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009 - Splashing Around Underground

Morning

It's another sunny morning at the Steadmount house. Tegan wants breakfast, so he gets dressed and heads downstairs.

Troila has laid out fruits, porridge, bacon, and eggs. Yannic and Kynthia aren't around.

Aaron comes down too. He and Tegan discuss the priorities for the day. They decide the main priority is lifting Wazo's curse.

After they've eaten, when Wazo still hasn't come down, they bring a big plate of bacon up to her room. Knocking on the door, she invites them in. She is despondent, sitting in the middle of her bed-nest in a blanket.

They hand over the bacon and Tegan tells her that after breakfast, the group will head to Old Hillvon to visit Tessa Prymar, the curse specialist Tegan's mom mentioned. Wazo agrees and finishes the bacon.

Tessa

Tegan isn't really sure where Tessa's shop is, so once the group is in Old Hillvon, he pays a gnome boy a silver to lead the group there. They knock, and when the old lady within asks who it is, Tegan says he's there with friends on the recommendation of Lady Kynthia. She invites the group in, saying the door is unlocked.

The home is a small, utilitarian studio. Inside there is a cauldron over a fire, and the air has an herby, grassy smell. A small cot bed and a compact kitchen are at the edges of the room. Sitting on the cot, Tessa asks, "What brings you here?"
Tegan explains the situation, introducing Aaron and Wazo, and tells about the cursed feather.

Tessa beckons Wazo closer, asking to see the wing and the feather. Wazo points out the feather on her left wing that's a shade lighter than the rest. Tessa studies it closely. "Hmm. Interesting. Where did you find this feather, and what happened?"
Wazo says, "From the big fuckin' tree outside the city, in the middle of the road."
Tessa comments that that tree has been trouble before.
She burns some sage and herbs, and waves the smoke all around Wazo. Then she meditates and focuses.

"This is a very strong curse. It's going to take many rare ingredients to make a potion to free you."
Wazo asks, "What are the ingredients?"
"There's a tree that grows to the north of Hillvon that grows a special leaf that's purple. I need two of those. I also need a turmeric root, and the feces of a dangerous animal that lives in a cave near there. And last, I need some of your blood."
"What kind of animal is it?"
"A bugbear. It's been in there for decades."
Tegan asks, "Is it important to keep the creature alive?" "Not really, especially if you bring back more feces than I need."

Tegan asks about the costs for performing the curse removal, and Tessa says ominously that they can work something out.

The party takes their leave.

Changing Plans

Aaron observes that they will need something to hold the poop. The party heads back to a market square they passed earlier, and Tegan gets a basket for 3 silver. They look for turmeric too, and find some for 1 copper. Wazo pays for it.

The group discusses the area north of the city. Tegan mentiones that his mom described the north of the city as being dangerous. He remembers hearing that there were monsters or dangerous animals up that way. Wazo remembers that Faust mentioned gnolls in the north.

Tegan gets a sending from Faust, "There's something happening in my district, the Dawn's March are going crazy. In case you need this info." He replies that he and the other two are planning to head north of the city for a day or two.

He uses Sending again: "Be careful north of the city, there are dangerous monsters afoot. You should reconsider." Tegan replies, "Thanks for the advice, we'll think it over." He shares the conversation with the others.

After some discussion, they decide it's better to look into the Dawn's March activity. They head to Faust's. He is a little surprised to see the group but welcomes them inside. He says, "I was just near the Dawn's March headquarters. A lot of their soldiers and mercenaries left, fully armored, going east. It seemed like they were headed towards Caross. There are just a few left guarding the compound. It's now or never if you want to infiltrate them." The party decides they are going to try the sewers. Tegan leaves the basket with Faust.

Going Underground

The group heads a couple blocks through Two Courts towards the alleyway entrance into the sewers. It's midday.

Tegan casts twinned Mage Armor on him and Aaron. Everyone changes into their travel clothes, then Wazo tries to open the sewer grate. She strains and it doesn't budge. With another try she manages to lift the grating off, metal and stone grinding as it comes up.

Tegan lays down and looks into the hole. The opening is about 3 feet deep, and the ground is about 10 ft down. He jumps in, "See you guys down there!" He lands on his butt and gets the wind knocked out of him. Aaron hangs from the edge and lands gracefully. Wazo flaps on her way down and lands on her feet.

Wazo gets out his glow orb and says the command word, "Moonshine". The light chases back the dark, but the stench of sewage still hangs densely in the air.

In the corner of the room the light glistens off of the many eyes of two giant spiders.
Initiative!

Giant Spiders

Wazo moves towards them and stands ready.
The spiders move closer and try to web Wazo. One misses and the other hits.
Tegan casts Bless on the party.
Aaron uses Eldritch Blast on the left spider, and hits it.
Wazo chops at a spider and hits it.
Tegan casts Spiritual Weapon and chops with the glowing battleaxe at the injured spider, chopping off a leg.
Aaron blasts the same spider into giblets with a critical hit Eldritch Blast.
Wazo crits with her glaive on the remaining spider, slicing deep into its face.
Furious, the giant spider squeals and bites at Wazo, hitting her shoulder.
Tegan swings the Spiritual Weapon but misses, then uses Chill Touch. It hits and the spider, drained of life, falls dead.

Before it fades, Tegan uses the spiritual weapon to break down the two grates in the large room, then the party explores the corridors to the west. Wazo pulls open a grate and they file into another room covered in spiderwebs. Looking up, Tegan sees an icy blue spider on the ceiling, covered in fine hairs. It is wrapping something in webbing.
Initiative!

Wazo throws a dagger at it, grazing one of its legs.
Tegan hits with Chill Touch.
The phase spider moves closer, then it blinks into the ethereal plane.
Wazo prepares to attack with her glaive if the spider appears in reach.
Tegan prepares to use Chill Touch if the spider reappears.
The spider reappears right behind Wazo, who whirls around and slices into it. At the same time, Tegan's chill touch hits it. The spider attacks Wazo viciously, and she tries to resist but is badly hurt by its venom.
Aaron blasts it with eldritch energy, shoving it along the floor.
Wazo rages. Her first swing goes wide, but she frenzies and hits again, killing it. She keeps stabbing it.

The group explores some more, opening grates on the way and mostly ignoring the blueprints.

It's Okay to Steal from Sewer Dwellers

They find a cache of goods locked in a dead end: a golden compass and 75 gold. Wazo carries the compass with her. She notices that it constantly points northwest.

As they explore to the south, they come across a single giant rat, diseased and mutated.
Initiative!

It runs up to Tegan and lunges, but misses. Tegan tries to kick it away. It tries to bite, but the mage armor is too tough. Tegan cuts its head off with his dagger.

They continue south. The corridor is coated in black sludge. Wazo falls in and discovers it is acidic as it burns a little.

They find another dead end, and another exit. As Tegan looks out the grate into a street, someone pours a bucket of waste in, covering him. -He takes a moment to change into a fresher shirt.-

> Retcon: Tegan has had Prestidigitation instead of Blade ward

+Disgusted, he takes a moment to clean himself off with Prestidigitation.+

The Breakup

As the party rounds a particularly long bend in the pipe, they see light shining through another grate. After careful inspection, they hear a female voice in hysterics saying, "You never loved me, Boris. How could you cheat on me with that whore, Benevida?!". The voice breaks down into intense sobbing. The group decides to continue on with their mission.

Jelly

After some more exploring they enter a large room. Aaron spots an ochre jelly clinging to the ceiling in the center of the room.

Tegan uses Subtle guidance and sneaks across to an open grate. Aaron makes Wazo invisible, and she stumbles but isn't noticed. Aaron trips on his way over and the jelly drops to the ground.

During the fight, Tegan uses Spiritual Weapon. Wazo is cautious, since she is still exhausted.

The closed grate in this area is built differently than the others. Above it on the same side as the party there is a propeller contraption with three arms. After messing with it for a bit, the group decides to take a short rest in a nearby dead end.

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Category: AdventureLogs

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