19 - 09/27/23 : And You and I
"Great Goddess, Mother of the Dark, grant me the blood of my enemies for drink and their living hearts for meat. Grant me the screams of their young for song, grant me the helplessness of their males for my satisfaction, grant me the wealth of their houses for my bed. By this unworthy sacrifice I honor you, Queen of Spiders, and beseech of you the strength to destroy my foes.”
Traditional Sacrificial Prayer to Lolth
The party made their way over the frozen drow bodies and attempted to open the frosted door, but found it to be shut and beyond their strength to break down. They decided to search for a key or some other method of ingress. Exploring further, they avoided most of the fighting, and encountered some strange little creatures called Arcamags. These little crystalline insect creatures attempted to latch onto Hilda and siphon away her magical energy, but found the taste of her to be intolerable and quickly fled. As they explored, the party came across several traces of the old dwarven civilization that once lingered in the Lost Level, including many religious texts to the dwarven gods and works of art dedicated to their history. After passing a dwarven iron golem fighting a draegloth, they finally encountered opposition; a drow priestess and her coterie attempting to summon another draegloth to their side. The heroes engaged them, and after slaying the priestess, the draegloth went berserk due to its summoning being incomplete. The draegloth went berserk and slaughtered several other drow before turning on the party. The adventurers fought the draegloth while the passed-by iron golem defeated its own and then turned on Hilda's duplicate, squashing her in two mighty strikes. After defeating both the golem and the draegloth, the party discovered an amethyst slate that matched a depression in the frozen door. They took a moment to rest, and then brought the slate to the door and unlocked it. Within the chamber beyond was Yzzan, standing guard as Aezora drained a drow priestess of her life force with a single kiss. Aezora offered them another chance to work together again, believing she had the upper hand with the dragon on her side. Once again the party refused her deal, and she left in a huff to let Yzzan destroy them. Ozwik pleaded with Yzzan to turn from Aezora, but Yzzan was too proud and too attached to his original draconic form to go back, no matter the loss involved. Ozwik relented and prepared himself to 'spar' with Yzzan once again, while Edea cried out in despair her intent to save Yzzan from himself. Yzzan fought the party with all his frozen might, but his attachment to Ozwik and Edea and his memories of the two held him back from inflicting his worst upon the party. They were eventually able to wrestle him down with Hilda and Ozwik's combined spellcraft, and in his furious desire to retain his form, Yzzan reduced himself into a burst of ice and sleet to escape and not waste the draconic gift he had finally been given. Aezora reappeared, furious that the dragon had not finished the job. The party admonished her for her actions and her nature, and asserted that they would reclaim Yzzan's soul from her. After their jabs at Aezora proved too much for the proud succubus, she vanished and swore to get her revenge one way or another. The party continued seeking answers, finding a room with a mirror in it as well as an old dwarven tapestry. This tapestry depicted some of the histories of the local dwarves, and revealed that it was the dwarves of the old Clan Stoneborn that had created the Walking Statues of Revelmoore so long ago. The mirror's frame was lined with stone eyes and the engraved riddle, "The eyes open for that which they cannot see", which Sin eventually solved by turning herself invisible using the Phantom Dancer. A portal opened on the mirror and the party stepped through, finding themselves in a memorial hall where Duran Stoneborn was hard at work taking charcoal rubbings of old writings and inscriptions. The party confronted Duran, who revealed that he was the one who opened the tunnels and allowed the drow into the Undermountain. He told them that he felt the dwarven kingdom that had once stood in the Undermountain had been abandoned, and petitions from the dwarven people of Revelmoore for military reclamation from Halaster had long gone unanswered. Duran's plan was to force the issue by allowing the drow in to carry out their planned invasion, and thus baiting the military of Revelmoore to intervene. Duran's hope was that the ensuing violence would also draw Halaster into the conflict, and that all of the many heroes and adventurers of Revelmoore would be called upon to put the Mad Mage down once and for all. With all of that done, the Undermountain could once again be reclaimed by the dwarven people. Ozwik rebuked Duran and his plan, affirming that inciting violence to preserve the old ways was no preservation at all. The party expressed their intent to stop the Drow matron mother, and Duran stated that he could not let that happen, even if his alliance with the drow had fractured. The debate came to blows, but even Duran's unnatural strength and stone endurance could not stand up to the combined onslaught from the party. As Duran lay broken and dying, he entrusted the source of his strength - a powerful sword of stone and an accompanying belt of giant strength - to Ozwik, and asked that they do what they could to ensure the Stoneborn clan that had once ruled the Undermountain would be remembered. Ozwik assured Duran that he would do what he could and swore to fix the mess Duran had caused, and the dwarf passed peacefully. With the Lost Level now mostly silent, there was only one thing left; to find the drow Matron Mother and put an end to her schemes.
The party made their way over the frozen drow bodies and attempted to open the frosted door, but found it to be shut and beyond their strength to break down. They decided to search for a key or some other method of ingress. Exploring further, they avoided most of the fighting, and encountered some strange little creatures called Arcamags. These little crystalline insect creatures attempted to latch onto Hilda and siphon away her magical energy, but found the taste of her to be intolerable and quickly fled. As they explored, the party came across several traces of the old dwarven civilization that once lingered in the Lost Level, including many religious texts to the dwarven gods and works of art dedicated to their history. After passing a dwarven iron golem fighting a draegloth, they finally encountered opposition; a drow priestess and her coterie attempting to summon another draegloth to their side. The heroes engaged them, and after slaying the priestess, the draegloth went berserk due to its summoning being incomplete. The draegloth went berserk and slaughtered several other drow before turning on the party. The adventurers fought the draegloth while the passed-by iron golem defeated its own and then turned on Hilda's duplicate, squashing her in two mighty strikes. After defeating both the golem and the draegloth, the party discovered an amethyst slate that matched a depression in the frozen door. They took a moment to rest, and then brought the slate to the door and unlocked it. Within the chamber beyond was Yzzan, standing guard as Aezora drained a drow priestess of her life force with a single kiss. Aezora offered them another chance to work together again, believing she had the upper hand with the dragon on her side. Once again the party refused her deal, and she left in a huff to let Yzzan destroy them. Ozwik pleaded with Yzzan to turn from Aezora, but Yzzan was too proud and too attached to his original draconic form to go back, no matter the loss involved. Ozwik relented and prepared himself to 'spar' with Yzzan once again, while Edea cried out in despair her intent to save Yzzan from himself. Yzzan fought the party with all his frozen might, but his attachment to Ozwik and Edea and his memories of the two held him back from inflicting his worst upon the party. They were eventually able to wrestle him down with Hilda and Ozwik's combined spellcraft, and in his furious desire to retain his form, Yzzan reduced himself into a burst of ice and sleet to escape and not waste the draconic gift he had finally been given. Aezora reappeared, furious that the dragon had not finished the job. The party admonished her for her actions and her nature, and asserted that they would reclaim Yzzan's soul from her. After their jabs at Aezora proved too much for the proud succubus, she vanished and swore to get her revenge one way or another. The party continued seeking answers, finding a room with a mirror in it as well as an old dwarven tapestry. This tapestry depicted some of the histories of the local dwarves, and revealed that it was the dwarves of the old Clan Stoneborn that had created the Walking Statues of Revelmoore so long ago. The mirror's frame was lined with stone eyes and the engraved riddle, "The eyes open for that which they cannot see", which Sin eventually solved by turning herself invisible using the Phantom Dancer. A portal opened on the mirror and the party stepped through, finding themselves in a memorial hall where Duran Stoneborn was hard at work taking charcoal rubbings of old writings and inscriptions. The party confronted Duran, who revealed that he was the one who opened the tunnels and allowed the drow into the Undermountain. He told them that he felt the dwarven kingdom that had once stood in the Undermountain had been abandoned, and petitions from the dwarven people of Revelmoore for military reclamation from Halaster had long gone unanswered. Duran's plan was to force the issue by allowing the drow in to carry out their planned invasion, and thus baiting the military of Revelmoore to intervene. Duran's hope was that the ensuing violence would also draw Halaster into the conflict, and that all of the many heroes and adventurers of Revelmoore would be called upon to put the Mad Mage down once and for all. With all of that done, the Undermountain could once again be reclaimed by the dwarven people. Ozwik rebuked Duran and his plan, affirming that inciting violence to preserve the old ways was no preservation at all. The party expressed their intent to stop the Drow matron mother, and Duran stated that he could not let that happen, even if his alliance with the drow had fractured. The debate came to blows, but even Duran's unnatural strength and stone endurance could not stand up to the combined onslaught from the party. As Duran lay broken and dying, he entrusted the source of his strength - a powerful sword of stone and an accompanying belt of giant strength - to Ozwik, and asked that they do what they could to ensure the Stoneborn clan that had once ruled the Undermountain would be remembered. Ozwik assured Duran that he would do what he could and swore to fix the mess Duran had caused, and the dwarf passed peacefully. With the Lost Level now mostly silent, there was only one thing left; to find the drow Matron Mother and put an end to her schemes.
Portraits
HALASTER BLACKCLOAK
THE FAIRHILL FOUR & CO.
NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
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