Session 6 - The Thing in the Basement Report
General Summary
This article is actually a combination of both Sessions 5 & 6.
After resting for another night in your safe house near the mouth of Underfall valley, you parted ways with Adon. The sole survivor of the events in Underfall made it clear that he was done hiding in the valley, and planned to leave that morning to find his way to someplace safe. The rest of you made your way out of Underfall valley, following the paths to the east - and further up into the Iron Peaks. As you neared the lake, it became obvious that the entire body of water had been tainted in some manner - and there were many dead fish and other water creatures that were washed up on the banks. As you made your way up and out of the valley, you followed the trail along the ridgeline. Ms E had wanted to investigate the head of the waterfall, to see if there were any signs of tampering. Nothing was found - and, in fact, there was a curious absence of any sort of natural wildlife in the area. Perhaps the swarms of extra-dimensional creatures from the Dreamlands which you had encountered on the trail were to blame? The rest of the journey to the was uneventful, and you arrived at the tower a day and a half later. The tower was a sturdy stone structure, whose exterior walls were intact and showed no sign of aging. There was an aggressive colony of moss that was growing near the entrance. Inside the tower, you found a large central chamber, with rooms branching off in 7 directions (and the 8th being the way that you came in). In the central chamber, there was a ruined circle of protection that had been laid out in blood, and it appeared to be ruined by the body (and blood) of a human that had been killed no more than a couple of weeks ago. The circle was surrounding the spiral staircase in the center of the chamber, which lead to floors both above and below the ground floor. After determining that entering the circle would pose no threat, you explored the ground floor and found the Alchemist's journal and several useful items. Moving up the stairs, you found a large central chamber. On one end of the room, you found several moss-covered bodies and some shackles chained to the wall. In one of the sets of shackles, you found and freed the subject of your quest - Warden Annetta Blackthorn. The poor druid had been chained to the wall for some time, and was in a bad place mentally. You managed to snap her out of it and learned that the Alchemist had been possessed by some sort of thing and was in the basement of the tower, along with whatever thing was controlling him. Warden Blackthorn said that it was too late for her - that once you learn the true nature of the thing, that it is in your brain and will eventually take you over. For your own safety, she begged you to not investigate too closely, but to put down the thing that used to be Terrence Fial, and to burn the thing in the basement. Heading downstairs, you cut your way through the corrupted alchemist and found his lab. In the next room, you found a massive subterranean chamber, housing a colossal fungal mass - which was in the process of throwing one of the undead townsfolk through a shimmering plane of energy along the far wall from your entry. Quickly closing the door, you decided that the best course of action was to rest for the night, and deal with the thing in the basement once you had recovered. Your night's rest was cut slightly short by the attack of a couple of gigantic hunting spiders that descended from the upper floor of the tower. Despite being caught off-guard, you put them down with relative ease and made your preparations to descend. Taking a chance to review the lab notes you found in the alchemist's workspace, you learned of several anti-fungal formulas that he had been working on, and retrieved them to help you destroy the living fungal mass in the next room. Thanks in part to those anti-fungal agents, you were able to burn the fungus without any casualties - though some wounds were suffered by both Ms E and Rowena. As the fungal mass was torched, Warden Blackthorn cried out and went unconscious. Rowena tended to her and made her comfortable near the tower's entrance while you explored the rest of the structure and burned out the spider's nest. On your way back through Underfall valley, you took some time to burn out the remaining traces of the fungal blight, though most of it was already beginning to wither and die after you had killed the main body in the alchemist's tower. Considering your work a success, you began your journey back to Magnimar. Along the way, you stopped in at the Two Waters tavern in Ilsurian for the night. There, Atalia overheard some of the sailors discussing local rumors. One in particular that stood out was the mention of merchants having stumbled upon the site of a massacre on the road from Whistledown to Ilsurian. They had found the bodies of a handful of elven warriors - one eviscerated in the middle of the road, another hanging from a tree by its entrails, and a third missing a head. You remembered the strange toymaker that you had encountered on this same road, and the band of elven warrior you later met who were pursuing him. The rest of the journey to Magnimar passed without incident, and you were all happy to be back in civilization. In the morning, you met with Annetta and Rowena at the Pathfinder Lodge, order to debrief Scrollkeeper Vylan on the events that had transpired. Vylan was pleased with all of your work and, while he was not enthused by the fact that you had burned all of the evidence out of an abundance of caution, he agreed that it wasn't necessarily a bad choice. In fact, he agreed to put in a good word for Ms E in their efforts to lay claim to the abandoned tower that you had cleared of threats, and indicated that he would be working to secure a bonus payment for your having gone above and beyond. With a promise of more work in the near future, you now have a comfortable sum of money to invest in new equipment or resources, and are able to enjoy a well-deserved bit of rest and relaxation.
After resting for another night in your safe house near the mouth of Underfall valley, you parted ways with Adon. The sole survivor of the events in Underfall made it clear that he was done hiding in the valley, and planned to leave that morning to find his way to someplace safe. The rest of you made your way out of Underfall valley, following the paths to the east - and further up into the Iron Peaks. As you neared the lake, it became obvious that the entire body of water had been tainted in some manner - and there were many dead fish and other water creatures that were washed up on the banks. As you made your way up and out of the valley, you followed the trail along the ridgeline. Ms E had wanted to investigate the head of the waterfall, to see if there were any signs of tampering. Nothing was found - and, in fact, there was a curious absence of any sort of natural wildlife in the area. Perhaps the swarms of extra-dimensional creatures from the Dreamlands which you had encountered on the trail were to blame? The rest of the journey to the was uneventful, and you arrived at the tower a day and a half later. The tower was a sturdy stone structure, whose exterior walls were intact and showed no sign of aging. There was an aggressive colony of moss that was growing near the entrance. Inside the tower, you found a large central chamber, with rooms branching off in 7 directions (and the 8th being the way that you came in). In the central chamber, there was a ruined circle of protection that had been laid out in blood, and it appeared to be ruined by the body (and blood) of a human that had been killed no more than a couple of weeks ago. The circle was surrounding the spiral staircase in the center of the chamber, which lead to floors both above and below the ground floor. After determining that entering the circle would pose no threat, you explored the ground floor and found the Alchemist's journal and several useful items. Moving up the stairs, you found a large central chamber. On one end of the room, you found several moss-covered bodies and some shackles chained to the wall. In one of the sets of shackles, you found and freed the subject of your quest - Warden Annetta Blackthorn. The poor druid had been chained to the wall for some time, and was in a bad place mentally. You managed to snap her out of it and learned that the Alchemist had been possessed by some sort of thing and was in the basement of the tower, along with whatever thing was controlling him. Warden Blackthorn said that it was too late for her - that once you learn the true nature of the thing, that it is in your brain and will eventually take you over. For your own safety, she begged you to not investigate too closely, but to put down the thing that used to be Terrence Fial, and to burn the thing in the basement. Heading downstairs, you cut your way through the corrupted alchemist and found his lab. In the next room, you found a massive subterranean chamber, housing a colossal fungal mass - which was in the process of throwing one of the undead townsfolk through a shimmering plane of energy along the far wall from your entry. Quickly closing the door, you decided that the best course of action was to rest for the night, and deal with the thing in the basement once you had recovered. Your night's rest was cut slightly short by the attack of a couple of gigantic hunting spiders that descended from the upper floor of the tower. Despite being caught off-guard, you put them down with relative ease and made your preparations to descend. Taking a chance to review the lab notes you found in the alchemist's workspace, you learned of several anti-fungal formulas that he had been working on, and retrieved them to help you destroy the living fungal mass in the next room. Thanks in part to those anti-fungal agents, you were able to burn the fungus without any casualties - though some wounds were suffered by both Ms E and Rowena. As the fungal mass was torched, Warden Blackthorn cried out and went unconscious. Rowena tended to her and made her comfortable near the tower's entrance while you explored the rest of the structure and burned out the spider's nest. On your way back through Underfall valley, you took some time to burn out the remaining traces of the fungal blight, though most of it was already beginning to wither and die after you had killed the main body in the alchemist's tower. Considering your work a success, you began your journey back to Magnimar. Along the way, you stopped in at the Two Waters tavern in Ilsurian for the night. There, Atalia overheard some of the sailors discussing local rumors. One in particular that stood out was the mention of merchants having stumbled upon the site of a massacre on the road from Whistledown to Ilsurian. They had found the bodies of a handful of elven warriors - one eviscerated in the middle of the road, another hanging from a tree by its entrails, and a third missing a head. You remembered the strange toymaker that you had encountered on this same road, and the band of elven warrior you later met who were pursuing him. The rest of the journey to Magnimar passed without incident, and you were all happy to be back in civilization. In the morning, you met with Annetta and Rowena at the Pathfinder Lodge, order to debrief Scrollkeeper Vylan on the events that had transpired. Vylan was pleased with all of your work and, while he was not enthused by the fact that you had burned all of the evidence out of an abundance of caution, he agreed that it wasn't necessarily a bad choice. In fact, he agreed to put in a good word for Ms E in their efforts to lay claim to the abandoned tower that you had cleared of threats, and indicated that he would be working to secure a bonus payment for your having gone above and beyond. With a promise of more work in the near future, you now have a comfortable sum of money to invest in new equipment or resources, and are able to enjoy a well-deserved bit of rest and relaxation.
Rewards Granted
XP Rewards: 660xp
- Combat: 320xp
- Investigation and Roleplay: 340xp
- Minor Healing Potion
- Bottled Lightning, Lesser
- Darkvision Elixir, Lesser
- Jade Cat talisman
- Beastial mutagen, moderate
- Scroll of Web
- 70gp (as a party, split four ways)
- 40gp (each) - reward from the Pathfinder Society
Missions/Quests Completed
Having rid Underfall valley of the blight, and rescued Warden Blackthorn and returned her to Magnimar, you have successfully completed your first case for the Pathfinder Society.
Character(s) interacted with
- Parted ways with Adon Grimsby, who planned to leave the valley
- Rescued Warden Blackthorn
- Returned to Magnimar and debriefed Scrollkeeper Vylan
