Session 26

General Summary

The date is Friday, 30th June

The time is 3:00 PM After defeating the first ooze (a Black Pudding), we pull another lever and a second ooze emerges (a Gelatinous Cube). We kite it in circles around the chamber, zapping it with magic and avoiding all contact with it until it dies. Before pulling further chains, we examine the two tunnels that the oozes came out of. Each leads into small dead-end chambers, stripped clean by their ooze occupants. We decide there's unlikely to be great revelations behind the other four doors, probably just more unpleasant oozes, so we leave this area for the time being and head to explore the mushroom zone to the south instead.

The passage is covered in dense moss and lichen and rotting vegetation. A particularly large fungus stands among many smaller ones.

We unleash magic from range and clear out a load of the mushrooms. We explore deeper.

This vast, irregular cavern contains a number of circular pools covered in green pond scum, the pools are clearly man (dwarf) made - perhaps for underground agriculture. Many impressive stalactites dangle from the ceiling. The odd brightly coloured mushroom and bits of discarded shell, litter the mossy floor.

We find a wet trail on the floor, leading out of the largest pool into a side pool. Idris casts a light spell on a coin and flips it into the side pool. We see the movement of fish in the bright green water. Peering closer, a huge tentacle swipes us - it's a Giant Octopus (similar to one battled recently in the flooded area guarding a treasure chest). After a couple of zaps the octopus swims down and hides so we leave it be. We head further south and find an area glowing greenly.

Before you is a mushroom of immense size. It completely fills the cavern and seems to want to burst through the ceiling. Luminous spores float languidly about it. Beneath it, the floor of the cavern is covered in a thick carpet of moss. The mushroom exudes a faint green glow.

We edge past the giant mushroom without event and head onwards.

A pale green light illuminates a vast natural cavern. The most striking thing about it is the forest of giant fungi growing within, a person could easily pass beneath their caps. These fungi seem to be the source of the pale light. For some reason, the place is reminiscent of an orchard.

Some of the fungi move towards us! A cloud of spores drifts from the largest fungus and envelops Tinnan and he hears a voice in his head "Friend or foe?" We have a constructive conversation, on the basis that we are not Grimlocks . These are Myconid. They migrated from elsewhere underground a few generations ago, arriving here long after the dark dwarfs were gone. They don't know of Queen Amalfrida or Illithids. The leader's name is Chestnut. They tell us of some stairs leading deeper into the earth and provide a guide, named Sprout, to show us the way.

This cavern is so vast that its edges are lost in the inky blackness. Most of it seems to be filled with a lake of still, dark water. From somewhere ahead, but echoing in the cavern, is the sound of rushing water. A path winds its way around the edge of the lake, but on the other side of the path is a sheer drop into unfathomable darkness. It's hard to see in the darkness, but there seems to be a tower of some sort further along the path.

A short, squat tower is built on the edge of the path out into the lake. An open iron door is set into its side. Around the rest of the tower at water level are a number of "windows" into which the water streams. The sound of rushing water seems to have its focus here.

This mighty hall must once have been a magnificent sight. Twelve mighty columns support the high vaulted ceiling. The walls are lined with marble of various hues making mesmerising geometric patterns. The floor is covered in a giant mosaic, now almost completely covered in mosses, lichens and fungi. In the very centre is a great tangle of vegetation.

In the midst, is a Spore Dragon! There is something not right with this dragon, its eyes are dead and its skin seems to be sprouting tendrils and fine filaments. We enter the room and spread out. The dragon charges Tinnan and the fight begins. Fyren suffers a nasty bite but we otherwise prevail and the dragon collapses into dust. There's a tunnel south, that presumably connects back through to myconid territory so we ignore it. A tunnel to the west is protected by Shrieker fungi so we avoid that too, but instead, circumnavigate (back out and around heading south of the Grimlock area) and it connects up as expected. The air smells foul and the floor and walls are covered in blood and sewage - marking the edge of Grimlock territory. We explore a sequence of seemingly-abandoned rooms. We continue south, passing and ignoring another corridor to the east guarded by Shrieker fungi. However, a couple of fungus-infested Grimlocks burst out aggressively and a fight breaks out. We wonder if Chestnut will be grumpy we are fighting his minions.

A short flight of stairs is covered in blood and sewage at the bottom but dense moss and lichen and rotting vegetation at the top. A particularly large fungus seems to guard the top of the stairs.

This large hall, carved from solid rock, has many rows of low stone tables with low stone benches beside them. The walls depict scenes of plump birds and beasts and sheaves of wheat. The whole room - tables, floor, and walls are covered in thick, damp, earthy vegetation.

Another chamber delved by the dwarfs. Many low, stone tables fill the room. Evenly spaced around the room are four enormous fireplaces, each large enough to roast an entire stag. The whole place is coated in moss and lichen. Shards of broken earthenware litter to floor and tables.