3.1.1 YOU USELESS MITE!
SESSION DATE: May 27, 2023
PRESENT: Maltrixxian,Nyrael, Parzivel, Lim Dul
Deep Dive
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World Anvil Journal
I heard this rumor of a Cultist Hideout nearby, supposedly wit some cultists or somethin'. That don't sound good for the area so I'm takin' it upon myself to see to it that these so-called "cultists" no longer see the light of day. I put up a notice on the job board near the Dragon's Den Inn, which seems to be the primary source of such rumors. On the notice I included three tear offs with a time and place to meet. I don't know what exactly I expected to show up. What did was good enough for me. I didn't expect much.
There was the bard, Nyrael, who seems interested in coming along just for the stories he can tell. He ended up being helpful though. Then there was Parzivel, a paladin. He certainly seemed like the type to have on-hand for clearing a gathering of cultists. And then we had a fellow Painkiller named Lim Dul. He was somehow the most competent of us all. First impressions weren't great, but hey, he proved himself in battle when it mattered.
We set off on a couple day's travel southwest of Urithiru to track down the location of the hideout itself. The first day, we had to dispatch some grung who decided it was in their best interest to interfere with our travels. They were able to stun me, but after that, they proved no match for us. Continuing on, we encountered a few people along the road who were able to help point us in the right direction thanks to our skills in talking with them. We got enough information to be able to deduce the location. Once we found it, we headed inside.
It's completely dark inside. We headed down a hallway where there was someone who yelled something at us. I can't understand their language, but Parzivel told us they said we should continue in their direction. So we did. And then suddenly that person blasted a lightning bolt toward us, nearly wiping some of us out. Not sure what message the others heard, but I didn't get a "friendly welcome" as Parzivel suggested.
Parzivel decided it was time to backtrack on his words and started heading away from battle. He said the entity told us we could leave without further incidence, which Parzivel thought was a good idea. I tended to agree, thinking I might be able to disguise myself as someone wearing the same garb as them. But we never got to that point because Nyrael decided to further escalate the situation. So now it's on.
Turns out it's not just this one person. There are two chokers as well. Lim Dul thinks I'm incompetent, but I didn't get to where I am today by accident. However, today is just NOT going our way. I feel as though my curse is strongly in effect today. Moreso than she normally is. We took down the Darro, but the chokers are really getting on our nerves. They've grappled us, choked us, and just beat on us until we were nearly wiped out. I decide to try to transfer some of my fleeting vitality into Lim Dul, my fellow Painkiller, to turn the tide of battle. On doing so, I go unconscious. The next thing I remember is waking up, barely hanging on to life, in a little space the others set up to rest. They tell me what happened while I was out. Apparently the paladin's deity was with him today as he was able to pick himself up from death's cold embrace to assist Nyrael and Lim Dul from the same fate. Lim Dul was the one to finally down the final choker.
After taking some time to fully rest up, we decide to push further. In the next room, we find a creature known as a Spectator. They look like a Beholder's little brother. They warned us to leave, but of course we did not heed their warning. One of the others fired the first shot. The Spectator immediately takes me out of the fray by frightening me with its gaze. I try to shake it off before heading back into the fight, but I just couldn't find it in me. Even after the Spectator's warning and my own suggestion that we should just back away and leave the thing alone, they continued to fight. At least until they realized that it was smart enough to stay out of range of our attacks while being able to deal out its own. We are grossly unprepared for such ranged encounters. So NOW everyone thinks it's a good idea to withdraw. But I'm the inept one.
Anyway, we leave this wing of the complex and instead decide to head down the other hallway from the entrance. Here, we encountered a few Dolgrims who were very easy to take down, but one of them got away. Who knows where it went, and who -- or what -- they're going to warn of our presence.
So far, today has not been my day. I am determined to break this curse. I will find a way to rid myself of this hag's influence once and for all. I wonder if she realizes it's in her best interest to help me instead of hurt me, especially in battle. I MUST find a way to evict her from my mind.
Private Notes
- Apparently everyone speaks in a New England accent. So be it.
- We leave from Mal's residence and head out. On the first day, as we're walking along a stream, we encounter three Grungs. INITIATIVE!!!
- The big Grung Elite Warrior immediately charges and makes a piercing sound enough to stun Mal. He's immediately out for the round.
- We're able to take them down quite easily. Combat over.
- We set up camp. TNGBU.
- As a skill challenge, we come up with ways of tracking down the entrance of the hideout. Mal, purposefully omitting details, is able to successfully deceive a passerby to get some information.
- Eventually we find ourselves at the entrance of the hideout, and head inside.
- From down a hallway, we hear a voice. Mal doesn't understand it, but Parzivel says they asked us to continue. So we do. After going just a bit further, an enemy fires off a large lightning bolt straight down the hallway. Talk about OUCH. INITIATIVE!!!
- Derro Savant casts Sleep on Parzivel. Night night Parzy!
- During the battle, Parzivel tries to bargain with the Derro, and he seems to be willing to let us go. However, Nyrael decides to go against our judgment and attacks a Choker, causing problems with the Derro. The Derro hits us with a fire breath. I guess we're here to fight.
- One of the chokers comes after Mal. After a successful attack, it grapples and restrains Mal. Mal is BARELY hanging on to life at the moment.
- During the battle, Lum Dul and Nyrael both go down thanks to the Chokers. Eventually Parzivel also goes down to a Choker. Running EXTREMELY low on resources, Mal uses his Infernal Conduit to bring back Nyrael, hoping he can heal. Instead, Nyrael goes up and then goes right back down again. The Choker then misses Mal, giving him time to try getting Lim Dul up. He does so, but goes down himself. Things just keep going more south from here.
- HOWEVER!!! Fate turned as Parzivel's deity was with him this day. He rolls a Nat 20 to get himself up. He maneuvers around the choker to heal Nyrael, who in turn heals Lim Dul. Mal is now the only one downed. Lim Dul is able to get off his Infernal Conduit on the Choker, healing himself as well as doing extra damage to the Choker thanks to the seal he placed on it five rounds ago. FINALLY THE CHOKER DIES! Combat over.
- We take two short rests back to back in order for Mal to be able to heal himself up.
- Then we take a long rest. TLRGBU.
- We venture back into the hideout. The next room is a circular room with a floating Beholder-looking creature. It's not a beholder, but has the eye stalks and single eye like one has. Mal readies a javelin just in case its aggressive. Mal thinks we should back away after it invades our minds and tells us to leave. Lim Dul tells us to stop running away from fights. Mal says "Fine, but if things go south again, I'm putting this on YOU." Nyrael, seemily easily influenced, sides with Lim Dul and casts Shatter on the Spectator. INITIATIVE!!!
- We make our way back around toward the entrance and head east instead. We run into a door at the end of another hallway. Mal decides to stay around the corner in case another bolt of lightning comes their way. It doesn't. Instead, after Lim Dul opens the door, we see a crazy looking feller with two mouths and four arms. It's weird. Anyway, INITIATIVE!!!
- Turns out there are multiple of these guys. They're called Dolgrims.
- During the battle, Mal hears one of them yell something that he can't understand. Just about then, he hears something else seeminly enter the fray. More enemies.
- It's just a couple more of those Dolgrims. We easily dispatch them, but one gets away. Combat over.