TOPIC: [R1] D&D Out of the Abyss

Out of the Abyss, Session 3

Our heroes continue their exploration of the abandoned mine. We discover a sinkhole plunging down to a lower level of the dungeon. Greyscale spots a wand discarded near the edge of the pit, but fails to notice the phase spider lurking in ambush. Kiri casts Mind Sliver to drive away the scuttling horror before the oblivious kobold even knows he is in peril. Greyscale waves the wand experimentally and animates 10 small rocks, which follow him around. Erasmus covets the wand greatly, and plots how to take it from the idiot kobold.

Greyscale triggers a trapped chest and is poisoned. Kiri takes the lead, scouting ahead though the eyes of her spider familiar. She views a feral gnome chained to the wall, wild eyed and frothing from the mouth. Kiri casts Mind Sliver to put the wretched creature out of its misery. Morloc recovers a valuable ring (1,000gp!) from the corpse.

The final area of the mine is occupied by four rust monsters gorging themselves on a mound of unrefined ore. Concerned for the hoard of scrap metal Prince Derendil is lugging around, we leave them to their feast and return to the sinkhole. An unhappy Greyscale is lowered down on the end of a rope. The shaft descends 120ft into a horrifying nest of giant spiders. Dozens of oversized arachnids converge on the dangling kobold, plus one particularly huge and swollen monstrosity presiding over the cluster. The party hastily haul Greyscale back up the shaft, then chuck a load of burning debris down the hole to burn away the webs and scare away the spiders.



The smoke clears, and we descend the shaft. A few spiders were cooked by the flames, but most of them (including the big one) have scarpered. Erasmus finds a Ring of Spell Absorbtion among the ashes. A tunnel leads us to the banks of the Dark Lake. An unattended raft bobs on the surface of the still, inky water. There are no oars though, and no-one much fancies paddling. Greyscale flourishes his new wand and animates the raft, propelling it 600ft out onto the lake, before coming to an abrupt stop. Erasmus demands the wand, but Greyscale demurs. He just needs more practise! He waves the wand again, and the raft rockets forward another 600ft. Then - to Erasmus' dismay - the wand disintergrates. Erasmus splutters with outrage to see such a powerful item squandered by an idiot kobold with delusions of magecraft.

The raft drifts aimlessly for some time. Eventually, the opposite bank comes into view, densely forested by towering fungi. We disembark and forage for supplies. Morloc discovers a zurkwood shack, seemingly abandoned. Stairs lead down to a cellar decorated with a statue of the demon lord Orcus. The mouth of the statue is hinged to open, so something can be put into it. Cue much juvenile giggling around the table as we suggest what to insert into Orcus' glorious hole. Morloc makes an offering of the 1,000gp ring, revealing the hidden entrance to a sinister workshop. A teleportation circle has been daubed onto the floor with old blood. The room extends further into darkness, blocked off by metal bars. We find the word 'DARVASHIUM' scratched into the underside of a blood-stained bowl. Kiri translates the word from Undercommon > Common, meaning "to be with the shadows".

Still sore from the (completely avoidable) loss of the Wand of Animate Objects, Erasmus encourages Greyscale to demonstrate his magical prowess by standing in the teleportation circle and speaking the command word. Greyscale disappears.

'That's the last we'll see of him,' Erasmus thinks happily.

But no such luck, Greyscale was only teleported to the dark area beyond the bars, where he finds a +1 rapier and a malevolent shadow demon. Being Small, Greyscale slips between the bars to rejoin the party, pursued by the demon. Elin brandishes his holy symbol to turn the dark entity, and Kiri tears it apart with bursts of psychic energy.

TBC