TOPIC: [R1] D&D Out of the Abyss

Out of the Abyss, Session 3

Our heroes continue their exploration of the abandoned mine. We discover a sinkhole plunging down to a lower level of the dungeon. Greyscale spots a wand discarded near the edge of the pit, but fails to notice the phase spider lurking in ambush. Kiri casts Mind Sliver to drive away the scuttling horror before the oblivious kobold even knows he is in peril. Greyscale waves the wand experimentally and animates 10 small rocks, which follow him around. Erasmus covets the wand greatly, and plots how to take it from the idiot kobold.

Greyscale triggers a trapped chest and is poisoned. Kiri takes the lead, scouting ahead though the eyes of her spider familiar. She views a feral gnome chained to the wall, wild eyed and frothing from the mouth. Kiri casts Mind Sliver to put the wretched creature out of its misery. Morloc recovers a valuable ring (1,000gp!) from the corpse.

The final area of the mine is occupied by four rust monsters gorging themselves on a mound of unrefined ore. Concerned for the hoard of scrap metal Prince Derendil is lugging around, we leave them to their feast and return to the sinkhole. An unhappy Greyscale is lowered down on the end of a rope. The shaft descends 120ft into a horrifying nest of giant spiders. Dozens of oversized arachnids converge on the dangling kobold, plus one particularly huge and swollen monstrosity presiding over the cluster. The party hastily haul Greyscale back up the shaft, then chuck a load of burning debris down the hole to burn away the webs and scare away the spiders.



The smoke clears, and we descend the shaft. A few spiders were cooked by the flames, but most of them (including the big one) have scarpered. Erasmus finds a Ring of Spell Absorbtion among the ashes. A tunnel leads us to the banks of the Dark Lake. An unattended raft bobs on the surface of the still, inky water. There are no oars though, and no-one much fancies paddling. Greyscale flourishes his new wand and animates the raft, propelling it 600ft out onto the lake, before coming to an abrupt stop. Erasmus demands the wand, but Greyscale demurs. He just needs more practise! He waves the wand again, and the raft rockets forward another 600ft. Then - to Erasmus' dismay - the wand disintergrates. Erasmus splutters with outrage to see such a powerful item squandered by an idiot kobold with delusions of magecraft.

The raft drifts aimlessly for some time. Eventually, the opposite bank comes into view, densely forested by towering fungi. We disembark and forage for supplies. Morloc discovers a zurkwood shack, seemingly abandoned. Stairs lead down to a cellar decorated with a statue of the demon lord Orcus. The mouth of the statue is hinged to open, so something can be put into it. Cue much juvenile giggling around the table as we suggest what to insert into Orcus' glorious hole. Morloc makes an offering of the 1,000gp ring, revealing the hidden entrance to a sinister workshop. A teleportation circle has been daubed onto the floor with old blood. The room extends further into darkness, blocked off by metal bars. We find the word 'DARVASHIUM' scratched into the underside of a blood-stained bowl. Kiri translates the word from Undercommon > Common, meaning "to be with the shadows".

Still sore from the (completely avoidable) loss of the Wand of Animate Objects, Erasmus encourages Greyscale to demonstrate his magical prowess by standing in the teleportation circle and speaking the command word. Greyscale disappears.

'That's the last we'll see of him,' Erasmus thinks happily.

But no such luck, Greyscale was only teleported to the dark area beyond the bars, where he finds a +1 rapier and a malevolent shadow demon. Being Small, Greyscale slips between the bars to rejoin the party, pursued by the demon. Elin brandishes his holy symbol to turn the dark entity, and Kiri tears it apart with bursts of psychic energy.

TBC

Out of the Abyss, Session 4

Realizing we are stuck on an island in the middle of the Dark Lake, Morloc whittles an oar from the hardy zurkwood so plentiful on this squalid rock, and we set out across the water once more. The voyage is long, and the raft is crowded with NPCs of dubious value to the plot. No-one has any privacy, and tempers begin to fray. What little sleep we are able to snatch is tormented by shared nightmares of a two-headed titan rampaging through the Underdark, destroying everything in its path. Caught up in a fit of religious ecstasy, the fishman zealot Shooshan (whom Elin has renamed Gil) leaps into the Dark Lake and swims away.

After several days floating in the endless dark, the raft is caught in the current of a great waterfall. Abandoning the raft, we swim toward the nearest shore, where we are ambushed by a party of fishmen. They have already captured Gil. Kiri attempts to negotiate our safe passage, but the fishmen are fervent in their devotion to the Deep Father and adamant on sacrificing us to their god.

We defeat the fishmen and rescue Gil. Apparenly the kuo-toa are experiencing a theological schism between the established faith of the Sea Mother, and the newly arisen church of the Deep Father. Who better to resolve this delicate devotional deadlock than a group of passing murderhobos?

Skulking into the kuo-toa city of Sloopadoop, Gil introduces us to Pluploplee, Oracle of the Sea Mother. She wants us to straight-up murder her counterpart Bliblidoop, Deacon of the Deep Father. Happily will we rid you of this turbulent priest!

We execute the tried and true 'Wookie prisoner' ploy to gain access to our target. Greyscale hangs back in case the plan goes sideways. The 'offerings' are escorted to the Sanctum of the Deep Father, where Bliblidoop (corpulent fishman in a soiled cassock) begins the rites of sacrifice. We renounce our role in this pontifical pantomine and assassinate the problematic priest. Kiri shifts into her panther form like a goddamned Thundercat. Erasmus has spent all his spell slots ensuring Morloc can see in the dark and has nothing but Firebolts left in the tank.

Greyscale does not participate in the fight against the fish cult, hanging back to watch for trouble. The surface of the Dark Lake begins to churn violently, as a colossal creature rises ponderously from the lightless depths. Black waves batter the harbour and flood the streets of Sloopadoop. The two-headed giant from our shared nightmare rises from the lake, towering over the fishman city.

Demogorgan has joined the chat.



TBC

Alex is out (get well soon), anyone want to play through The Ruined Moathouse hastily converted to the Vagabond (d20) RPG?

Hi all
Nice idea Mike, but I'm gonna leave it for tonight, I have reports that need finishing and wasnt looking forward to a late finish when I got back from the club...
enjoy the vagabond! (wasnt that a band?)

NP. Sounds like tonight might be a wash, so I will bail also. (if it was, it was before my time)

incidently how do you insert pictures into your posts... very cool!