Zhents Session 9: A Way Out of The Dragonspine

This week’s session begins with the characters entering Dameron’s territory after defeating his fungal guardian the shambling mound. The characters were able to bypass the next obstacle, a corridor of insects with torches, making their way with ease. Beyond that were the glowing fungus fields, carefully tended to by strange bugs and guarded by brutish and stout myconids ready to defend the fields to the death. Above was a nine foot long deep bat that looked like a black manta ray (a Sinister). Each opponent had an odd amount of eyes.

After some confusing rounds of combat including Havaok being attacked by a darting eye from a myconid (that tried to enter his body) and unexpected aid from two drow, the characters proved victorious. However Dameron’s body was found headless (like Elazarin’s fate), the fungus fields seemed intact.

Aunrae

The drow were named Aunrae (male) and Zaida (Female), and they were sent by Tedric Vexx as insurance that all was well in the deep druid department. They seem comfortable interacting with humanity and spoke in the shadowtongue. The two drow claimed to be from a nearby community outside the Dragonspine Mountains that regularly traded with some of the Magisters and were hunting the deep bat. It was agreed that the characters would not share knowledge of their interactions, but left the drow to their own to decide to share this interaction with Tedric.

After, the characters spend the next few hours blocking alternate routes to the fungus fields as well as harvesting raw fungus components to take to the magisters before leaving for the surface.

Once outside the characters find it is dusk and encounter a group of undying zombies, discovering for themselves what they would later learn; the zombies the Zhentarim was trying to hide from the Ministry have gotten loose after the cometfall impact. They also meet Anders and Clemons along the way.

Back at Hawkehelm, the characters enjoy a fitful night as Niss visits each character differently imparting to each supernatural powers that focus on shadow granting your characters their next class level. This brings change in El Guapo’s sword as it goes black and a consciousness emerges: Ravenshadow, Havok’s oracle brother.

 

Zaida

After practice at swordplay, spell preparation, and prayers the characters leave for Greyskull and Ampherd who wanted the characters to report on the condition of Dameron and the fungus fields after the odd events that resulted in Elazarins death. There, in the company of the five other Magisters the characters report their findings to Ampherd leaving out the encounter with the drow.

At the meeting Zelda expressed her disgust with the deep druid’s methods and fears what sickness or curse will come of it. Brisbane agreed as did Istaleus however each expressed concern for their obligations to Tenloss. Tedric suggested an alternate source for materials with a sly smile. The characters were paid 1,000 gp each for their excellent work. Dylan gives back some fungus/potions after some reconsideration. 

Later (or maybe it was before the meeting with the Magisters) the characters report to Commander Guthbert for a costume change and reassignment. Orders included leading orog teams to clear the snow from the trails between castles and routes out of the Dragonspine; investigating the meteor impact site; and or gathering the nearly ten scores of undying zombies that now roam the Dragonspine Mountains.

However El Guapo had other ideas, he suggested (with Havok’s blessing) to commander Guthbert that if there’s a way to get a small group out of the mountains ahead of the main campaign, that group could be the difference in the spring. He seemed to agree because the commander immediately laid out a timetable for ‘this small group’ to adhere to. The characters are given the name of Ilthond (commander of Zhentish assets in Daggerdale) as well as Rylestrum, a venerable librarian and occult medium, he is also blind but ornery as ever.

Midday the characters split up: Lucas spends the rest of the day at the chapel then the Copper Calf to reunite with the rest of the characters in the early evening; Tiberius crafts a set of mule back cords; Havaok searches for Audry (all next game session); while Dylan and El Guapo travel to the tesseract to seek Rylestrum.

At the Tesseract the characters find Rylestrum working with Velmarius working on maps that indicate other meteor impact sites across the realms. Before the characters speak of Ilthond, Rylestrum inform them that Ilthond will be dead by time the characters find him, but to use what resources and items Ilthond has to fight the evil fight. Hail Bane.

  

Dagger Falls