Winterfrost sent her owl down a side cavern to scout ahead. She saw a two-headed giant, an ettin, tending a mushroom garden. She recalled her owl and told the others. They decided to avoid that cavern.
However, there were passages beyond the cavern, past the ettin. Bearbite stealthily moved past the ettin to explore those farther passages.
Once alone, he ran across an old friend. It was the pirate smuggler, Vevette Blackwater!
"Bearbite! I don't have much time. I need to talk with you!"
CHAPTER 20
"JIBBER JABBER"
The Mystics of Trollskull Manor:
- Winterfrost of House Silverspear - Chaotic Good Moon Elf Noble and Fighter. The daughter of elven diplomats, raised among dwarves.
- Etlenda, aka "Exile" - Neutral Good Eladrin Outlander and Paladin. Exiled from the Feywild and raised by wolves. While exploring the Feydark he crossed over into the Underdark and emerged into the Mortal World.
- Tempus Vegvisir - Lawful Good Human Trade Sheriff and Cleric of Helm. Husband and Father.
- Push-ta "Bearbite" Tok - Neutral Half-Orc Former Smuggler and Rogue, secret member of the Zhentarim.
- Kem Hearthfire - Chaotic Good Half-Orc Former Gladiator Priestess of Gond.
- Randall - Chaotic Good Human Scout and Smuggler. The child of minor nobles slain by Manshoon - or one of his duplicates, he now leads smugglers down the River Sargauth to Skullport.
- Glom the Wretched, aka "Hu-Man Patty Johnson" - Chaotic Neutral Goblin NPC, former thief and guide to the Arcane Chambers.
DM - Update on my book. WotC is sending me a complimentary replacement copy free of charge! I was prepared to send the old one with missing chapters back but they said that wasn't necessary. Excellent customer service, WotC!
Vevette Blackwater
Vevette led him to the end of the passage at the shore to an underground river. The water was covered in thick mucous.
"Bearbite! I need your help! I'm projecting this image to you but I don't know how long I can keep it up. I've been captured, and I need you to find me and rescue me. I'm being held on an island in this river, downstream. Please, come help me!"
Bearbite was shocked and confused, "How? What? Where are you?"
"Look for the island! Oh no! It's coming for me!" She fell to the ground as if grabbed by something invisible. She was dragged into the slimy water and disappeared.
While he stood on the shore, gobsmacked, tentacles appeared from the viscous water and struck at Bearbite. The half-orc nimbly dodged the attacks before he turned and fled.
Jibber Jabber
Bearbite returned to the ettin's cavern. His attempt to sneak past was thwarted when one of the ettin's heads said, "Oh, hello! Did you come to trade for some mushrooms?"
Bearbite learned that the ettin was friendly. His names were Jibber and Jabber. Jibber knew the most about the mushrooms in the garden while Jabber did all the negotiations. Bearbite summoned the others to meet his new friend.
From Jibber and Jabber, the group learned that something came to the river "some time back" and turned it to slime. This drove away the stink-lizards and made the fishy-folk sick. It also made affected the spider-people who came "a while ago".
Jibber and Jabber also offered to trade mushrooms in exchange for any shiny bauble or pretty trinket.
The group thanked the ettin and explored a different passage.
Piercers
They explored a passage filled with stalactites. As they moved through, the stalactites released from the ceiling, falling onto the party below - their sharpened conical points piercing them from above. The piercers fell to the ground and began to slowly crawl back up the sides of the wall. The party began attacking. Soon more piercers fell! Once on the ground the piercers were vulnerable and the party eventually killed them all.
Winterfrost scouted ahead. She saw several three-legged three-armed creatures with toothed maws on the top of their heads. The strange creatures were digging the walls searching for gemstones. Winterfrost reported her finding and the party withdrew to the location of their earlier battle with the ropers.
No Way Across
They retraced their steps down a passage that led to another bank of the underground river. Winterfrost once more sent her owl to investigate, staying clear of the water's edge. She flew across the river and found dozens of fishy-folk, the kuo-toa, languishing in a large cave. They were sick, bloated, with red puffy gills. They were covered in mucus and moaning pathetically.
Winterfrost wanted to help them but there was no way across the river. The party had in their possession a magic boat they could summon but it had only one use. They felt the need was not yet great enough.
What followed was an interminable debate over how to cross the river and what to do next.
Two Patty Johnsons
Hu-man Patty Johnson interrupted the debate to declare her intention to just swim across! Before anyone could grab her to stop her, she waded out into the mucus-covered river, "See! Water is fine! Come with Hu-man Patty Johnson! We cross river!"
Etlenda and Winterfrost called out to her, "Come back! It's dangerous! Something is in the river!"
"No! Is fine!" she replied.
Winterfrost prepared to go grab her.
"Uh, guys? Who are you talking to?" asked Kem Hearthfire.
"Hu-man Patty Johnson!" said Winterfrost.
"Um, Hu-man Patty Johnson is back here with us." said Tempus.
"Hi!" said the hu-man.
They turned back to look at the swimmer in the water but she was gone.
A Deal With the Drow
They left the river to find an alternative route. They found a section of the passage where the ceiling had collapsed. Tempus used his magic to move enough of the loose dirt to allow a person to turn sideways and squeeze through. This would preclude bringing Etlenda's recently re-summoned Spirit Wolf mount so they chose a different way.
They soon found a cavern filled with the smell of cooking mushrooms and crackling firewood. They entered to find a drow camp. The four drow guards were waiting form them with crossbows ready.
A drow priestess and her mage companion stepped forward. The mage said, "Do not attack! We offer you a bargain!"
The party listened to her offer. The drow priestess sneered with disgust.
The mage explained that their scouting party had fallen ill. They had succumbed to a disease introduced to the caves by a being known as an aboleth.
Randall said he was familiar with the aboleth. He had learned of them in his various travels through the Underdark.
The drow priestess could barely contain her antipathy towards the surface worlders but she allowed her mage to continue.
"In our current state, we are doomed. We admit that we would not fare well against you if you chose to attack us. However, if you find and kill this aboleth, you will do all of us a favor. We can provide you with a skiff. Find and kill this aboleth and you will be rewarded - we will show you how to use one of the wizard's gates."
The party agreed.
A Hard Night's Rest
The party was becoming tired and decided to rest. They retreated to a nearby cavern with a rough uneven floor. The ceiling was covered in stalactites.
Tempus cast a spell to create a magical dome within which they could sleep soundly without fear of attack. However, the uneven floor made it difficult to find comfort for sleeping. While the others were able to fall asleep, Kem tossed and turned uncomfortably. She became frustrated and angry at the lack of rest. When morning came, she was unable to pray for new spells.
DM - Tempus' player was very proud of his new spell - Leomund's Tiny Hut. I said, several times, "Yes, but the floor is very uneven. This is not a good room for finding rest." He asked if he could cast "Mold Earth" to even out the ground. I said, "Roll a d20" - If he rolled high, sure. He rolled poorly so I said the ground was just too uneven. He cast the spell anyway, hoping everyone would make their rest saves.
One of my house rules in the "Rest Save". I want to reward players for taking the time to build a shelter, sleep in an inn, or purchase comfortable camping equipment. So often do players just say "I sleep on the hard ground in my armor." and I don't like that. So I require everyone taking a long rest to make a Survival skill check vs. 10. You get Advantage for things like tents and padded bedrolls and hammocks. You get Disadvantage for rain, scary noises, unsafe locations, or unsuitable terrain. The Tiny Hut gave Advantage while the unsuitable terrain gave Disadvantage so they cancelled out. Everyone made their check but Kem.
Spiders and Driders
With Kem's rough night, the party decided to wait another day before taking on an aboleth. So they explored a random side tunnel.
They came across and curving cavern filled with stalagmites and covered in spider webs. They proceeded into the room cautiously. Etlenda caught sight of a web strung between two stalagmites and connecting to a sticky mass holding up rocks in the ceiling. Anyone who walked into the trip-wire web would pull it off the mass can cause the rocks to fall.
He called forth Bearbite. Bearbite cut the trip wire and the party proceeded.
Bearbite continued to check every ten feet. Despite this, he blundered into the final trip wire. Luckily, it broke the strand and the rocks did not fall.
They entered into a cave covered in webs. webbing shot out from the ceiling, revealing multiple giant spiders.
Two man-spider hybrids shot their crossbows at Etlenda and Bearbite. With each volley, the two driders would spout bad haiku.
Kem said a prayer and created a wall of fire along the ceiling, driving the spiders out of the corners and towards the ground. Tempus cast a spell and the entire room exploded into flame, dispatching many of the spiders in one stroke!
The two driders drew swords and converged on Etlenda. After a pitched battle between the driders and Etlenda, Winterfrost, and Bearbite, one of the driders lay dead. The other drider crawled along the ceiling and tried to flee.
Tempus cast a magical fire bolt at the fleeing drider, killing it.
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