The group escapes into the underdark and are captured by a drow scouting party. With Arty gone and on the move, the group must do everything in their power to escape out of the under dark. The drow have been pushed back to where they can't reach the above ground by the mind flayer colony and must hide in the depths of the under dark. The group will have to undertake the under dark to break through and make their way back to the surface. They will meet Ilvara Noctis and while figuring things out, they severely question the group of their intentions and knowledge of the mind flayer colony and will have to be tasked with rescuing the arachnomancer from the depths of the mind flayer prison. That night they will be welcomed as guests at least and be offered a meal and beds. There won't be really any slaves here due to the fact that they were pushed out of their home. Before resting, the group will hear a loud "MOW" and Arty will explain to them that he knows the truth and has the group's best intentions at heart...only dot listened. He's going to save the world for everyone and asks that the group does not pursue him or interfere with his plans. The group will gain a level.
Here is where the dreams converge.
Dot will find himself in a small house with the purple lady there in a frantic mess telling dot that she doesn't have much time and he needs to trust her in a show of faith. The moon goddess will appear before them and gently caress dots face, saying, "Well, this is where you've run off to. Do you not want to be with me any longer?" She will then pull the threads of the psychic link that lucid has with them and draw them into this dream world. Volli will have a similar dream where he will be pulled down under water where he will be expelled out into this house. Within here they will have to fight horrors and deal with creepy things all until she can convince dot that the moon goddess is not a goddess, but an extension of the god of undeath. He will find the truth of how his people were destroyed by an evil energy scarring the lands and ultimately destroying it. The survivors went mad, being "purified" from undeath's curse and forgetting their original patron the goddess of the night causing her power to be severed from them. The ones that were left alive retreated into the forest of Yantalos where they were welcomed and began inflitrating the lands...corrupting them. The ones that were too far gone were left in a stasis, with the hopes of healing themselves by the night goddess's path over time; however, the god of undeath saw through this and broke the statis, polluting the minds of the once devout and sending them out into the world to spread his glory to continue the growth of his power. The undeath influence will be pulled out of dot and the group will have to fight it. Once purified, he'll be able to remember and will be gifted his rightful boon and a strand of her hair where he could find a stringless bow in his old lands buried underneath a temple being guarded by a lich general of Vecna.
Edit: The bow is in Yantalos and they will need to go there to save the elves who harbors sleeper cells of Vecna. Gunthar's sister will be there executing the elves in way of tinkles.
As they all awaken from this nightmare the group will then have to face the prison and rescue the arachnomancer and will set him free.
They will find another fake dot that is missing his ears and still has all the scars saying, "That's not the real one! It's all a trick!" That will be interesting.
Over the course of their travels through the underdark, Velstryn will forge bonds. He'll start off by asking Ignor about Drarlodh and if he knows of him and will explain that he appreciates the group traveling with him to undo his mistake as it was him who led Drarlodh down the path of where his people are now. Eventually if things go properly, he'll ask if Ignor would take up the mantle of headmaster and be a thorn in Gror's side to stop the madness and allow those of magic blood and those of learned magics to be able to pursue their own destinies.
He will tell dot that perhaps they are two sides of the opposite coin. He does discredit his talents or questions his capabilities, he simply dislikes him for the color of his skin and beliefs, but the web of fate has led them together so they will be associates.
He will tell Smithy that there is a darkness in his heart that is swelling like a roaring ocean and for him to be careful upon his journey as there is a watchful eye over him.
He will still be bewildered at the fact that Volli is blue. He will also tell him that a creature with three fangs will grant his mother happiness.
He will help Lucid piece together more memories of his past, although murky at best.
- He will tell Lucid that he was born of some form of royalty (which his father was one of the group leaders of the city of Adis)
- He will tell Lucid that his father was a good man
- Lucid/Ralk was kidnapped and was offered back in order for his father to step down; however, his father did not want to deal with the thieves guild and tried to take the fight to them and ended up being murdered
- The hat erased his mind for the first time and then trained him to be an assassin since he couldn't return him back and his older brother was unaware of the full situation
- Lucid assassinated his older brother who was continuing his father's work after his passing so that with the chaos of the city, the hat was able to take control and strong arm the other members of the city leaders
- Lucid was then modified mutliple times and this became a common practice with the hat
From there they will continue into the underdark until they reach depths that not many would ever dream of going to awaken the Kaiju spider.
The will encounter the myconid slaver.
While making their way through the twisting caverns the group feels a heat surrounding them, they encounter the bulette creatures which in turn cause a cave in in places as well as a baslisk.
Effect: Rocks and debris fall from the ceiling, causing 2d6 bludgeoning damage to anyone in the area. Players must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw to avoid being hit. After the group defeats the creatures, they must make their way over a couple of streams of lava that the bulette's have accidentally dug out. Should the group attempt to run backwarrds to the cave in, they'll notice that lava is seaping through the rocks towards them and have no choice but to move forward. They will also encounter the basilisk
They will then encounter the large underground lake. All sorts of life are around here and they must jump across bioluminescent stones to get to the other side. They must be careful for the hum of the ones that are magnetically charged. Light will hide the path so it has to be dark for the glow to illuminate from underneath the water.
Certain areas of the lakebed are lined with magnetic rocks that can interfere with metal weapons and armor.
Detection: Players can notice this with a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check if their metal equipment starts to act strangely.
Challenge: Navigating these areas without losing equipment or getting stuck requires clever thinking, such as removing metal items or finding an alternative non-metallic path. If they are attached to it, they must perform a DC 14 strength check to pull themselves off.
While making their way through the twisting caverns the group feels a heat surrounding them, they encounter the bulette creatures which in turn cause a cave in in places as well as a baslisk.
Effect: Rocks and debris fall from the ceiling, causing 2d6 bludgeoning damage to anyone in the area. Players must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw to avoid being hit. After the group defeats the creatures, they must make their way over a couple of streams of lava that the bulette's have accidentally dug out. Should the group attempt to run backwarrds to the cave in, they'll notice that lava is seaping through the rocks towards them and have no choice but to move forward.
Crystal Cavern Light Reflection
Puzzle: A cavern filled with crystals that refract light in a dazzling display.
Challenge: The players need to align the crystals to direct a beam of light to a hidden switch or door.
Clue: Reflecting the light correctly requires a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check and the use of mirrors or other reflective surfaces found nearby.
Consequence: Incorrectly aligning the crystals causes a blinding flash (DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute).
"Those who seek Arachnarok be true,
the guardian awaits those that do.
Eyes of the legs offer a test,
Should you fail you will rest.
In order you must open their eyes to the light
The eyes of the beast are the first with sight.
The next is the hunter hidden away
The last hides from the hot summer day.
Follow these steps, the order clear,
The hidden path will then appear.
Should you pass your trials
may your strength be true
Unleash Lolth's vengeance
and may none have mercy from you"
Red Crystal and Plaque
“In shadows deep where secrets lie,
The Redback waits with a watchful eye.
To crack this riddle, you must try,
The eyes of the beast you must apply.
A second light, pure and white,
Washing it over will make it right.”
Hint: The answer is "Redback Spider," indicating the red crystal.
Green Crystal and Plaque
Riddle: “In jungles dense, where hunters creep,
The Huntsman takes a leap.
With verdant hue, at sixty bend,
The forest’s light, your task to tend.
Then white and bright you can decide,
Reveal the answer to survive.”
Hint: The answer is "Green Huntsman Spider," indicating the green crystal.
Primary Light Beam: Green light at a 60-degree angle.
Secondary Light Beam: White light at a 45-degree angle.
Pink Crystal and Plaque
Riddle:
“In desert sands, where rare sights be,
The Pink Tarantula roams free.
A gentle light you must gleam,
A rosy hue, fulfill the dream.
Then white and bright days end turn,
The final secret you shall learn.”
Hint: The answer is "Pink Tarantula," indicating the pink crystal.
Primary Light Beam: Pink light at a 30-degree angle.
Secondary Light Beam: White light at a 60-degree angle.
They will reach the spider chamber where the guardian awaits them. The drider will not consider them worthy and must do battle with her. Once this battle is over, the door will open and the arachnomancer will awaken the spider god Arachnarok. The arachnomancer will be fending off spiders; however, should the group take the spiders on he will deal damage to them.
They'll ride the Kaiju back to the drow encampment where they will then storm the castle after a rest. They will gain a level.
In an epic battle. Once this battle is over, the group will be able to leave the underdark and will come out at Kixelts. While there, Ignor will have the opportunity to copy down the teleportation circle to Trosell from Kixelts.
Smithy's mother has been killed once they arrive in Trosell. Finding this out Smithy will spiral into denial and sadness. The war pick that he had gotten rid of will find its way back to him. Smithy will also have a dream of his ancestors where the hag will reveal herself to him and explain that he's ready. His mother's death was brought on by the infernal bond of the pick...when he lost consciousness he astral projected out and his spirit was compelled to kill her in front of everyone as she attempted to escape. She will also reveal that he's been serving Vecna this whole time and that the boon he received was to keep him on the path that he was on. This occurred when he lost his powers coming into contact with the artifact and Vecna was able to slip in undetected and pretend to be dwarven gods. If he wants vengeance, he can have it through Vecna's power. They can remove the mark of the false god Talona. They can also bring back his mother once Arty has been killed; however, it will be up to Smithy to bring back Vecna at that point and this could be a turning point of the BBEG. Smithy can go the dark route or he can lose his powers for a session and try and find redemption through the actual god of light who will also be in jail with him as he's now got his eye on him.
Henry can get summon wind elemental as the backpack from tinkles.
The interrogation of the other party members will be quick. The group will be held for a moment and might even get a meeting with Gror soon after. Gror will however be finishing up with a meeting with Chloe. She will leave and will find Ignor later on as she begins bargaining for the school and setting up a separate triangular trade route to replace the mind flayer hive. She will begin negotiations; however, she is merely setting the stage for abnor and the others to be able to perform the bargaining once they've resolved their issues. She will also speak to the group of the city of kasaka that has fallen into chaos due to a certain someone's failures.
Gror will be extremely unhappy due to the mind flayer colony being destroyed and the possibility of all of his plans going down the drain and the only thing that he will be able to focus on will be Vecna and the sword of Kas. He will again bargain with the group and be a little more aggressive in getting the group to return the last piece of the sword of Kas. If they accept the bargain, he can have them teleported to chillglen where they can easily make it there. Chloe will offer them teleportation one they're ready to the island since she's been there before to keep the story moving.
From there, they can choose to head down to the forest for dot's story where they will meet his sister who is killing the elves from tinkles orders who now is under the alias of Mr. Whispurrs the Meowgician since he understands that the elves are being influenced by Vecna. He also does not like Vecna, so him and his acolyte are purging the elves there that are under the influence of Vecna while harboring those who remain there in the fey with his other guardian. They are purging the lands of Vecna's influence and it'll be up to dot. It is from one of the moon elves Oberon who has taken Vecna's deal and is causing chaos within the forest. Dot will recognize him almost immediately and Oberon will target dot until he is down regardless of everything else going on around him. Obernon will offer to dot the prize of his people. He has been promised to undo the deception and although the initial corruption was placed, if they're willing to play ball then they can have their people back. Such power cannot be challenged realistically.
Once dot gets the bow from Nessa there after she takes a familiar stance, she will advise him that she'd been traveling the lands trying to find her breatheren and decided not to approach him because he was infected and she had no real way of curing him, but now that he is free, she will give him the bow. She was the one that called Mr. Mhispurrs to perform the deed that needed to be done and will offer to copulate with dot if he so chooses to want to continue their race. The remaining elves will be in hiding as Oberon had taken control and was promised that his people would be freed from the false moon goddess.
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