As the music faded, the party decided to explore the door to the south. There they found a wide gallery decorated with walls bas reliefs of Dwarves at work. The bas reliefs had been magically defaced - warped so that strange stone tentacles sprouted from the walls.
The massive double-doors at the end of the gallery were watched over by the statues of two dwarven warriors, cut into the wall and flanking the door. They opened a door to the south.
Beyond the door was a room with walls painted with murals of elves in a forest with no leaves. In the center of the room were four pillars of white marble, each shaped in the likeness of a stoic female elf in flowing robes with a flowering branch clutched to her chest. The caryatids faced inward.
Around the pillars marched a bizarre creature - a golden cube with long multi-jointed arms and legs and tiny mechanical wings. On the front of the cube was a mechanical face. It marched with military precision, counting off its paces, and holding its golden bow and arrow ready.
It turned as the party entered, drawing its bow and shouting, "Halt! Come no further! What are your intentions?"
- 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.
- Glom the Wretched - Chaotic Neutral Goblin NPC, former thief and guide to the Arcane Chambers.
Halastron
"Uh, we're looking for Halaster the Mad Mage. Is he here?" said Etlenda.
"Obviously not! Do you mean to cause any damage to the statues?" said the cube-being, still aiming its child-size bow and arrow at the party.
"No, of course not!" replied Etlenda.
"Oh," said the cube creature, lowering its weapon, "Then carry on as you were." It continued to march in a circle around the four figurative pillars, counting out its steps, "1-2-3-4-5-6-right face!"
The party began asking the cube-creature questions. They soon learned that its name was Halastron and that it was tasked by its creator, Halaster, to guard the pillars. As long as they had no intention of harming the pillars, Halastron had no interest in anything they did.
"So, can we just, like, go past? Like, down that hall over there?" asked Push-ta warily.
"I care not. Do as you wish!" was Halastron's reply.
Creature Storage
The party moved past the pillars to the corridor to the east. Winterfrost, out of curiosity, went and stood between the pillars. Halastron stopped and aimed an arrow at the elven warrior. When nothing happened, Winterfrost rejoined the party. Halastron returned to its march.
The corridor contained over a dozen small cells. Within each cell were groups of highly detailed stone statues:
- four humanoid frog creatures
- one boar
- one constrictor snake
- three gricks
- one kenku
- two elves wearing spider-themed clothing
- one lizardfolk
- one mind flayer
- four rust monsters
- one hunched humanoid creature with a single large eye
- five troglodytes
- one orc war chief
- one giant badger
- one humanoid bear creature
- six goats
- one surprised human female
The figures were obviously beings that had been turned to stone by some magic.
They returned to the mail hall and asked Halastron about the statues. Halastron said, "Oh, the master brings them in from time to time. He stores them here until he needs them. Then places the statue between the pillars to reanimate them. I thought that was why you were here. Didn't you want to reanimate one?"
"No, thank you." answered Etlenda, "What's behind that other door?"
Halastron replied, "I have no idea."
Push-ta put his ear to the door and listened.
"What is it? What do you hear?" asked Winterfrost.
"It sounds like a bear hooting!"
Owlbear Storage
Push-ta opened the door, a short entry corridor led to the left. He stealthily crept down the corridor and looked into the room beyond. It was an ancient elven crypt - several crypts had been knocked over and broken. Four large owl-bears hungrily rooted around the room in search of food.
Push-ta returned to report what he saw. The party made a plan to dispatch the owlbears. Push-ta turned to charge into the room. Winterfrost grabbed him by the back of his armor, "What are you doing?" she hissed, "If you go charging in, you'll be separated from my and Etlenda's protection. Go in, attack one with a crossbow, then get back here behind us."
Push-ta re-entered the room and took a pot-shot at an owlbear with his crossbow. He withdrew behind Etlenda and Winterfrost just as the enraged owlbear gave chase.
Kem said a prayer and dozens of spiritual hammers sprang into existence around her and attacked the owlbear.
Glom stepped up next to Kem and let a stone fly from her sling. It struck the owlbear in the head, killing it. Etlenda, Winterfrost, Push-ta, Kem, and Tempus showered the goblin with praise! She beamed with pride.
DM- Glom scored a critical hit with her sling stone, killing the owlbear and impressing everyone.
The other three owlbears joined the fight. A brutal fight ensued near the entrance but ultimately the owlbears were slain.
Patty Johnson
The team was so happy with Glom's performance they told her she was to be admitted into their human tribe as a honorary human. They bestowed upon her the human name "Patty Johnson".
Halaster's Crushing Eye
A passage led south out of an alcove in the west wall of the burial crypt. The passage turned west then turned north. The north passage sloped upward at an incline.
Etlenda said, "You know what this means."
Winterfrost said, "Yep. Push-ta, look for pressure plates or traps."
Push-ta led the way, looking closely at the floor and walls. Halfway up the corridor he felt the floor give slightly under his feet. He heard a click and, from around the corner at the end of the corridor, a door slide open.
Push-ta realized what he had done, "Oh. Shit."
There was a heavy rolling sound followed by a loud bang, then more rolling. A giant ten-foot diameter stone sphere rolled around the corner, hit the wall at the end of the corridor, then started rolling towards them, gaining momentum.
The party immediately turned and ran. Etlenda grabbed Glom off the floor and put her on the back of his spirit wolf. They stayed in front of the ball as they retreated to the crypt chamber. The ball hit the wall at the bottom of the sloped corridor before disappearing behind two concealed doors. The party could hear the sound of machinery as the ball was rolled back to the top and the trap was reset.
Push-ta tried again, alone this time, creeping slowly up the corridor. This time he found the pressure plate concealed under a flagstone. He needed something to spike it to keep it from being depressed. He had no spikes - having lost his to the magic door earlier - so he tried crossbow quarrels. He broke the heads off the shafts and squeezed them under the flagstone like shims. He needed more, so he asked everyone to give up their crossbow quarrels. They did so and he eventually had enough jammed into the trap to prevent its activation.
Bloodletting Chamber
At the top of the corridor and around the corner, they found a room with stone tables. The tables were used for draining blood from creatures into catch basins. A thorough search of this room found nothing.
Abandoned Study
Past the bloodletting chamber they found a small area that had been converted into a makeshift study. The lid of a crypt had been placed atop some blocks to make a desk. There were old books and notes stacked on the desk. Elven funerary urns were piled up in a corner, having been removed from their shelf where books now sat stacked.
Winterfrost and Push-ta examined the urns but were careful not to disturb the contents out of respect for the dead.
Winterfrost noticed some loose stones in the corner. She removed them and was surprised to find a hidden chamber. Floating in the middle of the chamber was a spherical creature like a beholder, but only the size of a cantaloupe and with only four eye stalks.
The creature said Hello and introduced itself. It told them that it had been sealed up in that chamber for a very long time after its master, a wizard student of Halaster, had been caught drinking instead of studying. Its master was banished to a pocket dimension while Halaster had the beholderkin walled up.
They informed the beholderkin that they had met its master, Kalabash, but had sent him back to the pocket dimension. They also told it its master was a dick.
"I know, right! Oh, it's so good to be able to say that! After the first one hundred years, I was bound to follow his orders and worship him like a god, but now I'm free! I can say whatever I want! Do whatever I want! Go wherever I want!"
They let the beholderkin know it was welcome to join their party. It replied, "Nope! I'm free! I just want to go explore now."
They stood aside and told it it was free to go.
The Hall of Dragons
The party retraced their steps to the long hall with the defaced bas reliefs. They opened the large doors flanked by statues of dwarven guardians. Within they found a T-shaped gallery with massive dragon skeletons held together with wire, plaster, and supports. One of the statues had long ago collapsed. Each dragon represented one of the metallic breeds of dragons.
After a thorough search they moved to the exit at the rear. A corridor led to a small shrine to the Dwarven gods. Within they found the long-dead remains of a tiefling adventurer.
DM - When in a dungeon, wilderness, or other uncomfortable setting, I have my players make a Survival roll vs. 10 to determine if they actually benefit from a long rest. They need a bedroll and blanket for a straight roll, Disadvantage if they are lying down on the bare floor, Advantage if they have things like hammocks, silk pillows, etc. In this case they rolled with Advantage because of the hammocks and secure location, but Winterfrost still failed.
Down the Stairs
After a rest, the party roused and gathered their things. They mustered near the stairs leading down and held a vote - continue exploring the second level or proceed down to the third level? They decided to descend.
They also decided to give Glom the Circlet of Human Perfection to go with her human name.
DM - After descending, they leveled up!
Dwarven Catacombs
They descended a long stair that turned south. At the bottom they could go east or west. They chose east and found themselves in an ancient Dwarven ossuary devoted to the god Dumathoin.
Dead Adventurer
At the back of the catacombs they found a burrow. Inside the burrow they found the partially rotten remains of a dead adventurer - the remnants of his face twisted into a silent scream. Winterfrost found a locket on the body. The locket bore the image of an elf she knew from the Yawning Portal. This, she knew, was the body of his lover. She took the locket to return to the elf in the locket.
More Gricks
The party explored a small tunnel in the back of the burrow - forcing them onto their hands and knees in places. They emerged into a dug out chamber. Etlenda spotted a section of wall shifting slightly on the far side of the chamber.
"Grick!" he shouted, pointing.
"I hate these things!" said Winterfrost. Suddenly a grick dropped from its hiding place above her and attacked.
The other grick moved from its hiding place to a spot out of sight to the right. Etlenda and the others entered the cavern to attack it. Etlenda was set upon by a third grick that was hiding on the ceiling.
Winterfrost dispatched the grick attacking her while the others moved to help Etlenda. All three gricks were soon dead.
To Be Continued...
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