Episode 02: Abandoned Undercity

657 New Era 30 Summerharvest

Pregame Four additional people have died due to combustion on the Isle of Dravlin. Two were ragers, like the man at the Brothel, and the other two burst into flame in their sleep. All were human.
Scroll messages are sent by Raven or courier to Phaze’s master, to a Wizard contact that Phaze has on the Isle of Baramore, and to the Elven Tribes on Norvaron, asking for further details about the “Burning Man” incident. Phaze’s contacts on Baramore confirm that they have received reports of incidents all around the Alliance, with hundreds of people afflicted and hundreds more killed in the resulting fires.
Squirrel Eater has a meal with Sarena Willowbrook, who expressed her interest in him during their negotiations for selling the items the party discovered in the wolf cave. They have good conversation, and she kisses him. She makes it clear that she is interested in spending more time with him, and declared her interest in a relationship, but does not wish to be a notch on his belt.

Four Days after the Wolf Cave

The party gathers are the Velvet Rose for breakfast.
They decide they need to run some errands. Phaze wants to go to the local book seller to look for spells. Myst Behaven decides to go with him. Squirrel Eater goes to check out the local Inn, to see if Kaben Stoutarm will sell it to him. Katherine goes to train Sylvanas in combat.
Phaze finds a spell, and the bookseller decides to hire him to utilize the Identify spell that he has on a scroll to identify magical texts and items.
Myst finds some “stereotypical” texts on the drow, but nothing new.
Squirrel Eater discovers that Kaben is looking into brewing, a family tradition going back generations. He has a large brass still built in the stables of the Inn. His ale still needs some work. He is willing to sell the Inn, if he can use the stables for his brewing, and will have preferential selling of his products once he gets the alcohol to taste good.
Everyone returns to the Brothel and tells each other of their discoveries.
Myst Behaven suggests that they go into the woods to investigate the location of a statue that she believes will have “ancient ruins”, carefully not mentioning the drow.

Into the Woods

They travel deep into the woods to the west, near the exit from the Kobold mines they discovered earlier in the week. The edge of the Atoll is within view, a few hundred feet away.
The statue is discovered, but the party is attacked by a band of skeletons as they approach it.

Skeletons
Skeleton x 4 --- 50 xp each

Total XP : 200

After the battle is complete, they enter the passageway below the statue that they found.
It leads deep beneath the stone, hundreds of feet at least. The passageway splits and turns, following the natural contours of the rock. There are many abandoned houses, small carven chambers.
At the end of one arm of the tunnels, they come to the remnants of what appears to be a throne room. There is debris from a partially collapsed ceiling, and they are attacked by several zombies, one of which is wearing a black iron diadem while sitting on the broken throne.

Zombies
Zombie x 4 --- 50 xp each

Total XP : 200

They party defeats the zombies, and barely resists the urge to put on the cursed Diadem, before Phaze destroys it with his magic.
Exploring a deeper passage, they come to an open concourse, and find it inhabited by several ogres, which promptly attack.

Ogres
Ogre x 4 --- 450 xp each

Total XP : 1800

Combat is fast and furious, but the party fights well together and they overcome their foes. At the end of the concourse is the exposed bottom edge of the Atoll, where the vast majority of the underground civilization crumbled and fell into the vast void below.
If there were drow here, they are long gone.
They discover several damaged Drow wall carvings, and Myst finds a set of metal plates linked with rings, engraved with a language she barely understands.
They return to the Brothel.

Letter

While recovering from the combat, Squirrel Eater receives a missive from his father, arrived by raven. It states that his mothers illness is worsening, and his elder brother has recently announced a relationship with his boyfriend, so his father wants him to come home.
He tells the party that he will go, and will negotiate to sell the ancient gold coins that the party discovered while he is gone. He leaves that very night.

Plot type

Episode

Parent Plot

Sundered Realms Season 1