Session 47: Beholder's End
General Summary
In the laboratory, Shadow chose to finish his Detect Magic ritual before the party came to face K'Zor, detecting that the potions, some of the prepared materials for the explosives, and the two completed explosives, were magical. Belzaphir casted Dancing Lights, moving a string of lights upwards through the hole in the lab ceiling. While he got a sense that the lights were reflecting on something more like fabric than stone, they were quickly snuffed out. Out of options in the lab, the party returned to the central chamber, hearing a large thud on the stone as they descended the stairs. The spider-creatures were all around the outside of the room, and near the centre, the party faced a large female stone giant, dressed in purple robes. Conversation proved ineffective, though Belzaphir noticed that the giant's mouth and face weren't moving as she talked. The party entered combat, finding that magic cast in the direction of the giant's chest seemed ineffective, getting dispelled immediately as the magic left the caster's hands. The giant fought with a large club and also fired beams from its wrists, putting Shadow to sleep and pulling Tamugar towards it, in range of its club. The chamber itself was also turned against the party; eye icons on the ground also shot out beams, and the walls manifested tentacles, pulling Belzaphir in until Alden could free him. As the party killed the giant, K'Zor's true form emerged from its lifeless corpse. K'Zor, a beholder, had been piloting the giant from a cavity carved into its chest, covered by the robes. K'Zor attempted to flee through a hole in the ceiling, the one which she'd caused the giant's body to jump through, making the thud, but Shadow and Eirame used their abilities to push her to the ground and knock her prone. Despite doing a lot of damage, things were looking dire as Tamugar was pushed to the side of the chamber, Shadow was paralyzed, feared, incapacitated, and starting to feel the effects of paralysis, and Eirame succumbed to one of K'Zor's death rays. In dire straits, Doug finished K'Zor off with a thunderclap. With the beholder dead, the spiders seemed more at ease. Two elderly elf-spiders approached. One told them how they'd been enslaved by K'Zor, either bending to her will voluntarily or with mind control. They wished to be left alone in their lair and vowed to leave the miners and other travelers alone. One of the elves offered any treasure in K'Zor's sanctum to the party, revealing the location of a secret passage at the back of the lab, while the other used Gentle Repose on Eirame's body, giving the party time to bring her to a healer on the surface. Doug decided to stay with the spiders for now, learning from them and telling them lots of stories of his own. In K'Zor's lair, the party picked over the spoils left behind from other adventurers. Besides assorted nonmagical weapons and armor, the party found 2,400 gp each and a few magical items which Shadow identified as an Immovable Rod, Bracers of Archery, a Mantle of Spell Resistance, and a Ring of Spell Storing, currently storing two Knock spells and one Alarm spell. Shadow also identified the jeweler's eyepiece retrieved from the goblin as an Eyepiece of Trueseeing. They also discovered a letter written to K'Zor in Vash'atar, which Shadow translated: To the esteemed K'Zor, This letter spells out the allegiance between you and the Sisterhood. You will use your skills and minions to keep the dwarven eyes turned inward, their might occupied. Use whatever means necessary. In return, the Sisterhood grants full protection to you and yours when the rending wave comes, and when the city above runs with the blood of every last living creature, it shall be yours. You are but one thread in an intricate tapestry. Your continued allegiance will be rewarded; betrayal shall cost all you have and more. A more active role in the slaughter to come will be further rewarded as well. You will feel when the time is right. The Snake Eyes in the Sky are always watching, as am I. Deathchanter Ssahlunya The party spent the remainder of the day and most of the following day making their way back out of the mines. Towards the end of the second day, they felt a minor earthquake; a noticeable tremor but not significant enough to knock them off their feet. Shortly afterwards, they were contacted by Kina Veslynd, who told them to hurry to the surface and meet her at the College of Mysteries in Dun Girimbor, as something major was going on.
Rewards Granted
- Immovable Rod
- Bracers of Archery
- Mantle of Spell Resistance
- Ring of Spell Storing, with two Knock spells and one Alarm spell
