"The Holy Radiance of Lathander" - Out of the Abyss, Chapter 37

Cordon shook off his grogginess. Had he been asleep? If so, how was he standing?

He looked around, confused. He was surrounded by thin emaciated people wearing shifts and loincloths made of coarse material. There were humans, dwarves, blue-skinned elves, drow, and deep gnomes. They looked as confused and disoriented as he did. Each of them had an eye tattooed onto their foreheads. Cordon noticed that he was wearing the same shift and loincloth. He touched his forehead wondering if he too bore the same mark as the others.

They were all milling about in some kind of stone chamber. The only light came from magically glowing crystal sconces growing from the walls. The sounds of fighting could be heard echoing down a nearby corridor. He and a few others cautiously advanced.

He saw a motley group in life-or-death struggle with a massive floating beholder in a massive vertical shaft. The group consisted of a pint-sized male halfling, a brutish male orc, a male human knight, and a female human wizard. They were traversing a corkscrew walkway that wound its way down the wall of the shaft while the beholder flew, hovered, and weaved.

Suddenly the halfling leaped up onto the beholder. The beholder moved out over the shaft as the halfling began stabbing it. The two plummeted over a hundred feet and crashed to the floor. Cordon winced at the meaty sound of the impact.

A few moments later the halfling was joined by his companions as they seemed to be butchering the beholder.

Cordon and a few of his fellow captives advanced. Cordon held up his hand and smiled, "Greetings, I am Cordon the Morninglord, the Holy Radiance of Lathander!"

OUT OF THE ABYSS, CHAPTER 37

"THE HOLY RADIANCE OF LATHANDER"

Five heroes scour the Underdark

in order to find the ingredients

of an arcane ritual

that will banish the Demon-Lords

back to the Abyss

from which they escaped.

After defeating the purple worms

at the worm nursery

and obtaining six purple worm eggs

the expedition now travels

to the mysterious Vast Oblivium

in order to harvest the central eye

of a dangerous beholder...

THE LEADERS OF THE EXPEDITION
Sir Valerius Adeques - (PC, human paladin 11) Defender and champion of the old gods of nature.
Willow - (PC, human wizard 11) "the solution is always fireball!"
Phwee-toop - (NPC) Salix/Willow's owl familiar.
Ront - (PC, half-orc barbarian 11) Savage orc of the Iron-Thews tribe seeking redemption for his failures.
Pain Grille' - (PC, halfling rogue 11) Wily street urchin from Waterdeep, was turned to stone in Blingdenstone but got better.

INTRODUCING
Cordon - (PC, human cleric 10) Priest of Lathandor the Sun God, was on a holy quest when he was captured and enslaved by Karazikar the Beholder

THE SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION
Thora Nabal - (NPC)  human warrior of the Order of the Gauntlet
Sylrien Havennor - (NPC)  human warrior of the Order of the Gauntlet
Elias Drako - (NPC)  human warrior of the Order of the Gauntlet
Tamryn Tharke - (NPC)  human warrior of the Order of the Gauntlet
Feral Killmander - (NPC)  human spy of the Lord's Alliance
Pok-Pok - (NPC) winged kobold.
Sparky - (NPC) trained fire-beetle.
The Shield Guardian - (NPC) a contribution from Lord Zelraun Roaringhorn of the Harpers.

THE PARTY SPLITS
The freed slaves of Karazikar consisted of:

• 21 shield dwarves from Gauntlgrym including Anzar the Brazen of the Lord's Alliance, Brim Coppervein and Thargus Forkbeard of the Emeral Enclave, and famed explorer Amarith Coppervein.
• 17 humans including Cordon the priest of Lathandor, Lhytris Ilgarn of the Black Cloaks of the Zhentarim as well as Zilna Oakshadow and Hilvius Haever of the Lord's Alliance and Olaf Renghyi of the Order of the Gauntlet. 
• 11 moon elves
• 9 drow
• 5 deep gnomes
• 23 goblins
• 15 orogs
• Derendil the intelligent quaggoth.
• An insand modron

All of the slaves wore simple shifts and loincloths and each bore the tattoo of an eye on their forehead.

The heroes discussed their plans with the freed slaves.

The orogs simply left without a word with the goblins in tow. Likewise the drow vanished with nary a farewell. Derendil, however, desired to continue his quest to find Gravenhollow.

The deep gnomes offered to lead the dwarves, humans, and elves to Blingdenstone. There they could accompany a trade caravan to Gauntlgrym and the Overworld. The journey would take sixteen tridons.

Ser Valerius and Pain decided to lead Derendil to Gravenhollow with their contingent of warriors and guards. Using the magical Tablet of Garmin the journey would take eighteen tridons to travel there and return.

Ser Valerius announced that they had no time to waste so they gathered all the food they could carry on the pack lizards and set out for the fabled library of the Stone Giants.

Cordon informed Ront and Willow that he had no wish to return to the Overworld. He had important work to perform in the Underdark and wished to continue his mission. Cordon was disappointed to learn that his weapons, armor, and magic shield had not been found within the Vast Oblivium. He was outfitted with an extra mace from the party's inventory.

WE ARE MODRON
A short while later, Willow asked Cordon if he could pray for a miracle of restoration for the insane modron. Cordon prayed for the bio-mechanical creature and the modron's wits were returned.

Willow followed up by casting a magic spell which allowed everyone nearby to telepathically communicate regardless of language barrier.

The modron and the Overworlders found it difficult to communicate. The modron communicated only in plural pronounds. The modron had no sense of individuality and constantly referred to themselves as "they" and "we" and "us". Indeed, they had no sense of "you" or "it" or "me" or "him" and the modron became confused when Willow or Ront would use these strange words. This greatly complicated attempts by Ront and Willow to communicate with them.

Ront, Willow, and Cordon soon learned that the modron was part of "the Great March", an event that Willow understood to be a great modron tour of the multiverse. The modron, which identified themselves as "duodrone", explained that they had became lost, then they were captured, then they lost it completely, then they were returned to order.

When asked about the Maze Engine, Duodrone admitted that they knew of nothing by that name. However, they could detect an Orderer approximately 289 miles south of their present location. The Orderer brought order to chaos and set things right.

Willow looked a the others, "The Orderer must be this Maze Engine."

Cordon observed his new friends in reserved silence.

A CHAT WITH THE DECEASED
While Ront and Cordon scoured the rest of the Vast Oblivium for anything useful, Willow prepared the bodies of Karazikar and Shedrak for use with the Stonespeaker Crystal.

She touched the crystal to the beholder. The magic returned a semblance of life to the butchered aberration. She interviewed the creature regarding the modron and the maze engine. She appealed to the creatures vanity and self-importance by promising to create for it a stone mausoleum and crypt if it truthfully answers her questions.

Karazikar, flattered by the prospect of an imposing tomb, answered as best he could but the questions were poorly chosen and his answers were ultimately vague and unhelpful.

Willow turned to Shedrak. She once again offered an imposing burial place in exchange for truthful answers. Shedrak wanted only to be entombed forever with his beloved master. She agreed. She asked the dead wizard about the slaves' belongings. He told her that he traded them to drow merchants for food. The drow merchants had last visited three tridons ago and were likely on their way to Mantol-Derith.

Afterwards, Willow kept her promises and, via the casting of stone-shaping spells, created imposing tombs for both villains..

ENCOUNTER WITH OROGS

Told that the drow merchants had left only three tridons ago, Ront decided to take a contingent of dwarven scouts and decided to explore the area around the Vast Oblivium to search for signs of their passing.

After a few hours of reconnaissance the dwarven scouts came running back around the bend ahead. They were being chased by two mutated orogs!

The orogs were highly deformed. One of the orogs had two heads and carried a weapon in each arm. The other had one head but four arms. The dwarves made it behind Ront. The orog attacked Ront with each weapon. Ront counterattacked with his greatsword. After another attack Ront cleaved through the orog, cutting him down. Ront continued forward and slew the second orog with a single strike!

The search party continued their search but returned to the Vast Oblivium after finding nothing.

JOURNEY TO BLINGDENSTONE
Ront, Willow, and Cordon decided to accompany the deep gnome expedition to take the humans, dwarves, and elves to Blingdenstone.

From there they would continue on to Mantol-Derith to find Cordon's belongings. They left a note at the Vast Oblivium telling the other expedition of their quest and asking them to meet up with them in Mantol-Derith.

They walked until they were tired, resting until they were sleepy, and sleeping until they were awake. Thus they traveled for over a dozen cycles, encountering various hazards and wonders of the Underdark.

On the fifteenth cycle their route took them to a vast chasm spanned by a frayed rope bridge. Willow once again cast her stone shaping spell and crafted a stone bridge which they were able to safely cross. She decorated the bridge with the mark "W".

After sixteen cycles they arrived at the secret entrance to Blingdenstone. Ront was welcomed as a returning hero. Ront informed the guards that he needed to return the royal gemstone. Ront and the others were ushered to an audience with Dorbo and Senni Diggermattock, co-regents of Blingdenstone, who had since moved their base of operations to the throne room within the royal geode.

Blingdenstone was active. The population had doubled since they left from just over three hundred to over six hundred. Repairs were being made, stone elementals were carrying heavy loads and reopening tunnels, life was returning to normal.

On the way, Ront encountered two familiar faces: Topsy and Turvy. The twins were as annoying as ever and Ront did his best to resist the urge to murder them where they stood. Willow was unable to determine whether the twins still suffered lycanthropy or not. When the twins were told that the party was on their way to speak with the co-regents, the twins became evasive and ran away.

The meeting with Dorbo and Senni went well. They greeted Ront warmly and welcomed his new friends. Ront presented them with the gemstone recovered by the box carried by the succubus pretending to be Gabble Dripskillet. They thanked Ront and brought him up to speed on what has happened in Blingdenstone and Mantol-Derith since they left. Ront and Willow provided news on their own adventurers.

Ront asked about the fate of Kettle and Angolwen, the two party members who were turned to stone along with Pain by Neheedra the Medusa. They told Ront that the same alchemy that saved Pain saved the other two and that they were searching the Underdark for clues to the fate of the royal family of Blingdenstone.

Dorbo then took Ront aside and offered him the use of a dozen Svirfneblin guards to accompany him on their mission to destroy the demon lords. Ront refused their aid for the greater mission but did ask if they could accompany them to Mantol-Derith. Dorbo agreed.

The team re-equipped and resupplied themselves in Blingdenstone. Cordon sought out a tattoo artist to convert the eye tattoo on his forehead into a sun, symbol of his god Lathander. The work took the better part of a shift but the results came out better than expected.

They stopped off at the Foaming Mug where they were treated as honored guests and encouraged to tell their stories to the innkeeper. Ront asked about the dour barmaid but was embarrased to discover that he had confused the inn with the Grohlborn's Lair in Gracklstugh.

After a comfortable rest, Ront, Willow, and Cordon left the humans, dwarves, and elves in Blingdenstone. The next trade caravan would take them to the Overworld. Ront, Willow, and Cordon then took a complement of a dozen deep gnomes to Mantol-Derith.

ONWARD TO MANTOL-DERITH
The next leg of their journy took them to Jewelshine-on-Darklake. The journey was uneventful. They took a long boat from Jewelshine-on-Darklake to Mantol-Derith.

The boat arrived in a hidden niche on the shores of Darklake, the secret Svirfneblin entrance to Mantol-Derith. There they saw an elven druid sitting on a rock dangling his feet in the water. A shoulderbag and staff sat nearby.

"Hello there," said the druid, "care to join me?"

SLADIS VADIR
The party introduced themselves from the safety of their boat. The elf introduced himself as "Sladis Vadir", a name Ront immediately recognized. Morista Malkin of the Emerald Enclave tasked Ront with, should they find Sladis in the Underdark, returning the druid safely to Gauntlgrym.

Ront surreptitiously gave Sladis the secret hand-sign of the Emerald Enclave. Sladis provided the correct reply and Ront came ashore.

When asked what he was doing there, Sladis answered that he had been a member of a mission. The mission failed and Sladis was the only survivor. He tried to keep a positive outlook, however, and was just sitting on this rock enjoying the beauty of the Darklake.

Sladis asked about the recent travels of the party. Ront explained that they had come from Blingdenstone and were on their way to Mantol-Derith.

"Ah, Blingdenstone. I've been there."

Ront decided to give Sladis a little test, "What the name of Inn there?"

"Hmm.. Right, the Foaming Mug! I love that place! The patrons there are delicious."

Ront replied, "Yes, well... wait- you just say patrons delicious?"

"What's that? Oh no! I said the pastries there are delicious!"

Ront narrowed his eyes, "Hunh." He shared a glance with Willow.

"You say you are heading to Mantol-Derith? I've never been there! I've been all over the Underdark but that location has yet eluded me! May I join you?"

Ront cautiously answered, "Yes. But way is secret. You need wear blindfold."

"That is acceptable!"

With that, the druid gathered his shoulder bag and staff and accepeted the blindfold.

The party passed through the secret door.

As they passed through the long dark tunnel that led into the city, Cordon walked up next to Ront and Willow. "Ahem. I thought I should tell you now. I think I trust you well enough to tell you about my mission.  I was sent by the high priests of Lathander to find the Maze Engine. We believe that the Maze Engine can be used to banish Demon Lords back to the Abyss. This may be a solution to the Demon Lord problem. I just thought you should know about what because I think we need to journey to the Labyrinth and find it and activate it. Good? Thanks. Right then."

Ront and Willow exchanged glances of disbelief that the priest waited until now to share that bit of information.

TO BE CONTINUED...

DM Notes - This was a fun week. We had lots of time to role-play and the return to familiar locales was a treat to the players, allowing them to interact with known NPCs and see the effect their actions have had on the world. Nothing builds a sense of place like returning to a known location and meeting known NPCs, especially old friends. 

"Out of the Abyss" - Out of the Abyss, Chapter 23

What follows is an illustrated dramatic retelling of my group's play through of the D&D campaign setting, "Out of the Abyss". SPOILERS for anyone wishing to play in this campaign.

CHAPTER 23

"OUT OF THE ABYSS"

A rag-tag group of fugitves

experience one adventure after another

as they travel the Underdark

searching for a way home.

After helping to save Blingdenstone

from the Pudding King and his

army of oozes, the surviving 

escapees from Velkenvelve prepare 

for the long journey to the surface world...

THE PLAYER CHARACTERS
Virtue - tiefling paladin and warlock, a mysterious wild card of unknown allegiance.
Ront - orc barbarian seeking redemption for his failures.
Ficus Asëa - eladrin sword-mage who became lose while helping escort deep gnome refugees back to Blingdenstone.
Jimjar - deep gnome rogue who likes to wager on everything.

NOT APPEARING THIS WEEK
Breya- human bard, sent to rescue Wulfric from duergar slavers, now seeking a way back to the surface.

THEIR FELLOW FUGITIVES
Starshine - A mute moon elf, an escaped slave from Menzoberranzan.
Santaka - a baby red dragon, loyal to Virtue.

A CURSE LIFTED
The were-rats of the Goldwhisker clan were cured of their affliction thanks to Virtue. The tiefling paladin now turned her attention to Prince Derendil.

Prince Derendil

Prince Derendil had maintained since their initial meeting that he was an elven aristocrat from the Overworld who had been polymorphed into the body of a vile quaggoth and sold into slavery. Virtue offered to remove his curse and return him to his true form. Prince Derendil accepted the offer and Virtue performed the ritual over the prince. Starshine the moon elf bounced and clapped at the prospect.

The prince jerked as if violently woken from slumber. He looked around confused. His eyes narrowed in comprehension. He bared his teeth as he understood where he was and who he was. He looked nervous. He acted like an animal cornered. Virtue formed her magical glaive and watched him cautiously. Starshine became nervous and backed against the wall.

Then the quaggoth took a deep breath and exhaled. He calmed himself and relaxed. He spoke and though his words were elvish he no longer did he possess the lyrical accent and affectation of an elven prince.

The quaggoth formerly known as Prince Derendil explained that he was once an ordinary quaggoth. He had been a slave to the drow. The madness that currently plagued the Underdark had affected him. He had come to believe in the fiction that he was an elven prince named Derendil. Now the curse was lifted and he could think clearly. But he was no mere quaggoth slave. His time with the fugitives had affected him deeply. He now saw the world through new eyes and with greater understanding.

He thanked Virtue for lifting the curse and he asked her to thank the others for the gift of conscience.

DM Note- Player Agency
We did the restoration of Derendil "off-camera". I told the players the outcome according to the book, with Prince Derendil becoming a quaggoth and attacking as he tried to flee. The players were unhappy with that ending so I gave them a poll of several better options. Virtue's player suggested the above so that became the new "canon".  

FAREWELLS
The tridon had finally arrived for the deep gnome guides to lead the Overworlders out of the Underdark and back to the surface. The guides included four svirfneblin guides and one pack lizard. Before they set out of Blingdenstone the Overworlders bade their farewells to their fellow fugitives and newfound friends.

Mister Floop

The flumph known as Mister Floop was a native of the Underdark and decided to continue his nomadic exploration of the lower world. The flumph would accompany Derendil through the Underdark as the quaggoth sought out the Society of Brilliance.

Glabagool

Glabagool the intelligent and friendly gelatinous cube would live and work in Blingdenstone where he would help keep the passages clean.

Breya

Breya and her companion Wulfric would be returning to the surface using a different route and would not be accompanying the other Overworlders.

Jimjar

Jimjar would accompany the expedition to the Overworld but would return to Blingdenstone with the deep gnome escorts.

The expedition then said goodbye to the dour and unemotional deep gnomes of Blingdenstone and set off in search of the secret path that led home.

AMBUSH
The deep gnome guides led the expedition to what they called "the Long Stair". They explained that this secret stairway was one of the few passages to the surface. They entered into a large chamber. The far wall of the chamber contained massive stairs carved into the stone, winding into a passage cut into the ceiling. The chamber was littered with the ancient statues and giant cyclopean blocks of quarried stone.

No sooner had they entered the chamber when the path behind them became walled off with sticky impassable webbing cast from the spinners of massive spiders. They were trapped!

Their adversaries emerged from their hiding places within the chamber. Six quaggoths led by the drow commander Shoor emerged from behind the statue and quarried stone. Four drow led by the commander Jorlan took their positions spaced evenly along the stairs. A giant spider clung to the wall to the left while another giant spider sat atop the ancient statue. At the top of the stairs just below the passage into the ceiling was Mistress Ilvara.

Ilvara

The fugitives froze.

Ilvara called out, "I have come for my property! Render unto me the orc, the tiefling, and the deep gnome. They are slaves of the drow and belong to me. Surrender them to me and the rest of you may leave."

Ront looked back at Ficus. Would the elf sell them out? Ront wondered what he would do if the situation was reversed.

Ficus

Ficus looked at Virtue. Virtue nodded in return. Ficus looked back at Ilvara and called back in response, "How about instead you surrender now and become my servant?"

Ilvara's eyes flashed with anger. She called forth the demonic powers of her goddess Lloth, summoning a swarm of insects that enveloped the travelers in a vortex of pestilence! The insects ate away at the living flesh of everyone caught within the maelstrom.

Starchild, RIP

The travelers found themselves surrounded by magical darkness that impeded their vision. Only Virtue's infernal magic could see through the inky blackness.

Starshine screamed and fell! Her body was covered by the ravenous swarm. Virtue alone saw the fate that befell the mute elf. She grit their teeth at the death of the innocent slave girl and spun to face her drow opponents.

Virtue

The travelers quickly moved out of the swarm and the darkness and faced the charge of the quaggoths while arrows rained upon them from the stairs. The spider to the left clambered down and engaged the left flank while the spider on the statue cast webbing onto those below.

Ront

Ront charged the stairs and was met by Shoor. The two clashed swords in an epic struggle.

Virtue and Santaka fought their way past quaggoths  on their way to the base of the stairs.

Jimjar and the other deep gnomes occupied themselves fighting the giant spider that climbed down from the statue. When they were done with the spider they held the center against the quaggoths.

Ficus cast a spell of haste upon himself and easily defeated the quaggoths and giant spider that blocked his path. Ficus held his magical blade Dawnbringer aloft. The shining blade of light blazed forth with the full light of day. The drow shielded their eyes. Jorlan ordered one of the archers to cast darkness upon Ficus and the light of the blade was momentarily obscured.

Jorlan

Meanwhile the drow on the stairs would illuminate groups of fighters with magical faerie fire and create additional zones of darkness to block line of sight for the spellcasters. Little did they suspect that their darkness spells had no effect on Virtue.

Santaka

Santaka took a running leap onto the base of the stairs and tore the throat out of a screaming drow archer. Jorlan rushed down the stairs to engage the baby dragon. Ilvara ordered that the dragon be captured alive. It would be useful in the future.

Virtue made her way to the dragon's side. Together they defeated Jorlan and continued their path up the stairs. Ficus defeated the quaggoths of the left flank and dashed across the room at an inhuman pace. Once he left the zone of darkness the room once more flared into brilliant daylight. Ficus paused only to cast another spell of haste upon Ront before joining Virtue and Santaka on their way up the steps.

Shoor

Ront continued his struggle with Shoor. He eventually killed the drow and moved to help the Jimjar and the other deep gnomes take out the remaining quaggoths.

The Overworlders made quick work of the drow archers and made their way towards Ilvara. Ilvara called upon the aid of Lolth and was surrounded by whirling spider spirits. Virtue advanced up the stairs and was set upon by the attacking spirits. Ilvara brandished a magical rod. The end of the rod branched into many writhing tentacles. The tentacles lashed out and grabbed Virtue. Virtue was held fast!

With magically enhanced speed Ront left the remaining quaggoths behind and charged the stairs. There he joined Virtue and the rest in confronting Ilvara.

Ilvara's Wrath

Ilvara was now alone and desperate. She once more called upon her goddess Lolth for aid. With tears in her eyes she beseeched Lolth for the aid of the demon queen's handmaiden known as Yochol. But her call for help went unanswered. Ilvara had been abandoned by her demon-goddess.

Ficus dashed past and struck Ilvara with Dawnbringer. The elf attacked in a blur. Ilvara crumpled under the flaring onslaught of the magic sword. The elf paused over the fallen Ilvara. He considered taking her prisoner or leaving her to survive in the Underdark. The drow priestess looked back and sneered. Dawnbringer cleaved through Ilvara and cut her in two. The priestess was dead.

THE LIGHT OF DAY
The travelers continued their journey without further incident. They climbed the miles and miles of stairs.

They eventually emerged in the ruins of an ancient city covered in trees and littered with fallen walls and columns. They said their goodbyes to Jimjar and the other deep gnomes and thanked them for their assistance.

The time eventually came to part ways. Ficus left for elven lands. Ront returned to the hills of his tribe. Virtue made her way back to civilization.

The surviving fugitives from Velkenvelve were no longer fugitives. They were free. They were safe. they thought about those who didn't make it. The halflings Kettle Bearclaw and Pain Grille'. The half-elves Angolwen and Talorean. They even spared a thought for the drow prisoner Sarith who was eaten by a Xorn.

The story of their escape from the Underdark was over. But the ultimate story of the Rage of Demons had just begun.

TO BE CONTINUED...?

With that, we finish the first half of Out of the Abyss. The current plan is to take a few weeks off from D&D and play Hollow Earth Expedition. After that, we will decide if we want to return to Out of the Abyss or if we want to play something else D&D. 

Several of the players were dissatisfied with Out of the Abyss. Their complaints ranged from annoyance at the survival section in the first part of the adventure to lack of agency in several chapters to lack of a sense of place. These are all valid concerns. 

Some players want to continue and finish the story. Others aren't interested in finishing. We'll see how they feel when we re-convene in a few weeks.

In the meantime, get ready for some astounding tales of exploration and adventure with the daring heroes of The Seekers of the Unknown in the Elixir of Life!

"The Battle for Blingdenstone" - Out of the Abyss, Chapter 22

What follows is an illustrated dramatic retelling of my group's play through of the D&D campaign setting, "Out of the Abyss". SPOILERS for anyone wishing to play in this campaign.

CHAPTER 22

"THE BATTLE FOR BLINGDENSTONE"

A rag-tag group of fugitves

experience one adventure after another

as they travel the Underdark

searching for a way home.

While in Blingdenstone,

they discovered that the old

Royal Quarter was controlled

by an insane Deep Gnome

called the Pudding King,

who intends to use

his army of oozes, slimes, and jellies

to take over the city!

Chief Senni has called

a council of war

to decide what to do...

THE PLAYER CHARACTERS
Virtue - tiefling paladin and warlock, a mysterious wild card of unknown allegiance.
Ront - orc barbarian seeking redemption for his failures.
Ficus Asëa - eladrin sword-mage who became lose while helping escort deep gnome refugees back to Blingdenstone.
Breya- human bard, sent to rescue Wulfric from duergar slavers, now seeking a way back to the surface.

NOT APPEARING THIS WEEK
Jimjar - deep gnome rogue who likes to wager on everything.

THEIR FELLOW FUGITIVES
Prince Derendil - Elven prince in the body of a brutish quaggoth.
Starshine - A mute moon elf, an escaped slave from Menzoberranzan.
Mister Floop - a friendly flumph.
Glabbagool - an inquisitive but friendly Gelatinous Cube.
Santaka - a baby red dragon, loyal to Virtue.
Wulfric the Tinker - a male human and expert engineer and inventor.

BREYA AND FICUS RETURN
Breya and Ficus were returning to Blingdenstone after successfully helping Yantha Coaxrock of the Stoneheart Enclave locate the lost location to Entemoch's Boon. There, Yantha had created new Earth Elementals two for the defense of the Stonheart Quarry and one for Blingdenstone itself.

Ficus asked Yantha if he could have an earth elemental. Yantha told him no, they were too valuable and were needed for the defense of the city.

DM Note- True story. This will become incredibly funny later.

Breya, Ficus, Yantha, and a handful of escorts, had just entered the gates and passed through the maze when they were met by a messenger.

"I am here to inform you that you are to be summoned to Diggermattock Hall for a council of war."

Yantha, taken aback, blinked and responded, "Of course. I'll be right there." She turned to her companions, "I'll meet you afterwards."

Ficus and Breya nodded.

The messenger continued, indicating Ficus and Breya, "My orders say that you, too, are invited."

Ficus blinked away his surprise and he and Freya followed Yantha and the messenger to Diggermattock Hall.

A COUNCIL OF WAR

Dorbo and Senni

Senni had assembled representatives from each of the factions of Blingdenstone.

The room was filled with svirfneblin, were-rats, and ghosts.

Before Senni called the assembly to order, Ficus and  Ront exchanged greetings. When asked about the others, Ront said Jimjar wasn't invited and that Virtue was late. Ront did what he could to bring Ficus and Breya up to speed on the events of the last few tridons, but Ront was Ront.

During the introduction, Chipgrin waddled over and introduced himself to Ficus and Breya, saying he had heard all about them and that it was a pleasure to meet them. Ficus was dubious of the were-rat but withheld judgement.

Chipgrin the Were-rat

Senni called the council to order, introducing each of the factions.

• Senni's husband, Dorbo Diggermattock, stood with Sark Axebarrel and the city guard.
• Yantha Coakrock represented the Stoneheart Enclave. 
• Kazook Pickshine represented the interests of the Miner's Guild.
• A few of the city's ghosts hovered near the spirit of Burrow Warden Jadger.
• Chipgrin led a small contingent of Goldwhisker were-rats.
• Ront stood alone but welcomed the arrival of Ficus and Freya. 

Senni looked around the room, desperately searching for Virtue who still hadn't arrived. She soon gave up and asked (sigh) Ront (sigh) to relay his experiences with the court of the Pudding King.

Ront did his monosllyabic best to tell the story of how Chipgrin led them to a back passage, telling how they encountered the "Big Ghee-Hode" and the booming voice that told them to leave. He told of the walls covered in slimes and molds and jellies which shook and jumped along with the loud voice. 

During the story, the assembled deep gnomes looked at each other with increasing confusion as Ront used as many big words that his limited vocabulary could muster. 

When he finished, Senni thanked him and asked Chipgrin to continue, "What can you tell us about this Pudding King?"

Chipgrin told his story and said that the Pudding King was planning to take over Blingdenstone, and that the Goldwhiskers would leave before that happened.

Dorbo shouted, "Good! Leave! Clear out! You've never been welcome here!"

Sark Axebarrel, Captain of the Guard

Chipgrin hissed in defiance, but was silenced interrupted by Ficus, "Stop it! Dorbo, I've seen how many soldiers you have. If what Ront says is true, you'll never defeat the Pudding King with only thirty guards. You're going to have to work together with the were-rats if you want to have a chance."

Dorbo sat down. 

Ficus continued, "What do the rest of you have, what else do you bring to the table?"

Yantha offered, "I brought an Earth Elemental."

Ficus approved and pointed to his former master, Kazook Pickshine, "Master Pickshine, do you have any oil? How much alchemist fire do you have?"

Kazook Pickshine, Alchemist and leader of the Miner's Guild

Kazook answered, "We've got some lubricant but no lamp oil, if that's what you're asking. I only have a handful of flasks of alchemist fire."

"Could you make more?"

"Yes, but I'd need to acquire some more ingredients from the myconids in Neverlight Grove."

Ficus shook his head, "That's too far away."

Dorbo interrupted, "What about weapons? We've fought some of these slimes and our weapons melt away! We need better weapons from Gracklstugh!"

Ront

Ront shouted, "NO GRACKLSTUGH!"

Ficus agreed, "No, it's also too far away. What about you ghosts?"

Barrow Warden Jadjer cleared his throat and hovered higher, "Thanks to the efforts of these brave Overworlders, I believe I can rally the ghosts of Blingdenstone to our aid."

Ficus then said, "Okay, I've got a plan. I say you deep gnomes launch an attack against the Pudding King and all his oozes. This will distract him. Meanwhile, our team can sneak in the back way and attack the Pudding King in his throne room."

Dorbo excitedly interjected, "Yes! A frontal assault! We could put the earth elemental in the front. It would be the point of the spear. Meanwhile, the were-rats," he nodded towards Chipgrin, "could follow behind and be the shock troops. My men would bring up the rear."

Barrow Warden Jadjer, Ghost

Barrow Warden Jadjer offered, "The ghosts could weave in and out of the walls, causing mayhem!"

Dorbo nodded, "Yes! Perfect!"

Ront suggested, "Are oozes like cave slugs? Will salt hurt them? You could hurl salt with slings."

Kazook shrugged, "Couldn't hurt, I guess."

Senni brought the council to a close, "Excellent, then we have a plan. We shall assemble at the start of the next tridon. Assemble what you need and meet in the Trader's Grotto. We'll attack the House Center

SNEAK ATTACK
After preparing and resting for a shift, the various teams assembled for their missions. The Overworlders were escorted into the Goldwhisker Warrens to the edge of the Pudding King's court. There they waited for the messenger with the signal that the attack had begun.

A few moments later, a messenger ran up and gave the signal. The Overworlders entered into Pudding territory. Ront, fearing the effect an ooze would have upon his blade, carried a two-handed bone club.

They entered into a large chamber with a pond of water on the left wall. They were met by three grey oozes and an ochre jelly. This initial resistance was soon defeated.

Virtue remembered that the path ahead led to the throne room. However, that path led past a ruined rothe' stockade containing a gibbering mouther, a beast the party was unwilling to confront. The party faced a decision - go forward and risk the gibbering mouther or go right and risk getting lost.

THE RELUCTANT GUARDIAN
Virtue knew that the path to the right led to the old House Center, but perhaps there was another way past the gibbering mouther. She looked down the passage towards House Center and saw a quivering dark mass on the ceiling. She pointed it out to her companions and she, Ficus, and Breya peppered the dark shape with ranged spells. The dark shape retreated into a hole in the ceiling.

The party advanced. Ront led the way until he was standing under the hole containing the black shape. Suddenly the black pudding dropped from the ceiling, barely  missing Ront as it fell to the passage floor with a sickening wet "THWAP!" Simultaneously, two grey oozes emerged from the passage walls, attacking the rest of the party with their pseudopods.

Ront attacked the black pudding with his club. To his surprise the club began to dissolve! Ront dropped the club and switched to his sword. To his further horror, the sword split the black pudding into two halves with each continuing to attack independently from the other! After the others defeated the grey oozes with magical attacks, they helped Ront defeat the puddings.

They advanced forward and found themselves in the House Center where they witnessed the great battle raging near the entrance. They backed away, ignoring a side passage to the left, and decided to take the route past the gibbering mouther.

OBSTACLE CUBED
After returning to the cavern with the pond, they decided to take the path that led to the ruined stockade. Ront led the way and almost walked into a transparent gelatinous cube occupying the hallway. Ront was able to dodge out of the way as the cube advanced.

Ront, Virtue, and Santaka fought the gelatinous cube while Ficus withdrew to a safe distance behind a pillar. Unfortunately, Ficus was then attacked by an ochre jelly lurking in the darkness.

Virtue left the cube to Ront and rushed to aid Ficus.

Both the cube and the ochre jelly were eventually destroyed.

A QUARTET OF PUDDINGS
The party advanced forward, reaching the cavern that was once a deep gnome temple and later used as a rothe' stockade during the drow occupation. In the back of the cavern, they could hear the horrible cackling of the gibbering mouther, but the abomination made no effort to leave its home near the temple.

As they entered, they were met by four quivering black puddings!

Ficus ordered everyone to back up to the passage where they could constrain the puddings. Ront and Virtue held the front line against two puddings at a time while Breya and Ficus cast spells from the rear. Breya was able to damage two of them with a fireball spell.

The other two puddings acted with unusual intelligence, a trait bestowed upon them by the Pudding King, and kept out of sight of the spell casters.

Ront's club continued to degrade as he fought but thanks to the continuous spell attacks and Virtue's magic halberd, they were eventually able to defeat all four puddings and continue.

THE ROYAL JELLIES
The gibbering thing ignored them as they continued towards the Pudding King's throne room. The Overworlders came upon an intersection of several passages. Standing in the middle was an old wrinkled deep gnome wearing a tattered cape. The deep gnome's features were wrinkled and droopy. His body was covered in wet glistening slime.

The Pudding King was waiting for the Overworlders, "I see my welcoming party failed to keep you properly entertained. No matter, my loyal children, Princess Ebonmire and Prince Livid, shall tarry with you while I complete my preprations to welcome the Faceless Lord!"

At his signal, a black pudding and a grey ooze poured from holes in the ceiling, forming roughly humanoid shapes. The black shape was vaguely female while the grey shape was that of a young boy. The female spoke, "Yes, father. We shall have oh so much fun with out guests!"

The boy ooze jiggled evily as he chuckled.

The Pudding King looked pleased, "Excellent! Devour them, my precious children! Make your father proud!" With a wave of his hand he turned into a cloud of mist and blew away down one of the passages.

Ront charged and battle was joined. Prince Livid fell quickly. Princess Ebonmire gurgled a horrid scream at the death of her brother, "You will pay for that!"

Princess Ebonmire began hurling globs of black goo at the Overworlders, forcing Ficus to withdraw in pain. Ront engaged her in a fierce melee.

The Princess proved a match for Ront, splitting several times and reducing both Ront's club and two-handed sword to flaccid ruins. With a howl of anger, Ront was forced to reluctantly withdraw and his place was taken by Virtue.

DM Note- Ront was down to 1 hit point and had to withdraw to drink a healing potion. He had ruined both his weapons and was not reduced to daggers.

Eventually Princess Ebonmire was defeated. As she burst into a large puddle of black syrpy liquid, she disgorged two arcane tomes bound in troglodyte hide. Both books had titles in gnomish, so Ficus put them away for later. The party continued their pursuit of the Pudding King.

THE PUDDING KING
After navigating the confusing passages and caverns of the House Center, they eventually came upon the chamber of the Pudding King's throne.

In the rear of the large cavern was a stone throne, behind which stood the Pudding King. The ceiling dripped with dangling draperies of green slime.

The Pudding King laughed, "Callooh! Callay! Now you can join the party! You can be one with the Faceless Lord! Just let yourselves be eaten and disgorged!"

The Pudding King

The party studied the dripping green slime and hesitated at the entrance. The Pudding King cast a spell upon them and they were engulfed in a cloud of noxious gas! Coughing and gagging, Ront, now wielding one of Virtue's halberds, charged the Pudding King behind his throne, dodging green slime as it fell from the ceiling with Virtue not far behind. Breya moved out of the gas but stayed towards the rear of the room.

Ficus moved into the room and disappeared, only to suddenly reappear behind the Pudding King!

The Pudding King was just about to move the killing cloud over Breya when he was attacked by Ficus wielding the brilliant sun-blade known as Dawn! The Pudding King lost his concentration and the cloud dissapated!

The Pudding King then tried to magically disappear into a puff of mist but was stopped by a counterspell from Ficus.

The Pudding King reached out towards Ficus, grabbing his arm. Ficus began to wither like a raisin as his life force was drained by the magical Blight spell.

Green slime fell on Virtue, singing her with acid, but her instinctive counterattack flared forth into a halo of fire, burning away the slime instantly!

In a last ditch effort, the Pudding King turned himself into a black pudding. Ront attacked the pudding with his halberd cutting it into two. He attacked again, splitting again. There were now three black puddings, but the Pudding King had been split too many times. Some quick application of firebolt spells and a gout of flame from Santaka finally destroyed all three black puddings.

When the last pudding was burst, it reformed into the wounded body of the Pudding King, "You haven't won! No! We will rise from our children! We will be reborn from the Faceless Lord! Juiblex will consume the banquet of the Queen fo Fungi and we... will... all... grow...!"

AFTERMATH
As the Pudding King died, so too did the intelligence of the oozes he controlled.

Soon after the Pudding King's death, Sark Axebarrel and Dorbo Diggermattock rushed in followed by several battle-weary guards. They announced that the jellies, oozes, and slimes suddenly stopped fighting as an army and began to flee before their attack! The battle was won!

The Overworlders were escorted back to the massive geode palace in House Center where Senni, Chipgrin, the were-rats, and the guards were mopping up and killing every last ooze that remained. When Senni learned what the Overworlders had done, she came over and thanked them.

The following shift, the Overworlders were properly rewarded at a ceremony in the now liberated royal palace. For their efforts in defeating the Pudding King, they were awarded a magical Stone of Earth Elemental Control!

DM Note- Ficus got his earth elemental! 

After the battle, Virtue spent the next four or five tridons curing the were-rats of their lycanthropy. Meanwhile, the deep gnomes prepared an expedition to the surface.

The Overworlders were returning home!

TO BE CONTINUED...

Next week: The journey home!

Coming soon: We'll be taking a short break from Out of the Abyss for a few months and playing something different. I'm currently thinking of a science fiction space opera game in a galaxy with magic and space gods. It's going to be a Star Wars knock-off in the tradition of Message From Space, Battle Beyond the Stars, Starchaser: the Legend of Orin, or Starcrash. 

Finally, I leave you with this: Trevor, who plays Virtue, dropped his huge d20 on his own nutsack, causing much pain and laughter, and when the dice landed on the table, it rolled a natural 20! PERFECT!

"Goldwhisker Warrens" - Out of the Abyss, Chapter 21

What follows is an illustrated dramatic retelling of my group's play through of the D&D campaign setting, "Out of the Abyss". SPOILERS for anyone wishing to play in this campaign.

CHAPTER 21

"GOLDWHISKER WARRENS"

A rag-tag group of fugitves

experience one adventure after another

as they travel the Underdark

searching for a way home.

The fugitives continue their work

helping the deep gnomes of Blingdenstone.

After defeating the medusa Neehedra

and re-consecrating the Steadfast Stone,

they rescued many deep gnome hostages

from a drow trap in the Stonehart Quarry.

Now in order to secure passage to the Overworld

they must carry a diplomatic message

to the wererats of Goldwhisker Warrens.

THE PLAYER CHARACTERS
Virtue - tiefling paladin and warlock, a mysterious wild card of unknown allegiance.
Jimjar - deep gnome rogue who likes to wager on everything.
Ront - orc barbarian seeking redemption for his failures.

NOT APPEARING THIS WEEK
Ficus Asëa - eladrin sword-mage who became lose while helping escort deep gnome refugees back to Blingdenstone.
Breya- human bard, sent to rescue Wulfric from duergar slavers, now seeking a way back to the surface.

THEIR FELLOW FUGITIVES
Prince Derendil - Elven prince in the body of a brutish quaggoth.
Starshine - A mute moon elf, an escaped slave from Menzoberranzan.
Mister Floop - a friendly flumph.
Glabbagool - an inquisitive but friendly Gelatinous Cube.
Santaka - a baby red dragon, loyal to Virtue.
Wulfric the Tinker - a male human and expert engineer and inventor.

A DIPLOMATIC MISSION
Upon returning from their rescue mission to Stoneheart Quarry, the Fugitives from Velkenvelve rested and recuperated. They awoke the following shift and gathered in the common room of the Foaming Mug inn. Ficus, Breya, and Wulfric were nowhere to be seen. Jimjar was entertaining Starshine with sleight-of-hand games. The mute moon elf would sile and clap excitedly at every new surprise.

A few moments later, a runner appeared to summon the Overworlders to Diggermattock Hall. Virtue, Jimjar, Ront prepared to leave. Prince Derendil said, "Perhaps our royal personage may be of some assistance with this matter? We get so lonely and bored being left behind."

They said, "Sure, come along. Starshine, please stay here."

Mister Floop floated up, "I, too, shall join you!" The others shrugged.

Virtue spent a moment looking for Glabbagool and soon all six were returning with the runner.

Senni and Dorbo, the co-regents, had a mission for them. Senni had drafted a letter to be delivered to Chipgrin, the leader of the Goldwhisker clan of wererats. She wanted the Fugitives were to deliver the letter in the hopes that their neutrality would be accepted by the wererats.

Dorbo and Senni Diggermattock

Dorbo handed Virtue the sealed letter and leaned close, whispering, "While you are there, take note of their numbers and defenses. I am confident that this offering will fail and, when it does, I will be sending in a force of city guard to clear out the warrens once and for all."

A DISAGREEABLE WELCOME
The great metal doors that kept the Goldwhisker Warrens sealed away from the rest of Blingdenstone were opened and the Fugitives cautiously entered the forbidden quarter of the city.

Jimjar cautiously scouted ahead. He easily noticed that the cavern ahead was lined with holes in the walls and noted the pressure-sensitive plate concealed beneath the heavy tarp and covered with cave dust. As he disarmed the trap, four deep gnome guards wearing rags and bits of armor came charging out the darkness.

The guards demanded that the intruders lay down their weapons and surrender!

Virtue complied, dismissing her magical halberd and holding up her hands. She showed the letter and explained, carefully, that they had come to deliver a message to Chipgrin. The Diggermattocks wished a truce in order to deal with the oozes that were plaguing the city. The others, meanwhile, kept their weapons in hand but stayed their attack.

The deep gnome guards hesitated. At the mention of the oozes, two of the guards exchanged a knowing glance.

Virtue continued, reassuring the guards that they meant no harm. Jimjar muttered something under his breath.

One of the guards became agitated, "What did he say? WHAT DID HE SAY??"

Ront rushed forward, slapping the guard down with the flat of his sword. The guard went sprawling to the floor, clutching his face in pain. Ront pointed his sword at the second guard and shouted, "NA-GO-SHAY-SHUNS OVER!!"

The other guards shrank back, "Right. Um. This way." and led the Fugitives towards the Miner's Hall.

CHIPGRIN
The Fugitives were led into the Miner's Hall, a large cavern where ore was once smelted into metal. The forges now sat dark and empty but the room was alive with dozens of disheveled deep gnomes. They were lean, wiry, with long noses and beady eyes, and wore pelts and rags.

The largest and fattest among them stepped forward. One of the guards whispered into his ear and he turned towards the outsiders, announcing, "Greetings. I am Chipgrin, leader of the Goldwhisker Clan. I hear you have a message for me. Come. Join me in my office."

Chipgrin Goldwhisker

He led the Fugitives up a stairway cut into the stone to a wide ledge overlooking the hall. There were chairs here and a large throne covered in the pelt of a cave badger.

"Let's get down to brass hobnails, then. You were sent by the Diggermattocks, 'cause they want us out, am I right? Well, they might get their wish soon enough, see, but in a way they ain't likely to cheer about!"

Virtue asked what he meant.

"This whole here city, see. It's getting run over by them oozes, what with the Pudding King controlling them! It's getting rough to survive here in the old warrens. So we figures we might takes our chances elsewhere."

Virtue was intrigued by the mention of the Pudding King and asked for more.

"Oh, I remembers him from when he worked in the tunnels, and my kin saw him when he returned. I know who is he is, what he's doing, and - most of all - where he can be found! I know all about he what calls himself the Pudding King!"

Virtue inquired further, "Is he tied somehow to the demon lord Jubilex?"

"I have no ideas whats a Doobielick is. I ain't never heard of that so I can't say.  But enough about that, what's this about a letter?"

Virtue gave Chipgrin the letter. Chipgrin opened the letter, read it thoughtfully, crumpled it up, and threw it away.

"It's what I thought. Senni wants our help to fight the Pudding King! Hah! The words of the Diggermattocks aren't worth the trillimac its written on! I care not for their offering. I know that Dorbo wants us all dead! It's probably some kinds of what ya call a ruse to get us to leave!

"Well, they'll get their way soon enough. Blingdenstone is doomed and we're leaving it to him. Sure, we could team up with the Diggermattocks, but I don't TRUST the Diggermattocks! But you, you are outsiders. I have no reason to distrust you, yet. What do YOU think? Do you think this offer is genuine? If we were to team up against the Pudding King, would the Diggermattocks honor their agreement or would they turn on us?"

Virtue considered Senni's genuine optimism against Dorbo's antagonism. "I think if we helped, they'd honor the deal. We'd make sure of it. But maybe as a sign of good faith, you could show us where we could find the Pudding King. Do you have a map or something?"

"Hah! We're Svirfneblin! There are no maps! But you got yourself what ya call a deal! We'll take you to where you can find the Pudding King, fair and square!"

THE PUDDING COURT
Chipgrin and a handful of guards led the Fugitives down some abandoned tunnels, past some that reeked with foul smell, and to a dark passage, from which echoed a thousand constant squicking sounds.

"Be careful of this here passage, it be trapped. To the right is the House Center, former palace of the royal family. Keep going straingt and you'll find what was once a Rothe' stockade. Behind that is where I think he hides him what calls himself the Pudding King!"

Virtue said, "This shouldn't take too long. Lets get in there, take him out, and leave!"

Jimjar took a deep breath, "All right, let's do it!"

Mister Floop shuddered, "Mmm.. Your optimism is DELICIOUS!"

DM Note - Jeffy's Back!
One of our long time players, Jeffy, returned for one night only after being gone for over a year. We gave him Mister Floop to play because Mister Floop is right up Jeffy's alley. He slid into that role like he owned it! He had us cracking up every five minutes!

The Fugitives advanced cautiously. Jimjar was sent ahead to scout.

Jimjar went towards the House Center to take a peek. As he approached, he could feel his boots begin to stick to the wet muddy ground, only it wasn't mud it was slime.

In the House Center, he saw the massive hollow stone geode of the palace, over a hundred feet in diameter, suspended from the ceiling by immense columns of crystal. Other crystals rose from the ground to pierce the sides, forming stairs and entrances. It was as he remembered, only now the entire structure was covered in writhing pulsating slimes and amoebas!

The wet slurping sound was deafening. The walls of the cavern were covered in slime - dripping, sickening, green slime! The room was filled with dozens, scores, possibly hundreds of types of slimes of various color and consistency, yellow, green, black, grey, all mixed together in a disgusting stew!

A disembodied voice echoed through the cave, "What this, what's this? Visitors? Now? Not yet! We're not ready! Go away, pests! I will call upon thee and all of Blingdenstone to announce our glad tidings of the Faceless Lord to come at the proper time! Begone!"

Jimjar's eyes grew wide as the waving tendrils and pseudopods waved and danced to the booming sound of the voice. When the voice stopped, the slimes began to slowly move towards Jimjar.

Jimjar bared his teeth in concern and retreated from the room. He rejoined his companions and told them what he saw.

"Let's not go that way!" was the consensus.

Virtue and Jimjar both noticed Glabbagool slowly wandering towards the House Center. Virtue called for Glabbagool and the gelatinous cube snapped out if its trance. "Sorry. I'm here. What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Um. Do you not feel that?"

"Are you still in control, Glabbagool?"

"Yes? Yes! Yes I am!"

They pushed on to the old rothe' stockade. Behind the stockade was an ancient temple, long ruined. This room, too was covered in slimes, puddings, and oozes, blocking the path to the room Chipgrin indicated beyond. The oozes quivered and slowly heaved in their direction.

The Fugitives carefully backed away. Once again, Glabbagool moved slowly towards them. Virtue and Jimjar both called for Glabbagool but this time the call was too great, they were unable to snap the ooze out of its trance.

Ront ran forward and slashed his sword across Glabbagool's gelatinous side, cutting a wide gash. Glabbagool immediately returned to normal. "Sorry! Sorry! Let's go!"

The Fugtives retraced their steps, wary to avoid disturbing any slimes.

MISSION BRIEFING

Upon exiting the Warrens, the Fugitives returned to Diggermattock Hall to report. Virtue said that the Goldwhiskers would consider making peace and helping Blingdenstone against the Pudding King. Virtue reported on the impending departure of the Goldwhiskers and described the scene in the old House Center. Virtue told the Diggermattocks of the Pudding King and of some impending event suggesting that action be taken sooner rather than later.

Virtue was about to suggest some kind of covert mission when Senni cut her off, "We should act immediately! Please offer my invitation to Chipgrin to join us at a council of war. You, too, are invited and your input would be invaluable." She turned to her guards, "Summon all the clans and guilds. We must make plans for war!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

Next week: the Battle for Blingdenstone!