Journal Entry 11.2024.1.14

17 Cufeb 527
[ The Heroes are on the Upper Sargaurth River, less than two days hike from Skullport. You have just met Ding Dong, who has led his forces to defeat the Sahuagin who had been camped in this spot on the river.]
 
We talked with Ding Dong and the Grants (they did, anyway). Ding Dong was leading this expedition and has been promoted. We left them and proceeded on our way. We debated going to Skullport, avoiding the island, going through town to the teleportation circle, or going back to Detroit through the dungeon, which is what we settled on. After all, the dungeon is dangerous, but the thugs in Skullport might take our money, and we need to get our fortunes to safety. We went along the river and ran into a ‘deserted’ fort, found 4 drow, killed them. (Thinking of the drow settlement we were heading too, I also set a new personal goal of killing 100 drow. One must have goals in life.) That night, something with a bird-like (demon-like?) footprint disturbed Clive’s alarm spell, but we weren’t able to catch what it was. It even eluded Tecpilcoatl.
We reached the landing heading to the drow settlement, debated how to get Onslow across pits, discovered the first pit was widened and deepened, and headed back to check out a different way, further up river, thinking we could circumvent the drow settlement on our way through the dungeon. They tell me there is a temple ahead that they haven’t explored, which sounds like where they might hold captive Herbert Ward, Galadan’s nephew. Something something:
 
If Skullport’s where ye wish to be,
Against the Sargauth’s flow go ye.
If pirate booty is what ye crave,
Fight the surge to the captain’s grave
 
We headed northish along the tunnel, against a surging pandemonious wind. We found a dryder, tormented by the winds, and attacked. After Ferzith used counterspell twice to prevent dryder magical shenanigans, we killed it and advanced. The winds grew as we proceeded, until we reached a cave where the winds were unbearable for some (i.e., Hergatz, who fainted). J’aboc decided to attack the obvious cause of the surging winds, the fluttering webs. We tried to pass through the cave to the other side. Bolide tried to set the webs on fire but the winds were too fierce. I picked up Hergatz and delivered him to the other side of the cave into the next tunnel. Dalden took this opportunity to draw a dick on Hergatz’s forehead. Ferzith, trying to help J’aboc, fell to the winds and J’aboc dragged him out. We all made it to the other side, without either Hergatz or Ferzith awakening. J’aboc still has a score to settle with the webs. No one seems concerned about the lure of pirate booty. Clive reports there is a large empty room ahead. Perhaps we are getting close to the temple of Lolth.