Mysteries of Langwon

The Odd Three hire a horse and a wagon and journey 10 miles outside the walls of Langwon, to the northwest, and find the massive crater described as where the Tower of Phargus and its surrounding land will materialize. They wait on a hilltop  until night falls. There is a full moon. The crater is filled with shimmering otherworldly lights and is filled by an alien forest. From their vantage point the Odd Three can see the top of the tower protruding from the top of the forest, about 5 miles away. They waste no time. Seeing that they will be unable to get the horse and the wagon through the woods they start out on foot.

The forest is full of colorful plants from other planes. The party moves through the forest. The come to a ditch about 20’ deep and 20’ wide. It looks like it is new, as it is not overgrown. They think it looks like the ground collapsed. Simon jumps across. Debi and Mic careful scramble down the sides. As they cross the bottom Debit notices a boot sticking out of the ground. She uses Mage Hand to retrieve it and look at it. The remains of a human foot are still inside. She throws it away, as she and Mic climb out the other side of the ditch.

About miles in Mic thinks he sees a house through the trees to his left. They investigate. They find a strange metal wagon. It is huge and is painted green. It has numerous broken wheels, and is tipped to one side. On top is a metal dome with a long metal pipe sticking out, bent and broken.

Simon uses his Jump Ring and gets on top of the metal box. He finds a metal hatch that has been opened. He looks inside and finds a dead human body – not that long dead. It is cramped inside the metal wagon. He finds the man is wearing a chain with a rectangular pendant on it, with some strange words engraved on it. He also finds a very nice knife near the man. The comes out and tells the other two what he’s found.

They continue.

After a short walk Mic, and then Debi, notice the ground is rumbling. The group stops to listen and feel. Suddenly 3 gigantic aggressive insects burst from the ground, leaving caved-in holes behind them. Debi attacks one with Thunder Wave. Simon attacks with Sacred Flame, and Mic attacks with dual-daggers. The monsters take damage. One of them spits a strong acid on Mic, as the others bite but miss Simon and Debi with their huge mandibles. The battle continues as spells and weapons are used! Debi kills hers. Mic slices his to bits but endures a bite! Simon is still fighting a tough one. Debi casts Cloud of Daggers on the beast that the Odd Three team up on it, killing it. 3 Ankhegs bite the dust.

The Odd Three continue through the forest. Debi’s keen elven sensed detect someone following them stealthily on her side. They stop to look, and a crazed dwarf runs toward her wielding a huge battle axe. He is wearing tattered clothing and boots and rusty chainmail! He face looks feral – the look of battle madness!

Before he can reach them Debi casts Charm Person. The dwarf fails his save, stops, drops his axe, stares confusedly at Debit and says “Is that you, friend?”

Debit calms him and keeps him from attacking her other friends. Simon makes a Medicine skill check and understands that the dwarf is insane, probably suffering from trauma from being in this place. Simon castes Lesser Restoration on the dwarf, whose face then relaxes as the madness leaves him. He introduces himself as Skargg, of the Orc Tooth Mountains. He mentions other places and names, and Debi realizes, based on her bardic knowledge, that he is not from this plane of existence. Simon tells him the way out of the forest, but Skargg feels indebted to them and wishes to help them on their quest. He has no real memory or useful knowledge of his time here while mad, but he will help them.

They travel on, finally arriving at the Tower of Phargus. It appears to be 5 floors high. The windows at the top show flickering, multicolored lights.

End of session

550 XP each

The Odd Three start where we left off, in the quarters of Abott Mouseman of the Rat Temple.  They have defeated the doppelganger imposters, and with Brother Mortimer are searching the bodies and the room. They find that the Doppelganger cleric was wearing the Mouseman’s magic robe and ring, which Mortimer retrieves. They find the dead cleric also wearing a leather belt pouch containing a gem. They don’t touch the gem or even really look at it, but take the pouch. 

The search the room. Debi finds a key hidden under a drawer in the Abott’s desk. She also find vials of purple and yellow “potions” in the desk.  They begin looking for hidden keyholes, and Mick finds one. They all stand 10’ back from the door as Debi use Mage Hand to turn the key. They hear the lock click, but nothing else. Mick used Mage Hand to push the door open, and the room is filled by a fiery explosion – Explorive Runes. The Odd Three and Mortimer all save for half damage.

Beyond the secret door they find a 20’ corridor leading to a cell containing Abbot Mouseman, High Priest of the Rat Temple. He looks pale, emaciated, and heavily drugged. Mick picks the lock, and Mortimer helps the Abbot back out. 

Simon casts Minor Restoration on the Abbot and he immediately looks better and his mind clears. He thanks them for saving him, confirms that the purple drug is the one he has been given to keep him addicted and his mind too fuzzy to cast spells. The can now go about restoring the health of his drugged priests. 

Three weeks pass, during which the Odd Three are made “Friends of the Rat” and each are given silver rings – the Ring of the Rat – identifying them as allies of the sect. They heal Council member Lana Setch of her addiction as well. Due to their actions, the friendship between the Akhi and Rat temples is made stronger, and the reputation of the Akhi temple rises in town. The Odd Three find their reputations growing.

One evening as Debi is performing at the Eye of the Beholder while Simon and Mick sit and enjoy the evening, the group is approached by Lugosi the Sage, who they met weeks early at a party given by Luella Partha. He tells them he is impressed by what he’s hearing about them, and invites them to his home to discuss something important.

At Lugosi’s house, he gives them a tour. They see a home devoted to study and experimentation. Astronomical instruments, books and scrolls, drawing, and all manner of mysterious machines. On the roof she shows them a telescope, and explains that he is a master of astronomy. He tells them that in a week, the stars will align in the ether, and miles outside the walls of Langwon the Tower of Phargus will materialize. 

Simon has heard of it before. Lugosi goes on to tell them that Phargus was an ancient sage who created a device called the Planar Shift Codex, with which he was able to move his entire tower home (and the land for a mile around it) through other planes of existence. He apparently did this, but every 200 years the tower reappears for 12 hours. No explorers have ever returned from it, but Lugosi is sure the Odd Three can explore it, retrieve knowledge and artifacts, and return to tell the tale. Lugosi wishes to employ them to do just that!

They accept the proposal, and begin preparations for this expedition!

I’m finding it hard to find the time to right these up in a more narrative fashion, but I think the bullet points get it across.

• The Odd Three get a long rest.
• The next day they return to the Akhi Temple to interrogate the doppelganger prisoner using Debi’s Detect Thoughts spell. They are met by Abott Lightman, who takes them down to the prisoner.
• They find the creatures in its cell, still in the form of Lightman.
• To prepare for the interrogation Simons casts 3 spells on the prisoner. First he casts Bane. The prisoner saves. Then he cast Calm emotions. The prisoner also saves. Finally he cast suggestions, telling the prisoner to cooperate with Debi and tell her the truth. He fails the save.
• Since Debi’s plan is to ask the creature questions and Deep Probe using Detect thoughts, essentially sucking the relevant information from his brain, the DM sets for the following decree. If he fails his save, Debi will be able to ask 6 questions and grab 6 detailed thoughts or memories during the one minute spell duration. If he makes his save, she will only be able to get 3 questions in and detect the creature’s surface thoughts.
• The prisoner fails its saving throw. Debit questions it on various topics, learning how many doppelgangers are left (4), that the High Priest of the Rat Temple has been replaced by one of them. And various other questions. They learn that the doppelgangers have been spying on them to collect the various evil magic artifacts they have found.
• The creature, compelled to be truthful, answers the questions and is actually proud and boastful of how clever he and his fellow doppelgangers have been.
• They ask how the creatures knew about the cursed black diamond in the vault of the temple. The creatures boast about how, as the bumbling Brother Bryce, he was able to ask them about their adventures and treasure and read their surface thoughts even as they thought they were concealing information. 
• They finish the questioning. The Abbot says he will have to pray and confer with Akhi about what to do with the vile creature.
• They return to Mortimer and plan. He agrees to help them liberate the Rat Temple. He is angry that these creatures have drugged his fellow priests and who knows what they’ve done with the High Priest. He is tired of living in hiding. He tells them the layout of the temple. They agree that Debit will cast Invisibility on the super-stealthy Mick, who will  enter the temple, locate the High Priest doppelganger, and then come get them. They will then enter and attack.
• Mick does just that. The priest on the first floor all look drugged. He finds the High Priest and 2 others in the lowest level, the normally ascetic High Priest’s quarters converted to a pleasure den. He returns to the group.
• They enter the temple, Mick still invisible.The descend and find the same scene. Mick immediately becomes visible as he casts Magic Missile at the High Priest. A battle happens. An enraged Mortimer cast Guiding Bolt at 3rd level, hitting the high priest. The creature, surprisingly, responds with a similar but dark version of the spell, hitting Mortimer. Debi casts Shatter on one of them, while Simon and Mick team up on another.
• The High Priest attempts to cast Banish on Mortimer, who saves. Debi fights one of them with a sword. All the PCs take damage. More spells are cast. Finally, the powerful High Priest is almost down. Mick uses a double dagger attack and finishes him off. Debi casts Witch Bolt, blowing up one of the others heads. Simon finishes the other off with simultaneous strikes from his Thunder Mace and previously cast Spiritual Weapon, pulping its cranium.
• The doppelgangers all drop, reverting to their true form.

Note: As usual, I put a non-standard monster in this game. The doppelganger leader was 1)tougher than a normal one, and 2)a evil cleric with access to spells up to 3rd level.

End of Session

Having returned to the surface, the Odd Three return to “normal” life. After a couple of weeks a few things happen…

• Debi: during a nice afternoon, Debi is out about town. She sees Brother Bryce down the street, recognizing his Ahki robes. He steps into an expensive eatery that Debi, due to her noble background, is familiar with. Uncharacteristic of a lowly priest. Inside the place is finely decorated. There are just a few tables. Debi looks inside and does not see Bryce. She does, however, see what appears to be a Sethi priest at a table with Council Chair Lana Setch. Debi observes and then leaves.
• Simon: just after his late-morning meditiion, is approached by a young girl with a message. He is summoned back to the home of Luella Partha, their patron from their last adventure. She summoned him because he is a priest of Ahki, which is a respected position. She tells him that council chair Lana Setch paid her a visit the evening before, inquiring about a black diamond. She heard rumors that Luella had recently acquired it, and is interested in buying it. Luella is curious of the Odd Three might have brought back something they didn’t tell her about, or just decided to keep, and are shopping it around. She’s not mad, but feels that there must have been some confusion about the terms of their agreement if that is the case. He informs her that they did, in fact, bring back a jewell that was cursed and thus not suitable for their deal. She agrees. 
• Mick: Is invited to a bar in scumtown by an old friend, Queezy Tim, a rogue who’s been away from town for several years. Queezy has been in one of the northern cities, on the lam, as he burned some bridges in Langwon. He’s learned that his old adversary died, however, and is now back! He’s been back for a couple of weeks and has heard rumors of an “Odd Three” , one of whom sounds like Mick! He asks that Mick has been doing. Tells tales of adventures in a frozen city to the north. He is glad to be back in the coastal warmth of Langwon, and eager to enjoy some luxury. Mick doesn’t reveal much about his own activities. 
• Meeting with Mortimer: A week passes. The time to meet with Brother Mortimer, of the Rat God Temple, who has been in hiding. A note is delivered to Simon that just says “Meet at the Goblin’s Hideout” tavern. The Odd Three go there at the appointed time. The place is very busy. They see Mortimer at table and join him.  Mortimer is in a poor disguise. He wants to know if they have learned anything about the Rat God temple, of the Ahki Temple is still secure. As they talk, a crossbow bolt strikes Mortimer in the chest. He falls to the floor. The Odd Three burst into action. They see an elegantly dressed woman on the raised deck overlooking the rest of the tavern who is moving with purpose toward the stairs on one side of the deck. Mick starts running up the stairs on the other side, while Simon moves to block the stairs she is moving toward. Debi tends to Mortimer, who is starting to tremble. Obviously fighting a poison. He settle down, breaths normally. She casts invisibility on him and starts to lead him out of the tavern. Simon confronts the woman as she gets to the bottom of the stairs. They fight. He hits with the Thunder Mace. She is still up — not a typical fancy lady. She begins moving through the crowd, which is now freaking out. Simon and Mick give chase. Mick keeps a very close eye on her as she moves through the dense, chaotic crowd (make a hard perception roll). She watches as changes shape and form, becoming a duplicate of a portly man in the tavern! A doppelgänger! He runs up behind the creatures, using his backstab attack to kill the already weakened creature. It falls deed in the crowd!
• Mick and Simon pick up the creature, throw a few gold to the bartender for the mess, and exit the tavern, meeting up with Debi and the invisible Mortimer.
• Debi takes Mortimer and rents him a room to hide in. She then meets Mick and Simon at the Akhi Temple where they are conferring with Abbot Lightman. The explain to Lightman what has been happening. He notes that while doppelgängers are known to inhabit large cities, it is unusual for them to attempt takeovers of major powers, like the Rat Temple.
• They go down to the vault, where the black diamond and other dangerous artifacts are kept. Simon casts Glyph of Warding – Explosive Runes – on the area in front of the vault, keying it to explode if a doppelgänger is in the area.
• Simon expresses suspicion of Brother Bryce, who has been his biggest fan for months. The Abbot agrees that Bryce should be questioned given what’s going on.
• In the Abbot’s office/quarters, Debi hides behind a wall as Bryce comes in to see the Abbot. Bryce is excited to see Simon again! Debi cast Detect Thoughts and come out. Simon blocks the exit.  Simon questions Bryce. Bryce fails his save. Debi easily detects that he is lying about everything. Bryce tries to leave. Simon shield bashes him. After a struggle the Odd Three grapple him. He changes form to mimic Abbot Lightman as they tie him up tightly. Debi casts Charm Person and the group does good cop-bad cop. Debi is able to talk to the creature learning a little.  She is out of 2nd Level slots and can’t cast Detect Thoughts again until she gets some rest.
• The Abbot has the doppelgänger locked in a secure cell and warns the priests about the creature’s powers.
• Abbot Lightman is hesitant to have his priests invade an ally temple. He supports the idea of the Odd Three taking care of this.
• The Odd Three confer with Mortimer who agrees to draw them a map of the Rat Temple to help them invade it.
• The Odd Three get a long rest, and return to the Temple the next morning for Debi to do a full Deep Mind Probe on the prisoner.

This will be a quick synopsis, since I’ve done a terrible job documenting each session on a timely basis.

• Deep underground, in the Nexus Chamber, the group picks one of the many entrance up on the walls to try exploring. They used their climbing gear to ascend to the selected tunnel entrance.
• They begin down the tunnel. The enter a large chamber and are attacked by carnivorous acid-secreting fast-moving giant slugs. They defeat the slugs
• They come to a section of floor that is tiled into a grotesque elder gods mosaic. The walls are also covered. The chamber is 40’ long, and the usual 20’ wide. 10’ ceiling. At other end of the chamber is door. Venturing into this chamber, they step on a pressure plate. A massive door opens in the ceiling at the other end, releasing a massive spiked roller that comes careening toward them. Mick misses his Dex roll and takes damage. One of the hirelings misses and is crushed. Dead. The PCs use one of the Revivify diamonds to bring him back.
• The door is metal and ornate. As they approach it they smell the stink of sulfur. Mick picks the lock. They enter a large chamber.
• Sitting the room on a huge black stone chair is a hideous and huge orange being. Its body glows, filling the room with a soft orange light. As they enter the room it awakens and attacks them. The creature, some sort of minor demon, bellow and laughs as it fights, yelling “FIGHT! FIGHT!”. The PCs damage it. It doubles over, vomiting on the stone floor. It vomits out two smaller versions of itself, which also begin to fight the PCs. Eventually they defeat it.
• They find a small chest of treasure, including a silver wand with a valuable gem set in one end (non-magical). They also see a door behind the demon’s chair.
• They open the door and find dark, narrow stairs leading down, down, down. Eventually the stairs end in a landing, before a 60′ circular pit. The pit is deep enough they can’t see the bottom. In the middle of the pit is an “island” — a column rising from the depths. Set into the island is a bridge built like a see-saw. It is tipped up almost vertically. They see mechanisms to “lower” it, connecting their landing to one on the opposite side. Only the iron framework of the bridge remains — the wooden slats are gone. Simon leaps across using his Jump ring, sets up a rope, and Jewell uses the rope to cross over. Together they manage to lower the bridge and lock it in place. The rest of the group begins climbing across on the bridge framework. In the middle of that they are attacked by Undead Stirges. They take a few hit points but kill the monsters.  They cross.
• On the other side they fine a door set into the landing alcove, and a niche in the wall containing the preserved body of one of the Cyclopean priests. They examine the body. Nothing. They try to find a way to open the door. Nothing. Debi uses her Ring of Squishy Summoning to summon 5 of the creatures. She commands them to enter the cracks in the wall and attempt to slide the door open from inside the wall. Together the 5 squishes succeed. The PCs bolt the door open.
• Inside the door they find a tomb containing the remains of 8 of the Cyclopean priests. Each has platinum lettering avoid its resting place. They steal the letters.
• There is a curtain of shimmering black silk on the other side. They move it. The door is of flat black material. As they look at it, those closest start to become mesmerized by shining cosmic images appear on it’s surface. Mick fails to save, and it catatonic….
• They encounter a ghost of one of the beings guarding the vault. The ghost attempts to Possess the strongest-looking of the party, the fighter Jewell. She saves. They battle the ghost using spells and magic weapons. It is finally “killed” by Debi’s Dissonant Whispers spell. Jewell and Debi both fail saves and are aged 10 years from seeing the ghost. Mick eventually comes out of his trance. They open the door.
• They find a 15 x 15 chamber. Set into the far wall at waist height is a 4′ wide 2.5′ tall opening. There is a metal grate covering it. Looking inside, they see it goes a few feet in, but remains the same dimensions. Inside there is a wall, with a metal door set into it. The door has 2 dials – some kind of clockwork combination lock system. Jewell manage to lift the grate — it slide up into the wall. They spike it open. Mick lights it up with Dancing Lights. Looking inside, they see 2 very regular holes in the ceiling of the little chamber. Simon squeezes in, careful not to get below the holes. He jams 2 arrows up in them, feeling the arrows clink against something metal. He jams the arrows in, leaving them hanging there. Mick then crawls in and successfully picks the lock. The metal door flops down.
• Beyond that door they see a glass pane, and beyond that a large black diamond sitting on an ornate stand.
• Debi fires a sling bullet at the glass, causing a small chip.
• Mick fires a crossbow bolt. Also just a small chip.
• Simon tries Sacred Flame. No effect on the glass.
• Mick decides to use Mage Hand to lift the diamond from its stand. The rest of the party moves to the sides and corners of the chamber. Mick lifts the gem, and a cone of fire erupts from the gem’s vault. Simon and Debi are in safe spots. Jewell saves with enough to dive out the way. Mick and Greta don’t make their saves by enough and take half damage.
• Debi blasts the glass with Thunderwave, doing enough damage to shatter it.
• Mick Mage Hand’s the gem out. He drops it on some cloth to avoid touching it. He wraps it in the cloth and picks it up, intending to put it in the portable hole which he has spread out. Instead he misses a very difficult WIS save. Upon having the black diamond on his person, his mind is suddenly open to the horrifying nature of the universe of the old gods. He snaps. He begins gibbering nonsense, pulls out his daggers, and attacks Simon! He stabs Simon with his magic dagger doing 10 points! The rest of the group scrambles. Debi hits him in the let with her staff. Eventually Jewell grapples and restrains him, and Greta knocks him unconscious.
• Debi notices that the diamond’s display stand is knocked over. They find a golden key under it. She mage hands all the stuff out. Simon does Identify on the diamond, finds out it is magic, evil, and cursed. Detect magic reveals the key to also be magic. They use summoned squishes to discover a hidden treasure vault under the diamond vault, and use the key to open it. They put all the stuff in the portable hole.
• Jewell carries the unconscious Mick over her shoulder as they spend a couple of hour exiting the underworld
• Returning to the surface, they make haste back to the Temple of Ahki, where Abbot Lightman removes curse on Mick, who has now seen the dark side of things. He uses Greater Restoration to being Greta and Debi back to their true ages. Mick, always a great patron of the Temple, donates 200gp.

End of session. They are all within 200 points of 6th level, so the DM bumps them up to 14,000 xp and they move up.

Session 43

PCs negotiate sale of the emerald with Rivas Greel to Luella Partha. They meet and make the sale. The Odd Three give the Slash Sisters and Slovas their shares. This session was heavy on roleplaying though the PCs did use some spells and skills to improve Rivas’s negotiating skills, getting them a very good price. Luella just couldn’t pass up that emerald!

XP: ?

Session 44

The Odd three, at Simon’s suggestion, each buy a 300dp diamond on a chain to wear under their clothing to allow him to cast a revive the dead spell on them in an emergency. They spend some time dealing with a craftsman for strong chains and proper diamonds for the spell’s material component. Debi pays extra to have hers in a small platinum locket with a crescent moon on the little door – symbolizing the Moon Lyre. 

The Odd Three got to the party at Luella Partha’s estate, hobnob, meet some big shots. Luella takes them aside and proposes an expedition further into the underworld, in search of additional huge/valuable gems. She will finance it it they will lead it. Each can use a magic device, and they’ll get to keep them, one for each 15,000gp + gem they can bring back. She is not interested in other treasure, and will only take enough to pay the help. She invites Lugosi the Sage into the room, and he tells them some legends of the Cyclopeans, telling them that Cyclopeans are known to have had great jewels from deep in the Earth, and that the huge chamber they describe is likely the Nexus Chamber, said to have been a meeting place where many of their tunnels came together. 

XP:?

Session 45

Still at the party, the Odd three have rejoined the main party. Debi chats with the leader of the musicians, and she joins them for a piece, boosting the already high entertainment value of the band. Mick finds Rivas, who has noticed that Wilcott Submirian, of the Submirian shipping clan, is getting sloshed and has a very nice dagger – his “dress dagger” – with a jeweled hilt. Rivas expresses envy for that knife. Simon joins them and they all chat. As the crowd moves up to watch the band’s performance with Debi, Mick sidles up to Sibmirian, makes a sleight of hand roll, lifting the jeweled dagger from it’s scabbard and replacing it with Mick’s plain dagger of about the same weight. Debi, from the small stage, can tell that Mick has done something. While playing her drums, she casts her Message spell, asking him what he did. Here hears her whisper in her ear, and he says “I relieved someone of some property.” The song ends, and the Odd Three say they goodbyes and get out of there.

Back at their lodgings, Simon casts detect magic on the dagger. It is not magic, but it is valuable.

The next day Mick takes the dagger to Rivas, who buys it for $200gp.

They return to the Partha Estate that afternoon to discuss the Return to the Underworld Expedition. Luella mentions that someone lost a valuable dagger the night before, clearly knowing that they stole it, but she doesn’t care and don’t press the subject. She just has a little fun with them. They discuss what they’ll need. Luella will them whatever gear they need, and will supply three strong laborers/helpers to go along. She’ll pay the Slash Sisters. They consider finding the wizard Ty Kindal to supplement their group, but remembering his arrogance they decide not to bring him in.

Luella gives them a box containing three Ioun Stones. One for each of them to use during the expedition, and to keep if they bring back the contracted-for loot. They each take one. Leadership – Debi. Insight – Simon. Reserve – Mick.

They spend the next few days gathering supplies. Returning the the wrecked mansion where the entrance to the tunnel is, they find that the guards have indeed been instructed to just let them by. They enter the tunnel as they have before. Again they hear Subteraneans (Squishies) in the surrounding rock, but do not encounter any of them. Retracing their steps they arrive at the very large “Nexus Chamber”.

End of Session.
XP 100 each.

Session 40

Still in the big cavern. They steal the huge emerald from the top of the statue, which unleashes a monster, which they kill. Find the room under the monster’s pedestal with a box with a crystal globe and tiny monster. The monster is an amoebic blob with pseudopods that can attack from 25″ way, but it is slow. They luck out and take no damage, managing to kill it.

Session 41 

They leave the way they came, go to the right, and are challenged trying to descend some staircases. They find a massive cavern with a pylon in the middle. They find no magic or secrets with the pylon. They explore. They find one ground-level exit. End of Session. 

Session 42

Before entering the tunnel that leaves the giant cavern, Debit listens and looks carefully in. Her elven ears can still hear more of the squishies in the walls of the tunnel. The puts on the ring they found on the ancient cleric in Session 39, concentrates, and summons eight of the creatures from the walls. She then uses the ring and a Charisma roll to control them, commanding them to lead the party back up the tunnel and to the entrance to this underworld. The squishes bow in obedience and comply.

The adventurers return up the tunnel, coming to the point where two branches come together. They cross the chasm they navigated the day before and come to the 4-combination door, which they now know how to open. They open it and step through. The squishies do not. They stay in their subterranean home.

The party finds its way back to the basement of the damaged mansion through which they entered. Simon uses a Pass Without Trace spell to allow the party to easily stealth past the guards in broad daylight.

They embark on a few activities. Mick goes to the Eye of the Beholder. He pays an urchin to deliver an invitation to meet with Rivas Greel. Debi and Simon do some shopping. Debi buys some new clothes. Simon has 3 “fake” portable holes made. Fancy black fabric in the right size and shape, which can be folded and will look just like the real on in Mick’s backpack. While in the Eye, Mick is fanboyed by Brother Bryce, the young cleric who is such a fan of Simon, who asks about their adventures.

The Slash Sisters will stay around and wait for the Odd Three and Slovas to strike a deal for the huge emerald.

The group meets at the Eye. Bryce is there. Rivas shows up with his bodyguard, Larsh. They go to Rivas’s house and unveil the huge emerald. Rivas is impressed. He offers to find a buyer for it, for a 10% commission, or buy it outright for 1000gp each (6000 total). Slovas is there and balks — he knows Rivas is trying to rip them off. After some discussion after Rivas leaves they decide to opt for the commission sale.

The Odd Three to got Blix Yodarian’s house. Blix, Mick’s mentor, invites them in. He examines the emerald, estimating its value at 15,000gp. They show him the box with the crystal orb containing the tiny monster. He says it is very dangerous, and perhaps the best place for it for now is the portable hole. He examines the box, and find a small scroll hidden under the bottom. The scroll is magic. He casts identify, and tells them the scroll will allow someone to unleash the monster and possibly control it.

The return to the Eye of the Beholder, where Debi performs. They decide, for safety, to all three sleep in Debi’s flat that night.

The next morning, early, they heard something banging in the hall. Mick opens the door and peeks out to see Blix banging on his door, telling him to open up. They speak. Blix says after careful consideration, he thinks the crystal with the trapped demon is too dangerous for them to keep, and he should probably keep it as his house, which Mick knows is heavily guarded by magic and traps. They are suspicious. They insist on returning with Blix to his house. Mick thinks he is acting a bit weird (makes an Insight roll). They go to the house, and Blix has left his keys locked in the house, along with his thieves tools! He asks Mick to pick the lock for him. As they stand there, Simon casts dispel magic on Blix, but he remains Blix. No disguise spell. Debi casts Detect thoughts and immediately realizes this is not Blix. The fake Blix is about to run when the door opens and the (apparently) real Blix is standing there holding a short sword and dagger. “Just how many of me are there!?” he says! Mick double strikes the imposter, hitting with both. Debi casts Dissonant Whisper on him, doing damage and insuring he will flee. Blix then chops him down with his weapons before he can run. The imposter, now dead, reverts to its natural Doppelganger form.

XP: 333 each

PCs now at 10,175 XP.

The Odd Three, Slovas, and the Slash Sisters continue on the deep underground tunnel hoping to find a huge emerald in ancient statue.

As they walk down the weirdly-lit tunnel, going deeper and deeper, they come to a gap in the tunnel 20′ across. 40′ down there is an underground stream. There is no easy way across. They see that the walls of the tunnel still have the little cracks in them, even above the stream. There are carved stone attachment spots on each side of the chasm, which Mick surmises were once used to secure some king of bridge. The stone protrusions are about 3′ off the floor of the tunnel. They decide to string a rope across, and used that two get across, hanging by their hands.

Simon uses his Jump ring to easily get across with the rope and ties it securely. Debi suggest that since there are cracks in the wall, they should hang the rope across diagonally to avoid having the subterraneans come out of the wall and attack. Jewell, Debi, and Mick make it across. When Slovas is halfway across a subterranean squishes through a crack in the roof and leaps down on the thief, biting him. Slovas misses a Dex save and plummets to the ground 40′ below. Greta shoots the creature from above but fails to kill it. Jewell, chops the rope and used it to swing down, but misses an Athletics roll and doesn’t come down near the creature. She does however make another save and is able to roll out of it, taking no damage. Eventually Greta shoots it with another arrow, killing it. They manage to get everyone up to the other side, and Simon heals Slovas.

They continue.

They come to an enormous cavern. It is lit with the same luminous plant and fungi growth they have been seeing. The ceiling is 40′ up, and they see a number of large stone buildings inside. There are huge stone columns rising to the ceiling. A few of them are fallen. As they enter the cavern Mick can see a statue on the other side of the cavern. An amoeba-like polished body rising 15′, with a pseudopod rising another 10′. There is a huge emerald “eye” on the end of the pseudopod. As they discuss that do they are surrounded by 9 of the subterraneans, and a weird pale and ancient-looking cyclopean humanoid stands on top of the stone building in front of them. Battle begins.

The subterraneans leap about chaotically, biting at the party, while the figure atop the building begins spellcasting. Simon hits him with Spiritual Weapon. The creature then casts a twisted version of Guiding Bolt, which Simon dodges. Debi uses her sword and crossbow, as Mic is attacked by two of the creatures. Greta fires arrows into the spellcaster, who screams but is not stopped. Mick kills one or the subterraneans with dagger strikes.  Simon is hit by the dark Guiding Bolt. He takes damage and is enveloped in a dark radiance. Jewell is chopping down subterraneans. She uses an Action Surge, wading through the creatures, leaving four dead ones in her wake. Simon hits with his Spiritual Weapon. Debi, finding herself suddenly without subterraneans around her, turns her attention to the spellcaster. She whispers a quiet, dissonant tune that only the creature can hear – Dissonant Whispers. The creature screams, hands on its head, and falls from the roof of the building to lie dead on the stone floor. The team finishes off the remaining subterraneans.

They then turn their focus to the statue.

End of session.
XP: 290 each

The Odd Three, the Slash Sisters, and Slovas the thief, are in the tunnel they entered under the damaged mansion in the Noble district.  They have travelled about 1.5 miles. As they walk down the 10×10 excavated tunnel, Mick walks up front side by side with Jewell Kestrel, Slovas and Simon in the middle, with Debi and Greta in the rear. Mick, up front, keeps his eyes open for traps and other problems, Debi keeps her eyes on the ceiling. They come to a split in the tunnel, but with the cyclopean eye etched above the entrances. Debi examines the floor, and can see that one side – the left side – has been worn smoother by much more traffic. They go to the right. They notice that it is getting slighly warmer as they proceed, and the cross a small undgeround stream. They examine the walls of the tunnel, and find that there are a lot of cracks in the surface, from 1/4 to 1/2″ wide. Mick moves ahead, detecting a larger cavern ahead.

As the group quietly walks down the tunnel the all start to hear voices around them. They can’t identify the language or the exact source. They continue down the corridor. Debi hears something behind them, turns around, and sees four primitive looking naked gray humanoids in the passage. Two are walking almost on all fours, two are clinging to and moving across the walls. The group all turns around to see the creatures in the glow of the fungus in the tunnel. As they watch, two more of the creatures squeeze their bodies out of the cracks in the walls, like rats able to pass through tiny openings. They make a disgusting sounds as they move through. Now there are six of the creatures. They bear their very sharp teeth and start to attack.

Debi is closest to them. She moves up and casts Thunderwave. Four of the creatures are blown back ten feet and obliterated. The rest of the groups attacks the remaining two, killing one of them. The last one scampers up to the wall and slithers through a crack, disappearing.

The group decides they’d better move forward. Mick enters the cavern. It is brighter inside, with glowing vegetation in a rainbow of colors.  The group hears lots more voices back in the tunnel.  They move into the cavern and begin to explore. They find and underground stream going across is. As Debi explores she finds another tunnel entrance on the other side, and encounters a humanoid being that appears to be made from the fungus and other growth in the cavern. It moves toward Debi. It gibbers madly. Debi makes a Wisdom save to avoid effects of hearing its madness.  It opens its mouth and blasts out a cone of nauseating spores. She saves. Simon comes around and attack with Sacred Flame, but the creature dodges. The rest of the group attacks. Simon is in range of the gibbering and fails a save, resulting in a -1 to his actions until he can save. Debi hits it with Shatter. Mick hits with a Magic Missle. Jewel hits with a great sword. As the fight goes on, they see that the creature is drawing mass up from the ground, regenerating its wounds. The creature attacks repeatedly with bite attacks, but misses.  Finally Simon hits it with the Thunder Mace, and blows it to bits.

End of session:

XP 250 each.