Session 74

General Summary

• The party defeated "Father Longlegs", with Grogery getting the killing blow.
• Further into the floor were three unusual maggot-looking creatures with human faces grafted on. They seemed to eat by extending out a very long, hidden neck at their target. Kesmet destroyed them before they had the chance to do anything harmful.
• Further still was another metal door, this one with no doorknob / vault wheel, or even any hinges. It had a message inscribed on it that would warn off anyone who is not "authorized", and bloody handprints all around the keyhole, suggesting that "authorization" is enforced by checking the blood of whoever inserts the key.
• Near the door, another half-insect creature (the other half of this one being human instead of goblin) appeared and was immediately killed by another pathetic creature, presumably a former cultist of Vicra's.
• This other individual had a key that fit, and his blood (not taken willingly) was "authorized", so the party was able to open the door and proceed to the next large section of the dungeon (leaving "Barf", the dog, behind).

Full Recap

Father May I

The session opens with the party (including "Barf", Marvin's temporarily charmed dog) about to engage in combat with "Father Longlegs", a large spider with a human grafted onto it where its head would be, in a room with a toxic cloud of smoke covering the ceiling starting roughly 10 feet above the ground.

Combat Summary

• Father Longlegs attempted to hit each party member in turn with an ability that caused the target to be paralyzed in fear. It was only successful against Marvin and Dwardazik.
• The spider would often retreat above the smoke cloud to make attacks from above.
• Even though the spider and the human were together, the human did not appear to be fully committed to the battle, very occasionally healing damaged party members, though he mostly cast Spirit Guardians to damage them instead.
• On Marvin's command, Barf barked so loudly that it made Kesmet, Grogery, and Marvin himself temporarily deaf.
• Dazki's pistol jammed up when he tried to fire a second shot at the boss. It's going to need to be repaired before it will fire again.
• Some ghasts joined in to also attack the party.
• As the spider's damage increased, the priest began to beg for mercy, but also for death. Grogery got the killing blow on it with a Sacred Flame, confident that the priest would pass on to an afterlife similar to Pelor's realm.

Echoes of Madness

After the combat was over, Dwardazik and Marvin had some lingering effects from the boss's paralyzing madness. Marvin was left incapacitated: all he could do for a period of time was either scream, laugh, or weep; Kesmet tried to slap him out of it for a time, to no avail. Dwardazik was terrified: all he could do for a period of time was flee. Dwardazik tried to start digging a hole reflexively, but was quickly reminded at how surprisingly impossible that was. He started to run away towards the unexplored parts of the dungeon, but Dazki cornered him, grabbing his flask of dwarven ale:

Dazki, offering it back to him: Here, Dwardazik! Have a drink. It's going to be OK. Here!   Dwardazik, unaffected: Why are you trying to drink? We gotta RUN!!

Dwardazik pushed past him, continuing to run away. Grogery, sensing that the dwarf was about to cause way worse problems than what could be fixed by a Lesser Restoration, sprinted after him and cured his madness.

Dwardazik, visibly exhausted: Phew... I'm not... the cave isn't going to collapse? It's OK? We can stay?   Grogery: Right. It's fine. We're fine. You're fine. Everybody is fine!   Dwardazik: I thought I could feel the rumbling... the whole cave was gonna collapse!   Grogery: There was some sort of paranormal Turmoil magic going on with the spider, and it was deceiving your senses.   Dwardazik: PHEW! I need a breather...   Dazki, approaching him with the ale: Here, you probably want this back too.   Dwardazik chugs it.   Dwardazik: I really thought we were gonna get caved in. I saw the rocks back at the entrance and thought that the whole roof was coming down!   Marvin wails in the distance.   Grogery: Dazki, do you think you can do something about Marvin while I do something about the priest?

They heal and regroup, Grogery saying some rites over the priest's body.

Dwardazik, exhausted from Marvin's haste spell wearing off: I demand we find a place to rest! Figure it out, or else I say we rest right here.   Dazki: That's a really bad idea with all this Turmoil.   Dwardazik: It's an even worse idea to go into the next fight and then just die.   Grogery: I do want to do some healing --   Dwardazik: Now listen here, Grogery. Before you cast that spell, if we all just took a chance to sit down and catch our breath, I'm sure we'd feel much better for any encounters we might have up ahead. Instead, Grogery over here isn't going to have the time to pray to Pelor and figure out new magics for the fight ahead? Grogery needs every spell he has! Now, I don't normally say this, but I refuse to move forward!

With some discussion, they realize that the only viable way to proceed is forward, as the potentially viable campsite areas are behind the partially collapsed cave rubble.

Dwardazik: Oh, sure, and walk right into the Flesh Artist's machinations!   Dazki: Do you have any better ideas, Dwardazik?   Dwardazik: Yeah, right here.   Marvin: You could mine out the rubble?   Dazki: Right here, in the spider's lair?   Dwardazik: Yup.   Kesmet: Let's just try to mine through the rubble.   Dwardazik: Too risky. The roof could collapse on us.   Kesmet: Very well, what about here, near the eggs? The spider wouldn't lay eggs where it's harmful.   Dazki: No.   Dwardazik: Well, what, then? Do you have any ideas? You really think we should carry on like this?   Dazki: I don't really think we have much of a choice!   Grogery prays to Pelor for a safe space for him and his companions to heal before venturing into the darkness. It doesn't work.   Dwardazik: Grogery, what's your opinion? Are we stayin', or are we goin?   Grogery: I don't feel comfortable with us walking in as we are. Either we rest, or I heal a bunch of people. I say we rest.   Kesmet: Let's at least look around for somewhere that's not covered by smoke?   Dazki: The smoke isn't the problem. The Turmoil is.

During their bickering, Marvin snaps to.

Marvin: Hey guys, what just happened to me back there?   Kesmet, defensively: You're fine.   Dazki: My best guess would be residual magic from whatever that spider thing did.   Marvin: Sorry, Kesmet, I didn't know what was going on with me.   Dwardazik: What was "going on" is that you realized how hopeless it is to push forward without a good rest! It just hit you all at once!   Grogery: I think it would be a good idea to have someone scout ahead. Possibly Kesmet, since he looks the least injured.   Dwardazik: Does anyone else find that dog absolutely crazy? It's not just me, right?   Dazki: No, we're absolutely going to need to put it down before we leave.   Marvin commands the dog to lick Dazki's face.   Dazki, in a friendly tone: Sorry, doggo, but you're infested with Turmoil, so we're gonna have to kill you once you're done here.

A Very Handy Door

Marvin begins scouting up the path ahead.   Up ahead are maggot-like larvae, their swollen well-fed bodies ending in human faces. Marvin just leaves them alone. Further up the path, it opens up to another door, vaguely across from a small hole in the wall. The door does not have a doorknob or the vault wheel as on other similar doors. Instead, it is covered by runes. In the center of the door is a bloody handprint. In the middle of the handprint is a keyhole. Written on the door:

Only those authorized to use the key may enter through here.   All others will be punished.

Further ahead up the path, there is a sound of gnawing / scratching on a piece of metal. That's enough for Marvin to turn around and head back to regroup with the rest of the party to report his findings.

Marvin: Yeah, there's another door. You're probably gonna need to pick it, though, there's no handle on it or anything. And there's something big that I hear, all the way down there. Don't like it! Don't like that. No, no. It might be a way out, though. It looks like a similar big metal door. I haven't scouted this way, though. He moves towards a side path that was on the way.   Dazki: All right. Well, let's scout these first then.

You quickly recognize that this is a ghasts' lair. There are no more ghasts, but it absolutely reeks.   As they past by the maggots:

Marvin: Don't mind these guys. I don't know what they are, but let's leave 'em alone.   Dazki: Sounds good to me.   Kesmet: Should we take out these things?   Marvin: You do you, man.   Grogery: They don't seem to be in pain.

As the rest of the party gets towards the door:

Dazki: Oh, so that's the noise you were hearing.   Marvin: Yeah, I don't like it.   Dazki: I understand.   Dwardazik: So, do we want to try the door? Or do we want to investigate that sound to the north and see if it's...?   Marvin: Well, I mean, if the door's too difficult for Dazki...   Kesmet: Are we just going to ignore the grubs? What if they turn into more giant spiders?   Grogery: That's... a long-term process.   Kesmet: Well, we did literally rush here because we presumed that what's-his-face was going to regenerate in a few days.   Dwardazik: What do you guys think? If Kesmet uses some of his fire magic, he can just burn 'em from range.   Grogery: Again, they don't seem to be in pain, they don't seem to be a threat, and we need to save magic for more threatening things.   Marvin: You guys think that might be how the Flesh Artist regenerates? Those grubs?

Kesmet wants to get more information about these grubs. He casts a minor illusion of Dwardazik in front of one. It extends its head out towards the illusion to try to chomp.

Dwardazik: Kesmet, you have complete permission to burn them.   Kesmet: Any other votes?   Marvin: Go for it.   Dazki: Umm... no opinion.

Kesmet begins casting fire bolts at the grubs while the rest of the party explores the other path.   A golden key is tossed from around the corner, tied to a string. Before Marvin can Mage Hand it away, another half-insect monstrosity (half-human, this time, instead of half-goblin) rushes over to grab it. Dwardazik challenges it, but it just grabs the key and examines it. As it does so, a giant javelin comes in from around the corner and skewers it, killing it instantly. The javelin, creature, and key are reeled back in around the corner.   Meanwhile, Dazki has been examining the door. The door is magically locked: you need this key. Trying to pick it will set off a trap. This door doesn't even have hinges. You can pick the mechanism, but without the appropriate blood sample, you will not get through the door. Dazki explains this to the rest of the part.

Kesmet: Is it a magical trap?   Dwardazik: So we need the key? Like... the key that we just saw?   Marvin: Probably.   Dazki: Yes, the key that we just saw. I don't know for sure about the trap. I think there's probably a mechanical and a magical part to it.   Grogery: Do you suppose that whoever threw that key out has "authorization" to go through that door?   Dazki: No fucking clue.   Marvin: Well, not anymore! He's fucking dead.   Grogery: Some...thing... threw the key on the string from around the corner. The bug man went and picked it up, and then a hooked javelin stabbed it and reeled it in, right?   Crunching sounds from around the corner.   Kesmet: I'm just going to try to dispel the magical part and see what happens.   Dwardazik: Careful! Remember, if this is Turmoil magic, it might not work.

The decision is to have Dazki sneak around to get more info about what's going on with the key, but make sure that Kesmet is ready to drop a Dispel Magic at a moment's notice if they need to make a mistake. Dazki successfully sneaks up on it.   It's another mutated insect person, but it seems a little different, having still kept some adornments like clothing. It still has a nice head of hair, but at the same time, it seems twitchy and malformed. It's currently devouring its meal, its limbs clearly not designed for anything in particular. He is trying really hard to eat, but his dentistry is making that problematic. The corpse is still twitching. He has reeled in the key, which will definitely fit the door, and he has hung it next to a severely damaged cultist mask dangling off the side of him. He's having a hard time eating. Dazki steals the key, brings it back to the group, and reports on what happened.

Grogery: So, clearly a cultist who stayed down here too long.   Dazki: My only other thought... he seemed very interested in Marvin.   Marvin: Shit, should I go up to 'im?   Dazki: No, not him, the Flesh Artist.   Marvin: Oh, right.   Dazki: Would it be possible that Marvin's blood is already "authorized" to unlock the door?   Grogery: That's a risky bet.   Dazki: Absolutely, but... do we want to try to get that thing's blood?   Grogery: If it's hungry, we do have food to trade.   Dwardazik: Well, worst-case scenario, the door just doesn't unlock, right? Let's try it, Marvin!   Dazki: No, the worst-case scenario is that an unauthorized person sets off a trap.   Dwardazik: Oh. I thought it was just if you pass through it?   Dazki: It's if the door is not opened with the key and the blood.   Marvin: Where does the blood need to go?   Dazki: I'd assume the bloody hand. Maybe the weird spider thing is able to converse? We could try talking with it.

They decide to have Marvin and Dwardazik, wearing their cultist masks, approach the creature to gauge its reaction.

Marvin: Hello, good sir!   The creature immediately grabs the arm of the insect creature and starts chittering and hissing at Marvin, anxiously, looking for somewhere else to run.   Marvin: How do you want to play this?   Dwardazik: Keep talkin'!   Marvin: Didn't quite catch your name. Can you tell me your name?   The creature can't quite eat properly, so forming words would probably be difficult for it... it's incredibly emaciated. It's watching you, like a cornered rat.   Dwardazik: This isn't really workin'...   Marvin, taking his mask off: OK, OK, listen! I'm not one of them. You're fine, we just wanted to disguise ourselves.

The creature doesn't really look afraid anymore... just hungry. And cornered. Marvin puts the mask back on, while Grogery passes up some rations to try to send up to this creature. Marvin offers the food to the creature, who accepts it and mashes it against its strange teeth without moving its mouth.

Marvin: Do you know how to get through the door? Nod your head for yes, shake your head for no.   The creature responds by showing Marvin three of its hands.   Marvin: OK, not sure what that means. Have you been here a long time?   The creature scrambles around looking for something in its pack, which it just can't find.   Marvin takes the mask off again, now that it seems like the creature is behaving a little bit less unpredictably.   Marvin: Listen, friend... can I call you friend?... does the name "Flesh Artist"? "Vicra"? Mean anything to you?   It wants more food. The rations that Grogery gave it are scattered around mashed up all over the floor. Grogery passes up some more, which Marvin hands to the creature. It accepts, then cowers back into the corner.   Marvin just sits on the ground, and Dwardazik signals to the rest of the party that it's safe enough to come up.   Grogery pulls out another ration and holds it in front of him, approaching the creature a little while still keeping his distance.   Grogery: Nod yes if you understand me. We need some of your blood to get in the door. I can give you this one, and another one, if you can let us have some of your blood to get through the door. Nod yes if you understand.   The creature attempts to speak; it's crude, but unmistakable: No.   Marvin: Are you scared of something? You don't need to be scared of us. We want to help. How can we help? Do you want to leave this place?   Again, the creature says no.   Marvin: Do you want to stay?   Again, the creature says no.   Marvin: OK... do you want anything?   Dwardazik: Do you want to die?   Marvin: That's a bit much, Dwardazik...   Dwardazik: It could be a mercy. Perhaps the creature doesn't want to be like this anymore! Instead of starving to death, we could put it out of its misery.   Marvin: Can you help us leave? We want to leave.   The creature says no.   Kesmet: You guys have been trying to convince this thing to willingly give us its blood. It's... not been working, and we are getting further and further from Dennis.   Kesmet draws a dagger and walks in front of the creature.   Kesmet: We need your blood. We don't need you hurt, we just need your blood. Do you understand?   The creature attempts to run away, but Kesmet slashes it with his dagger as it runs past, drawing blood onto his dagger. The creature lets out a terrible screech as it runs far away.   Kesmet: All right, there. We got the blood. Now what?

Dazki smears the blood on his hand, puts his hand up to the handprint, inserts the key, and turns it. Marvin commands the dog to stay behind, and then the party leaves through the door.

"Map Two"

There is a steep, winding, turning path that comes down... if not for the fact that steps have been carefully carved from the acidic stone here. This floor is very smoothed-over of any rough patches or pits that were in the previous floor.   The area is lit periodically with torches, giving the entire area a faint glowing orange color. The first chamber is large, supported by four hexagonal acid stone pillars, each face carved to depict a special scene of some significance. The four pillars look like they have the same art on each of them. There are also some skeletons in the room.   A poem is scrawled on the wall, one line at a time, going down the stairs: Marvin copies it down.