Play Session 5/16/22 - Clearing Chuth's Lair

Robin reappeared from the pool at the top of the mesa and explained to the group that the pool was an entrance directly into the dragon's bedroom. But to enter, you had to descend down into the water, swim, and emerge on the other side of a rock wall. He also explained that there didn't seem to be anyone in the lair. The adventurers decided to tie off a rope and enter this way instead of searching for another route where the watchman had descended near the waterfall. Jorn asked for aid in the endeavor since he was in heavy armor and could have difficulty in making the swim. Markarth suggested using a dimension door spell, but it wasn't without its risks as well. The party traversed the watery path without too much issue and carefully eased out of the pool on the other side of the rock wall.   A horrible stench greeted them coming from partially eaten corpses in an area of the massive chamber where the dragon lived. The chamber was pitch black which set Jorn and Gojira at a disadvantage. They held onto other members of the party who had the advantage of darkvision and strained their ears for any sound that might warn of danger. Jilfaen looked around for entrances and exits while Onyx searched for loot. A battleaxe caught Onyx's eye. He picked it up and immediately knew that it was a quality piece. He showed it to Gojira since it was more the type of weapon that the dragonborn fighter wielded. Gojira traded his luck earrings for the battleaxe and put it in his belt until it could be identified. Jilfaen found some rubble on an opposite wall that seemed to be placed rather than haphazard. Upon inspection, it concealed a passage leading away from the lair. It was too small for Jilfaen to enter without clearing away some of the rubble. She asked Markarth if he wanted to try to get through. He turned sideways and attempted to squeeze through but caught the button of this robe on the stone and couldn't go any further without ripping his clothing. Jilfaen hazarded a little light so that Jorn could move some rubble and free up Markarth. Once free, Markarth stepped away, and Jorn finished making the passageway clearer of debris.   Robin and Onyx quietly crept forward into the newfound hallway while checking for traps. Up ahead they could see a statue with a fountain in front of it along with a chest beside it. Robin continued to search for traps sure that the entrance to Chuth's lair surely had them. The statue was clear, and one of the party recognized it to be a representation of an elven demigod of exiles and misfits. No one attempted to mess with the statue or fountain in front of it. Jilfaen hazarded a tiny flame of light for the sake of Jorn and Gojira as they crept behind the party's scouts. Robin saw where the chest was trapped and wanted desperately to disable the trap and open the chest to see what it held, but practicality got the final say. There were still enemies ahead, and a careless misstep could warn them of the party's location.   The next room appeared to be Neronvain's bedroom. A bed, bookshelf, and nightstand were located along the left side of the space. As Jilfaen began to step into the room, Robin held up his hand motioning for them to stop. He had spotted a magical ward on the further entrance to this space. He motioned to Andhero who dispelled the ward. Jilfaen walked over to the bookshelf with her light, and something in the hallway noticed the flicker and began walking that way to investigate. Jil quickly put the light out as both Robin and Onyx flanked either side of the doorway anticipating the humanoid who was surely going to step through. The individual stopped short of entering the room though and stood quietly peering into the space looking for movement and listening for sound. After a few moments, the individual turned around to leave with Onyx stepping quietly up behind him. The masked individual was motioning to someone across the room about not seeing anything when Onyx picked up a small stone and threw it into a side room to distract the individual. The cultist turned and went to investigate the sound. Little did he know that he was about to breathe his final breath. Onyx crept up as quietly as a whisper and cut the cultist's throat and lay down the body just as quietly.   Robin scouted ahead and realized that he was looking into a kitchen/break area where a couple of elven crossbowmen were stationed. There was also an elf in mage's robes sitting at a table looking at a map. Robin quietly backed back into the shadows without being seen. He motioned for Markarth to light up the room with a fireball. This would be where the battle for the lair would begin.   Markarth quietly worded the incantation, and a mote of fire lept from his hand toward the unsuspecting group. The crossbowmen immediately crumpled into a pile of burnt flesh, but the mage cursed and began to put out the remaining flames on his clothing. Over the course of the next couple of minutes, the party held their own in this room while waves of cultists, evil-aligned elves, and two-headed giants called ettins attacked. As luck would have it, the battle was fought at a choke point that luckily didn't allow the party to be surrounded by enemies. The closest call was when Jilfaen stepped into the fray to deliver a touch spell and took several hits from enemies and was bloodied. Jorn pushed her back and took her place in the milieu.   As the battle turned in favor of the party, Jilfaen noticed that one cultist was trying to escape by taking hostage an elf who was tied up and held prisoner on an island. Using misty step, she moved to try and save the individual. Robin also saw the interaction and decided to chance a shot at the exposed portions of the cultist. His shot was true, and the cultist fell releasing the prisoner from his grip.   With no remaining enemies as far as the party knew, they paused and caught their breath before contemplating their next steps.