Session Date: 4/30/2023
We have decided to go through the network of caverns beneath the city and have a letter of confidence from Ogmog for the king.
Dia introduces Valtar to all of us, and we make our introductions. We then ready ourselves to go into the caves. Once we are ready, we all pile into the elevator and descend. We end up in a storage area: some cold food storage, some other storage such as office supplies and other miscellaneous things. There are voices speaking in hushed elven down here — they are not the sisters that sprung this trap, and it is clear from the tone that they are definitely worried. Iskra recognizes their scents. Of them, there is a half-elf, a half-orc maid (Miriam) that was meant to take care of the group during the soiree, and the rest of the staff that was manning the party. They have armed themselves with improvised weapons.
Dia casts light on her necklace as she steps up behind Iskra. The staff calms as we approach, and they ask us if they can leave. We say they can return to the mansion. The staff explains they were told to come down here and wait, with no other instructions. They were employed for the mansion and family basically their entire lives. The maids say they can’t really complain even after we mention they would kill their own staff. Rohan and Inky can tell that the staff has been put under some sort of magical compulsion, such as a gaess cast on them.
Inky starts to undo this compulsion, with Inky helping. Arythas talks to them about how they deserve to be treated like people and should not be compelled like this, with Dia attempting to back him up, but it’s not very convincing. Rohan reinforces it and sparks their anger, and Captain Kearney gives them all a call to action. The staff is broken free of the compulsion and we encourage them upstairs to the ruins of the party, and then move on.
We use the light cantrip to see and move deeper beneath the city. We see the exterior of the mansions (not maintained) and they have beautiful gothic reliefs of underground ecology important to the dwarves.
Captain Kearney and Iskra talk about being werewolves and she talks about how it is an amazing fit (if you want it) but agrees that it shouldn’t be forced upon others. Iskra explains he is trying to find who cured him so that he can try to help others. The Captain invites him — and all of us — to be her crew on the seas after this is all over.
Iskra takes some of the glowing mushrooms that we find down here. He does a good job so that the mushrooms do not lose their glow and he gets some of the network — the “roots” search for ground, but eventually join together. They were originally a deep blue, and are now purple. We are informed they are poisonous.
We come upon a fork in the path ahead. Iskra seems to know which way to go to continue, so we follow. He feels that something is following us and he asks the mushrooms what is out there. They say something big and hungry with sharp teeth and poison. Almost immediately after, said creature bursts forth from the wall. It is covered in black spikes and we recognize the eyeless face of a cave dragon. The dragon is absolutely intelligent and can speak, has blindsight, and hunts for meat. It does know some spells.
The dragon speaks and says that we smell delicious. Rohan tries to explain that we only wish to pass through and mean no harm. It seems to hesitate, then lowers its head to Rohan’s level, willing to listen. It explains that it is very hungry and we offer to bring it food. Rohan explains that we reside above and wished to repair foundation issues, trying to lie his way through this. The dragon asks why we would come back once we made it above, and we explain we would like to partner with them. It says it will allow us to live if we bring it food. It requests bathounds, which Iskra recalls is a magical combination of a bat and a dog, a type of cavekin. Iskra has a strong idea of where they are and we choose to take the dragon to a pack of them to eat.