January 17, 2015

Runaway Cart

As the Motley Crew moves deeper into the Underdark, following the trail of mind flayers they believe are planning to shrink the world, they notice their surroundings becoming hotter and steamier the further they go. The buzzing Brecaryn, Josy, and Theodore Dobbins have been experiencing grows stronger, negatively affecting the spells they cast. Several times they've noticed mind flayers observing the movements of the Drow and their underlings.

The passageway the party is traveling through opens into a large cavern. Cautiously peering out, the group sees a horde of Underdark creatures. Directly in front of them are a few Drow commanding a group of troglodytes. To one side is a prisoner cart with a shaman seated at the front, using a spell to keep the three prisoners sedated. In the center of the cavern flows a lava river, a single bridge crossing over it. Trolls and more dark elves populate the opposite shore.

On the far side of the cavern is an altar. They see a couple of Drow remove one of the prisoners, who turns out to be a Drow himself, from the cart and lead him to the altar. The Drow begin chanting.

Looking more carefully, the group realizes the two other prisoners in the cart look like Lieralyn and Bolin! But where are Flerm, Alana, and Adarra? The five had departed together with Havoc Company to head towards the Drow city of T'lindhet.

Fervently whispering to one another for a few minutes, the Crew comes up with the only plan they ever come up with. Rush in and run through as quickly as they can to the passage on the other side of the cavern.

Theodore Dobbins obscures their approach by summoning a thick fog. As it rolls over the unsuspecting troglodytes, Malouf runs forward to attack the shaman on the cart, hoping to disrupt the spell holding Lieralyn and Bolin. Josy follows, casting Dispel Magick. Lieralyn and Bolin rise unsteadily, shaking off the grogginess caused by the shaman's spell.

Meanwhile, the Drow chanting has reached a frenzy. The drow on the altar screams as spider legs sprout from his body. This gruesome ritual keeps most of the Underdark creatures from noticing the party members moving past them for a few extra seconds.

This enables Lieralyn time to share her plan: With half of the party being slower than the rest, they'll escape much more quickly if Lieralyn and Malouf pull them on the cart. Snow boosts Brecaryn and Theodore Dobbins into the cart while Bolin clears their path, throwing a troglodyte out of the way. Malouf and Lieralyn get the cart moving and start to pick up speed as they head for the bridge. Josy flutters after them as quickly as she can while Snow brings up the rear.

Malouf: (turning to face Lieralyn) *grins* Just like old times!

Sniffing the air, the troglodytes and trolls start to realize something is not quite right. Before they can act on their suspicion, a group of driders - half Drow elf, half spider - burst into the cavern behind the trolls, falling on the trolls and Drow with animalistic intensity.

In the name of the Free Driders of Erindale, you shall not claim him!

As Malouf and Lieralyn steer the cart over the bridge, Drow archers take aim at them. Brecaryn tries to stop them with lightning, but like Flerm, they are resistant to magickal attacks and easily shrug off her bolts. Malouf performs a bit of complex acrobatics to dodge the arrows without slowing down. Unfortunately, both Brecaryn and Lieralyn are hit. The poison from the arrows quickly seeps into their bodies. Brecaryn falls down, unable to move. Lieralyn, so intently focused on aiming the cart in such a way as to maximize bodily injury to the dark elves up ahead, barely notices she has been hit.

The two archers take cover behind boulders as a third Drow steps directly into their path. Seeing this, Snow runs towards the lava river and leaps over it. The heat from the magma begins to immolate her, but her iron skin protects her from harm. Coming in like a fireball, Snow smashes into the Drow with a kick, knocking him down. Rolling to a stand, Snow lands a punch on one of the archers, clearing their path to escape.

Bolin: Where's the gnome!

Snow: Behind you!

Sure enough, looking back, Bolin sees Josy fluttering furiously after the cart, barely able to keep up. Snatching up Brecaryn's staff, Bolin leaps to the back and holds it out to the halfling. Josy gratefully grabs hold.

Their path now clear, the Crew make it out of the cavern. Heading to a side passage, Malouf kicks out some rocks, causing a rockslide that seals the path behind them, preventing further pursuit.

Zombie Go Boom!

Taking a moment to catch their breaths, Malouf tends to Brecaryn's and Lieralyn's wounds while Lieralyn and Bolin relate their tale. They had been heading towards the Drow city with Havoc Company when they were set upon by the group of Drow and troglodytes. That is the last thing they recall before waking up bound in the prison cart. They have no recollection of the battle and no idea what happened to Flerm and the others.

They had attempted to question the Drow that was imprisoned with them, but all he would say was "I failed my trials."

The group is left to ponder what sort of trials one must face when the punishment for failure is to have the bottom half of one's body transformed into that of a spider.

The mind flayers' trail lost with the Crew's detour into this side corridor, the party has no choice but to continue down the passage and hope Malouf can eventually find signs of the large mind flayer's group again.

The further they walk, the colder it seems to become. Josy hunches her shoulders against the unnatural cold, a sense of foreboding washing over her.

The passage opens into a natural cavern, which they enter from the east. They see a circular archway carved into the stone and decorated in runes to the south, a dark passage to the north, and a headless humanoid skeleton on the floor to the west.

Malouf moves to investigate the skeleton. Drawing near it, he suddenly stops, frozen in surprise as the vision of a demon flying towards him, swallowing a skull, flashes before his eyes. Lieralyn tries to approach the skeleton and sees the same thing.

Just then, Brecaryn hears moans coming from the north passage. She sends her pet owl Nightshade to investigate. Brecaryn barely finishes relaying that a group of unusually swift zombies is running towards them with barrels strapped to their backs when the zombies come swarming in.

Triggering some mechanism with their arms, the zombies ignite the barrels on their backs. Thick, acidic, green slime flies everywhere, creating a knee-deep pool of muck. The party members make their way out of the goo as quickly as possible in order to preserve their clothing and equipment.

More zombies come forward. Brandishing her holy symbol, Josy shouts, "Stop, foul beasts!".

To everyone's surprise and dismay, the zombies are completely unaffected. Something very powerful must be controlling them.

Snow grabs two zombies and hurls them back into the north corridor. They explode into a group of wights and ghouls that had been charging forward.

Though this slows them down, it doesn't stop the horde. As they get closer, a horrible stench precedes them. Those aren't ghouls, they're ghasts, the stench of their rotting flesh so horrible, it can paralyze.

A desperate battle ensues. Fireballs are launched. An illusionary red dragon is conjured (sadly the undead have no brains with which to appreciate it). More barrels explode. More goo pools in the cavern.

Bolin: It's getting thick in here!

Thinking to escape the cavern, Bolin leaps through the circular portal only to fall back in fear. A cloaked figure had appeared before him. Looking into its hood, Bolin saw a void where the face should be. The sight ages the dwarf twenty years.

Bolin: *shakes head* Nope. Can't get out that way. Goddamned ghost.

Cleaving throught three wights, Malouf declares,

Malouf: The boldest action is the safest action!

While Lieralyn neatly slices through the last undead's neck, avoiding triggering the barrel on its back.

In the ensuing quiet, the party hears a rattling drum beat coming down the corridor. Shaking off the green slime, they slowly march towards the sound.

I Am Not a Blob!

The corridor opens up into a room. Corpses litter the floor. On the far wall stands an unmoving, large, stone gargoyle that looks exactly like the one in Malouf's vision. In front of the gargoyle is some sort of chaos beast. They can't quite make it out as their eyes seem to slip past it every time they try to look at the demon. But, they see enough to know the acidic slime is gushing out of the beast's gut, coating the floor.

Bolin: Surrender, foul beast, for we are here for reasons as yet unknown to me.

Malouf: I am Malouf. I worship Chaos. I have killed the god Aten.

A voice speaks in Bolin's and Malouf's heads.

Chaos Beast: Those who would negotiate with chaos will die.

Malouf: I wasn't negotiating. I was making a promise.

Malouf runs up to the chaos beast. He swings his axe in the general direction of the demon, not quite able to focus on his target. The chaos beast lands a blow on the barbarian. Though not seriously wounded, Malouf feels his body starting to become spongey.

With the chaos beast thus engaged, Bolin runs in to attack the still inanimate undead on the ground. Theodore Dobbins and Brecaryn summon giant wasps and bombadier beetles to help. The corpses begin to stir and lumber to a stand at the beast's command, but are no match for the insect army.

Asserting his personality, Malouf is able to pull himself together.

Malouf: I am not a blob!

Snow and Lieralyn charge ahead to help Malouf. With a flying kick, Snow destroys the chaos beast. A miasma floats out of its body, hanging in the air for a split second before being sucked into the stone gargolye.

Stone wings flap as the gargoyle wakens. Opening its maw, fist-sized stones covered in slime fly out of its mouth, hitting all three warriors and inflicting massive wounds.

Nevertheless, though gravely injured, Lieralyn is able to land a blow so powerful, it cracks the gargoyle open like a nut. Out of its belly rolls a skull - the skull Malouf saw the beast swallow.

The fight over, Josy tends to her comrades. Despite having many times healed the most grievous of wounds, she is unable to affect those Malouf, Lieralyn, and Snow received from the chaos demon. With few other options, the three bind their wounds as best they can and press on.

Picking up the skull, the party returns it to the headless skeleton. Josy performs last rites over it. The ghost Bolin saw appears, this time with its head restored, revealing a ghostly elf face. It floats over to the body before disappearing. The group can now safely cross the portal.

More Fire Giants

Walking through, Bolin muttering unflattering things about elvish ghosts, the Crew discovers a room full of treasure. Snow is immediately on high alert and looks to Malouf. As he lifts his foot to step forward, Snow and Lieralyn tackle him before he can destroy any magickal items within the room.

Brecaryn blithely steps over the wrestlers as she begins to catalog the room's contents. Once Malouf agrees to refrain from smashing any magick items, Snow helps Brecaryn check a few chests for traps.

As Snow reaches out to examine the third chest, it opens its mouth and clamps onto her arm. With Malouf's help, she's able to smash the sneaky creature to bits. It promptly melts into a puddle of goo. Recognizing the creature as a Mimic and its remains as polymorph ichor, Brecaryn collects as much of it as she can.

Malouf: I told you magick is no good.

After the party members take as much of the treasure as they can carry, the group continues west until their path ends at a blank wall. Seeing an empty torch holder on the side wall, they insert a torch and light it. When the base of the holder warms, the wall rumbles open to reveal a set of ascending steps.

Just as the group reaches the top of the stairs, they hear a booming voice from the right.

Fire Giant: Whoa! Where did they come from?

Fire Giant 2: Escapees from the Drow slave pits?

Fire Giantess: I don't think so, Garfi. Not with that equipment.

Garfi: So, little ones, what will you give us?

Bolin offers the treasure in the room below. Lieralyn offers up a single silver piece. Garfi smashes his hammer down on her.

Seeing the situation is quickly escalating, Brecaryn takes out the medallion she recovered from the fire giant they fought earlier. Holding it up, she offers it to the giants.

Upon seeing the medallion, all three fire giants laugh uproariously.

Aja (the fire giantess): Where did you get this medallion? *chuckles*

Garfi: What important mission has King Snurre given you, little one? *guffaws*

In her customary bluntness, Brecaryn plainly reveals that they are tracking a group of mind flayers, at least one of which is larger than usual. Upon hearing this, the fire giants become very serious. The Ilithids, as the giants call the mind flayers, are responsible for their king going mad. If the Crew is hunting Ilithids, the fire giants are willing to offer help by showing a shortcut to the Ilithid city.

Aja: This path will lead through Mad King Snurre's "trials", a series of puzzles that must be solved before you will be allowed to continue. If you encounter the king, we ask that you do not harm him. He was a good ruler once, but the Ilithids damaged his mind.

The Mad King's Tricks and Traps

The shortcut leads to a carved alcove, its beauty rivaling that of dwarven stonework. Once the party enters, the door locks behind them. A black golem drops from the ceiling. Unlike Vain, he is made out of a dull-looking material. The mysterious Vain immediately moves into a defensive stance, but after a moment, returns to his usual passivity. The group fights the golem, smashing it to dust. Vain surprises the group a second time by walking over to kick at the dust as if looking for something. Finding nothing, Vain relaxes once again.

Voice: Ooh hoo! Someone wants to play! It's been such a long time.

The voice, presumably King Snurre's, excitedly explains the objective of each puzzle as the party moves from one room to the next. As they successfully solve each puzzle, it's obvious the king is disappointed.

After solving a puzzle involving a bounder, a goat, a cabbage, and a lava stream, a strange lizardman appears seemingly out of a crack in the wall. He tries to speak to them, but only Brecaryn recognizes it as a dragonkin. When they don't respond, he communicates with them telepathically instead.

Dragonkin: This will never end. He will continue testing you until you die.

Speaking to the dragonkin in his language, Brecaryn finds out that his tribe was formed by a group of dragonkin who had left the original tribe. He offers to lead the party directly to King Snurre's chambers if they will help his people subdue a dragon. Apparently, their green dragon ate some poisonous mushrooms and the poison has caused the dragonkin to lose control over their thrall.

Although not eager to fight a dragon, the Crew is less eager to die solving an endless series of puzzles for a mad giant's amusement, so they agree to assist the dragonkin.

Theodore Dobbins' Last Bad Day

As they are being led to the dragon's pen, Brecaryn suddenly stops next to a closed door.

Brecaryn: What's in there?

Dragonkin: We do not know. The door cannot be opened.

Brecaryn: We're going to go in there for a minute. We'll be right back.

The dragonkin protests in confusion, but Brecaryn ignores him and orders the door to open. When it does, she steps through and the Crew follows. The door slams shut leaving a shocked dragonkin outside.

Voice: Are these all to be graced with compentency, Madam?

The lights in the room flare and all the party members feel more skilled. In the back of the room is a throne that resembles the one in the Tomb de Vasquez where Brecaryn encountered (and acquired) the dragonkin queen. Brecaryn offers to leave the queen here so that she may possess one of her own subjects, but the queen refuses, saying she will not remain with these "apostates".

Leaving the room, the group is greeted by even more dragonkin, a shaman among them. They are very curious as to how Brecaryn learned their language and had the power to command the door to open. Brecaryn gives them no satisfactory answers so they continue on to the dragon pen.

The green dragon is standing in a corner, far from its treasure, wretching pathetically. The group fights the dragon into subdual. Once the dragon is down, Brecaryn allows the dragonkin queen to take over.

Strutting to the dragon, she viciously grabs its head, boring into its eyes.

Brecaryn/Dragonkin Queen: By the ancient laws, I am now your master. When the time comes, you will heed my call and abandon these fools.

The dragon can do no more than nod frantically. Seeing that Scary Brecaryn has finished with her private chat, Malouf administers a remedy for the mushroom poison to the dragon.

Sadly, during the encounter, Theodore Dobbins was caught in the dragon's poisonous breath and died. Remorseful, the shaman attempts to ressurect him, but fails.

Unwilling to abandon Theodore Dobbins in the Underdark, the Motley Crew carries their fallen comrade's body out of the dragonkin's territory.

The Final Puzzle

Following the dragonkin's directions, they find themselves in King Snurre's throne room. He gives them one final puzzle.

King Snurre: You must make one statement. If your statment is true, you will be killed by my mechanical lion. If it is a lie, you will be killed by my mechanical bull.

Snow: I'm lying.

King Snurre: You've defeated my puzzle. How disappointing. (sees Vain) Ah, you bring me the Pride of the Ur-Viles.

*Vain bows*

King Snurre: Your sense of respect in bringing me this construct, which was wrought by my hand, is impeccable. I shall allow you to leave with no further puzzles. (wistfully to self) We could be Mother again.

Vain turns to Brecaryn, cocking his head.

Brecaryn: Uh...do you want to stay?

Vain: *shakes head*

Brecaryn: So...then...I guess you'll stay with us.

Worried that King Snurre will take exception to them leaving with Vain, Brecaryn hustles the group out of the throne room, giving up her opportunity to find out more about Vain from his creator.

The king shouts after them in fury, but luckily doesn't give chase.

Back to the bulletpoints