[spoilers] Smash Monday

[Tundrra]

Session 11
2023/03/13

Below the room if dwarven coffins is a large mushroom garden. The party spends some time harvesting useful fungi and clearing out a nest of Criks. A well crafted dwarven door with the mark of the smith is found and it seems to be magically locked. Sofija whacks it with her hammer and knocked back.

Unable to open the door the party goes off to explore other parts of the cavern. A cream leading to a deep Waterfall is discovered with a stairway leading down beside it. Up steam a tunnel opens up north west and it is warm and sulfurous. The perfect home for a pet giant lizard who gobbles up a unconscious Sofija.

[Tundrra]

Session 12
2023/03/20
roxy absent


With Sofija in the belly of the beast, Melro takes action by morphing into an alley cat and jumping into the jaws right behind Sofija. The shackled beast is pelted to death by the rest of the party stands safely from afar. Once Sofjia and Melro emerge from the creature jaws the party seeks shelter in the Crik’s den for a safe nights sleep.

The next day the party heads back to their last skirmish to further map these lower levels for Lord Althon and seek out the Durgeddin Marked weapons. It’s not long before we find the homes of the troglodyte clan in the area. Battle ensues as a caster is cornered in one of the sleeping chambers.

[Tundrra]

Session 13
2023/03/27
roxy absent
stel is filling in on fiadh

After the Troglodyte colony is cleared out and the trog children are scattered into the caves, the party heads back to the magically sealed dwarven door. Dimbel speaks his freshly learned “Knock” spell unsealing the ancient door. A long staircase up is revealed, ending in a room with 3 large dwarven statues holding large axes that chop down when you screw around.

Behind the eastern statue is a hidden passage leading to a hall where a voice in the shadows greets the new comers.

[Tundrra]

Session 14
2023/04/03
roxy absent
tunrra late
stel is filling in on fiadh
lasarian is guest DM as the ghost

The Duergar shared their fire and freedom to roam the Northern part of the dwarven hall where the undead roam. As well as to kitchens and even offered to lead them to a stair case leading south past a waterfall where they believe a Black Dragon has made its lair. All this of a 1000silver.

It’s no long before we find out why such a bargain was made, a paranoid dwarf ghost quickly accuses us of trespassing and that we were here to steal his treasures. It quickly possessed Sofija which began hacking at the parties caster till Django was able to Hold Person the vessel. Eventually the members of the party pelted Sofija till she passed out, forcing the ghost out. It ran through a wall and eventually disappeared entirely.

[Tundrra]

Session 15
2023/04/10
All Here +Stelmari (duergar) and Lasarian (ghost)

The Ghost continues to avoid the party, so more doors are opened as the party explores the area. The first door is opened and it is filled with skeletons awaiting to be disturbed. Dimbel quickly erupts a fireball eliminating …everything. Most of the remains are long dead dwarves and orcs with the exception of a possible human/elf, and a un-marked magical Shortsword. Anything else of importance was evaporated by the fire.

The next room is completely empty. It is checked throughly for magic and passages, so the party heads for the next room…except Sofjia who had lingered. The party gathers in front of the next door yelling for her to open the next room, once she catches up and enters the room and begins to search around. Django sends in his minions to back Sof up incase something lurks within.

Edu and Fiadh eventually enters and sees Sofjia walking back past them and locks the door. Confusion sets in and worsens as Sofjia’s Warhammer begins to wail upon Fiadh. The possession has returned! Sofija puts her back to the door keeping it seal and difficult to open. Dimbel uses “knock” to unlock it and Melro tears through the wooden door in panther form. Uno grapples Sofjia and eventually she slumps over, awaking from a confusion and is immediately pelted by magical missile knocking her to unconsciousness.

Dimbel b-lines it for the Duergar campsite and is surprised to find the door is locked and blocked. The Duergar are greedy charging a fee for entry and again for resting peacefully in their camp. Once rested, the party returns to the North looking to finish off the ghost if it can be found, but what is found is a untouched pristine room, with a beautiful Gigantic Rug of Smothering Love within.

[Tundrra]

Session 16
2023/04/17
all present...Stel and Las officially join Monday sessions.


Dimbel narrowly stepped out of the animated rug’s reach leaving Edu open to being wrapped up and smothered. The party begins to attack the ornate carpet in hopes it would drop Edu, however only more damage is caused to their grappled ally. Eventually Dimbel’s slick grease and Melro’s prying at its edges allows Edu to manage to free himself and the rug is destroyed shortly after.

The room has been untouched for a very long time. Papers written in dwarven ciphers are found at the desk, as well as a small wooden locked box under the bed. Other than that another short rest is taken before more doors are sought after.

The East wing houses several doors, but as we proceed further along the corridor Django points out abundance of skeletons bodies and another pool at the hall’s end. The doors are skipped and the new room is examined with no new knowledge found. So to the Southern door we go…

…A library is revealed and Django presses to the front. Lots of valuable books are collected but no scrolls or magic items found. A stone tile that has been moved many times, is located under the desk. Once removed a living bound female woman lays curled underneath. Melro quickly cuts her bonds ignoring Django’s plea that no way there could be a captive here in this forgotten place…but Idalla is convincing.

She states a Wizard Scalen comes to the library at night feeding her minimally and keeping her trapped in this room. She states she was taken for ransom along with her guards. After taking some mushroom rations from Melro she sneaks some sort of charm on contact. Idalla makes for the open door, mentally commanding Melro to attack Dimbel and Django, which he does happily.
<d>

[Tundrra]

Session 17
2023/04/24
Las absent


Melro picks himself up out of the grease after Fiadh dispels the magical control influence he was under. The party regroups and tracks the bare feet of Idalla, confirming they just disappear outside of the door. Melro believes it must have gone to the ethereal plane much like the ghost that haunts this place. The Dwarven ghost must have been listening because he appeared moments later shouting "The fiend is right there, kill her now" as it points at the fountain. Nothing is visible, but Django hears the whispers Idalla’s alluring voice.

Dimbel casts a fireball, casting around the ghost and party, the room explodes with fire, the pool hisses "it burns, burns!" Screeches a voice. The water levels lower and crouched inside is no longer Idalla but a winged demon! a succubus! Sofia rages into the decayed muck of the pool and locks into melee. Django commands his minion to kill the ghost, so it poofs to the ethereal.

The succubus takes flight breaking away from combat and landing next to the enchanted Django, where he receives his reward from the succubus, a life draining kiss for her faithful servant causing him to crumble to unconsciousness. Dimbel shocked by the sight turns in a panic locking himself in the library. Sofija charges after crushing the the life out of the fiend. When Django is awakened he is frail and weak.

The party bangs on the door coaxing Dimbel to unlock the door and return to the party, “the demon is dead”. The Door lock unlatches, it opens with dimbel strutting through with his quarterstaff in hand, his eyes focused straight head where a recovering Django stands in his weaken state. THUMP! Django goes down again. The ghost has found its new host.

Fiadh slows Dimbel down with an illusionary wall around him, giving Sofjia and Melro time to grapple and restrain him. Fiadh and Melro convince the ghost to “stop fighting them and tell us his story, we have done what you asked and slain the fiend”. The ghost satisfied, leaves the body of Dimbel... “thank you, now for your payment let me tell you of the mountain’s treasu…” ...BLAST… Edu and Django’s held cantrips fire off sending the ghost to its final resting place!

With the current threats eliminated a short rest is sought in the rug room. Melro takes the time pry open the lock box while Django confirms the room is free of hidden entrances. After Fiadh and Dimbel are mended up the party proceeds to go door to door examining the empty rooms along the hall, till discovering the armory. The armory has been picked clean from what we see at the door, aside from two hanging full sets armor. Sofjia enters to begin the search and the wall armor animates attacking the intruders.

[Tundrra]

Session 18
2023/05/01

stell absent
zif observing
Las new character Grimjaws

The armory’s animated plate armor guardians dent up in quick fashion leaving the party a room full of scrap metal and broken weapons. Clearing the rest of the rooms along the corridor is uneventful, bringing the part back to the library where we had encounter Illana. With our previous search interrupted by the disguised Succubus, Edu takes more time to gather books that may have some value adding them to the bag of holding for future reading and selling.

Adjacent to the library is a bedroom which contained a map similar to the one the group used to find Stonetooth Mountain. This much older map, points out some other interesting locations near by, one in particular marked “Ironstaff..” which maybe Ironstaff hold, the dwarven stronghold General Varnoth messaged Melro about. Above the desk behind a loose brick is a cache of treasure, spell scrolls, and most importantly the journal of Arundil.

The journal solves some of the mysteries we have encountered, this dwarven wizard Arundil hid his room behind a illusionary wall while the invasion of orcs defeated his brethren. Once the battle was over the grief stricken wizard created guardians by enchanting rugs, tables and armor to attack any non-dwarven creatures. Still unsatisfied he summoned a fiend from beyond, Idalla, to protect the stronghold, but like Django found out first hand she can be sweet and deadly. His soul unable to rest became the specter that haggard the party since arriving.

With the northeast section cleansed of undead, the party pays its toll back to the Duergar controlled throne room. They are greeted by a new face, a cleric of the Druegar who is interested in putting his dwarven cousins souls to rest and is escorted back through the previous rooms to preform the rights of one of Mauradin's minor dwarven gods. He requests to join us in order to find more of his kin’s remains. So far this Grimjaws has been less greedy than his comrades and much more eager for adventure. Which bringing us to the Northeast door.

In Orcish the door is marked with a warning “Beyond this door the Maker of Death is chained. May he gnaw on his own hate until the sun dies and all things end.” The newcomer gives the party some motivational words of encouragement as Sofjia removes the locks and braces from the door…turns out the Maker of Death had successfully gnawed through his chains…

[Tundrra]

Session 19
2023/05/08


The bludgeoning force of Sofjia and Grimjaws tear through the over grown skeletons and the unsettling glow of the undead orc dims leaving behind a wrecked room. What was once a sacred dwarven room to their gods has been defiled, defaced, and littered with bodies. Upon the alter a dwarven body rests where it fell in battle, signs of him killing several of its assailants lie all over. Around the dwarven body runes are carved into the floor keeping at bay any chance that this dwarf could be brought back from beyond.

The fallen dwarf has the most beautiful black plate armor and as Grimjaws begins to prepare the bones for travel to its new resting place he points out the dwarven inscription inside the suit. A well crafted etch cursing the orcs that have attacked the stronghold and the mark of Durgeddin are found inside and on the plat armor…this we believe is Durgeddin body. Melro informs Grimjaws of the burial chambers to the caverns below but if this is the leader and great smith of the Stronghold he may have another resting place prepared, either way some nice burial wraps might be more comfortable than that heavy armor…the Duergar was not in agreement.

While the continued search of the room goes on, whispers fill the room "fiadh...fiadh...fiadh" "you have been ignoring your sendings." Sofija springs to Fiadh side, Grimjaws curses of a demons presence, as a winged Tiefling enters the room. Neela whispers to Fiadh "I was sent by Delatar" to confirm you have not fallen in line with the Dusk League or worse captured or dead. She requests to stay and observe Fiadh and report back to her organization. This isn’t sitting well with the group but they allow the tiefling to join… for now.

Outside Grimjaws begins to formally introduce members to the Duergar that we had encountered briefly before, they look to him with respect but don’t seem to be apart of the same group. The visit is cut short as members of the party gather at the kitchen door to the Southwest. With the Fiadh and Grim in the front begin to lead everyone in to a large old kitchen. One of the tables animates and is hesitant as the dwarven members lead the party. “Sit!" Commands Grimjaws and the table sits, the old wizards Journal seems accurate these animated objects serve to dwarven kind. Another command "there are no enemies here please return to your tablely business" and the party gets free reign to search the area, finding crates full of petrified, evaporated or rotted food supplies. Echos of "take care table" are spoken as the evening draws closer and the party returns to the Duergar camp.

[Tundrra]

Session 20
2023/05/15

Lasarian absent (jay filling in on Grimsjaw)


The wizards are exhausted and quickly find a place around the Dreugar fire, where Sofjia has begun preparing a lizard roast. Melro offers to guide Grimsjaws to the tomb area in the caverns near by, where he quickly begins to put to rest the various dwarven bodies he has come across. The next couple hours go by with cooking, eating and resting without interruption. Eventually the party tell the Druegar goodnight and make their to sleep in the old wizards quarters. Without the prying eyes around the coin is split amongst the original party members and the wizards take a bit of time before bed to learn one of their recently found scrolls.

The next morning Mirtul the 29th, the party asks Grimjaws if they could tour the forge area. He leads everyone to the south corner door where several unlit furnaces fill the room. A small stream flows through the room emptying to what we are told is a large underground lake far below… where the black Dragon Nightscale has made her lair. The head smith Snirven was not eager to share information about much of anything, we did learn their leader Nimira made a deal with Nightscale, but he would not give details other than she allows them to work undisturbed.

With most of the area explored the party considers their options:
A. Return to Blazingdale and inform Althon of the Dragon and Druegar.
B. Explore the areas between the lower caverns and the orc controlled upper areas.
C. Cleanse the mountain of the black dragon.

The idea of more orc ears before returning to Blazingdale ignited the taste for revenge in some of the party. So with a bit of direction from our new allies we invite Grimsjaw to join us in clearing out the orcs in the upper levels. So back through the caverns we go toward our goal of climbing the stairs up….but wait a Bear! And a giant Mosquitos! …and finally top of the stairs lead up to a dwarven mural carved chamber.