(G549 10/02/2024 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AL) YI17
[Fenrir, Giselle, Corhim and Dak have set off for to find the Fortress of the Yaun-ti. They are currently causing trouble in a tavern in Pedestal, a city in the Underdark.]
DAY 620 (13th Uktar) (November) cont ...
The lich that sat alone at the bar had warned them not to burn his "local" down, but they still wanted to do over the place as part of the deal they had done with Es Sarch.
To begin with Dak ransacked the till and gave out the money (about 70 gold) to the servants with an additional 50 gold each from his own pocket. The servants then scampered off.
Fenrir's vision was coming back so they headed into the sleeping and storage areas of the inn that lay further back from the tavern area.
There were all sorts of beings back here, looking out of their doors or hovering around in the corridors, wondering what all the commotion had been in the tavern.
There were orcs, kobolds, ogres and other odd looking humanoids, but not the "armed and dangerous" types, more like traders, crafters and the like.
Dak shouted for their attention then cried in Orcish, 'there has been a kerfuffle!'
When he got a bunch of baffled looks he tried again in Common.
Some understood that, and Fenrir could hear them talking in Underdark with his magical ability to understand any language. Some of the people began to leave, but most did not.
Dak tried to get them moving but was not successful. Fenrir tried too;
'There has been a kerfuffle! Please evacuate the building!'
The inn patrons either did not understand or decided not to move. Dak went and got the skull from the tavern and then threw in on the floor. Even then they didn't move so Fenrir walked past them all to the rear of the inn where some large barrels were stored. He blasted at them with a fire-enriched eldritch blast.
The barrels all exploded in a massive fireball, shaking the inn to its foundations and knocking people off their feet. Fenrir was pushed back by the blast and Giselle was struck on the head by a falling beam. Everyone was very anxious to leave the tavern after that!
As smoke billowed all around them they left through the door they had come in. The lich was putting bottles into his bag at the bar and swore at them colourfully as they left.
They went back to the Dripstone Inn and lay low for a while, taking a rest in one of the better rooms.
Es Sarch seemed happy enough with his rival tavern, the Friendly Fish, being blown to bits, but was just as happy to get rid of them as soon as possible.
'I'll get a guide for you tonight,' he said in his whispery voice. 'Then you can go first thing in the morning.'
DAY 621 (14th Uktar) (November)
As promised a sullen servant of Sarch took them through some secret tunnels under the magical barrier and into the Necromancer's Spike area.
The wee kobold then scarpered back home.
The Spike was deserted, and after carefully heading up through its chambers they found what they were looking for. A "snake gate", a type of portal created by the yuan-ti. These are usually temporary, but not always.
They entered the portal one after the other, and each in turn discovered that the portal was one-way and that there was no way back to the Spike from where they had arrived.
They found themselves stood on a small rise. Before them lay a wide river valley nestled between a range of forested hills. They could see a number of wooden buildings, mostly storage sheds, set in a rough semi-circle in the hollow of the vale. A shallow stream flowed through the area. Although isolated it looked like a typical small farming community.
Looming over it however, was a sight that belied the mundane appearance of the vale. Recessed into a west-facing cliff was a massive fortress of dark stone, deeply shadowed by the hollow in which it stood. They could make out few details, but even from where they stood, they could see it was a citadel arranged with protrusions and towers unlike any fortress they had ever seen.
The settlement's crops appeared to be mostly wheat, tall stalks rippling in the breeze.
They saw numerous humans and halflings working the fields, but as they approached, they could see that their torn clothes were as filthy as their faces. Their features and eyes seemed bereft of hope.
Once inside the small village they saw a naga know as Leith the Taskmaster beating some humans, while a giant snake watched from its place coiled around a well.
Dak approached the scene and asked, 'hey, what's going on?'
Leith replied by hurling a magical Lightning Bolt at him that hit Dak and also Corhim who was stood quite far back, but who was in line of effect of the spell. Corhim fell to the ground, badly injured.
Dak charged at the snake and chopped it to bits while Fenrir flew up and blasted Leith to death. When Corhim was healed and woken up he saw that he had a scar on his left hand where the lightning had struck him.
With Leith defeated a group of slaves timidly approached them. Their apparent leader, a middle-aged woman named Clara spoke for the group. She told them:
''
The castle is called Serastis - a horrible place inhabited by hideous snake-folk. Some are almost human, while others are like giant serpents with hands. Gods only know what they do in there. Only a few of us are native to these lands, for the snake-folk are careful not too attract the attention of the closer villages. Most of our number were captured on the road or in distant settlements, brought here to serve the masters of the castle. We toil so that they might eat and keep warm. Those who take sick or become too weak for labouring are taken to the castle and never seen again.
There has been much activity in Serastis over the past few months. Many more groups of snake-folk go in and out than usual.
''
About fifty people lived in the village and Corhim suggested giving them food from the magic Provisions Box. The slaves were hungry and very glad of it. After that they looked over Leith, who was a naga. Sparkledingle fancied himself as the brains of the group but he was jealous of Giselle and her bardic knowledge. They discussed the facts around nagas and Corhim was glad that, this time, he seemed to know more than Giselle.
After that the headed towards the fortress. More details of the castle's bizarre structure become clear as they approached, though its exteriors remained shrouded in layers of shadow.
The central keep boasted a balcony near the top, adorned with serpentine figures. Great stone steps some 20 feet wide lead up to a pair of brass doors on the second level of the keep. There was no means of entry on the first level. A single tower adorned with serpentine waterspouts was connected to the central keep by a diagonal arm of stone. It jutted upward, blocking part of their view of the cliff face above the hollow. Two wider towers hung down from the top of the hollow like fangs in a great stone mouth.
They climbed the stairs to the main entrance and approached the doors. Their detail became visible in the shadows. Both brass portals were covered in hideous engravings of demonic serpentine figures.
Fenrir used his ring of knock to throw open the doors.
The entered an enormous hall, in which there was a massive reptilian skeleton. Lurking behind it was a half-elf. The skeleton came to life and charged at them, but Dak leapt at it with his falchion and slashed it to bits in moments, bones flying everywhere.
The half-elf had no time to react before he too was destroyed, this time from one of Fenrir's blasts.
They moved on to the dining hall, a long room with several tables, then on into the kitchen. There were six lizardfolk guards here, but they were quickly slain by Dak and Fenrir by their usual methods.
They explored more of this level of the castle, a meeting hall, a torture chamber and then a sort of shrine. Inside was a lizardman cleric who made no threatening move towards them.
'Speak or die, foul creature!' demanded Dak.
'I am Chavakurh, a shaman of the Dark Talon tribe,' said Chavakurh. 'I serve Sertrous, master of all.'
'Oh right.'
'If you are strong and bold, I may have a proposition for you.'
Dak turned round to talk to the others, perhaps thinking to strike a deal, but then from far back down the corridor Fenrir blasted the lizardman sending him sprawling to the floor dead.
'Hey, I was about to...' said Dak.
'Moving on!' interrupted Fenrir.
They discovered a ramp leading to the lower levels and where some prisoners were being held in individual cells. The set free some humans, a halfling, a dwarf and an elf. An orc warrior they released said he wanted to join them in their fight. His name was Thoburk.
The dwarf Daverov said he would reward them and promised to drop off 200 gold to each of them at the OJB in Waterdeep.
Also in this area was a giant rubbish pit, so stinking that it made their eyes water. Corhim was sick for several minutes.
Avoiding the pit they explored some of the other rooms. They were storage rooms, will all sorts of supplies stacked on their shelves. They gave some of the food to Thoburk along with a weapon and some armour.
While they were doing that, an otyugh came out of the pit. It was of no threat to them though and Fenrir knocked it back in again with an Eldritch Blast.
