Session Report: Deep into the Mine

General Summary

Returning to the fight against the flameskull, Boston cast a hex on it and attempted to chip away at it's defences. The rest of the party threw all they could at the skull, Dymera managing to stun it with her Ebon Lash. Desperate to remove the curse placed upon it, the flameskull began to target Boston it's fire rays, but was unable to break his focus.
With help from Jensen's precognition, the last of the unstopability charges was dropped and, fter a crucial strike from Droop, Elarnya landed the final blow. The skull fell to the floor with a metal clang, Dymera looked to her feet and found it had transformed into a small trinket, a holy symbol of Bhaal. After a brief scare where Thokk believed the flying skull may have been a Demilitch, the party attempted to rest within the great cavern, to the protests of their goblin companion. The party soon relocated, after a pack of roaming ghouls entered from the far side of the cavern, to the ruined storeroom, with Thokk assuring the party that the fungal patch in the corner was inert.
During the rest, Jenson rooted through his backpack and found his Staff of Defence, whilst Dymera memorized some spells.
The gang made their way deeper into the mines, comming across an immense, inert blast furnace, once powered by a waterwheel built into the the channel running through the cavern. Walking past the contraption, Dymera heard a noise from within. Kellogs was sent overhead, revealing to the party a frightened dwarf hiding amongst the machinery. He seemed particularly afraid of elves, as the doppelgangers favored such forms. Soon identified as Nundro Rockseeker, the adventurers were able to gain the miner's trust by explaining that they were friends of his brother. Soon after, however, the source of Nundro's fear became apparent. A hulking, grotesque, frog-like creature slipped out of the shadows with alarming stealth, a banderhobb. The monstrosity lashed out at Nundro with its tongue before the others could react, reeling him in and grappling him with its amphibious maw. As the party found their bearings, the banderhobb swallowed its prisoner whole and teleported between the shadows, ending up behind Boston.
As the party fought to retrieve the dwarf from the monster's gut, it continued to retreat, slipping through the shadows and heading north-west. Annoyed that the creature had destroyed her summoned bestial spirit, Elarnya climbed atop the furnace and fired a final arrow through the creature's neck, or rather, where it's neck might have been, killing it. She and Thokk worked together to slice open the monster's belly and retrieve Nundro from within, finding him to be unconcious but stable. Upon his revival, Nundro thanked the party, and told them that agents of The Black Spider occupy the western portion of the cave, suggesting that is the direction they should head in to find his brother.
Venturing down the western corridor, the party heard movement on the other side of the door. In a botched attempt to peek inside, Dymera noticed the door was barricaded from the other side, and alerted the room's occupants. Determined to get through, the whole party besides Dymera hid around corners as Dymera lit the door on fire. The room's occupants, bugbear guards, rushed to douse the fire and remove the blockade. once the way was clear, a worg rushed through the doorway, intent on mauling the intruders, but was met with the full might of the entire hat gang, dying instantly. The next few guards were not so unlucky, landing multiple hits against Dymera, who was standing in the doorway, downing her. The bugbears briefly turned their agression towards other party members, but returned to attacking the wood elf once she was healed, as she generally blocked their access to the other adventurers.
Finally moving Dymera out of the way, the party moved into the room, most of the bugbears and all of the worgs had been slain already, thanks largely to Thokk's shatter, but their elites remained relatively unharmed. The bugbear elites proved to be both sturdy and hard hitting, near downing Boston and defeating Dymera once again. Eventually, the guards were slain, one was decapitated by a newly revived Dymera, whilst another was skewered by Thokk's clawed gauntlets.
Nundro suggested the party take a brief rest after their encounter, during which the gang used the last of their medical supples. Though he was too weak to join them, he directed the party towards where he believed his bother was being held. Travelling past a dark pool, the party eventually found themselves in an area of the mine which had been much better preserved. To their left they found a large, decorated door, a faint humming could be heard from within. Opening the toor, far to cumbersome to be opened stealithily, the party found themselves stepping into a large temple, an imposing dwarven statue with gleaming emerald eyes staring down at them. At the statue's feet, there was a throne, atop which sat a male drow, who smiled as they entered. After months of adventuring (which felt like years), the Hat Gang had finally come face-to-face with The Black Spider.

Flameskull by Xavier Ribeiro

"Why won't you just DIE?"

— Flameskull of Bhaal

In-Game Date
16th of Hammer 1492 DR

Report Date

22 Dec 2023

Related Characters

• Nezznar

"Elves? Don't trust elves, they like pretending to be elves..."

— Nundro Rockseeker

"Um, hello? House cleaning!"

— Dymera, to The Black Spider