A Miner Problem (30/4/20)
May 5, 2020 0:11:05 GMT
Ian (Menace), Igrainne (RETIRED), and 1 more like this
Post by BB on May 5, 2020 0:11:05 GMT
Another week, another underground city it seems. It’s been a while since I was in a Dwarven stronghold, Vorsthold was different to what I was expecting, but then again I never got to see the underground tunnels of Adbar much.
It was nice to catch up with some familiar faces beforehand, Mace I saw on the way to Daring, he was very intrigued in the fey flower’s progress. He kept talking about green thumbs? I think it’s a gardening metaphor? Sheryl, Bones and Ghesh we met up with in Daring. Kalta, a half-orc lady, was there reminiscing with Ghesh about past adventures. Everyone seemed in good form, Sheryl had even got a bit of a makeover since coming from back home!
Then we’re off, transported by Jenna to the Southern edge of the Feythorn, and Ghesh leading us right up to these humongous mountain gates, the Thunder Gates I was told. Ghesh was also very serious about saying we should not anger or annoy the guards, so I tried to stay quiet until we were inside.
The way in was a long, long winding tunnel, filled with so many traps I lost track after a while. It opened out into this extremely fortified underground city, every inch of it was built with war and battle in mind. There was even a casual battle currently going on? I was impressed with the ingenuity and attention to finite detail that’s gone into building the city, but it could have done with more flowers.
Meeting with the major, Carrie Grumblefoot, gave us a few details on what was happening in the Stargarve mine, and how the city was anxious to get it running again. The mentions of sudden loss of contact, scouts going mad from something in the mine, reminded me all too much of what started at Stoneleaf. At the time I didn’t realise it, but I’m glad those thoughts in the moment were enough to prepare me for what we encountered there.
We were then escorted out of the city by a lady called Vistra, through this imposing mithral door, then just like that we were in the Underdark. The glowing crystals hanging from the stalactites cast this ethereal glow about the place. And then the wildlife, it was fascinating! Everything was either very dangerous looking or so well hidden I would never have guessed it was a living creature. I managed to get a potion bottle’s worth of the glowing fungus growing everywhere (not the poisonous type), it was a nice change from the glow stick I usually use.
Before I could get to the glow fungus Vistra spotted a large group of grey Dwarves in the distance, heading for Vorsthold, so she left us to warn her home. She said the mine wasn’t far, and there was no way we could get lost, but Bones made a map just in case.
Approaching the wide open gates of the mine was no issue as promised, but we were met with an eerie silence and a seemingly abandoned site filled with the scent of blood. Everything felt wrong about it.
I sent Blue in to scout inside, we couldn’t see much at first, some dark stains in even darker corridors. Just as I lost connection when Blue entered the wider cavern deeper in, I felt them swing back as quick as they could out of sheer terror. I only just about managed to calm them down. Whatever had sent that scout mad was certainly in there.
We went in the mine proper, ever cautious. What we discovered inside was a mess of bodies, blood, and struggle. I wasn’t able to find any diaries that might help us dipher what happened, but the bodies of the dwarves themselves had clues. Kinda. Some were chewed on, but interestingly some were much more decayed than others. Sheryl mentioned that some mages among the Vorsthold dwarves practiced necromancy, to keep the fallen warriors going, but it was a process that required concentration if you didn’t want the undead being let loose. And well it certainly looked like they had.
As we crept closer to the cavern that Blue had fled from, Mace found some acidic green slime on the floor. That didn’t bode well, but it at least gave us a heads up to what might be down here.
And as finally emerged into the cavern proper, well we certainly found the slime, and much more. Slime in a corpse, slime in a pool, goat headed demons and unfortunately the corpses of the rest of the missing dwarves. Ghesh didn’t hesitate in charging towards the demons, rage boiling over, Kalta and Sheryl drawing weapons and following quickly behind. Bones and Mace stayed up high by the entrance, supplying magical fire and long ranged support to the others below. I used the ropebridge across the fight to get a better view on what rock friends could assist us, a mine should have plentiful rocks right? So Beatrice, Bouldy, and Barley rose up to help defeat the slime and demons.
As the boulder crew teamed with Ghesh to wail on the goat demons, I turned my attention to the creepy horned demon assailing Kalta and Sheryl, both using magics and Sheryl’s quite fancy sword to take it down. Leaving only the large slime demon.
As it oozed over to us all, that’s when I sensed it, this buzzing. It built into a horrendous crescendo, my mind vibrating with it almost. I lost sense of where I was until Sheryl’s voice helped snap me out of it, just in time to see the slime demon go down.
Once we all collected ourselves, I needed a good moment to get used to my new height, we got to trying to figuring out what happened here. Mace was pretty certain the slime was a portal demon, called an Alkilith. But the only real evidence we could find was this smashed black porcelain beaker, corroded on the inside, the outer walls etched in elvish runes. I could determine it had been used to contain something magically, something bad.
Whether this attack was one of the regular assaults that the people of Vorsthold are subject to, or something else to be worried about, we couldn’t tell.
Once we managed to safely get back to Vorsthold, Carrie seemed impressed with our work, thankful for the help, but obviously happy for us to be on our way. They had a lot to sort out in the aftermath.
As we gathered ourselves just outside the walls of the stronghold, the others happy for me to teleport them to Daring, I couldn’t find Sheryl. I had been talking to her only a moment before! I heard her fading music amongst the trees, the notes somehow reassuring, but I still worried a little bit. I guess she had other places to be.
Much Love,
BB
N.b. Make sure to write to the Professor again, I think she’ll be fascinated by the notes on Underdark plant life. Just remind her that she shouldn’t use them as an excuse to start an Underdark expedition for a new book, she is meant to be retired from that for her health.
It was nice to catch up with some familiar faces beforehand, Mace I saw on the way to Daring, he was very intrigued in the fey flower’s progress. He kept talking about green thumbs? I think it’s a gardening metaphor? Sheryl, Bones and Ghesh we met up with in Daring. Kalta, a half-orc lady, was there reminiscing with Ghesh about past adventures. Everyone seemed in good form, Sheryl had even got a bit of a makeover since coming from back home!
Then we’re off, transported by Jenna to the Southern edge of the Feythorn, and Ghesh leading us right up to these humongous mountain gates, the Thunder Gates I was told. Ghesh was also very serious about saying we should not anger or annoy the guards, so I tried to stay quiet until we were inside.
The way in was a long, long winding tunnel, filled with so many traps I lost track after a while. It opened out into this extremely fortified underground city, every inch of it was built with war and battle in mind. There was even a casual battle currently going on? I was impressed with the ingenuity and attention to finite detail that’s gone into building the city, but it could have done with more flowers.
Meeting with the major, Carrie Grumblefoot, gave us a few details on what was happening in the Stargarve mine, and how the city was anxious to get it running again. The mentions of sudden loss of contact, scouts going mad from something in the mine, reminded me all too much of what started at Stoneleaf. At the time I didn’t realise it, but I’m glad those thoughts in the moment were enough to prepare me for what we encountered there.
We were then escorted out of the city by a lady called Vistra, through this imposing mithral door, then just like that we were in the Underdark. The glowing crystals hanging from the stalactites cast this ethereal glow about the place. And then the wildlife, it was fascinating! Everything was either very dangerous looking or so well hidden I would never have guessed it was a living creature. I managed to get a potion bottle’s worth of the glowing fungus growing everywhere (not the poisonous type), it was a nice change from the glow stick I usually use.
Before I could get to the glow fungus Vistra spotted a large group of grey Dwarves in the distance, heading for Vorsthold, so she left us to warn her home. She said the mine wasn’t far, and there was no way we could get lost, but Bones made a map just in case.
Approaching the wide open gates of the mine was no issue as promised, but we were met with an eerie silence and a seemingly abandoned site filled with the scent of blood. Everything felt wrong about it.
I sent Blue in to scout inside, we couldn’t see much at first, some dark stains in even darker corridors. Just as I lost connection when Blue entered the wider cavern deeper in, I felt them swing back as quick as they could out of sheer terror. I only just about managed to calm them down. Whatever had sent that scout mad was certainly in there.
We went in the mine proper, ever cautious. What we discovered inside was a mess of bodies, blood, and struggle. I wasn’t able to find any diaries that might help us dipher what happened, but the bodies of the dwarves themselves had clues. Kinda. Some were chewed on, but interestingly some were much more decayed than others. Sheryl mentioned that some mages among the Vorsthold dwarves practiced necromancy, to keep the fallen warriors going, but it was a process that required concentration if you didn’t want the undead being let loose. And well it certainly looked like they had.
As we crept closer to the cavern that Blue had fled from, Mace found some acidic green slime on the floor. That didn’t bode well, but it at least gave us a heads up to what might be down here.
And as finally emerged into the cavern proper, well we certainly found the slime, and much more. Slime in a corpse, slime in a pool, goat headed demons and unfortunately the corpses of the rest of the missing dwarves. Ghesh didn’t hesitate in charging towards the demons, rage boiling over, Kalta and Sheryl drawing weapons and following quickly behind. Bones and Mace stayed up high by the entrance, supplying magical fire and long ranged support to the others below. I used the ropebridge across the fight to get a better view on what rock friends could assist us, a mine should have plentiful rocks right? So Beatrice, Bouldy, and Barley rose up to help defeat the slime and demons.
As the boulder crew teamed with Ghesh to wail on the goat demons, I turned my attention to the creepy horned demon assailing Kalta and Sheryl, both using magics and Sheryl’s quite fancy sword to take it down. Leaving only the large slime demon.
As it oozed over to us all, that’s when I sensed it, this buzzing. It built into a horrendous crescendo, my mind vibrating with it almost. I lost sense of where I was until Sheryl’s voice helped snap me out of it, just in time to see the slime demon go down.
Once we all collected ourselves, I needed a good moment to get used to my new height, we got to trying to figuring out what happened here. Mace was pretty certain the slime was a portal demon, called an Alkilith. But the only real evidence we could find was this smashed black porcelain beaker, corroded on the inside, the outer walls etched in elvish runes. I could determine it had been used to contain something magically, something bad.
Whether this attack was one of the regular assaults that the people of Vorsthold are subject to, or something else to be worried about, we couldn’t tell.
Once we managed to safely get back to Vorsthold, Carrie seemed impressed with our work, thankful for the help, but obviously happy for us to be on our way. They had a lot to sort out in the aftermath.
As we gathered ourselves just outside the walls of the stronghold, the others happy for me to teleport them to Daring, I couldn’t find Sheryl. I had been talking to her only a moment before! I heard her fading music amongst the trees, the notes somehow reassuring, but I still worried a little bit. I guess she had other places to be.
Much Love,
BB
N.b. Make sure to write to the Professor again, I think she’ll be fascinated by the notes on Underdark plant life. Just remind her that she shouldn’t use them as an excuse to start an Underdark expedition for a new book, she is meant to be retired from that for her health.
