Session 20 – Descent to the Depths of the Earth, Part 2

Written by KoshcheiBessmertnyi

General Summary

Having fought off the Shepherd and its minions, the companions try to reason out where to go next based on Nuno’s description of the caves abutting the Pasture. As they remember it, most points of interest lie on their left hand side – that’s where the Ingoeth’s workshop seems to lie, and perhaps the way down to their domain, as well as the Shepherd’s lair. After deciding to eschew going to the right (fearing it narrows into passages that are too narrow for most of them to traverse), the party decides to head left, though cautiously, as that is where Glitterstem noted the web of another giant spider, near the Pasture’s exit. En route, Glitterstem manages to find what he takes as another healing mushroom growing out of a natural pillar holding up the cavern ceiling.
A few minutes journey in the chosen direction reveals the end of the Pasture, and the beginning of a darker, narrower passage. But as the party leaves the cave, the giant spider strikes from above, hoping to envelop the unsuspecting spelunkers in its web. Glitterstem, in spider form, ascends to the ceiling to engage the foe, while Enkidu is confronted by a legion of smaller spiders (the other two, along with Goltur, initially pressing out of the Pasture). A few tense moments ensue, as Enkidu is briefly surrounded and stung by the young spiders, before having the companions come to his aid, and smashing several to smithereens in anger. Theobald puts a few to sleep, and then joins Miletus in launching eldritch energy at the giant spider above, which turns the tide in the spider duel (but not before Glitterstem is bitten). In the end, the party prevails, though Enkidu and Glitterstem are worse for wear, and the group as a whole feels magically depleted. A discussion regarding where best to find rest concludes with a decision to press forward, seek out the workshop, and hope for the best.
At the end of the dark passage, the party finds itself in luck. Another wider cavern appears to be the workshop, and it is abandoned, apparently offering a chance for respite. The cave is dark, and filled with a dozen or so industrial-sized looms. There is no evidence of any ongoing weaving, however – the place seems to have been stripped bare, though judging by his analysis of the tracks here, this cave was vacated roughly a day ago. Most of the dozen or so tracks are humanoid – some narrower, some wider, some smaller than human-sized feet, though there is a pair of canine tracks as well). Theobald finds a brooch among the debris scattered on the ground, and a small winding passage leading upward, likely to the cave of the Sons of Alurax) concealed by a cloth as well. The tracks all seem to have headed to an alcove at the far end of the cave, which Glitterstem discovers to be somewhat unstable, and which seems to sink down slightly when he enters it. To all appearances, the chamber seems to be an elevator of some sort, though in the darkness, there are no apparent levers or other implements that can operate it.
The party decides to rest until what seems to be nightfall, to recover sufficiently from the run-ins with various arachnids. Enkidu consumes a healing mushroom, and is the beneficiary of some medical attention from Glitterstem (and so is the gnome himself). At long last, the party is ready to proceed, and enters the small alcove, which begins to slowly descend. The cabin appears to be made of a material lighter than stone – likely dried clay. After what must be several hundred feet – there is definitely a change of pressure – the cabin comes to a halt in the middle of an artificial, circular chamber. The place is dimly lit, as torches are mounted along the wall. In the part of the room visible from the cabin, some hammocks and straw, apparently used as sleeping quarters are visible, and a rough, stone staircase rises to the cabin’s left. While Glitterstem proceeds to inspect the hammocks and Miletus watches the stairs, Enkidu and Theobald head to the obscured part of the chamber, which contains a large wheel attached to ropes and pulleys – apparently the mechanism used to raise the elevator, However, these two are immediately jumped by two tall, stone axe-wielding, hairy humanoids with webs tattooed on their faces! One knocks out Theobald with a well-placed blow to the head from behind, while the other bloodies Enkidu and presses him. The free humanoid now circles around and engages Miletus, but Enkidu manages to line up the other one, and cleaves him nearly in two. Glitterstem is able to rouse Theobald in short order, and quickly, victory is torn out of the jaws of defeat, and the harried and surrounded humanoid shouts out surrender, in the goblin tongue.

Report Date

04 Dec 2015