders, Verrak notices that it is actually NOT a beholder after all, but is some sort of fungus that looks about to explode. Unsure as to the harm any spores could do to us, we run back away from it, but in the mad scramble, Dench and Adran stumble and fall.
Dench tries to cast Gust of Wind to blow it back, but is hampered by his prone position.
Scrambling to their feet they join us and we back away another 30 feet.
Rory shoots it with an arrow, causing the fungus to explode and spores to come pouring out, filling the chamber, but stopping before reaching us. Dench recasts Gust of Wind and blows the spores back as we wait and give them time to settle.
[But I thought piñatas are supposed to be full of sushi!!! Where’s the bbq?!?]
That obstacle taken care of, we move forward back towards the glowing “fire” beetles. We decide to take them out and easily dispatch them, much to a few adventurers chagrin, as the beetles put up nary a fight. Jubi happily disposes/eats the carcasses, calling them “spicy!”
[Chicken is best served fresh like this! Thanks Es Sarch!!! Why so glum? It is a eat or bet eat world down here and we want to be on top of the food chain! Oh yeah, when you’re on top, everything’s looking sushi!!!]
As we press forward a bolt comes shooting out of the dark tunnel ahead and strikes Verrak. As the party scrambles, Meri gets struck twice and is poisoned. Dench casts light and we see five drow ahead. After a brief exchange of attacks, the drow yell “Now” and leave as three furry creatures charge out of the tunnel to our right. We attack and after taking a fair amount of damage are able to kill all 3 of them. Skarr helps to heal our wounds and we take a brief rest at the edge of our light. We begin to travel forward again until weary, and we choose an alcove to try and rest.
Skarr takes first watch, but suddenly, the area goes dark and something goes flying past him. As he tries to return to the alcove, Meri hastens to help, but gets taken down by another bolt. Skarr is struck down by a bolt. Rory, hearing the two thuds, goes to investigate and is able to kill what turns out to be one of the furry creatures, she takes a bolt as well, but is able to remain standing and conscious.
Dench, tired of the cat and mouse games, casts daylight, enabling Rory to see five drow skulking off.
Skarr wakes as he is being dragged to the alcove. Leaving him take care of himself, the party seizes this opportunity (that they had been waiting for). Using their last pearl, they identify the armor that the currently unconscious Meri is wearing since she will let no one touch it or identify it while she is conscious. They discover that the only way to remove the armor is to remove the armor’s curse upon Meri. When she finally awakens, the armor whispers to her that Adran molested her while she was unconscious. She glares at him, fighting the insidious voices inside her head that are near constant.
[I’ve always found it easier to just follow the voices in my head…wait…I don’t have a head! AAAAAAHHHHHH! How do I think? Oh, wait, it’s the voices in my stomach that it is easier to follow. Phew…I thought I had a problem there for a minute. Hey! Do you smell bbq?]
We again discuss our options on how to take out the drow and end this back and forth. We can’t keep fighting them in the dark.
Dench changes to a spider and Adran turns himself and Rory invisible in an attempt to get behind them and ambush the drow. Adran, taking on the role of bait, so to speak, moves into place and with a well placed spell, takes them all out with a fireball.
[Yum! There’s the sushi I was smelling.]
We ransack the bodies, they have some chainmail shirts, hand crossbows,short swords, and some pouches containing a few vials, filled with as yet unknown liquids. After we collect what loot we want, Jubi happily devours the bodies.
[Oh yeah! Dench roasted them just right! A little crispy on the outside but nice and juicy in the middle. Thanks Rory!]
Finally able to rest now that imminent danger has passed, we hope, we again settle down to attempt a long rest and are able to rest and heal.
Upon awakening, we begin traveling again, this time for several hours before Rory begins to feel a drumming vibration under her feet. Alerting the rest of us, we all pause and listen and the sounds of what we think is marching or drumming becomes clear. Taking advantage of the terrain around us, Meri, Rory, Dench, and Veerak take cover behind some natural pillars while Skarr and Adran climb up a small raised platform on the other side of the tunnel.
Suddenly a large squad of bugbears, with gnomes in chains (hey it’s a new broadway musical!) fill the tunnel. There are nearly two dozen bugbears. The party holds still, trying to remain hidden, but as Dench tries to quietly shift further behind the pillar, his foot slips and catches the attention of the bugbear right in front of him.
The bugbear shouts…”Ambush!!” “Attack!”
Dench quickly casts spike growth on the front of the squad, causing any escape attempt to be painful and quite possibly fatal.
A battle ensues with each side fighting furiously. The party is eventually able to gain the upper hand, trying only to target the bug bears, although 2 of the 6 gnomes do fall from friendly fire. Finally, with the rest of their squad laying dead all around them, the two surviving bug bears surrender…
[Is that the dinner bell I hear?
daHeadRat back. This session brought flashbacks of my early D&D days back in the late 70s/early 80s. Our regular DM from back then, Jim, ran us through The Vault of the Drow and they did the exact same sort of tactic…staying just outside of our vision, harassing us, and preventing any real rest. It only seemed fair to pass it on. 😉
The map that the group has shows a main Underdark thoroughfare that leads to Pedestal and they’ve largely decided to keep to it and not explore the side passages. They do have something of a quest they’ve set themselves after all…to find Fadheela and get back the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords. Of course, being gone as long as they have, is she even still going to be in Pedestal? If not, will her trail have gone “cold” so to speak? Plus they still need to report back to Es Sarch about the drow matron they went to kill. Speaking of her, how will her “assassination” have affected Pedestal? Will her absence have left an opening in the power structure of the place? What power plays might have been made? Should be interesting.
Sorry…no beer log this time. This session was a few weeks ago and I don’t have time to jog the old memory enough to write up what we had. 😉
Yes, very interesting. If we survive long enough to get back there! 🙂 But it is good to test your skills, unfortunately we are in a very unforgiving place right now!