Week 30
Zer0 returns from his plot hole to find the party have apparently murdered an entire family of Derros.
Sorrel heals Jaxzon to bring him back to consciousness. Zer0 leaps across a chasm to where a campfire can be seen. Misty tries to leap across the chasm, but slips and falls in, twisting around is typical cat fashion to grab a ledge and clamber out.
Iliqua tries to jump across and fails horribly, Jaxzon attempts to save him, also failing. Iliqua casts Feather Fall to slow their progress to the Underdark. Jaxzon tries to breathe to move closer to the wall, but ends up spinning instead.
Misty and Sorrel combine ropes, holding one end and throwing the other end to the falling party members, Iliqua catching it easily, and Jaxzon just managing to hold on. Misty, Sorrel and Zer0 all fail to hold on and fall in with them (Five natural ones, yo).
To the Underdark! Several minutes of slow falling, the cavern opens up and a mushroom forest can be seen. A few judicious casts of Feather Fall save the party from a squishy end.
Misty climbs a mushroom tree to claim some for food. Sorrel asks for a long rest, the other party members caution against it, being that they’re in an unknown area. Iliqua listens for sounds, hearing nothing aside from an occasional falling rock echo.
Sorrel looks around for tracks or other sign of other humanoids, finding some small footprints, possibly from a race called Skaven. Jaxzon tries to detect evil things, not sensing anything in range. Both him and Sorrel feel wierdly disconnected from their gods.
Another call for a long rest is made, this time the party all agree. Misty takes first watch, only hearing an occasional screech. Zer0 is woken for second watch, also hearing the screeching, but seeing nothing. Iliqua takes third watch, also hearing the screeching, but also maybe seeing a flash of a green cloak near the end. Iliqua stays awake for another watch, not seeing the cloak this time, but the screeching sounds closer. The long rest is completed without interruption, Iliqua mentions the possible sighting of the cloak.
Misty uses a mushroom tree as a scratching post, Jaxzon summons his steed again and asks him to have a sniff around. Faint whiffs of wet fur can be smelled. A discussion about where to head, with options of waiting for Murdal, or finding out what the wet furry smell involves. Misty sneaks off to the east a short distance to see what’s out there, then messages Iliqua to follow.
The rest of the party finally head to where Misty is, who continues to keep in a scouting position. A slow walk of several minutes slows further with a loud screeching. A slight tremor can be felt through the mushroom undergrowth, Iliqua suggests the party get off the “path” and hide. Misty climbs a mushroom and sees the occasional mushroom get knocked over.
Everyone except Jaxzon moves away, who hears something with a green cloak telling him to hide from the oncoming thing, suggesting that he feeds his steed to provide a means to escape. Jaxzon asks his steed to head towards the beast and asks him to find out what the beast is, then follows the green cloak person away.
A few minutes later, Jaxzon’s lion reports what he’s seeing, a large something with three heads then gets immediately killed. Stealth checks are made, and a silhouette of the enormous thing in the distance. A screeching can be heard from it, seemingly trying to find its prey through sound. The rat thing disappears again.
The tremors and screeching head further away and a brief discussion on what to do if the party encounters the thing again.
The party continues again to the east, Misty once again scouting ahead. Some of the mushroom trees look larger than the rest, indicating that they are off a common path. Several hours of boring travel later, a cavern wall can finally be seen, curving slightly across the path.
Misty licks the wall, but doesn’t get much other than a wet, mouldy surface. Jaxzon feels something small hit him, turning to find what it was and sees the rat thing with the green cloak. He walks over to chat, getting told about large hunters inside. Jaxzon asks how to get out, and is told to go to the Hellpit, where the rat thing used to live. Proving to his old clan will allow the party to get out again.
The party heads in the direction specified by the rat thing, but away from the wall to avoid the large hunters. More hours of walking later and the cavern narrows to a tunnel, the breeze is a lot stronger. An hour of walking in the tunnel and a feeling that resting soon will be needed.
Misty gives Zer0 her hooded lantern to provide help to those without darkvision. Sorrel occasionally hears skittering behind the party, something that moves on four limbs. Misty looks around for a place to make camp, using an alcove in the wall, and another long rest is taken.
Jaxzon summons his lion again, asking him to avoid attacking the rat thing. Iliqua on first watch, but doesn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Zer0 takes second watch and again notices nothing. Sorrel takes third watch, hearing armoured footsteps coming closer. She wakes Misty and asks her to scout ahead, then wakes up the rest of the party.
Misty moves a long way off, finally spotting a group of armoured creatures walking in some kind of formation. She rushes back and advises the awake party members of what is coming. Misty has a conversation with the rat thing, who suggests that the party lets the oncoming group pass by without combat.
Jaxzon wakes up, and is informed of the group coming in - around three feet tall, most armed with halberds. The group stops when the see Jaxzon, and a large black furred rat-like being steps forward and asks the party what they’re doing here.
Jaxzon asks for a way out, the rat-thing asks for a tribute - Misty offers a piece of mushroom which is taken and eaten. Jaxzon hands him the pie from Dibblah, who eats it then falls over, muttering something about not eating the green bit, and dies. The rest of the group go into attack mode, pointing their halberds and “asking” them to go to the Hellpit. Jaxzon tries to talk his way out of it, but fails to make any head way.
A few of the others start eating the dead leader, the rest prodding Zer0 and Iliqua to wake them up. Iliqua stands up, Misty wakes Zer0 up. The party eventually go with the group, getting to a large pit after an hour or so - a large rock spire goes up a long way towards a green ring and the sky.
The party are pushed toward a rickety bridge over the Hellpit. A lot of the rat things can be seen inside, experimenting on and torturing various other races. Thousands of other rat things (Skaven) can be seen in the houses.
Across the bridge a large building can be seen, seemingly belonging to the leader. The bridge sways a lot as the party walks across, eventually reaching the building. Two of the rat things go inside, and return a few minutes later, leading the party inside.
A raised dias with a very elderly looking rat on it. They have a large staff with a glowing gyroscope on it. The ask who the party who they are, and if they’re assassins, and asking Jaxzon why he killed his gray seer. Iliqua asks how to get out, the elder asks for food or payment by working off a debt.
The elder explains that they need food and things to experiment on to create bigger and better rats. He gives the party an ultimatum of being food or finding food, something other than mushrooms. Twenty five warp stones each is set as the price for freedom.
Iliqua offers a lot of food then walks out, taking everyone else with him. The elder warns that an escort would be going with them. Everyone heads out to find somewhere to rest, Jaxzon once again gets tagged by the green cloak rat thing. Asking about other ways out, killing squid people and using their way out is offered.
The green cloak guy asks the party to kill the elder in return for a way out, and the party converses via message to avoid the escort hearing of the plans. A discussion about using Create Food and Water to help with the situation.
Iliqua offers wine to the escort, taking a drink first to prove that it isn’t poison. The escorts take several drinks, then throw a warp stone on the ground near Iliqua. Misty tries to steal the bag with the warp stones, not quite getting away with it. The escort attacks with the butt of the halberd, and Misty returns fire with a fist and misses. A second attack connects, then Misty runs away.
Another long rest is taken, while the escorts watch over them.