Session 30: The Tower of Zenopus Report
What Lies Beneath
General Summary
Uk-thin casts Levitate to keep Dr. Cauce suspended in the air, while Bubbles ties their rope to the bridge (DC 14) and tosses it to Virion, who ties it to his harness (DC 11). Mystan tosses a rope to Uk-thin, who catches it (Mystan is holding the other end).
Dr. Cauce threatens the Firebolt the charges again, and Uk-thin decides the best thing to do is drop Dr. Cauce (Levitate means he will float nicely when dropped), and then jump down themself.
VIrion's response is to untie the rope and go after them (the wizard and artificer have Feather Fall). Unfortunately, this takes all of the light with them. Mystan removes the black powder from the wall and tossess it down (it won't explode on impact). Bubbles then does some absolutely amazing feats of strength to tie their rope to the bridge, then CLIMB THE CEILING to the other side, but unfortunately fails to tie the rope to the other side.
Mystan ties his rope to his end (DC 19) and tossess it to Bubbles, who ties the other ends to the other side, (DC 20). He then preps to cast Sending
Meanwhile, deep within the bowels of Deepearth, the massive karst cave has a ceiling 150 feet high and it quite long. It runs (from the Tower of Zenopus) southeast for a few hundred yards and eventually turns east into a still large but much shorter cavern (70 feet tall). Far in the darkness there are soft green and blue lights, and the echoing of rushing water.
The floor, when visible, bears clear markings of old water erosion leading deeper into the cave. There's a depression about where the party fell, and it snakes off in a running course towards the strange lights. From what can be seen in the gloom, the region is strewn with piles of bones, little-to-no flesh left on them. The greatest of these skeletons is a massive ribcage running in both directions, and many of the other bones are a variety of draconic creatures. They are all covered in fungi. Rushing water can be faintly heard echoing from deeper in Varieties of fungus include familiar ones, such as Violet Fungi and Shriekers. Strange ones also are present, with odd blue caps and softly glowing stalks, while others form odd shelves and strange growths.
Some of the growths are smaller, though, as they grow on fresh corpses. Uk-thin investigates, and finds a dear; its head cleanly cut off. Somebody brought it there.
When Dr. Cauce is lowered, Sleep and a DC 18 knot is used to restrain the man. Virion takes the Sunblade (Rapier, command words "luz" and "oscuro"). Virion and Uk-thin debate trying to climb up or use some form of levitate and ropes, but ultimately decide a rest to rearrange spells and whatnot is best.
Mystan then casts Sending to Virion, notifying him of the bridge's repaired status and asking where they are. Virion responds by telling Mystan that the three of them are safer and plan to climb out in eight hours. Uk-thin then decides to scream up for a rope, and the resulting echo leads to all the shriekers in the cavern going off. Uk-thin and Virion panic, tring to figure out how the hell to get out.
Cauce is untied and Pass Without Trace is cast as the lower three try to flee. Uk-thin tosses the torch, and Virion holds both of the other two's hands as they flee. They run under the thirty-foot tall ribcage, and Virion sees a series of filaments. He tries to lead Uk-thin and Cauce through them, but Cauce gets caught and a horrifying man-sized palid lobster-spider thing begins to reel the doctor in. Virion firebolts it, and Uk-thin tries to shoot it too, instead hitting a mushroom and lighting it ablaze.
Mystan and Bubbles rush to the other side to retrieve more rope. Meanwhile, Uk-thin and Virion decide to leave Dr. Cauce for dead in horror, fleeing, and being pulled aside by a dwarf who says "come with me if you want to not die." He is a duergar.
The duergar - Rotmin - explains that the shriekers are dying down, and the filaments must be avoided lest the Cave Fishers catch you. When Virion asks about Zuggtmoy, Rotmin says "do not speak her name!" and leads the pair of adventurers to a haven of saftey below; a giant mushroom growing out of a petrified stump of massive size; The Fungal Grotto.
The surface team retrieves ropes and ties some ropes (DC 16 and DC 12) and begins their descent, the plan is (after casting another Sending) to do yet another Sending once at the bottom.
Uk-thin and Virion walk into the Fungal Grotto, passing the patio where a halfling woman sits alone and two humans - dressed in colorful performers garbs - sit at another table. Upon entering the tavern, they find the bartender - Gyro, an adorable mushroom man - arguing with a sentient bar, at which two drow sit. One bears a striking resemblance to Faeryn, down to the burns (though their eyes are silver, not red) and the other is unkempt, fungi growing off of them.
The two are Ciaran and Lumier, respectively. Lumier is a kind of crazy alchemist using mushrooms, while Ciaran is seeking information about cult activity on the surface world. The drow offer to take the adventurers to House Caverns Sit Above Rushing Waters where a Kor supposedly is who can help them return to the surface.
Gyro mentions that if they want to hear about cult acitivity, they could try to talk with the halfling, Foof, at the patio; though Rotmin comments that she's a crack. Uk-thin (and Virion) then tell Ciaran and Lumier about Faeryn, mentioning that an unknown dwarf is aligned with them. Rotmin says he has no idea what dwarf would throw in with her.
Rotmin gets the other two on Virion's request, for some drinks, and Mystan sits on the patio watching Virion chat it up with Fergus and Francine. Bubbles goes into the bar and witnesses Gyro serve someone Gyro's Gyro, where the little guy breaks some of their cap off for a dish.
Mystan notices, however, that Foof is watching Virion. She winks at Mystan, and Mystan walks over. When Mystan sists down, he hears a familiar voice in his head; Zyg's. She says "listen here, Mystan, from here on out my name is Foof, got it?"
She then speaks, "What brings you down here?" to which Mystan states it was bad decisions by stupid people. She comiserates, saying she's in a similar boat. Ciaran moves out to the patio to listen in on what they're talking about. He catches mention of a "Mushroom Appreciation Society" meeting during Fergus and Francine's Flying Fun Guys performance. In truth, after congragulating Mystan on his victories against the cult, she tells Mystan it was a meeting of some guests to deal with the cult activity.
Mystan discreetly approaches the party and invites them all to the meeting. Virion is initially unwilling, as he wants to attend the show, but once hearing it's Zyg holding the meeting he relents.
Bubbles is led to the back room to submerge in water, and notices some surface foods like flour and coco, as well as three large humanoid statues in the corner. The Fungaloid explains that the statues are golems for defense to protect against predators and keep the grotto and neutral ground. They also mention that there used to be a deep dragon that drowned a while back.
Mystan also approaches Uk-thin, who refuses to join and just wants to leave this place. Bubbles decides they'd be too conspicous, and wants to attend the show insteado of the meeting.
The Mushroom Appreciation Society then comes to meet as people file to the second floor for the performance (Uk-thin stays in the bar, drinking, while Ciran is trying to get in on the meeting). With some convincing, Foof brings the hyphinar furniture together. Joining Virion, Mystan, and Foof are The Chamrosh of Drowned Forest (a gaunt coyote with spotty raven's wings, a clear sign of the Drowned Forest's decay hurting them.), Hool's Coyote (a Palid Elf from the Javan Clan dressed as a shaman), Nova (a woman shrouded by a cloak of dark feathers, closed by a silver brooch sporting a sunburst design. From her cowl are a pair of piercing blue eyes), and Black Wolf (an elven man who wears wooden armor bearing no crest or symbols. He wears a war visor stylized as a wolf the whole time, and from his voice is recognized as Virion's Brother Noohw’t-la-hash).
Sir Virion Sylvenne
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Gossip Girl
Dr. Cauce threatens the Firebolt the charges again, and Uk-thin decides the best thing to do is drop Dr. Cauce (Levitate means he will float nicely when dropped), and then jump down themself.
VIrion's response is to untie the rope and go after them (the wizard and artificer have Feather Fall). Unfortunately, this takes all of the light with them. Mystan removes the black powder from the wall and tossess it down (it won't explode on impact). Bubbles then does some absolutely amazing feats of strength to tie their rope to the bridge, then CLIMB THE CEILING to the other side, but unfortunately fails to tie the rope to the other side.
Mystan ties his rope to his end (DC 19) and tossess it to Bubbles, who ties the other ends to the other side, (DC 20). He then preps to cast Sending
Meanwhile, deep within the bowels of Deepearth, the massive karst cave has a ceiling 150 feet high and it quite long. It runs (from the Tower of Zenopus) southeast for a few hundred yards and eventually turns east into a still large but much shorter cavern (70 feet tall). Far in the darkness there are soft green and blue lights, and the echoing of rushing water.
The floor, when visible, bears clear markings of old water erosion leading deeper into the cave. There's a depression about where the party fell, and it snakes off in a running course towards the strange lights. From what can be seen in the gloom, the region is strewn with piles of bones, little-to-no flesh left on them. The greatest of these skeletons is a massive ribcage running in both directions, and many of the other bones are a variety of draconic creatures. They are all covered in fungi. Rushing water can be faintly heard echoing from deeper in Varieties of fungus include familiar ones, such as Violet Fungi and Shriekers. Strange ones also are present, with odd blue caps and softly glowing stalks, while others form odd shelves and strange growths.
Some of the growths are smaller, though, as they grow on fresh corpses. Uk-thin investigates, and finds a dear; its head cleanly cut off. Somebody brought it there.
When Dr. Cauce is lowered, Sleep and a DC 18 knot is used to restrain the man. Virion takes the Sunblade (Rapier, command words "luz" and "oscuro"). Virion and Uk-thin debate trying to climb up or use some form of levitate and ropes, but ultimately decide a rest to rearrange spells and whatnot is best.
Mystan then casts Sending to Virion, notifying him of the bridge's repaired status and asking where they are. Virion responds by telling Mystan that the three of them are safer and plan to climb out in eight hours. Uk-thin then decides to scream up for a rope, and the resulting echo leads to all the shriekers in the cavern going off. Uk-thin and Virion panic, tring to figure out how the hell to get out.
Cauce is untied and Pass Without Trace is cast as the lower three try to flee. Uk-thin tosses the torch, and Virion holds both of the other two's hands as they flee. They run under the thirty-foot tall ribcage, and Virion sees a series of filaments. He tries to lead Uk-thin and Cauce through them, but Cauce gets caught and a horrifying man-sized palid lobster-spider thing begins to reel the doctor in. Virion firebolts it, and Uk-thin tries to shoot it too, instead hitting a mushroom and lighting it ablaze.
Mystan and Bubbles rush to the other side to retrieve more rope. Meanwhile, Uk-thin and Virion decide to leave Dr. Cauce for dead in horror, fleeing, and being pulled aside by a dwarf who says "come with me if you want to not die." He is a duergar.
The duergar - Rotmin - explains that the shriekers are dying down, and the filaments must be avoided lest the Cave Fishers catch you. When Virion asks about Zuggtmoy, Rotmin says "do not speak her name!" and leads the pair of adventurers to a haven of saftey below; a giant mushroom growing out of a petrified stump of massive size; The Fungal Grotto.
The surface team retrieves ropes and ties some ropes (DC 16 and DC 12) and begins their descent, the plan is (after casting another Sending) to do yet another Sending once at the bottom.
Uk-thin and Virion walk into the Fungal Grotto, passing the patio where a halfling woman sits alone and two humans - dressed in colorful performers garbs - sit at another table. Upon entering the tavern, they find the bartender - Gyro, an adorable mushroom man - arguing with a sentient bar, at which two drow sit. One bears a striking resemblance to Faeryn, down to the burns (though their eyes are silver, not red) and the other is unkempt, fungi growing off of them.
The two are Ciaran and Lumier, respectively. Lumier is a kind of crazy alchemist using mushrooms, while Ciaran is seeking information about cult activity on the surface world. The drow offer to take the adventurers to House Caverns Sit Above Rushing Waters where a Kor supposedly is who can help them return to the surface.
Gyro mentions that if they want to hear about cult acitivity, they could try to talk with the halfling, Foof, at the patio; though Rotmin comments that she's a crack. Uk-thin (and Virion) then tell Ciaran and Lumier about Faeryn, mentioning that an unknown dwarf is aligned with them. Rotmin says he has no idea what dwarf would throw in with her.
Rotmin gets the other two on Virion's request, for some drinks, and Mystan sits on the patio watching Virion chat it up with Fergus and Francine. Bubbles goes into the bar and witnesses Gyro serve someone Gyro's Gyro, where the little guy breaks some of their cap off for a dish.
Mystan notices, however, that Foof is watching Virion. She winks at Mystan, and Mystan walks over. When Mystan sists down, he hears a familiar voice in his head; Zyg's. She says "listen here, Mystan, from here on out my name is Foof, got it?"
She then speaks, "What brings you down here?" to which Mystan states it was bad decisions by stupid people. She comiserates, saying she's in a similar boat. Ciaran moves out to the patio to listen in on what they're talking about. He catches mention of a "Mushroom Appreciation Society" meeting during Fergus and Francine's Flying Fun Guys performance. In truth, after congragulating Mystan on his victories against the cult, she tells Mystan it was a meeting of some guests to deal with the cult activity.
Mystan discreetly approaches the party and invites them all to the meeting. Virion is initially unwilling, as he wants to attend the show, but once hearing it's Zyg holding the meeting he relents.
Bubbles is led to the back room to submerge in water, and notices some surface foods like flour and coco, as well as three large humanoid statues in the corner. The Fungaloid explains that the statues are golems for defense to protect against predators and keep the grotto and neutral ground. They also mention that there used to be a deep dragon that drowned a while back.
Mystan also approaches Uk-thin, who refuses to join and just wants to leave this place. Bubbles decides they'd be too conspicous, and wants to attend the show insteado of the meeting.
The Mushroom Appreciation Society then comes to meet as people file to the second floor for the performance (Uk-thin stays in the bar, drinking, while Ciran is trying to get in on the meeting). With some convincing, Foof brings the hyphinar furniture together. Joining Virion, Mystan, and Foof are The Chamrosh of Drowned Forest (a gaunt coyote with spotty raven's wings, a clear sign of the Drowned Forest's decay hurting them.), Hool's Coyote (a Palid Elf from the Javan Clan dressed as a shaman), Nova (a woman shrouded by a cloak of dark feathers, closed by a silver brooch sporting a sunburst design. From her cowl are a pair of piercing blue eyes), and Black Wolf (an elven man who wears wooden armor bearing no crest or symbols. He wears a war visor stylized as a wolf the whole time, and from his voice is recognized as Virion's Brother Noohw’t-la-hash).
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
XOXOXOX
OX
Gossip Girl
Character(s) interacted with
- "Doctor" Jenaro Cauce
- Rotmin
- Gyro
- Lumier
- Ciaran
- Zyg "Foof"
- Chamrosh of the Drowned Forest
- Hool's Coyote
- Nova
- "Black Wolf" Noohw’t-la-hash’
Uk-thin Rolsar
Lawful Good Gensai (Guild Artisan)
artificer 4
artificer 4
31 / 31 HP
STR
16
16
DEX
13
13
CON
14
14
INT
17
17
WIS
12
12
CHA
11
11
Bubbles
Virion Sylvenne
C/N Wood Elf (Noble)
Wizard 2
Wizard 2
7 / 12 HP
STR
12
12
DEX
16
16
CON
13
13
INT
16
16
WIS
14
14
CHA
14
14
Co'oquilan Mystan
Bronze Dragonborn (Acolyte)
Cleric 3
Cleric 3
10 / 24 HP
STR
14
14
DEX
11
11
CON
14
14
INT
13
13
WIS
16
16
CHA
13
13
Report Date
06 Nov 2022
Primary Location
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