Episode 55

Trouble arrives fast, as two Mind Flayers descend upon Collective Action. The creatures prove dangerous, but the party’s growing strength shows—they dispatch the aberrations without too much trouble. Unfortunately, Carston’s apprentice isn’t so lucky. Jakob falls in the chaos, his story ending before it truly begins.   Among the Mind Flayers' belongings, the party uncovers a strange slate etched in alien script and a rod-like key, which allows them to press deeper into the Mind Flayer’s twisted lair.   It only gets worse. A vampiric Mind Flayer and two Umber Hulks emerge from the darkness, determined to end the intruders. The fight is brutal, but Collective Action holds strong. With the enemies defeated, they claim another prize—a vial of red oil, harvested from a pool of blood.   Returning to the main floor, they put the pieces together. Using the colored oils they’ve gathered, they light the six braziers, matching each to the colored floor tiles. The great door creaks open—only for two hulking minotaurs to charge out, weapons ready.   What could’ve been a deadly brawl turns into a chaotic spectacle, as Roan summons a troop of monkeys to even the odds. With their help, the minotaurs are brought low. Among the treasure hoard, the party claims magical loot and piles of gold—but the real prize is inside one of the chests: the Crystal Hammer they’ve been searching for.   Without hesitation, Blair smashes open the machine’s glass casing. Carston, the mad wizard trapped inside, collapses—pleading for his life. He swears the machine drove him mad, that none of this was truly his doing.   In a show of mercy, the party agrees to spare him—on the condition that he helps them finish this. Carston hands over his notes on how to power up the portal using the machine. Before leaving, the party tweak the machine’s controls, granting themselves some well-earned stat boosts.   During a long rest, Groban deciphers the Mind Flayer slate they found earlier. The slate details the Illithid's arrival to the keep, but also reveals some hidden lore about The Goddess - that she is not originally from this world. Collective Action descends to the final level of the keep. There, a ghostly figure greets them with grim news: to reach The Imprisoned One and complete their ritual, they must first pass a series of trials.