2022/10/19: Underdark Delving Part 4 Report
General Summary
Knight, Locke, Senal, Avalon, Sunderfury, Zaran, Rodger
While looking for a spot to set up camp, Locke's ability to commune with nature let him notice a vault of some sort buried just under the cavern the party was exploring. The party estimated that it was about midday, so they had time to kill before the next day's meeting with Zarlask. They searched for the concealed entrance to the vault, and Locke, with luck and his communion, managed to find it. Sunderfury and Avalon checked the door for traps. There was a possibly poisoned blade trap, but it was made defunct by apparently being fused with stone. Sunderfury tore the door open.
On the other side of the door, hanging onto the inside handle, was a skeletal hand, thoroughly dead. A further pile of skeletons, apparently having died trying to climb out of the hole, was resting at the bottom. Investigation suggested they were drow. On the far side of the metal room was what appeared to be a supply vault. The party speculated that this was a sort of "dead man's chest" where all those who knew where the vault was placed were sealed inside by the commissioner and left to die. Rodger dispelled and consecrated the remains and gave them their last rites. A drow phantasm appeared and said "The dwarves are coming," which suggests it may have been dwarves who sealed them inside instead.
Locke and Avalon got to work on the lockboxes while Rodger and Knight stood watch. With the help of Avalon's weasel, they got all but the largest box open, finding what appeared to be pre-inflation collections of money. Practically pocket change in modern terms. The coins are printed with spiders and racy pictures of drow women. Rodger blushed and looked away, commenting that they "looked cold" in response to Knight's vague confusion.
In the largest lockbox, there were the remnants of a pillow and cloth, with a pseudo-gold sceptre and crown resting on them. Sunderfury licked the crown and stated that it tasted "burny" (and very poisonous) and not gold. The style of the items is unfamiliar; perhaps just so old they predate modern drow sensibilities. Identification reveals them as "The Ancient Crown and Sceptre of the Acid Lord".
With nothing else to find in the vault, the party headed back up and went back to finding a good spot to stay the night.
Late that night, Sunderfury heard the sound of hundreds or thousands of tapping feet or claws coming towards the party. He woke up the rest of the group, and they found themselves facing down thousands of the stone crabs that had previously been bothering New Hallownest. Some passed by the rest area Senal had dug for the group, but others started mindlessly attacking Rodger's shield and subsequently Locke's wall of wood (which they started eating). They were finally dissuaded by Senal's sword and suggestions that there was a big dead thing elsewhere to eat.
The next morning, Rodger provided food for everyone and Locke grew some additional food as a supplement. Once everyone had prepared for the day, Knight and Senal got up to a bit of sparring after seeing each other practicing maneuvers. Likely drawn by the noise, Zarlask arrived, then turned to human form, flanked by two floating red orbs. In appearance, he was a shadowy-eyed young man. Spiky red-tipped hair. Wearing black cloak. He still appeared wounded, so the party promptly cast heal on him, which didn't fully heal him.
He introduced himself. Zarlask, shadow dragon sorcerer and protector of the area. He and Knight discussed negotiations. Zarlask claims the Caverns of Ash and the rockflow cavern and everything north of those. In exchange for constant access to a good healer and good scholarly wizard for several years (at least), Darkhome could secure protected passage through the lower reaches of his territory.
Zarlask has a variety of issues he's trying to deal with. Among other things, there are dimensional issues, dream issues, and a tower with weird stuff. After we offered to help with at least some as a gesture of goodwill, he gave us an item to test our knowledge and problem-solving.
Arrow of the First Finger. Made by an eclectic wizard named Valtear to share his magics with other people. Takes in a 1st level wizard touch spell and applies the spell to whatever it hits when shot.
He took us to the Blacklight Forest at the urging of one of his treant friends. As the name suggests, it's full of weird plants and lit by blacklight, which makes everything look strange. There are pale furless rats with buck teeth that may be mutant squirrels. There are old and ruined defensive towers interspersed through the area, which don't seem to have defended anything in a very long time. Colorful unfey flit around the area. Magic is operating strangely, flipping on and off.
There's an obelisk at the center that appears to be responsible for all this. That's what Zarlask is defending. It's highly resilient, having won a fight against a trebuchet round without a scratch (while the projectile froze and shattered), and everything in the forest would try to kill us if we tried to harm it anyway.
There are little streams of water flowing through the area that appear to be on purple fire, but are harmless. Those who stand in the water have their soul aura dancing around them, reflecting their alignment. It seems like it may be a literal stream of Know Alignment. There are some other effects that can cause confusion, like Senal's affinity with darkness causing her aura to mostly be black. When Knight stepped in, it looked like he was a cloud or constellation of colors and darkness forming little faces, centered around his childhood mask, colored blue. Zarlask's soul aura is cherry red, with a heart of gold and sky blue.
The party was guided onward to the monolith at the edge of a lake of this water (which is apparently entirely drinkable with no side effects). The monolith is about four times as tall as it is wide, and the blacklight glow is hindered by extensive fog. The obelisk is a giant crystalline edifice. The unfey are sparse in this area, and if anything magic is stronger than normal.
The crystal used to be a person who the treants are familiar with. This is the single largest solcite crystal any of the adventurers have ever seen. Rodger tried to read its alignment and got royal purple and white, which is only clear in that there's clearly a great deal of contradiction.
Sunderfury tried to speak to the squirrels and the crystal. The squirrels are zealots that revere the crystal as the creator and life-bringer. The crystal seems to be able to hear Sunderfury but not verbally respond, though it seems able to playfully respond with manipulation of the fog.
The name of the being in the crystal was "taken" by greed, evil, and tyranny, according to the treants. When asked, Zarlask said the elder unfey had suggested we be brought here so we could "be introduced". Knight, understanding, returned to the crystal and asked if they could understand him. There was a rustle through the nature all around him. He introduced himself formally. "I am Knight, king of New Hallownest, and I greet you in peace."
Abruptly, all of the unfey throughout the forest charged out of the forest, converging on Knight. He stayed peaceful and still, and they surrounded him, cutting him off from the outside world in a ball of glowing red unfey. With them eating all the magic coming in, light was normal inside. One of the unfey popped up in front of Knight's face. He greeted them, and they bobbed in answer. Then they dashed to Knight's belt and the collection of swords on his back. He shifted the swords to see that they were drawing his attention to the Dream Master's Nail. He drew it and held it flat in front of him, offering it for study, and they made a slashing figure-eight motion. He double-checked that they wanted him to use it on something, presumably the crystal. They answered by shifting and dashing off into the forest again, hiding, the conversation complete.
(Locke, meanwhile, was back near where they'd entered the forest, cataloguing plants. They're... strange. Uniquely evolved for this place and these energies, and either immortal or not alive in the first place.)
Knight explained the blade and his conclusions to Zarlask. Zarlask agreed to let the adventurers try, but he was taking no responsibility if it blew Knight across the forest. Knight, Senal, Rodger, and Sunderfury (and possibly Avalon and Zaran) grouped up, and Knight readied the Nail and swung...
Rewards Granted
Ancient drow crown and sceptre, "The Ancient Crown and Sceptre of the Acid Lord". 3 XP for extensive good roleplaying.
Character(s) interacted with
Notes
New Hallownest income and expenditure notes, from 2023/08/20:
New Hallownest has received its first month of mithril income: 4,425,000 gold. Knight went to Argerus with Zess's help to look for mercenaries. Available individual mercenaries, plus Knight's thoughts:Infrastructure and local New Hallownest investments: 1.5m gold.
Grateful rewards to adventurers who helped us get this: 240k gold.
Reserve: 515k gold
Senal Romenil
Locke
Zaran
Sunderfury Ironspire
Knight of Darkhome
Report Date
19 Oct 2022
Primary Location
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