With Tobin and the slave following behind, they moved to the larger room, at least eighty feet deep, containing several anvils and bellows. At the far end were two double doors.
Tobin and the slave waited in the hall while Moriarty led the way through the double doors into a dim hall. After ten feet the hall split left and right, with a five foot alcove directly across the hall containing what was once a statue, but was now just rubble. The left tunnel was filled with rubble and looked impassable. A single candle sat in the right branching hall about thirty feet down, across from a set of double doors on the right side of the hall. The hall ended just ten feet past the door.
Moriarty opened the double doors at the far end of the hall and into a large room, roughly forty wide by sixty feet deep. Stone shelving lined the walls, making a few corridors lengthwise down the room. The rows of shelving and hooks suggested this may once have been an armory. At the far end of the row they could a closed door to another room. Food of varied forms lined the shelving. Most appeared to be lake creatures such as fish and mollusks, however limbs from humanoids and giant alligators could be seen as well.
As they entered, they saw two pairs of kuo-toa round the corner at the far end walking toward them. They drew their weapons and spoke to someone unseen. Atilius understood that they were issuing a warning to someone unknown.
Lee rushed forward and met the four charging kuo-toa halfway down the room. With two slashes of Talon, one was down. Albrecht hit another with two eldritch blasts. Moula began to run around the shelves to get behind the kuo-toa, when she heard more kuo-toa moving behind the third row of shelves. She quickly changed course and headed them off, preventing them from getting behind the group. She hit the first of the flanking kuo-toa with her staff, but on her second swing it got stuck on the kuo-toa's shield, and she lost her grip on it. Unrelenting, she landed a kick on the kuo-toa. Moriarty tried to get past Lee, but could not get around him in the narrow corridor. With Lee pinned in the narrow corridor, the three remaining kuo-toa took advantage of the open area and assaulted him with their spears, but they could not penetrate the ranger's armor. The four flanking kuo-toa stabbed at Moula, but she evaded all their strikes. Drawing his hand crossbow, Pippin climbed on top of the shelves and finished the wounded kuo-toa facing Lee. Broward moved closer to where Moula was fighting and hit one of the flanking kuo-toa with a fire bolt. Turenim followed Broward and blinded another flanking kuo-toa. Atilius cast fire bolt down the hall aimlessly.
Lee dropped the third kuo-toa, leaving only one left to face him, which Albrecht hit with an eldritch blast. Its odds diminished, it managed to pierce Lee in the shoulder. With no weapons in hand, Moula let loose a flurry of kicks, dropping two of the flanking kuo-toa and injuring a third, avoiding the strikes of the last two flanking kuo-toa. Moriarty began to dash around the shelves to find an opponent he could hit. Pippin leaped over to the third row of shelves, and rolling off it, landed on the rear-most flanking kuo-toa. It looked up in time to find Yag coming down on it, and it crumpled as Pippin slashed the last flanking kuo-toa with Yag, which Broward then finished with a fire bolt. Atilius caught the last kuo-toa with a fire bolt, and Lee quickly finished it.
With the fight over, they stopped to catch their breath as Turenim bandaged everyone's wounds and cast cure wounds on Albrecht and Lee. Moula retrieved her staff.
They considered resting but decided to try the next door. It opened to a smaller room about twenty by thirty feet, containing a few old weapons, more foodstuffs, and some piles of discarded rags.
They decided to get Tobin and the slave and take a long rest to recover. Albrecht cast Leomund's tiny hut, blocking the door from opening, and they got some sleep.
When they woke, Atilius took out his spell book and cast identify on the cape and the cloak, revealing that the former was a cape of the mountebank and the latter was a cloak of displacement
After some debate they decided that Turenim would wear the cape of the mountebank and Pippin would wear the cloak of displacement, giving his cloak of elvenkind to Lee. They all attuned to their new garments.
They decided to leave Tobin and the slave here, with Albrecht casting another Leomund's tiny hut for their protection, while they went down the stairs.
They descended several more flights and hundreds of feet deeper into the ground to the last twenty by sixty foot landing. An alcove in the center of the stairs contained the wreckage from what was once an elevator platform. There were two large sets of double doors on the landing, each held closed by great chains and a large padlock.
Guarding the doors were eight kuo-toa sitting around a table eating and drinking. Hearing them, the eight kuo-toa jumped up from their table and grabbed the spears and shields to meet them at the bottom of the stairs.
Lee dropped the first with two slashes from Talon. Pippin charged another, but it trapped Yig on its sticky shield. Pippin stabbed it with Yag, but it held tight. Moula engaged a third, dropping it with two swing from her staff, and side kicked the one with Pippin's shortsword. Atilius killed it with scorching ray and hit another as well. Then they all found themselves glowing in a violet light, and the fourth kuo-toa stabbed Lee. Moriarty maneuvered around killed three with Fiendburn's burning hands. Even glowing, Pippin evaded a spear from a flanking kuo-toa that was soon hit with two eldritch blasts from Albrecht and a fire bolt from Broward. Turenim cast dispel magic and the violet light of the faerie fire disappeared.
Lee swung Talon and killed the last two kuo-toa. Pippin retrieved Yig. As Moula moved further into the landing looking for the hidden caster and Atilius moved back up the stairs, it became pitch black darkness. Moriarty and Albrecht moved to the far side of the landing, and found themselves outside of the globe of darkness. Broward did the same by moving up the stairs. Turenim called on the dawn on the Morninglord and Lightbringer glowed with the brightness of daylight, dismissing the darkness.
Lee moved up the stairs looking for their attacker. Moula took out her lantern of revealing and began inspecting the landing. Atilius, already up the stairs, spotted their attacker, a drider clinging to the side of the landing above them, hidden from anyone on the landing. The sage blasted the drider with a lightning bolt, but it held fast. In return the drider drew its longbow and hit Atilius with a poisoned arrow, two other arrows bouncing off Atilius' shield. Moriarty moved to the bottom of the steps and used Fiendburn's fire bolt, but missed the drider. Albrecht missed it with two eldritch blasts and Broward missed it with his own fire bolt. Turenim cast blindness on the drider, but it had no effect.
Lee pulled out his longbow and caught the drider with an arrow. Pippin hit the drider with a fire bolt of his own. Moula dashed up the steps, maneuvering on top of the drider. Atilius hit the drider with his magic missiles and it hit him with another arrow in return, with two other arrows bouncing off Atilius' shield. Moriarty threw a javelin up at the drider, but missed, as did Albrecht with two eldritch blasts and Broward with a fire bolt. Turenim cast blindness again, and again it had no effect.
Lee pulled out his javelin of lightning and threw it at the drider, but missed, as did Pippin with a fire bolt. Atilius hit it again with his magic missiles. The drider's volley of arrows bounced off Atilius' shield, but hit Broward and Pippin. Moriarty threw another javelin up at the drider, but missed again, as did Albrecht with two eldritch blasts. Broward continued up the stairs, hitting the drider with his magic missiles, and then hiding in the higher landing. Turenim moved up the steps to where he could see Broward and cast healing word on the mage, and then cast guiding bolt on the drider, but missed.
Lee drew his longbow again, and finished the drider with a critical shot.
Turenim bandaged their wounds and Pippin started using his lock picks on the padlock across from the elevator shaft. He managed to open the lock and they freed the doors from their heavy chains.
They opened the doors to a blast of hot air, and noxious fumes invaded their senses. Dim light illuminated the rough-hewn chamber, which was filled with a pool of lava on the left side and a man-made pool of water on the right. Thin walkways surrounded the backs of both pools and a large column supported the middle of the room between them. A small door was on a more finished wall beyond the water pool.
Inside the lava pool they saw several creatures swimming around. One large figure with a humanoid face and long tail emerged partially from the pool and spoke what sounded more like a question than a demand in a language that Atilius determined was ignan. As the salamander emerged from the pool they also saw a large fire snake slither out the rear of the pool and another salamander break the surface.
Lee drew his longbow, and hit the lead salamander with an arrow. Moula rushed forward and smacked it with her stuff, and quickly disengaged when the elemental's heat seared her skin and threatened to ignite her staff. The two salamanders advanced on the group, with both aiming their copper spears at Lee, only to have them bounce off the ranger's armor. The first swung its flaming tail at Pippin and the second did they same at Turenim, but the adventurers avoided the blows. Broward hit the first salamander with a ray of enfeeblement, weakening the elemental. Atilius enveloped both salamanders in the edge of a storm sphere, and tried in vain to hit the fire snake with its lightning. Albrecht hit the first salamander with an eldritch blast. Pippin stabbed Yig and Yag at the first salamander, but missed, only to be singed by the elemental's heat. Moriarty circled around, trying to get a shot at a salamander without entering the storm sphere. The fire snake chased Moula around the water pool. Turenim cast banishment and the first salamander disappeared with a pop.
Lee landed two arrows into the remaining salamander, which in turn left the edge of the storm sphere and focused on Turenim. It missed with his spear, but smashed its tail into the priest, who still maintained his concentration on the banishment. Broward hit the second salamander with a ray of enfeeblement, weakening the elemental. Atilius hit the salamander with the storm sphere's lightning. Then he hit it with a ray of frost, which seemed to devastate the elemental. Albrecht hit it with two eldritch blasts. Pippin shot and arrow at it, but the bolt fell harmlessly into the lava. Moriarty finally found an opening to swing at the salamander, and was seared by its heat, but smashed its head with Fiendburn. Meanwhile, Moula continued to evade the fire snake, luring it towards her companions.
Lee dropped his bow and drew Talon, slashing at the fire snake, and burning from its heat in return. Moula attacked it with her kicks, but failed to hurt it, while burning from the snake's heat. Broward hit the fire snake with his magic missiles, finishing it and the threat.
After Turenim bandaged their wounds, they went through the door past the water pool and into a five foot wide corridor. After fifteen feet it split, continuing on for another ten feet to a closed door, to the left was a statue of a dwarven warrior. They turned right where the corridor continued for forty feet before opening into a perpendicular ten foot wide corridor. Five feet to the right was a set of heavy double doors, which Atilius surmised led to the stairwell. A door opened to the corridor to the left, just five feet down.
They looked in the door and went into a thirty foot square room. The room was bare, but judging from the style of the stone structures throughout the room Atilius was sure that this must be a throne room for the salamander king. Pippin thought that seemed unlikely.
They continued down the corridor twenty-five feet past a pair of dwarven statues in small alcoves to either side of the corridor. After another ten feet the corridor opened into a room similar to the last, but slightly larger, with a large stone table and several stone chairs surrounding it. Atilius determined that this must have been a waiting room for those wanting to see the salamander king. Pippin agreed that this could feasibly be some type of waiting room. On the left wall was a door.
The doors opened to a familiar blast of hot air and noxious fumes. The entered a large natural stone cavern about the same size as the last cavern. This one had two large pools of lava and a couple large columns providing support for the domed ceiling. Past the lava pools to the left was a simple copper door and on the right was another copper door, more ornate with strange script and carvings. Atilius could tell that the door to the left led back to the narrow corridor with the dwarven statue.
Lee engaged the closest salamander, digging deep into it with Talon, and absorbing the pain from the elemental's heat. Moula kicked it, hurting herself far more than it. Hanging back, Broward hit it with his magic missiles. Pippin stabbed it deep with Yig and Yag, getting scorched by its proximity. Atilius missed with a ray of frost. Albrecht hit it twice with eldritch blasts. Lee blocked the attacks of a salamander only for a second one to stab Lee with its copper spear and slap him with its fiery tail. Moula evaded one salamander but another struck her with its tail, and Turenim used his divine retaliation to turn its attack back on it with burning radiance. Pippin also dodged a salamander's attacks, but was caught by another salamander's tail and fell. Moriarty, burning from its heat, dropped the first salamander with a blow from Fiendburn. Turenim cast preserve life on Lee, Moula, and Pippin, reviving the rogue.
Lee struck talon deep into the second salamander, reeling from its heat, but avoiding its counters. Moula, again kicked at it, hurting more than she could dish out. She avoided its spear, but its fiery tail dropped her. Broward hit it with his magic missiles. Pippin stabbed it with Yig in the head, killing it, but burning for his efforts, and was hit with the spear of another. Atilius missed with another ray of frost. Albrecht hit the third salamander with an eldritch blast. Pippin was struck with a copper spear. Moriarty avoided a salamander's attacks and hit it with Fiendburn, and was burned even worse. Turenim cast preserve life again on Lee, Pippin, and Moula, reviving the monk.
Lee struck the third salamander again with Talon, burning in return. He avoided its spear, but was dropped with its tail. Moula burned again when she kicked it, and she used her wholeness of body to heal herself. Broward hit it with his magic missiles. Pippin withdrew and hit it with an arrow, but was struck by two others, one with a spear and by both tails. Turenim used his divine retaliation against to burn it with divine radiance. Atilius hit the third salamander with a ray of frost. Albrecht hit it with two eldritch blasts. Moriarty avoided the strikes from another salamander, but still burned when he hit it with Fiendburn. Turenim cast healing word on Lee, stabilizing the ranger, and cast life transference to revive Pippin with his own life force.
Lee regained consciousness and scrambled to disengage from the salamanders. Moula kicked the third salamander twice, hard, crushing it, but scorching herself badly in the process. Broward hit the fourth salamander with his magic missiles. Pippin hit it with an arrow. Atilius hit it with a ray of frost. Albrecht attempted to cast eldritch blast, but slipped and fell prone. Moriarty struck it with Fiendburn, but was burned worse, and struck with its fiery tail, though he avoided the attacks of another. Another salamander caught Moula with its tail and dropped the monk. Turenim cast mass healing word on Pippin, Atilius, Lee, Moriarty, Moula, and himself, reviving the monk again.
No comments:
Post a Comment