Session 3
General Summary
Having obliterated the kuo-toa defence force, Nex Pervenio set about a systematic search of the
aboveground areas of the keep.
Each tower had a lower chamber reached from the courtyard, windowless and dark. These
contained ruined furniture, rubbish and filth along with the occasional rat nest. One had served as
a kuo-toa latrine and was particularly unpleasant. Each tower also had an upper chamber reached
from the ramparts. These were less dirty and cluttered, lit by arrow slits, with some stocks of
javelins and arrows.
The courtyard was overgrown with trees and bushes. There were also two single-storey buildings
within the courtyard. Evidently the kuo-toa had spent a lot of time in these, with various personal
possessions, bed rolls and the like. The walls were daubed with crude kuo-toa graffiti, of which no
meaning could be deciphered. In one of these buildings, stone steps descended underground.
The gladiators split up, with half heading to explore below ground while the others secured the
keep in case further kuo-toa returned from patrolling the swamp.
Argus led the way down into a vaulted cellar beneath the courtyard, followed by Dash and Riya.
Four archways led off into sub-cellars. Two of these were packed with crates and barrels dating
back to the Rodinian occupancy. Their contents were once well-preserved supplies and rations but
now mostly rotten and despoiled. The other two sub-cellars had wooden doors at the far end. One
contained an improvised altar and more graffiti, presumably dedicated to some foul kuo-toa deity
though nobody could say for sure. Argus kicked it to pieces regardless. Listening at the door
beyond the altar revealed faint human voices.
Argus threw the door open, releasing a foul odour. All around was carnage, corpses of sacrificial
victims littering the floor. At the far end of the room was a deep pit, from which came human
whimpering. Approaching cautiously it seemed this was where the kuo-toa kept their prisoners.
All were malnourished and in poor health, pleading for rescue. Argus dropped a rope down the pit
side and helped the unfortunate occupants climb out.
The prisoners were almost all humans, with an even mix of people from Semang, Kurgan and
Elam, a fair representation of the three countries bordering this area. Then there was a familiar
face. It was none other than Rutu! How on earth had he appeared here of all places? The last time
they'd met, Rutu had been in Forgehome in the shallow Underdark. He had set off hoping to return
to the surface but told a tale of becoming hopelessly lost until eventually he was found and
captured by kuo-toa and brought here. It seemed he must have somehow travelled an extreme
distance through the Underdark.
There was one final prisoner of interest - a drow. She gave her name as Aunrae of House Vae. She
explained that she, accompanied by other drow, had been sent here from Erelhei-Cinlu to deliver a
shipment of slaves. Upon arrival they had been double-crossed and taken prisoner by the kuo-toa.
She assumed her comrades were dead. She explained that the tunnels below the keep passed
through an area on the border between the Underdark and the Shadowdark. In such a place, laws
of space and geography become twisted and it's possible to travel further, quicker than you might
expect. Hence Erelhei-Cinlu was only a week away, an equivalent journey time as Forgehome,
despite being significantly deeper. This could explain how Rutu had got so lost. It was suggested
she could act as a guide to Erelhei-Cinlu in return for being rescued. She had one further key piece
of information - the kuo-toa were led by a mind flayer!
The prisoners were all sent to the surface where Valun might aid their recovery. They were also
told to search through the crates of supplies in case they found something edible. Dash informed
them that this was his keep now and that the area would be secured and stabilised. They were all
offered a position here if they desired.
Attention now turned to delving deeper in search of a mind flayer. The door in the fourth and final
sub-cellar opened onto a rough passageway heading down. This seemed mostly natural, with steps
crudely chiselled into the floor. It led down into a maze of catacombs. In places overhangs had
been chipped off, floors roughly flattened and such, but by and large natural. The only sound was
the steady dripping of water.
With Argus at the fore, the gladiators began exploring the maze. After traversing many interleaved
tunnels, they found an area littered with bodies. These were not only humans but kuo-toa and
drow aswell. Horrifically, each appeared to have had its brain sucked out.
Whilst scouting around the perimeter of the room, it became apparent that the area was haunted.
Ghosts of slain Rodinian legionnaires appeared and attacked the invaders. Comrades in life they
remained bonded in undeath, wounds inflicted on one were shared between all the ghosts. They
attempted to possess Argus and Riya but were repelled. Within a short while the ghosts were
vanquished, indeed they seemed almost grateful for their release.
While recovering from their ghostly ordeal, it was realised that the sounds of combat had attracted
attention. Swarming out of nearby tunnels were a band of kuo-toa. As anticipated, their leader was
the disturbing form of a mind flayer, the very first time any of the gladiators had encountered such
an alien foe. Argus charged forward and engaged the mind flayer and main group of kuo-toa. Dash
magically summoned a wall of ivy to provide cover as he unleashed volleys of arrows. A huge
kuo-toa emerged from a side tunnel and grabbed Riya. She managed to blast him with thunder
causing him to lose grip then she dropped back into Dash�s leafy canopy. Meanwhile Argus was
taking a pounding, not helped by the mind flayer grabbing and stunning him, desperate to
consume his brain! Riya provided some much needed protection and he came to his senses. All the
while the kuo-toa horde were being whittled down and before long only the mind flayer remained.
It could not withstand the gladiators� well-coordinated attacks and soon lay dead. It seemed the
keep and vicinity were now fully secured, for the time being at least.
The mind flayer quarters were located nearby. All of its research was retrieved. Sadly much of it
was in an obscure illithid dialect and would require a great deal of time, effort and a esoteric
library to properly decode. Fragments of it could be understood however. The mind flayer had
been investigating something known as the Crystal of Ebon Flame, an artefact seemingly of
significance to Tharizdun and the Cult of Elemental Evil. There was also evidence that the mind
flayer had colleagues somewhere within Erelhei-Cinlu.
Everyone retreated back above ground, to enjoy the simple pleasures of sunlight and weather
while they still could, as it seemed that an extended foray underground beckoned�
Report Date
10 Apr 2024
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