Session 75 Report

General Summary

Ladigo Farthon ran to the corridor where the sounds of humanoids could be heard. He saw more of the blind creatures running towards him and cast Wall of Sand, filling the corridor and trapping at least a dozen of these beings. That allowed the party to focus on the strange feline creatures coming down the other corridor. When those were dealt with, they tended to their wounds and regrouped. Then Ladigo stopped concentrating on the Wall of Sand and they waited for the spell to expire. As soon as it did, Mogi Delvin cast Fireball down into the hallway, catching the blind humanoids as they were still gasping for breath. Only a few of them survived the blast and these remaining few were defeated easily. Haymin’s Heroes explored down the hallways where the creatures came from and found each respective creatures’ dens. In the blind humanoid den, they found a chest containing some coins and gems. In one of the feline’s nests, they found a pair of rubies. When they were finished there, the party took down the remaining corridor, surmising that this must lead to Thax. This passage soon opened up into another cavern. As they entered, they could hear voices farther down. Then from the opposite passage four more of the blind creatures entered. One of them called out a greeting in a language no one in the party understood. But Mogi repeated the words, trying to mimic their voices. The creature responded and seemingly made conversation, as this group continued into the cavern. Selia Roselyn Maxwell silently cast Comprehend Languages and could understand them. Haymin’s Heroes stepped aside to allow the creatures to pass and they did so. A short while after they left the cavern, the party decided to follow them and deal with them before progressing further. These four stumbled upon the carnage left near their lair and called out in alarm. Haymin’s Heroes killed them quickly. Selia told the party that they said something about telling Grignak that more thralls would be delivered and to expect company. The creature also commented that he hoped they remembered to use the whistle this time. That’s when the party realized that the white spiral pendants could also be used as whistles to alert the blind creatures of friendly visitors. Haymin’s Heroes continued farther down the last passage and eventually reached a large cavern illuminated by phosphorescent moss and glowing stones. Some of the walls appeared worked and there were doors set here and there. At the far end of the cavern there was a structure that looked like a human head. The entrance was an open mouth and the face’s countenance displayed a look of screaming agony. Within this cavern, there were several creatures. There were multiple humans, a pair of ogres, two of the strange feline creatures, and three mind flayers. The party walked in and Titta Morco had her white spiral pendant out. The two ogres were close by and seemed satisfied with seeing the pendant. But before the party could get too far, the nearest mind flayer looked towards Haymin’s Heroes and suddenly unleashed a mind blast that left Kyrie Eleison Thatcher-Stone stunned. Thankfully, the rest of the party resisted this mental onslaught. Then all of the creatures in the cavern turned aggressive and began to rush the party. The ensuing battle was chaotic. Thralls came forward and attacked the party, most of them unarmed. Haymin’s Heroes were careful not to injure these people as they knew they were being mind controlled. Pyzar Zim rushed the closest mind flayer and wounded it. The creature retaliated with another mind blast. Haymin’s Heroes all resisted, aided by protection magic cast by Kyrie before she had been stunned. The creature did catch the two ogres in the blast and one of them was also stunned. The feline creatures engaged the party as did some armed thralls. The other two mind flayers maneuvered closer, but with so many of their allies in their way, they could not use mind blast without catching the majority of them. Instead, they focused psionic attacks on Pyzar. The mental lashings on his ego left his mind damaged, and dazed. Selia reacted by casting Benign Transposition, switching Auren Sylynn’s and Pyzar’s positions. Auren then finished off the closest mind flayer with his kukris. The enemies continued to advance and the party continued to be careful with their own attacks, so as not to injure the thralls. Titta faced off against a few thralls and the feline creatures as one of the ogres maneuvered closer as well. Mogi summoned earth elementals with his ring and sent them after one of the mind flayers. Selia cast a sculpted Stinking Cloud, split into four smaller bursts that carefully caught the closest enemies. Many of them were left retching and ineffective, including one of the mind flayers. The battle quickly turned into Haymin’s Heroes’ favor. Auren killed another mind flayer and there were mainly thralls left to deal with, plus an ogre and the feline creatures. Pyzar recovered from his daze and ran towards the last mind flayer. This creature was in a state of severe nausea from the Stinking Cloud, and an easy target for Pyzar’s greatsword. As the monsters all fell, the human thralls turned and fled deeper into the cavern, heading towards the open mouthed structure at the back. Some of the party pursued them. They dealt them non-lethal blows aimed at knocking them unconscious. As they neared the back of the cavern, Ladigo cast Downdraft which left three thralls prone. Then a door toward the back opened. Out rushed a minotaur, charging at Ladigo. A second minotaur emerged from the room and surveyed the scene. Ladigo’s summoned dire wolves rushed towards them. Selia used Benign Transposition to switch Pyzar with a nearby earth elemental so he could attack the minotaurs as well. He maneuvered in to be in reach of both of them and felled them with his deadly greatsword. Then, near the entrance where the party had entered from, an umberhulk suddenly appeared, burrowing throught the stone wall. It was closest to the stunned Kyrie, and the small Stinking Clouds blocked its gaze towards most of the party. Mogi sent an earth elemental towards it and blasted the creature with Scorching Ray. Then Selia maneuvered Pyzar in front of it, switching the earth elemental with him. The umberhulk was killed by a combination of Pyzar’s sword and the party’s spells. Then another door opened on the other side of the cavern revealing two more mind flayers. One of them unleashed a mind blast and Auren was left stunned. Ladigo caught the mind flayers with a Flame Strike and the dire wolves rushed towards them. Selia cast Benign Transposition again and switched Pyzar and an earth elemental near the mind flayers. Pyzar attacked the mind flayers but was caught with a mind blast that left him stunned as well. Then Selia switched Pyzar with Titta with another casting. Between Titta and the dire wolves, the mind flayers were killed. No other creatures were emerging from doors. The human thralls that were still conscious surrendered, begging to be spared. Haymin’s Heroes gathered them together and put them in a corner. Then they opened the remaining doors, one by one, looking for any more threats. No other creatures remained in the grand cavern or its surrounding rooms. Though they were sure there would be more threats beyond the gaping mouth. The party searched these rooms and found some treasure. Then Titta questioned the thralls. They learned that there were more “masters,” at least another eight of them within the sanctuary, the structure through the gaping mouth. There were also intellect devourers which helped guard the fresh capture pit. There were at least two fresh captures there who were being conditioned to serve the masters. The party also guessed that there were two more minotaurs as they had found four beds within the minotaurs chambers. When Titta asked about Thax, she was told that this was Thax. They were all part of Thax. And that Thax was the elder brain whom the masters served, and therefore, they all served Thax. They described a large brain, much larger than the intellect devourers, but with tentacles. Haymin’s Heroes placed the thralls in the room closest to the exit, the one belonging to the ogres. They told them to wait there and that this was the best way they could serve the masters. Then they steeled themselves and readied to enter the sanctuary.

Campaign

The Heart of Embril

Protagonists