Session 5: Found Floon...And a lot More

These Xanathar mercs know how to secure the place, I'll give them that. After the boulder comes down, magical glyphs, oil traps, and giant, swinging logs all bar our way. If Regulus cares at all, he doesn't show it. Barges right through the worst of it and paves the way. The Imp takes a more calculated approach, flies up and cuts the lines on the traps. Some magic from Jain reduces the flames from the oil traps, and some clever druidcraft from Sadachbia keeps the runes from blowing us to the 9 Hells. Well done all. I scramble up the boulder ready to help a few of them over, but then Regulus is facing down a room full of crossbows. After he scares the piss out of a few of them, I'm jumping in to help, and fuck if I know how, but somehow I'm sliding down the slope on his shield, clearing the enemy lines, and then even the shield kicks out and almost finishes the one right in front of me after he's pinned to the wall by Regulus's spear. A quick slash, his head rolls, and they've lost all taste for the fight. After they flee, we loot the room. A trapper is waiting for us. Tries to make a meal out of me, but the others are there to help, and I'm free soon enough. Honorine disappears while this is happening, but is able to scope out what's ahead. Renaer is itching to get to Floon, so we're moving.
 
Honorine is back and warning us about what's ahead. A monster in the room we're trying to cross, Duergar, and even a mindflayer are ahead. We know it ain't getting easier from here, but we have to press on. The thing they're calling "the experiment" tries to drag a few of us in the water as we cross. Regulus and Atka almost get pulled in, but we manage to make it through after we decide this isn't the fight we're looking for. But Torm's fury, the next room erupts into chaos as we try to get to Floon. That troublemaker from the Yawning Portal is down here along with a mage, a set of gazers, the Duergar clerics, and some little monstrosity that's a brain with legs and claws. Before the mindflayer leaves through a portal, it aggravates an abomination I've never seen before, and Sadachbia calls out to be careful of the "mindwitness." Things aren't going well after the mage unleashes a storm of spells on us, but we're all finding our resolve. I hope the others don't remember or don't care about what I did, but I know Asmodeus is smiling after I unleash the power of his influence to try and save some of them. Didn't see what else I could do, but I wasn't gonna let them die down there, even if it complicates things moving forward. At least it does the trick along with some Zhentarim help harassing the mindwitness. I take the fight to the mage while the other enemies are too scared of what I am to keep pressing harder. Everyone's looking out for each other now. We get our fallen friends back up. Jain uses his magic to bend gravity to his will and turn it on our enemies, and Atka burns the little brain to death some acid to help Jain's counter assault. Kal puts his owl and magic to deadly effect, that little beast of his ripping enemies apart, eye for eye. Regulus and Honorine are clearing up the rest while Sadachbia is healing us all the while. When I put down the mage, everyone closes in on the mindwitness. That beast is imposing, but so are we. It's dead pretty quick, and I'm beginning to realize this is no ordinary group of fellows I've fallen in with. There's a reason we were all in that dream together, even if I can't see it yet. 9 Hells, been a long time since I've seen warriors like this. Even longer since I fought beside this many. Glad they're on my side.
 
Floon is in rough shape, but we get him out. (Fuck, Regulus is strong...) After we heal him and get him something to eat and drink, it's easy to see why they mistook him for Renaer. We make the most of what we can out of their stashed goods. A few trophies and some spoils will go a long way in the future, and the gold they left us is appreciated. Now it's time to figure out why in all of Heaven's name there's a mindflayer in the sewers beneath Waterdeep.
 
What's really going on here?