[Fenrir and Reinward are in the Dismal Caverns doing a quest on behalf of Xama the Priestess of Ghaunadaur. They are now in the Gauntlet of Zhaeryx. They are accompanied by Brodok, Cartet Murkor and Abriska, a jelly shaped fighter, a jelly shaped druid and a bucket of ooze respectively.
In their last battle Fenrir was driven insane and now wanders the caves in a delirium.]
12/04/2025
DAY 679 (11th Hammer)(January) cont...
Reinward waited eight hours, sat by himself in a dark corner lest he be attacked by a crazed Fenrir. The jelly people reformed and he talked it over with them all about what the best course of action was.
Ghaunadaur granted them a favour and teleported in a dark skinned psionic who cast Psychic Chirurgery for the low low price of 1700 gold and Fenrir was turned back to his old - slightly more sane - self.
While he was at it Reinward managed to buy a 'Dagger of the Slithering Void' from the psionic, to add to his already very impressive cutlery drawer.
DAY 680(12th Hammer)(January)
They had finally reached the penultimate chamber. The next after that they would face Zhaeryx himself.
Fenrir and Reinward were pretty nervous about this new challenge considering they had only survived the last one thanks to Reinward's blind luck.
This next chamber, then, was massive and contained the Maw of Ghaunadaur.
The winding tunnel finally opened into a vast chamber, and the first thing that struck them was the smell — a cloying, oily stench like decaying meat left too long in a bog, undercut with a sharp, acrid tang that burnt their nostrils.
The cavern was enormous — easily hundreds of feet across—but oppressively low-ceilinged in places, the stone sagging with clusters of ooze - like mineral growths and hanging strands of slime like stalactites that wept. The walls seemed wet and alive, pulsing faintly with a dull mauve glow that shifts as they moved, as though responding to their presence. Every surface glistens with translucent ooze, some of it still, some slowly creeping. Footing was treacherous; the stone beneath their boots gave way with a sickening squelch, and in places, it was not stone at all — just layers upon layers of dissolved matter.
At the centre of the chamber, a pit yawned, shallow but vast, a lake of sludge that pulsed as though breathing. It was ringed by broken bones, rusted armour, and the half-digested remains of things too strange to name. Occasionally, a towering pseudopod breached the surface, writhing and tasting the air, before sinking back into the mire.
Strange, violet eyes opened and closed across the cavern walls, blinking independently. Some stared. Some wept tears of acidic slime. One enormous eye opened at the far end, fixed directly on them — and somewhere in their minds, they heard a voice without language, full of madness, hunger, and ancient wrath.
This place was not merely the lair of the The Maw of Ghaunadaur. It was The Maw.
Despite the horror of the being they faced, they all charged in bravely. Brodok was seized by a tentacle and Murkor summoned wave after wave of crocodiles that were pulled to pieces almost as soon as they arrived before the Maw.
Fenrir kept his distance and blasted away, but found that his blasts were either resisted or flew through the Maw with no effect as this cosmic horror blinked in and out of existence.
Reinward used his magical daggers to 'stagger' the maw several times, a magically aided effect that reduced its number of attacks.
Fenrir got closer, cursing as none of his blasts had any effect. Reinward having used all of his most powerful cutlery decided to run for it. Fenrir, slower to flee, was hit and hurt badly by the Maw's tentacles. Severly wounded, he limped out of the chamber as a wall of crocodiles moved up to screen the retreat.
Once they had reached safety, they trudged all the way back to the start of the Gauntlet. They felt they had done well to get so far, but the Maw was way too strong for them. Fenrir had never managed to hurt it and it although Reinward had damaged it, it had not been nearly enough. Powerful as the lads are, I think beings as strong as the Maw need an army to defeat them - and not just an army of crocodiles!
In any event, Ghaunadaur had apparently thought they had done well enough to be rewarded. This included the item required by Xama, namely the Orb of Tristior. Borkulax the All-Seeing handed it to them with one of his noodly tentacles.
They all then had what passed for a decent meal in the Dismal Caverns and some mushroom ale at their inn and divided up the loot. Fair is fair and the three jelly people all got an equal share.
They talked about taking Brodok back with them, I think it was mainly so that Reinward could continue his ooze-based barrel experiments on him. Brodok seemed to be content to go with them.
They then teleported back to the miner's room and walked back through the portal into the Barrow.
Fenrir went to his house and told Giselle about everything that happened. I wasn't around when they arrived, but Lavinia let me know that they had arrived back safely.
DAY 681(13th Hammer)(January)
Anxious to hand over the Orb of Tristior to Xama and complete their quest Fenrir and Reinward were keen to get to the Descendants of Addar, but as is often the case Fenrir wished to consult with my good self before doing something that may have proved rash in hindsight.
Alas, but I was not at the Barrow on this day, so they went to the next best person (in their opinion) - Giselle to get some advice. She looked over the orb. She had no knowledge of it through her bardic circles, but she goes that it was a "key or something" in its function.
They talked to Sparkledingle as well, be he knew no more than anyone else.
I am also informed that today Reinward 'could not stop poking' Brodok. This strange jelly man had gravitated towards the cliffs where he had spent the whole day looking out to sea. He seemed almost content.
Fenrir's psychic skin had stopped talking - apparently it could only do so while in the Dismal Caverns.
Finally Fenrir went to Felia and ordered yet another item of cutlery - a Defending Dagger. This lad is worryingly addicted to buying blades if you ask me!
DAY 682(14th Hammer)(January)
The lads decided to wait until Reinward's latest purchase arrived and took it easy today.
I should also note that today, the last two remaining members of "The Biscuits" left the island today. They were still very grateful for being rescued from Bone Island, but felt it was time to move on, and possibly even see if they could resurrect their dead former members.
So today, Glimmeria Brokenleaf, the Half-Elf Rogue and Keth, the Half-orc Fighter headed out.
DAY 683(15th Hammer)(January)
Fenrir and Reinward relaxed on Yag Island.
Note that at this time I was in the FAMP. I had taken the whole of the "Silver Blades" adventure party with me. Lesent is a really nice fellow - they all are!
They've been really useful here. We have already raided a couple of dungeons and secured some shards.
DAY 684(16th Hammer)(January)
Our last day in the FAMP. Things are going well here. I had got hold of a lot of shards and handed most of them over to Avadeti.
Their lands are now about 20 square miles in size now. Not big, but a good start. They are bringing back people all the time and I think their are about 300 people here now. There are also two dragons, as well as several other fantastical beasts!
I let the Silver Blades keep all the loot. I have what I wanted from this trip.
DAY 685(17th Hammer)(January)
I arrived home today at the same time Reinward's new dagger did.
Almost as soon as I had arrived Reinward handed over a big bag of 'bits' he had collected for me. Apparently among other things it contained:
Giant Centipedes
Purple Worm Giblets
Parts from a Red Dragon
None of it was labelled, but it was a thoughtful gesture! There was nothing worth stuffing, but the centipedes would be interesting to study and the Red Dragon would be very interesting to compare to the other dragon parts I had so far collected.
After my kind gift they next gave me the Orb of Tristior to have a look at. Me and Sparkledingle got our books out and had a good puzzle over it. What we deduced that it could also be called the Orb of Sadness, it was indeed a key that could be used (in the right hands) to open a portal to the realms of Ghaunadaur. I also noted that while none of us could use it, Karkak's Kobold Adapter could be cast on it to - well, open a doorway to the realm of Kobolds if such a thing existed? That was where myself and Sparkledingle ran out of knowledge or even educated guesses.
Fenrir and Reinward thanked me and teleported straight to Syrixbah (formerly the Lair of Queen Arachnia) and went to talk to Xama Niriwin, the Priestess of Ghaunadaur.
She was initially surprised to see that it was the real (as apposed to the oozy versions she had dispatched) Fenrir and Reinward that had came to see her, but she was very happy to see the Orb.
They were rewarded with treasure and gold, and also Fenrir's psychic skin was given to the Vicar who turned it into the "Skin of the Black Pudding" which granted the wearer powers associated with a black pudding.
Reinward were also given permission to take a figurine from the carnival collection of hardened objects in the Temple Knave of Ghaunadaur.
There were hundreds of animals, in dozens of colours and shades. In the end Reinward selected a red squirrel. Reinward has not yet revealed to me what magical powers it as although it surely must have them.
After that they left, which was very sensible as what was going to happen when Xama activated the Orb was anyone's guess. One way or the other I'm sure it was not going to be what she expected!
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