Session 38: Deeper Down

General Summary

The party decides to rest for a few hours and recoup some of their strength after closing the portal to the Shadowfell, and though they all sleep fitfully with nightmares plagued with visions of the eldritch aberrations from between the stars, they awaken safely and without much fuss.

Excluding Frederick , who sleeps poorly—haunted by visions of the profane ritual spell he read while attempting to close the portal. Such power, in his hands and just barely clinging to the edges of his memory causes him to aspire greatly in his dreams, and he awakens with 1 level of exhaustion due to the nightmares.

After considering their options between a safer, dryer, slower route and a faster but potentially more dangerous trek through natural cave systems, the party takes Bengt Sunwalker's advice and pushes down into the depths. Speed, it seems, is more important than safety.

Making their way down the long stairs and out of the Dwarven-worked stone, the party crosses a large cavern of stalagmites and comes across a large tunnel broken through the center, similar to that they found near the Forgehammer entrance.

Pushing on, the party comes across a large chasm, and after investigating its depths with Leftenant Familiar, Captain Frederick's falcon, they decide to try crossing the chasm instead by having Bengt leap it with his Boots of Striding and Springing and an additional boost from Soma-Rai . Once on the other side the party rests for the night and enjoys some small down time, relaxing and working on a few idle things.

Kayl and Bengt do some warhammer training, Captain Frederick does some reading of his Technical Manual of Magic but comprehension eludes his tired mind. Soma-Rai meditates in solitude, somber at the fact that she hasn't seen the sky or moon in a week. Odila approaches Bengt to inquire as to how he's feeling and they share a small heart-to-heart and both come to grips with where their trust in each other lies—even in light of Odila's relationship with the Koga and Ojiro Saburo they know that they can rely on each other as allies.

Captain Frederick is once again bombared with dreams about the Shadowfell ritual and the power he almost had a grasp on. Only this time, just as he was waking up with 1 level of exhaustion again, he could barely hear a voice offering "I could help."

The party once again comes across a large worm tunnel, and decides to try and avoid it and continue forward.

Moving forward, Odila Vallos scouting ahead comes across a room full of bioluminescent algae and fungi. As Frederick is about to test a theory about the dangers of the fungi, they hear a voice speak up from the room saying "I wouldn't, if I were you."

The party is introduced to Psilos, a Myconid who's currently guiding a hunting party in search of a Purple Worm. He clues the party in to a few things about the Underdark as they hire him to guide them to Shacklegorscht, an Underdark city where they can get their bearings and continue on their journey to find the Dwarven Dragonsteel Mine, despite it apparently being quite a taboo topic in the Underdark.

Psilos will give them some pointers and tips about the Underdark and the species and factions there, including the Svirfneblin (Deep Gnomes) of which his hunting party is composed of, and the Drow of which his party had one acting as a trapper/tracker. Psilos claims that, despite the Drow's proclivity for slavery, the party should be safe in Shacklegorscht due to standing treaties and agreements.

Following Psilos, the party soon hears sounds of struggle and battle, and they rush forward to find Psilos' band of Deep Gnomes engaged (and faring poorly) against a large Purple Worm!

Psilos