Demons, Dwarves, Duergar, Derro - and a Crazed Necromancer
General Summary
Elient 30, Year of Rogue Dragons
Having arrived in
Bloodstone City and staying at
Defender's Heart, the members of
Iluminus each take a week to work on individual projects.
Nicolas and
Halorin go to the Gate and sign on with adventuring groups to hone their skills and keep them fresh. Halorin signs on for a week with the White Ravens, while Nicolas joins
Ostrav's Outcasts for a week.
Reed and
Pagu return to
Heliogabalus where they meet with
Tai and share what they've learned about
Slaughtergarde and the Dourstones. Pagu shows Tai his collection of giant parts and asks if the
Damaran Mage's Guild could make him an item to give him the strength of a giant. Tai agrees to have someone in the guild craft a Belt of Hill Giant Strength, but it would take 25 days to complete. After arranging payment, Pagu then heads off alone to see Battleguard
Hekrit of the
Monastery of Saint Kruskien.
There, they spar a bit while Pagu tells of his exploits, including the defeat of giants, tundra gnolls, demonic shoosuva, and the voiding under Dourstone Hall. Hekrit conducts the ceremonies to officially recognize Pagu as a Battleguard of
Tempus.
Reed works at
Goodbarrel Manor, taking care of some minor disagreements among his staff, and working on his next batch of ale.
Marpenoth 9, Year of Rogue Dragons
Having concluded their business in Heliogabalus, Reed and Pagu return to meet the rest of Iluminus at Defender's Heart.
Marpenoth 15, Year of Rogue Dragons
The snows came early this year, with a major snow storm leading into blizzard conditions from the 3rd to the 7th. Finally reunited, the party decides that the weather alone is reason to try their luck in the Underdark.
Knowing that this will be an extended foray, surviving on the gruel produced by the magical field rations kit, they stock up on spices to flavor the gruel and other, more flavorful, foods for the short term. It's only a half-day's march to
Virdin where they meet with Lieutenant Rydan and Ulfgar's older brother Golran Hammerfall to gain access to the mines and the Underdark. It takes another two days to get everything arranged.
The plan was to leave the young knight Tybalt up top, but when asked what he wanted to do, he agreed to join the party, under Halorin's care.
Marpenoth 18, Year of Rogue Dragons
The party, having taken some time to carefully arrange their expedition is lowered once more to the Dourstone Cult complex deep below the Hammerfall Mines. Taking a few hours to make sure the area is secured, they head off to the location where the derro alchemist is creating his poisons.
Half a day's march brings them to a tall cavern with a natural stone archway bridging two tunnels about 50 feet up. Pagu runs into a sticky strand of something and begins being pulled up by a large insectoid creature clinging to a ledge under the stone bridge. Two more of these creatures fire filament strand and entangled Tybalt and Nicolas. The battle was difficult due to the small ledges that creatures controlled, but eventually the creatures were slain.
As they battled the creatures, a derro guard popped his head out of the northeastern tunnel. Reed gave chase and dropped the guard quickly, before their presence could be reported.
Climbing up to the bridge, the party headed up the northeast tunnel where after some twists and turns, they encountered a guardsman from Virdin at a four way intersection, obviously befuddled by something. They questioned him for a bit until Nicolas closed in to see if there was a way to heal him. The guard swung with his war pick and the battle was joined. Just before the guard fell, Nicolas grabbed his head and stood stunned and immobile. When the Virdin guard finally fell, a creature looking like a brain on small legs emerged through its head and jumped at Nicolas, fortunately Reed was faster than the creature and turned it into pulp before it could take Nicolas.
While being interrogated, the creature pointed to the northeast passage, so having little else to go on, the party went in that direction. Soon they entered a larger cave covered in the bluish fungus. Two derro sat atop huge centipedes covered or infested with the blue fungus. Battle was joined.
Defeating the centipedes and the derro, the party stopped to catch their breath and plan their next move
