Session 10: Delve Greedily and Deep Report

General Summary

Starting in the morning, the group had a basic breakfast at the inn, and proceeded, after short discussion regarding who might know Mithril if they see it, to the Steelworks. At the Steelworks they asked CORG! about purchasing mining picks, and found that the black rock mined in the area was soft and more easily gathered with a Pulaski rather than a pick. The party asked again for picks and were informed that none were around, as there was no mining in the area. Picks could be made for them, if they wished, but it would take a few days. Their discussion, this time, was again cut short when Quirico chose to show his armor to CORG! . CORG! recognized the metal, and the workmanship resulting in a very intense whisper, after which the party felt it was time to leave. CORG! did tell them that they could purchase a book, "Rocks and how to see 'em", at a store in The Dump. The party headed to The Dump to purchase two copies of the book from a fascinating dwarf named Karsin, who laughed about the adventurers heading to their deaths in the deep tunnels, and offered to hold their valuables for them, seeing as how they wouldn't need them after the creatures down there ended their lives. The party took the joke as intended, until Quirico actually gave Karsin a pouch of 20 platinum crowns; a princely sum. Karsin agreed to hold the coins for up to 30 days, and gave Quirico a book "on loan" to symbolize the trade. The party made their way to the Deep Tunnels entrance. On arrival they were warned that there have been some attacks from dopplegangers recently, so there is no reentry through the door. They will have to exit one of the surface tunnels and come back in the front gate if they wish to return to the city. They were also informed that most don't make it far, the last group was assaulted by a strange horror with many legs and lightning sparks "related to giants" and did not even make it past the first curve in the tunnels. Trysor became a Ragipeed and asked if that was the creature, but was informed the creature was far larger, also that he was now horrifying, particularly when he began talking. Roy attempted to set a wager with the guards, and they took him up at three-to-one odds with a seven day return, and put up five silver. Quirico pulled out another pouch of twenty platinum crowns and the guards canceled, as that was more than they would earn in a lifetime, so these adventurers must be fully insane. The party moved through the heavy stone defensive doors, which slammed closed behind. They had not advanced more than thirty feet into the tunnels before a drip of some sort of acid burned Jeeves , and looking up he beheld a horror from fevered nightmares, a swarm of detached eyes and ganglia dripping gastric fluid. Quirico manifested an echo and used that to attack the swarm, doing some harm, but discovering that a swarm is difficult to harm with weapons. The swarm descended over Jeeves and Roisin Marshfield, to which Kaalam reacted by firing an arrow into the swarm, to minimal effect. Jeeves and Roisin Marshfield's eyes began to strain forward, seeking to leap from their sockets and join the swarm, temporarily blinding them both. Jeeves was paralyzed in the gaze of the swarm of eyes and could not act. Trysor scuttled forward and clawed and bit the swarm, to mild effect. Roisin Marshfield moved away from the swarm and ordered Roy to strike, but his magical fire missed. After leaving the Swarm, Roisin Marshfield found her eyes returned to normal. Boris launched a spiritual weapon, and swung his warhammer, striking very powerfully. Roy froze several eyes with a magical orb of energy. Kaalam used a paper illusion to convince the creature it was in flames, and it suffered some mild harm as a result. The swarm moved over to engulf Roy and Kaalam, Kaalam felt the swarm's gaze begin to capture his attention, Roisin Marshfield gave a rallying cry, but it was not enough and he became paralyzed. Roy and Kaalam felt their eyes pulling out to join the swarm, but both resisted the pull. Trysor again clawed and bit the creature to some effect, despite masterful strikes. Roisin Marshfield ordered Boris to strike, and he launched a sacred flame, but the swarm dodged it. Boris them stepped up and reached out to inflict wounds upon the swarm, striking in great power and causing the entire swarm to dissolve into a foul goo.

The party moved forward, following the map in Kaalam's hands, and mostly avoided any of the many dangers of an abandoned mine. Boris stepped on an old turntable that fell beneath him, Trysor was standing nearby and also fell in, but Roy 's magic prevented any harm, and the two climbed out easily. Trysor transformed into a massive prehistoric bird creature, and took the lead. The party continued down the tracks and passed the old offal pit, as Kaalam passed the pit, a massive tentacle whipped out and dragged him into the muck. Finding the pit inhabited by a wily Offal Pit Dweller, Kaalam, sadly, became seriously ill from both the diseased bit of the creature, and the diseases in the pit. Roy launched another orb of magical energy, blasting the creature, but also ignited the gases above the pit, burning the creature badly, and Kaalam mildly. Quirico sent his echo in to assault the creature, and hammered it with several blows, pushing himself to accomplish more. Jeeves fired a bolt at the creature, nicking it, after Kaalam slipped out of its grasp and escaped. Roy launched another bolt of fire, which irritated the creature, but also ignited the remaining pit gas, burning the creature further. Unfortunately the repeated explosions set off an outcrop of shiverstone in the pit, which erupted into razor shards that shredded the creature down to mere scoured and scarred bones, but also sent a shower of shards out the entrance that sliced into Roy , Quirico , and Jeeves . The threat managed, the party took a moment to clean up Kaalam through Roy 's magic, then heal his disease through Boris' magic and Jeeves herbs. Jeeves took a moment to heal whom he could, and the party moved on. Some distance down the halls Quirico 's echo triggered a trap, a pair of blades that sliced out from a cart stop; perhaps once intended to catch carts at the end of the rail, it now tore through the echo, and Quirico warned the others to avoid that spot. A short distance later, Trysor noticed a shifting in the ground, just in time for a massive creature, a strange bipedal beetle creature with massive eyes and immense mandibles, to erupt out of the ground.

Notes

Quirico has 20 pp at Karsin's shop, if he returns the book he borrowed within 30 days, they will return the coin.

Trysor purchased a book, "Rocks and how to see 'em" from Karsin, Roy is holding it.

Roy has identified the glittering oil Trysor carries; it is Oil of The Xorn Hunter.

Roy has identified the obsidian fly Trysor carries; it is a Glass Fly.