Session 22 - Beneath the Evertree
General Summary
Before leaving The Ancient Library, Wilvert looks for a book about dragons. Tucking it into his backpack, he plans to read it later.
As the group exits the library, they talk about what The Jade Empress could want with Skara and Ghostclaw. Skara convinces the other members to help him infiltrate the Jade Palace. Finding their idea dumb, Ghostclaw decides to scale the wall and watch his friends for information.
Wilvert uses magic to craft shoddy disguises, and then turns invisible using a potion. Carefully walking with other servants, the plan seems to work beautifully until a guard grabs Skara and drags him into the grand chamber. Inside, The Jade Empress sits as Skara is knelt in front of her and presented with a small chest. Opening it, the druid finds twenty gems of great value inside. The Jade Empress smiles and marks Skara's wrist with a green dye. The group is then left in the grand chamber, and Ghostclaw slinks away.
Leaving the castle, the group finds Husgar. Skara asks him what the green dye means.
"Your life is over," the dwarf laughs, "for some reason, she has marked you as one of her concubines."
Having obtained the book they come for, the group heads back to Jura with Husgar in tow. Terry opens a portal and the group enters; they find his magic different than that of the wizards. Instead of instantly appearing in their destination, the group walks in darkness and finds themselves several hundred feet from where they intended.
Giancarlo has moved The Phoenix Army into Jura and gives the group a letter from Roger. He tells them to come as quickly as they can to Balatanka, Husgar's hometown. They decide to postpone finding the demon general in Sandpoint, and make the long journey north to help Roger.
Eleven days brings the group, Radolf, Terry, and Eliza to Balatanka. Fenrir decides he wants to become a bounty hunter and applies at the guild hall. Seeing his wanted poster, he asks what Husgar was wanted for. The secretary informs the group that his family put the bounty on his head when he disappeared; they thought he had been kidnapped or worse. He finds that the bounty on the dwarf has been dropped since all the dwarves from this town seemed to have vanished.
Husgar brings the group to his family home. Finding a rock near the door, he picks it up revealing a key underneath. Inside, all they find is an overturned inkwell and a scrap of paper with the word "Dr" on it.
Skara and Wilvert go to an alchemy shop called the The Slimy Toad, Roger was an alchemist after all. They find that he had visited a few days back, and bought herbs used in darkvision potions. Wilvert deduces he must have entered the dwarven mines.
Husgar shows them the mines entrance, and once the group has their eyes closed, he gets the mine key from under a nearby rock.
For hours the group walks through the dwarven cave system, Husgar leading them ever deeper into the mine. A familiar skittering sound is heard and the group hides in one of the small nooks used as sleeping quarters for the dwarves. Exhausted, the group decides to sleep after Volos casts illusion magic to hide the room.
After the group awakes and eat, they continue the arduous walk through the cave system. Hours later, they hear the sounds of an underwater river. Three boats are tied to a spike driven into the wall. Skara and Volos enter the first boat while Wilvert, Fenrir , and Husgar untie the second. Eliza, Radolf, and Terry bring up the rear in boat three.
The slow moving subterranean river gives the group a chance to rest their weary legs, some even choose to get a little shuteye. Skara and Volos try to determine how long they have been underground, not noticing the current begins to move faster. Just a minute too late, Volos notices a cliff. He shouts to warn the rest of the group. Radolf grabs a thick rope from his bag throwing it towards the bank. Terry quickly draws his bow and an arrow anchors the rope into the wall. In the second boat, Fenrir throws Husgar and Wilvert to the shore, then attempts to jump, falling short. A ghostly hand reaches to pull him out of the river just before he drowns; a rapidly aging Eliza summoning her long gone husband to save him. Volos and Skara attempt to use magical powers to fly to safety, but fail to hold their concentration, crashing into rocks below.
The two spell casters lick their wounds as the rest of the group climb down the waterfall. Ahead they see the embers of a dying fire and go to investigate. Here, they find a sight that chills them to the bone. Dozens of dwarves lay, tortured to death. From a pile of bodies, the group hears a cough. One dwarf lays at deaths door, and cries out when she hears the group approach.
"Ask any question, I'll answer I swear. I want the torture to stop. Why don't you ask questions?" she yells as she breathes her last.
The group deduce that someone or something forced these dwarves to dig for them, and then disposed of them. They continue until they hear the crackling sound of magic. In a room that seems to be a tangle of massive roots, three Drow cast spells at a large red orb. Wilvert recognizes that the Drow are up to no good. Drinking an invisibility potion, he sneaks to the center of the room as large Dreamweaver Eggtenders descend from the ceiling between him and the rest of the group.
Skara charges past the spiders and chains lightning at the Drow. Volos realizes his recklessness and skillfully counterspells the dark elves magic. Like water the spells flow from the tower trained nobleman. From defence to offence, spells drop a Dreamweaver Eggtender. As the battle continues, Skara goes into elemental form to masterfully tank damage with Fenrir. Radolf kills a spider as Volos drops two of the Drow. As the last dark elf moves to kill Wilvert, Fenrir strikes it down.
"No one lays a finger on the little one."
The battle over, the group turns their attention to the red orb that the Drow tried so hard to destroy. It flickers, then disappears, leaving behind two humanoids. Roger sits in a large gash in one of the roots. Ronove stands with his hands in the air, bright red ruins cover his skin. It appears Roger has unsealed the demon, giving him back his ability to use magic.
"They tried to kill The Evertree," Roger mutters, "but the blood of The Evertree flows in the veins of elven kings."
The gash slowly heals, and Roger is no more.
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