The Mouth of Doom: Session 41

General Summary

The Last One Inn

Surrounded by the demonic iconography of the Master, the Wrenjers let the information that Soren had shared sink in. From the dragonborn's hip, the dark billowing smoke and smell of burning earth announced Ansible’s return. They quickly filled the warlock in and fell back to the petrified villager room. Once there, their conversation returned to the possible transportation of the petrified figures. If they were to move frozen villagers without making sure they did not jostle then they would risk cracks and more serious damage. However, after some talk they decided it was safer to leave them in the room for now. Leofric pondered if the Brume Wolf would come and wipe them away but in the short term they were safer here than being moved without proper care. One of the reasons why the Wrenjers wanted the villagers to be at Castle Calaelen when the magic holding them was dealt with was that they were clearly villagers of Tsar. As Zetwuzadi explained, the villagers might have been willing participants of the atrocities of Tsar or they could have been unwilling. No matter what, the Wrenjers wanted to know anything they could possibly share. They were going back to the castle for the night but before they talked about having the cleric prepare magic that would be able to pierce the stone chest without damaging the two petrified aethrin holding it. It was their plan to purchase a few items at Zelkor’s Ferry before they returned to the dungeon and they thought having some monetary resources before entering an underdark highway was wise. While they moved back through the teleportation pedestals, some of them discussed where the Fast Pass would deposit them. Ansible offered Misha, their familiar, to take the journey and travel back across the land to the Wrenjers. Upon their return they would be able to explain what they saw and how long they traveled; however the group knew it would take days for the familiars to return. Their conversation turned to what they wanted to do with the artifact statue, Te’Leyuura seemed rather interested in returning to the magical item to learn more but the others seemed apprehensive, understandably. They knew that it was beyond their skills to destroy the artifact but they wondered if they removed the clothing it would stop the process. It would be another task to accomplish when they returned the next day.
Making it back to the teleportation pedestal that would deposit them back in the dining hall of the Menders, they stumbled upon a lonely giant rat. It looked fairly similar to the rats that the wizard had decimated earlier. It wasn’t approaching the Wrenjers but Leofric sent his radiant strike towards the rodent. The rodent laid singed on the stone floor, eliminating any thought that it could have been a familiar. Artem was upset that they didn’t try to talk with the creature. He believed that if they had talked to the rat they might have learned something. However, Jarvis questioned what they would have learned but after a quick explanation it was clear that with Artem around they might be able to learn more from the animal denizens of the dungeon if they would only allow the rogue to speak with the creatures. The action already taken, the paladin scooped up the body for Hyrakin.
Nothing assaulted them as they left the dungeon and returned to castle Calaelen. Upon their return the wizard refilled Jarvis’ ring for Leofric while the paladin approached her worg friend. The large animal had been spending most of their days laying in front of the fire in the common room. It was only midday when they had returned and perfect for a stroll outside. Zetwuzadi had to convince Hyrakin but after some teasing about how her current condition she probably couldn't chase anything, one of her favorite pastimes, the worg accompanied the paladin to Zelkor’s Ferry. Artem joined the duo to purchase items from the Darks while Zetwuzadi helped train the guards. The others spent their day around the castle doing various tasks.
After their morning rituals and routines, the Wrenjers left the castle for a longer delve into the dungeon. They made their journey through driving rain and intense winds but they quickly moved to the dungeon. The voice that boomed throughout the area to ward off would-be adventures sounded farther away, like the magic keeping it active was slowly being unraveled. Quickly they moved through the area, heading down to the Mender’s Ward to the leering demon face. Soren teleported first, in case the minions of the Master had returned. With the coast clear they weaved their way back through the maze to the petrified villagers. It had been the plan for Leofric to shape the stone but after some consideration, they let Jarvis use his chisel. Very carefully, Jarvis climbed underneath the chest and he had Zetwuzadi hold the chisel in the right spot so that it would crack the underside and not cause the crack to spread. The two petrified people were struck mid run and the balance would be off if they just cracked the chest and it went up and around. A bit of dust fell on the artificer and a smile crossed Jarvis’ face as they worked on the bottom. After a short time the contents of the chest fell out. It came down to Jarvis looking at the grain of the stone to drop the Tsar minted coins out without causing permanent damage to the petrified aethrin.
With their task completed they moved through the area, down the stairs and to the double doors that led to the Gut. The last time they were down here there were skeletal horses in the stables but it seemed that the denizens of the area were pulling their resources back as the horses were now gone. Obviously someone had been here or the horses were recalled magically, but it was difficult to determine the age of the tracks; however, whatever went through the double doors the last time had not closed them. The Wrenjers moved through the double doors and into the Gut. The further down the long hallway they traveled they could feel the low thrumming of the underdark and the wind blowing through the hallway. They walked through worked stone, the massive amount of work would have taken many aethrin many spells or, as some of the Wrenjers thought, one inaethri. The path was clean and clear of debris indicating that this highway was used often enough. During the four hours, trudging through the darkness Ansible, Zetwuzadi and Vadim felt the need to hum or sing but Artem made sure to keep the vocalizations to a minimum. The rogue did not want to announce their presence more than their footsteps gently reverberating off the stone walls.
They continued moving down the corridor with the more perceptive among them noting that the path was subtly curving to the southwest. It was very faint but as they continued they could hear the music build in volume. It sounded like classic gylidder music. After traveling for such a long time they finally saw the light glow of torches ahead of them. As they approached, Artem moved ahead of the group. The hallway halted with a T-intersection and the wall directly in front of the hallway looked like someone had taken the care,or magically made, the stone to look like wood grain. On the northern wall of the hallway right before the turn, was a large mural. The painting was of a succubus and their attire reflected the shock rock of the lower planes. Artem fell back and reported what he had seen and they all moved a bit closer. None of them approached the T-intersection until Artem investigated the area around the wood grained stone area. The rogue quietly moved up and noted the latrine, and hallway that continued out of sight. On the northside of the wooden grained stone area was a deep purple wood door with an ornate handle. Falling back and heading south of the hallway they had been walking through for the last four hours, Artem noted the empty stables with a variety of creatures' footprints, an area of hay, another door that mirrored the other one and another path that led out of their sight. The fancy wooden doors must be the Last One Inn and they fell back to the others to explain what they had found.
Determined not to cause a scene, the Wrenjers take care to hide their signets and any holy symbols before following Ansible into the Inn. It looked like a well appointed tavern in purple wood. Behind the long bar was a tall roachman with eyes that shone. They greeted the Wrenjers and invited them to sit and eat. The other occupants of the Last One Inn were two scholarly magic folk clad in dark blue and black robes and a massive flesh golem who was taking up four chairs. As they settled around the far table and had ordered food and drinks, the young woman kept leaning out to get glimpses of the new occupants. Unfortunately for the curious student her mentor reprimanded her. When the bartender disappeared to gather the food and drink, it was obvious that the woman was trying to look anywhere but at the large group. Urovok, the bartender, returned with their food in their multiple arms. Te’Leyuura had been concentrating on reading the magical auras of the area but their table was too far from the other magical folk but she did catch that Urovok had two magical rings.
Uncertain if their food was poisoned, Artem used his magical spork while Soren was summoned to eat bits of everyone’s food. The food was not poisoned or diseased and tasted rather great for the resources Urovok had to work with. While they ate, the bartender kept busy tidying and cleaning. They kept their conversation quiet and subtle but they passed around what they knew about flesh golems and roachmen. The latter being much more rare and peaked their interest in their stories. After their food and drink were finished Urovok returned to collect their dishes and ask if they were staying for the night. Ansible asked if there was another establishment along the Gut. This made Urovok sad but after a quick explanation they discovered the name of the Inn was rather clever. With one room purchased the Wrenjers figured they could cuddle puddle in the large room. As with the food and drink, they used more of their Greznek minted coins to continue their vague deception.
Ansible requested a particular time period of music and the roachman’s antennae swept back and rubbed together in thought. He raised his claws in the air and adjusted something unseen in the ambient magic in the room. If this was a programmed illusion then it wouldn’t have been able to be manipulated in this manner but it was clear that Urovok was attuned to illusion magic. It wasn’t exactly what Ansible had in mind but the bartender promised that if they returned through they would have something ready. Seeing an opening, Leofric leaned forward and bluntly asked how old Urovok was. The roachman had been around for a while and running an establishment like the Inn helped them track the passing of time. They treasured the opportunity to talk with guests that travel the area. With Leofric’s question answered, the bartender countered with a personal question of their own. The question lingered in the air for a moment. Artem and Jarvis could tell that the male had stopped reading his book but was trying to subtly listen to the Wrenjer's conversation with Urovok. Smoothly they stated that they were teleported in for an adventure, this seemed to satisfy the bartender while Ansible explained that personally they were from the Gylidd Syn Aethri. It was easy for them to fall into a conversation with the smooth talking bartender, only Leofric seemed to step away from the situation. They were in the underdark having a conversation with a roachman while two magical folk were trying to listen. Not to mention the massive flesh golem. They were being subtly vetted by the bartender which made perfect sense of someone running a business in the underdark. Meanwhile across the room the wizard hadn’t turned a single page. After their conversation they believed that the roachman must be more than a thousand years old.
With their pleasant conversation winding down they requested their room. With a fluttering of their wings that startled the group Urovok approached Master Banth. With the two magical folk’s bill paid for by Kupra, the female student, the three other occupants leave the Inn. They could hear the heavy footsteps of the golem down the hallway in their chests but slowly they dwindled and the trio must have left the area. They are shown to their room and directed to the washroom. The room itself was large but it would be a tight fit and their magical dome wouldn’t fit in the space. Jarvis followed Ansible and Zetwuzadi back to the main inn room but the artificer stayed within the hallway. Urovok was locking the doors as it was time for him to rest as well. They duo asked if they could get a description of the general area and the bartender obliged. They hadn’t traveled the area in some time but with the travelers coming in they had a general idea of what lay around them.
From the goblins who transported goods from Greznek he had learned that they reference the highway as the Gut. West of the Inn was an area called the Mouth of Doom. It had recently been riddled with disease that the servants of the Master had been able to move through without perishing to it. East of the Inn, was the servants of the Master’s domain, a design from a far away and lost place. It had been built around the city of Greznek. Urovok continued with the explanation of what was north of the Inn. He wasn’t fully convinced but the travelers called it the domain of the giant vampires. South of the Inn was the area of the plantoids where they tend precious underdark plants protected from the sun. They are fiercely protected by creatures that vaguely resemble beholders if they were made of plants. Zetwuzadi asked if giant vampires would turn into giant bats or many smaller bats. But it was unknown unless they wanted to investigate and if they continued east they would reach the chaotic light. It was rumored that anyone who looked upon the area would go mad and hidden in the chaotic light was a creature called the Spiker. If someone killed the Spiker they would then become the Spiker or so the travelers explained to Urovok.
The roachman bartender continued. If they found themselves in the dungeon there was a gate that tested the wit and loyalty of those who traveled through the gate but that is the extent of his knowledge. From how Urovok talked about the Master it seemed that they were not a servant and this was confirmed. Urovok asked them the same question but Ansible transitioned to another question. It wasn’t as smooth as it could have been but the roachman did not press. They talked about possibly bringing supplies back from Greznek themselves. Urovok explained that if they are not servants of the Master then they should be cautious of going to the city of Greznek. The city was firmly in the clutches of the Master. They were once nomads that traveled the area and anyone who did not fully pledge their lives to the Master were eradicated. Before taking their leave, Urovok thanked them for their candor. The two Wrenjers asked if they would inform anyone of their presence in the area and Urovok explained they would not. With a bit more knowledge of the area and a potential friend acquired, the Wrenjers ready themselves for a night in the Underdark.

Report Date

24 Jul 2021