Session Preface
Quiet falls over the dwarven carved stone corridor as you stand amid the shattered glass of destroyed mirrors and the broken bodies of the bugbear and goblin patrol force which discovered your position. With the recent return to the surface to restore Fenris' mind and Thaust's armor partially melted from the acidic reach of the black ooze as his hammer and armor weigh heavy on his taxed strength, you each begin to wonder with perhaps a moment of hesitation what else this level of the dungeon may have in store for you, to say nothing of the two additional floors you'll need to traverse to find yourselves in Skullport to complete your delivery.
Session Summary
The party makes their way through the now empty corridors which Hawk discovers to be watch post for the Xanathar's Thieves Guild before discovering a dormant arcane gate with wild magic radiating from it as well as a dead tiefling chained to the wall with infernal script reading "TALK TO ME" overhead. While the companions try several languages and arcane tricks to garner a response from the skeletal remains, they are ultimately unable to do so, with Hawk breaking a string on his lute in the process.
Leaving these strange encounters behind, the party pass through the next doorway, revealing a conspicuously clean hallway with magically lit, floating candles. First, Hawk finds a bronze statue of a man playing a harp with the inscription, "Gaze upon me with bronzed visage and secrets I shall reveal." Interpretting the riddle, Hawk places the bronze mask of Halaster he recovered from the hallway of mirrors and is transported into a demiplane in which Halaster himself offers to answer three questions, two with true answers and one with a falsehood. The first question is unintentionally wasted when Hawk asks if he can confer with his companions, to which the mad mage says "You may." Hawk returns to the material plane and discusses his findings with Thaust and Fenris.
After agreeing on the next questions, Hawk puts the mask on once more to ask Halaster a pair of questions. First, Hawk asks "How exactly does one get to Skullport from the third level of the dungeon?" to which the mage answers, "There are multiple ways to arrive in Skullport including navigating the Sarguath river or the caves which run parallel to its southern point. As a final question, Hawk tests the truthfulness of his other answer by asking him, "What is the common spelling of the word apple?" to which Halaster answers "The spelling is a social construct used to convey meaning between intelligent beings." With this final cryptic answer, the mage collapses into a slush and is destroyed.
Next, returning to exploring the dungeon, the party finds more of the the well lit hallways winding back and forth before Hawk is nearly absorbed by a gelatinous cube. When the ooze attempts to absorb both of his companions, Thaust quickly banishes the creature, affording the group a chance to escape. Finally, the party discovers a mirror gate which activates and swirls to life when touched with a wand as carved into the wooden frame of the mirror itself. Stepping through the magical portal, the party finds themselves in a drow fortress somewhere beneath their previous locale. Rifling through the contents of the room, Fenris finds a set of dwarf corpses, intrigued by a steel helmet in the shape of a boar's head. Fenris places the helmet on his head and in the process uncovers a gem lodged in the throat of the dwarf, a massive emerald the party pockets before taking a long rest.
Before finding a substantial rest, a patrol of skeletons searches the camp before quickly being eliminated by the companions who then return to a fitful rest and prepare for the next stage of their adventure. As they take their first steps on this new level, the party finds a room shroud in magical darkness followed by a statue with an empty grip which seems intended to hold a weapon of some kind pointing towards a locked door. Searching the massive ballroom beyond, Fenris is attacked by two massive mutated drow who nearly overwhelm him while the party slowly whittles down the pair of monsters. After another period of rest, the companions push forth into a room full of humanoid skulls as the flooring of the chamber before being detected by a disgusting fused monstrosity of a drow wizard whose bottom half is a gigantic scorpion. The monster shouts, "You little pests have reached the end of your journey to Halaster's tower. This is my territory! Now, bleed!" As the creature scales the northern wall, it brings a set of drow statues to life and orders them to attack.
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