Game Recap - September 2nd - Cave of the Moons
General Summary
After the unprovoked attack that left two kobolds dead and the third living, the party attempts to interrogate the final kobold. Greark, the surviving Kobold is less than helpful in his answers, but does tell the party that he hopes that the fey gets them. The party learns from him that the cave is protected by fairies and is said to store the proceeds of highwaymen and robbers, and that the Kobolds were in search of the fabled treasures when they were turned around by the fey. He tells the party that the fey can make you go around in circles and confuse you enough that he didn’t seem to know he was only one tunnel passage away from the exit of the cave.
Collecting his mate’s dagger from her body, he arouses Hoggs’ attention, and an argument ensues wherein Hoggs attempts to talk Greark into handing over the dagger. Greark refuses, telling Hoggs that it was his mate’s and that he will never let go of it.(edited)
When Hoggs tries to render Greark unconscious, he is attacked by a huge demon dog that seemingly no one else can see, but they can hear its howl from beyond the grave, sending Calcine running frantically away while Dart curls up, frozen in fear. With a mighty swing of his sword, Hoggs dispels the illusion and the dog vanishes, but not before taking a psychic bite out of Hoggs’ leg. Sa’rai remembers hearing stories of such a creature in her time in wizard training, telling the others the story of a demon beast who could be summoned by those in anger, pain or despair.
In the commotion, Greark slips away into a small crevice that leads to a passageway hidden in the stone wall, away and gone before the party can chase him down. Darodin worries that he will come back, and warns the party of the possibility, believing that it was Greark who called the demon dog.(edited)
As the party walks further into the Cave of Moons, they come across a moon glyph embedded in one of the gems in the wall, but cannot decipher the meaning of it. Further in, the party finds a highwayman’s stash of money and some items, including three large casks of magically infused liquor of some kind. Calcine, trying the barest hint of the liquor, ends up intoxicated and crushes one of the stash’s chests trying to sit down on it.
Treasure, items, and liquor distributed among the party, they continue to make their way further into the caves, every so often hearing the sound of laughter that plagued them since they arrived in the cavern. Still, they continue on their way.
Turning another corner, they are faced with a choice of turning north or continuing east. Feeling magic that is similar to hers, Sa’rai points out to the others that the fey lie to the east while other magic lies to the north, and the party turns north, entering a new part of the cavern blocked by huge columns, with the only way around being to squeeze through very thin passages around them.
In the room, two acolytes are examining the huge door on the north wall, and are surprised by the party, though they recover quickly. Another battle ensues, this time with the acolytes attacking first, and cursing in a strange language. When the battle is over, one acolyte is dead, finished off by Calcine’s Dragonborn fists, and the other is mortally wounded, but the party hasn’t come out of this unscathed either. Dart, while stable, is badly burned and unconscious, while Hoggs is shaking off the effects of a lobbed vial of acid. As the curtain fades on this episode of Trail of Dreams, the party can take a breath to lick their wounds and regroup.
