2/5 - Ruins of Bigtarhir
General Summary
After defeating the Driders and their spider companions along The Woven Way, the party began the slow descent through the ravine. The slow and grueling climb down the thick nets of web took the better part of a day, though without a sunset on the horizon days have little meaning in The Underdark. The group continued on for another four days through the winding tunnels of the Underdark, following the map provided to them by Yamerual, before finally arriving at the ruined village of Bigtarhir.
As the party neared the ruined village, the scent of acidic vapor was thick in the air. They approached until the biting odor was almost unbearable, arriving at Bigtarhir to see the village coated in a layer of slime. The entrance to the village, once a defensive barricade between the wilds of the Underdark and the large cavern holding the village, long since reduced to rubble.
The party pressed on into the village proper, careful to examine the slimy coating on the floor along the way. Only mildly acidic, the slime was not an immediate threat unless left on exposed skin for some time. Once reaching the large cavern containing the village, the true extent of Bigtarhir's destruction was evident. The floor of the cavern, once home to residences and shops, had become flooded under feet of acidic slime, dissolving the majority of the village's former structures.
Creeping along some of the only remaining structures in the ruins, rope bridges suspended above the sea of acid, the party entered one of the hollowed-out columns holding up the large cavern's ceiling. At the same time, Darnath noticed the faint sound of movement in the column above and alerted Gramlek to investigate from the outside using his ability to fly. Pressing the advantage, Gramlek attacked the less-than-stealthy Drow from behind, causing him to cry out and alert several other Drow in the ruined village.
The party engaged with the Drow, all seeming practitioners of both magical and martial combat. The Drow were joined by ooze creatures that emerged from the sea of acidic slime below and slithered up the walls of the cavern towards the party member. After some amount of pitched combat and the death of one Drow, Duo brought one of the Drow mages to a point of near death at which time they recited an incantation in a mixture of Elvish and Celestial and began to melt down into a humanoid ooze, sacrificing themselves to the great and powerful Ghaunadaur.
Shocked by the revelation that at least some of the oozes creatures they were fighting were once human, but still under assault, the party continued combat until the last of their enemies was felled. Rather worse for wear, the party made plans to hastily recover and briefly rest before pushing on into the ruins of Bigtarhir, aware that without full retreat into the twisting caverns of the Underdark they would be under constant threat of more Drow or ooze creatures. Thovak patched the party as best he could and the group pressed on across the next rope bridge towards the opposite side of the city, masking themselves with invisibility to avoid unwanted attention.
The party traveled forward in a column so as to not lose track of each other, until the point where Darnath spotted a singular Drow at a lookout point in one of Bigtarhir's dilapidated buildings. Darnath split off from the rest of the group and snuck into the building through an open doorway, spotting two additional Drow in the ruined building. One of the Drow, hip-deep in the mildly acidic pool flooding the building's lower levels, carved arcane runes into the stone floor and walls of the submerged building while muttering to herself in a mix of Undercommon and Elven.
After returning to the party, Darnath informed the group of the Drow and their numbers and the party set off to capture one of the Ghaunadarian cultists alive for further questioning. The party snuck forward until they all reached the entrance to the ruined building, where Darnath and Gramlek took up positions within reach of the Drow cultist submerged in the acidic slime pool. In a flash, combat began and Darnath seized the initiative and danced between the Drow in a brutal display, felling two of the cultists with his magical rapier before they could even react.
The party all engaged with the remaining cultist, who was soon backed up by a massive, ochre ooze creature with a vaguely humanoid shape that emerged from the slime pool below. Though the ochre ooze was a strong opponent, the party quickly defeated the monstrosity and knocked the remaining Drow unconscious for later interrogation. Sore from two back-to-back fights, the party holed up in the ruined building to tend to their wounds while waiting for the bound Drow to regain consciousness.
As the party neared the ruined village, the scent of acidic vapor was thick in the air. They approached until the biting odor was almost unbearable, arriving at Bigtarhir to see the village coated in a layer of slime. The entrance to the village, once a defensive barricade between the wilds of the Underdark and the large cavern holding the village, long since reduced to rubble.
The party pressed on into the village proper, careful to examine the slimy coating on the floor along the way. Only mildly acidic, the slime was not an immediate threat unless left on exposed skin for some time. Once reaching the large cavern containing the village, the true extent of Bigtarhir's destruction was evident. The floor of the cavern, once home to residences and shops, had become flooded under feet of acidic slime, dissolving the majority of the village's former structures.
Creeping along some of the only remaining structures in the ruins, rope bridges suspended above the sea of acid, the party entered one of the hollowed-out columns holding up the large cavern's ceiling. At the same time, Darnath noticed the faint sound of movement in the column above and alerted Gramlek to investigate from the outside using his ability to fly. Pressing the advantage, Gramlek attacked the less-than-stealthy Drow from behind, causing him to cry out and alert several other Drow in the ruined village.
The party engaged with the Drow, all seeming practitioners of both magical and martial combat. The Drow were joined by ooze creatures that emerged from the sea of acidic slime below and slithered up the walls of the cavern towards the party member. After some amount of pitched combat and the death of one Drow, Duo brought one of the Drow mages to a point of near death at which time they recited an incantation in a mixture of Elvish and Celestial and began to melt down into a humanoid ooze, sacrificing themselves to the great and powerful Ghaunadaur.
Shocked by the revelation that at least some of the oozes creatures they were fighting were once human, but still under assault, the party continued combat until the last of their enemies was felled. Rather worse for wear, the party made plans to hastily recover and briefly rest before pushing on into the ruins of Bigtarhir, aware that without full retreat into the twisting caverns of the Underdark they would be under constant threat of more Drow or ooze creatures. Thovak patched the party as best he could and the group pressed on across the next rope bridge towards the opposite side of the city, masking themselves with invisibility to avoid unwanted attention.
The party traveled forward in a column so as to not lose track of each other, until the point where Darnath spotted a singular Drow at a lookout point in one of Bigtarhir's dilapidated buildings. Darnath split off from the rest of the group and snuck into the building through an open doorway, spotting two additional Drow in the ruined building. One of the Drow, hip-deep in the mildly acidic pool flooding the building's lower levels, carved arcane runes into the stone floor and walls of the submerged building while muttering to herself in a mix of Undercommon and Elven.
Ghaunadaur will rise.Darnath, still invisible, attempted to stealthily pocket the Ghaunadarian emblems worn around the necks of the two Drow on guard. With an uncanny nimbleness, the Bugbear rogue slid the silver pendants off of both Drow's necks while they went about their business, presumably depriving them of their ability to sacrifice themselves to Ghaunadaur and become humanoid slimes themselves.
The world will be wiped clean.
All will become one with the great flood.
After returning to the party, Darnath informed the group of the Drow and their numbers and the party set off to capture one of the Ghaunadarian cultists alive for further questioning. The party snuck forward until they all reached the entrance to the ruined building, where Darnath and Gramlek took up positions within reach of the Drow cultist submerged in the acidic slime pool. In a flash, combat began and Darnath seized the initiative and danced between the Drow in a brutal display, felling two of the cultists with his magical rapier before they could even react.
The party all engaged with the remaining cultist, who was soon backed up by a massive, ochre ooze creature with a vaguely humanoid shape that emerged from the slime pool below. Though the ochre ooze was a strong opponent, the party quickly defeated the monstrosity and knocked the remaining Drow unconscious for later interrogation. Sore from two back-to-back fights, the party holed up in the ruined building to tend to their wounds while waiting for the bound Drow to regain consciousness.
Rewards Granted
- 5,160 EXP / PC (Total: 107,400 EXP / PC)
- 1 Ghaunadarian cultist prisoner
- 3 souls absorbed by Darnath's sentient "Nine Lives Stealer"
Report Date
05 Feb 2024
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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