Session 6: Up from the Depths
General Summary
After taking a rest to recuperate from the battle with the skeletal swarm, our heroes plotted their day over cups of hot tea, courtesy of Omori. Although Shadow had already found the sacred flame they decided to have a look at the final two unexplored chambers before heading back out of the caverns. They soon found themselves in a ruined library, the books on the shelves wet with slime and mildew. Moths flitted about the air as Shadow picked the lock of a desk with a hinged lid. Inside she discovered a small sack of gems and a journal that outlined the final days of the Tabaxi clan that remained behind. While Shadow perused the journal, Keokan and Aaura discovered a pair of waxen tubes containing spell scrolls, later to be identified as a divine spell: Protection from Poison, and an arcane spell: Identify. Having found these last artifacts, they headed back to a large entry hall they had discovered earlier. One half of this Grand Hall featured ancient Ymmari bas reliefs and serpentine pillars, while the other half was collapsed and piled ceiling-high with rubble and debris. Taking a moment to scout a steep ramp of debris, Aatavi discovered a hole in the ceiling. A slight breeze informed him that an exit lay beyond. Keokan led the way into the hole, his long limbs and mountaineering skill on full display. Aatavi bouldered on behind him, brute strength and a strong grip guiding his way. Omori and Faelyn had slightly more trouble making the ascent, difficulties that would dangerously repeat themselves in the moments ahead. The rubble and debris slowly gave way to a set of stone stairs that climbed upwards for many meters before ending abruptly. Jammed into the egress and blocking their way was the face of a large stone dragon; the broken remainder of an ancient Ymmari statue. Combining their strength, the goliath and the barbarian heaved the immense ruin out of the hole as the rest of the group moved past. They emerged only to find themselves once again in the refuse pit where they had encountered Bargess, days ago. Although the strange “not goblin” was nowhere to be seen, the caverns echoed with the sounds of clanging alarums and shrieking goblins. The caves were on high alert. “I think Bargess has been giving them trouble” remarked Keokan. Sneaking through the caves, the party soon discovered that their path to the exit was blocked. Dozens upon dozens of agitated goblins milled about, cutting off our heroes from the way they had originally come. Worse still, a few moments later the party was noticed and the alarmed goblins sprang into action. “We sprint!” cried Aatavi, and the group hurried down another passage. Days before, when they had been searching for a way into the deeper ruins, they had seen an open mine shaft leading to the surface. Its interior was festooned with ropes, planks, and rickety platforms anchored at odd angles and dangling wildly, like a sailing vessel that had been dashed against the rocks and thrown into a giant spider’s web. Nevertheless, with a horde of shrieking goblins on their tails, it seemed the less treacherous exit for our heroes. Wasting no time, Keokan stood at the base of the shaft and helped launch Shadow up into the rigging. With feline grace she nimbly hopped up the moving mass and found sure footing on a level halfway up. Aaura quickly called on her celestial heritage and spread her angelic wings, spinning upwards through the dangling lines and into the middle of the atrium. Faelyn and Omori, however, did not prove so graceful. With Keokan’s help they were able to make it onto a lower ledge, but the wobbling shipwreck of ropes and platforms proved too unsteady for them to move any higher. With the party split between three levels the goblins began to appear. From caverns higher in the shaft’s wall the monsters fired crossbows at Shadow and Aaura. On the ground level Aatavi watched as a line of goblins rushed down the tunnel in furious pursuit. Lightning flashed in the barbarian’s eyes as he charged to meet their approach, Keokan close behind. With javelin and harpoon Aatavi met them in the tunnel and flew into a rage. A gust of wind billowed behind him and sparks began to ripple across his body. As his mysati harpoon impaled the first goblin an arc of electricity lashed further down the passageway and singed another. The narrowness of the tunnel prevented Keokan from standing at his friend’s shoulder. Instead he picked up the barbarian’s javelin and hurled it down the passage and into one of the approaching goblins, killing it instantly. Shadow moved to the goblin nearest her, the tabaxi assassin’s gauntlet flashing in a broken ray of sunlight. She deftly tore out the goblin’s throat out and watched as its corpse slumped over the edge, hurtling down the shaft and landing on the ground next to Keokan with a splat. Aaura swooped to attack the other goblin with a bolt of arcane energy but her spell went wide and slammed into the rickety wooden frame instead. Unfortunately, the misfire manifested into a virulent acid and quickly ate through a chunk of the wooden platform and hempen rigging. With a snap, the platform tore loose from its anchor point and caused the entire structure to quake and groan in the mineshaft. Faelyn and Omori, still attempting to climb onto the platform below watched in horror as the rig came loose. The sudden shift in tension caused Omori to lose his grip and fall back on the ledge below, while Faelyn was flung upwards into the air, landing with a thud atop the middle platform. Dispatching another shrieking goblin with her crossbow, Shadow pulled Faelyn to his feet and helped him scramble up a ladder. As he breached the top and into the fresh air once more, he was passed by Aaura, flying out of the shaft with Omori in her arms. Down at the base of the cavern, the strength and rage of Keokan and Aatavi had overwhelmed the goblins into a retreat. Wasting no time, they ran back to the shaft and quickly made their climb to the surface. Outside, amongst old broken mining equipment and piles of debris, the party watched as scores of goblins scurried about on high alert. With alarms still ringing, it did not take long before they were spotted and approached by a small platoon of goblins. Led by a tall, muscular, yellow-furred bugbear, the goblins eyed the heroes warily. When Shadow placed a healing paw on Keokan, the monsters tensed. Magical fire danced between the fingers of one of the goblins while the bugbear began to pat the spiked ball at the end of his Morningstar. Deciding not to waste any time, Aaura reached out and blasted the bugbear with magic missiles. Faelyn quickly followed suit and sent a chaos bolt into the reeling bugbear, its yellow fur swiftly catching fire. The goblins watched in horror as the bugbear became engulfed in flames, took a handful of staggering steps, and dropped to the ground dead. As our heroes tensed for another fight, the goblins shot each other a quick look of panic and scattered back to hide amidst the rubble and ruins. Having asserted their dominance with such a show of power, our heroes walked out from the cave dwellings and back into cracked badlands of the Blushing Hills. After gaining some much-needed distance from the goblin caves, they camped for the evening. Snacking on some wild strawberries discovered by Aatavi, they planned their next move. Looking at Keokan, Aatavi asked, “You will look for your friend now, yes?” Keokan looked deep into the stars above, his eyes following the tip of one of the constellations, and his vision trailed off into the distance. “My friend Thor is somewhere out there. I must find him.” The goliath’s eyes glanced at Shadow and lantern that she carried, its holy light flickering in the darkness. “But first we must finish the task for our friend.” A few days later, the party crested a hill to see the city of Lasthome in the distance. Built along the Blushwine river, the city was bustling with the traffic of the afternoon. Making their way to the northern edge and the orchards, they were soon met by the tabaxi who brought them inside to meet with Lady Akamay. Lady Akamay was thrilled to see the party again, and marveled at Shadow’s discovery of the Hua Linghun. The other baubles and trinkets that had been brought back, as well as the journal that outlined the tabaxi’s last days in the Red Shores Caverns, filled her with a tumult of mixed emotions. “You have all done my cousin incredible service” she said. “Tonight, we feast in your honor.” A few hours later our heroes were eating, laughing, and regaling the tabaxi with stories of their exploits. They were joined by Aaura’s friend Elias Eltyr and another older half elven woman that sat next to Faelyn. Aatavi marveled at the abundance of the tabaxi table as he talked with Lady Akamay about ways to help his homeland. Keokan was presented with an oversized apple pie, fit for a goliath’s appetite. After hard days on the trail and tense encounters under the earth it was good to take a moment to enjoy themselves. Long conversations and deep laughter continued into the night.
