#whorlstone tunnels

[lumendelmari]

Inspirational imagery for chapters 26 and 27 of “The Grey Warriors” based on the dnd module Out of the Abyss.

Our heroes are slowly making their way through the Whorlstone Tunnels. From dancing myconids, warring cultists and thieves, mysterious faerzress effects, intellect devourers, and a mindwitness, they’ve ran into no shortage of obstacles. But after making a deal with Empty Scabbard Killers, they find that their goal of recovering the missing dragon egg close at hand. 

You can read the story here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35100307/chapters/87436915

or 

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13962836/1/The-Grey-Warriors

[yourplayersaidwhat]

Amnesia Strikes Again!

Context: we’re playing Out of the Abyss, I’m the DM, and those who’re familiar will know how madness is a main factor of this campaign. Sarith, one of the NPCs, is in the party still, and through some roleplaying he became kinda snarky. One of my players had his character die during the escape and everyone left him behind while also kidnapping Asha, the junior priestess, so my player just wrote up a character sheet for her and proceeded to play as her. We’ve had a few RP moments between Asha and Sarith so they have a tentative relationship going, namely because Asha tried to cast lesser restoration on him to remove what they now knew to be a permanent madness. Also in the party is a half-elf fighter, an aasimar warlock, and a tabaxi rogue.

I’ve also homebrewed a mechanic in which one character per long rest has a nightmare about one of the demon lords, and if the long rest is in the faezress, they need to make a madness save. Worse, the party has set up camp in the Whorlstone Tunnels as they explore it. The sequence of events is as follows:

Fighter: [steps into the arcane circle during the Narrak fight]

Me: Roll a wisdom save.

Fighter: [fails]

Me: [rolls on the long-term madness table] ….You have amnesia. For the next 50 hours, you can’t remember anything except your name and relevant racial and class skills.

(This happened in the middle of the fight, so…yeah. Suddenly he’s fighting a derro and an ettin with no memory of why. Cue panicking. Later, after the fight is over…)

Fighter: What’s going on? Who are all of you?!?

Asha: You don’t recognize me? I’m your wife!

Fighter: What?!?

(Party cracks up, no one tells him the truth)

Sarith: [who’d been kinda having the hots for Asha] [annoyed glaring]

(This continues on for a while, and roughly 12 hours later they take a long rest. I have the party rolls d20s and Asha’s player gets the highest roll, so she suffers a nightmare. A…meditation nightmare…yeah. Whatever, it happens. She fails her wisdom save and I roll on the long-term madness table again.)

Fighter: Amnesia! Amnesia! Amnesia!

Me: [rolls] ……She gets amnesia.

(We all start losing it. Karma, lulz. But it doesn’t end there. As Asha looks around, wakened from her meditation a little early, the only other character awake is…Sarith. And I know I’m probably rping him wrong at this point, but I couldn’t resist.)

Asha: Where am I? What’s going on? [notices Sarith staring at her] …Who’re you?!

Sarith: [clicking in] ….Me? [grins] I’m your husband.

(The party loses it even worse. There’s laughter, cackling, pointing fingers…and we’re still not done. Soon the rest of the party begins to wake and the sh*t hits the fan. Note that we’ve been rolling opposed deception and insight checks for every one of these amnesia-related lies and so far all the lies have won.)

Fighter: What?! He’s not your husband, I am!

Asha: …???? [has no idea what to believe anymore]

Sarith: Hang on, I’ll explain. [pulls fighter aside] Look, I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to upset you further, but here’s how this happened. I’m Asha’s husband, we’ve been married for years. But she left me for a while and married you, then came back, and I allowed it because you make her happy.

Fighter: …..I roll insight. [rolls]

Me: [rolls deception]

(Guess which roll won? XD)

Fighter: [sighs] Alright, fine. It’s…weird, but alright.

(So now our kidnapped drow cleric has two fake husbands and no, the jokes have not ceased. But we are keeping meticulous notes on the amnesia time elapsed, and the fighter’s is halfway gone now. By an amazing coincidence they both got 50 hours of long-term madness within hours of each other and were both struck with amnesia. Easily the best session of the campaign to date.)

[echopath]

My buddies and I played DnD together. 

[ootacampaign]

Adventure #14 - Whorlstone Tunnels

In a strange city of evil deep dwarves who are slowly becoming mad, they only seek a way to the surface but to find it they must satisfy the Flame Keepers’ request to find the derro rogue named Droki so he leads them to where the Gray Ghosts’ lair is and the stolen secret from the Keepers. But before even starting, the group of Caduceus, Aryn, Ikki, Jimjar, Derendil, Stool, Ront, Eldeth, and Eighteen decide to enjoy their first night in many months on a soft warm bed with their bellies full of fresh food and their minds numbed with liquor.

The next morning most of them ache a painful hangover but are still happy to be somewhat free from looking over their shoulders for drow & monsters. Their breakfast is interrupted by a derro boy with a “Candy-Gram.”

“What’s a ... Candy-Gram?” questions Ikki.

The derro smiles with a practically rotted out toothless mouth, “You give candy and I give gram... which is a message...” 

So Ikki hands over some candied leeches he’s had since Sloopdulop which the boy licks to prove its sweetness and tells Ikki that the Stone Giants of Cairngorm appreciated their actions in stopping their the two-head giant and more importantly the mercy they showed their brethern who is currently under their care. The derro finishes by telling them that the Stone Giants’ invite them as guests to their fortress and to receive gifts as new friends to Clan Cairngorm.

The group instead decides to focus on their mission for the Keepers to track down this Droki character, and perhaps swing by the Stone Giants’ abode later. So they head out to the East Cleft in the rift dividing the city. 

There they discover a jarring difference of lifestyle and architecture between duergar and derro. While the duergar were orderly and had purpose, the derro were chaotic and unpredictable. Shacks made from any materials they could find, grew up and down the cliffs of Laduguer’s Furrow connected with bridges even Ikki felt were dangerous.

Caduceus and Jimjar thought the best place to inquire about Droki would be a gambling hall, so they played some dice games while Jimjar & Eighteen pried information from the gambling derro. Finally after some winning jackpots, they report that Droki is usually in the West Cleft, not the East, so they cash out & give up some more coins to the info providers before booking their taxi back up at the “ground level” of Gracklstugh.

While they could have stopped by the Cairngorm cavern, they are eager to find this Droki and get their reward from the Keepers. In the West Cleft, it is more of the same eclectic mess of shacks build up on top of each other in the cavern valley. Once again they find a gambling den, this time a bingo hall that is true to the derro’s insane nature as the number caller does so in random languages forcing those without the tongue to guess and the others with an advantage.

Aryn, Caduceus, and Ikki put their language knowledge base together while the others join the strange dance floor of 3 different bands playing at the same time. After some games, with Ikki well ahead in coins, Jimjar nudges Aryn to get her attention to the derro that just walked in, a mutton chop bearded derro with patchwork threads and a giant full brimmed hat fringed in random baubles dominated by two stuffed displacer beast tentacles drooped down his neck.

The derro, the know as Droki, makes a quick deal with the bouncer for some coins and leaves quicker then he arrived. The group sprints out to shadow their target but Droki is faster then they anticipated and a spontaneous carnival of derro impedes their path. Ikki flies over, while the others try to bob and weave through the chaos. Ikki struggles to spot Droki, but luckily Aryn easily emerges on the other side of the street party to keep Droki in her sights until the rest catch up. They run down winding streets and in their haste Ikki turns a wrong corner and while on his feet a mad derro stabs him in the back claiming Ikki is a wild turkey that deserves to be in his belly. Caduceus and Ront throw some barrels out of the group’s way while Aryn throws an eldritch blast at the harassing beggar allowing Ikki to escape. Derendil leads them back to Droki’s trail to a purple lit cave in the wall with eerie similar colored fog emerges from a fissure.

Deciding to follow, they drop down into a tunnel leading to a three-way branch, finding strange fungi covered figures in on of the branches they opt for the another where they spot Droki just in time to see him eat a mushroom to turn even smaller to fit into a small crack in the wall! Caduceus looks over the shrooms near the crack and identifies them as pygmywarts and bigmies, one to make you bigger the other to make you smaller. So they all agree to take the pygmywart, and turn to the size of a toddler allowing them to follow Droki into the small crack that leads to a larger tunnel with more stools growing near their exit. Most of them except  Ikki take the bigmies to grow back to their normal size but they lose Droki’s trail so they have to guess which way. 

[theunderdark]

Chapter 6: The Whorlstone Tunnels

In earnest search of a dragon’s egg and a magical obelisk, our heroes venture into a forbidding labyrinth of interconnected tunnels and caves, known locally as The Whorlstone Tunnels.

Yet deeper underground than even the trench of Laduguer’s Furrow, their path takes them yet further from the surface. Home feels a long way from here. What curious and unfamiliar sights await them...?

The mute air

The clanging sounds of Gracklstugh’s forges, of metal on metal, and of the bustling markets faded away. Glowing mushrooms and plants lined the damp walls, casting spiral patterns on the dripping ceilings.

A choice of three paths lay ahead.

Torinn bravely stepped forward to explore the left-hand path, which led to a small empty cavern. A dead-end, but for a narrow crack in the wall, through which Torinn briefly glimpsed a small creature scrambling through. The team spotted two unusual mushrooms, which were later worked out to be Bigwig, a purple cup, granting some kind of increase in size, and a small stubby blue mushroom with white dots called Pygmywort, which does the opposite. They kept some for later, but dared not try it yet.

Akta convinced a hesitant Stool to explore the small crack in the wall, reporting back that there is an underground stream. A pool of this dark water blocked the middle of the second path.

Magical, luminescent fungus covered the cavern walls

A Derro’s Lair

So Jimjar led the team down the right-hand path. Boldly stepping into a large cavern, JimJar was met by the horrible stench of rotting meat. The floor was carpeted with humanoid remains - including fellow deep gnomes - arranged in a spiral pattern around the cave’s centre. A hunched figure turned to greet the team, wiping his hands on his vest and smiling viciously. “Oh, I didn’t expect you so soon!  But yes.. yes.. I sense that you are ready to receive the truth into your hearts!”

Unimpressed with the derro’s religious fervour, JimJar’s unflinching glare bought the team time to hold him down, but not before he was able to raise six undead skeletons to his aid from a nearby shrine. But the team dispatched them swiftly: Sariel unleashing a cloud of magical daggers, and Bree whipping them down like some skeleton bowling strike.

Meanwhile, Miri spoke to one of the dead gnomes, learning a little about The Gray Ghosts, a derro cult holed up in the North-East of the tunnels, who might have stolen the dragon egg. And of a large shrine in the East, where an obelisk might lie.

While they decided what to do, the ghost of a deep gnome popped out of the ground, affably introduced himself as Pelek, and asked the group to find his animated severed hand, lost in the tunnels. The group agreed to lay it to rest in Blingdenstone if they could.

By vote, the group decided to burn the skeletons, the unconscious derro cultist, and everything else in the room. While undead flames licked the walls, the adventurers took a short rest and told tales of their schooling and past.

Parade of Fools

The tunnel opened up into a natural cave, and Bree discovered several fungal creatures dancing to some silent tune. Stool excitedly alerted them that they were fellow myconids - five sprouts like him, plus three adults. Two larger ape-like plants were hunched nearby, covered in mushroom growths and yellow mold.

One of the sprouts was quivering in a corner. It was Sprout’s friend, Rumpadump! Worried that some “strange spores” had perhaps affected the rest of the myconids back home in Neverlight Grove, Rumpadump’s distress was felt telepathically by the whole team. And Stool communicated to Akta that Rumpadump knows the way home.

When Bree asked the myconids what was going on, their leader Voosbur explained that they were brought here by “the Lady”, a powerful being that loves and guides all myconids. When Bree graciously declined his offer to share “the Lady’s gift”, Voosbur took no offence and resumed his twirling dance.

Sariel and Adrik identified a growth on Voosbur’s shoulder, releasing a cloud of demon-tainted spores that should be avoided. Worryingly, the whole thing pointed to the influence of Zuggtmoy, the demon queen of plants and fungus, and, like Demogorgon, another monster who has somehow found her way to the material plane.

Stool’s introverted myconid friend, Rumpadump

A swarm of centipedes

The team bade a melancholy farewell to the lost myconids, as they slowly became invisible. They followed the tunnel on north east until they reached a T junction. A dense thicket of fungi blocked the juncture, although the forest was only 4 or 5 feet high - short enough to see over.

Adrik and Miri stepped forward, but as they assessed a way forward, a hissing sound started to rise, like a hundred tiny voices whispering in unknown tongues. They foraged some food and water from barrelstalks and ripplebark, large mushrooms that they were familiar with from their escape from Velkynvelve.

Everyone crunched their way forward, each using their own skills to forge a path ahead. Miri used her scythe to cut out a path, revealing a nest of centipedes that poured onto the ground. Bree took a moment to go into an abyssal trance, learning that more and more centipedes would come, and Adrik heard them chanting for the Bigwig mushroom, which Sariel held. Taking no chances, she teleported out of the thicket instantly.

Akta could stand it no longer, acrobatically leapfrogging over Miri to safety. Eventually the rest of the crew were able to make their way out, though Miri took several uncomfortably poisonous nips on the way out.

The Raucous Mesa

A long tunnel curved around on itself in a spiral. Eldeth, faithfully fulfilling herrole as the group’s trusty red-headed dwarven scout, explored a tunnel running further north-east, reporting on a network of smaller tunnels. 

Entering a wide chamber, the largest so far encountered, the group spotted glowing mushrooms and slimes around the floors and walls. A huge mesa - a flat-topped rock with steep cliffs on all sides - stands in the middle of the cavern. The ceiling is too dark and high to see. 

Hearing murmurs and whispers from the top of the mesa, the team clambered up a ramshackle staircase carved out of the rock in a spiral. From the top, the rhythmic clanking and loud conversations of Gracklstugh can be heard. Pausing to concentrate, almost to a trance, is when secrets are revealed...

[lumendelmari]

Chapter Thirty-Four

Assassins Interrupted

1485 DR / Day 38

The Blade Bazaar, Gracklstugh

The four adventurers elected to give Amber Thrazgad a watered-down version of their exploration of the Whorlstone Tunnels. They would have to tell the tale again if Clan Thrazgad agreed to be present at the council of war, and it was better to let the physical evidence speak for itself. Amber listened to their wild claims with a surprisingly open ear—until the question of the Deepking’s sanity came up…

The armorsmith closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. “You dare to question the leadership of Hogar Steelshadow V?” she asked, her tone frustratingly ambiguous.

It was hard for the companions to know how to proceed. Were they about to damn themselves? Or was it better to throw caution to the wind and spearhead forward with the truth, regardless?

Kazimir settled for something neutral. “When was the last time the citizens of Gracklstugh saw their ruler?” he countered. “What has he done to prevent the murders ravaging your city? When was the last time he passed a law that benefitted his people rather than hurt them? Furthermore, what sane ruler would flippantly hand power over to a consort—one who is not even one of you, from what we’ve been told! It’s the oldest trick of corruption in the book!” the tiefling exclaimed.

Amber did not respond to the allegations. Instead, she silently stared at each of the individuals standing before her, assessing them with her strange golden eyes.

“Look, I know you have no reason to trust the word of outsiders,” Zelyra began. “But perhaps fresh eyes were needed to look at your city's problems from a non-biased perspective. Go to the meeting that Blackskull is arranging. You will have complete access to the evidence we collected, and then you can decide. But know this—your city will fall to ruin if the Council of Savant’s plans succeed. You need a sane ruler who will act against them. If the Deepking refuses, then his power should go to someone with Gracklstugh’s interests at heart.”

“Is this individual Captain Blackskull?” Amber asked sternly.

Sensing that the situation could get out of hand, Fargas replied, “No. If the worst should happen, and the Deepking is found to be corrupt, Captain Blackskull intends to hand power over to the Council of Lairds.”

Amber let out a dry laugh. “Well, that would be something unprecedented,” she said. “Gracklstugh has always had a monarchy. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought it might turn into a republic.”

“Technically, it would be an oligarchy, not a republic…” the halfling muttered.

. . .

Read more: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35100307/chapters/115961959

or

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13962836/34/The-Grey-Warriors

[lumendelmari]

Inspiration/stat blocks for Chapter 28 of “The Grey Warriors” based on the dnd module Out of the Abyss..

Our heroes have finally found the stolen red dragon egg, a quest given to them by the Keepers of the Flame in the duergar city of Gracklstugh. In order to take it back, the adventurers find themselves under the attack of a derro savant, a master thief, and several derro guards. Will our heroes emerge victorious against their enemy and reclaim the dragon egg? Evidence, waiting just out of the reach, suggests that it might be too late...

And perhaps more troubling, an unknown enemy plots against the city of Gracklstugh. 

You can read the story here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35100307/chapters/87436915

or

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13962836/1/The-Grey-Warriors

[lumendelmari]

Chapter Thirty

The Smell of Brimstone

1485 DR / Day 35

Cairngorm Caverns, Gracklstugh

Fraeya and Zelyra immediately rose from their bedrolls and hurried over to join Nine, Fargas, and Kazimir, where the trio sat around a pile of letters, jotted notes, and dried fish skins. Derendil was slower to follow. When the others were gathered around, Kazimir pointed to a cut of fish skin nearly twelve inches in length. Scribbled words were inked upon it, but Fraeya and Zelyra could not read them.

“It’s in Dwarvish,” the prince said, his self-loathing now replaced by curiosity.

“Nine and Fargas translated it. And I cast a language comprehension spell on myself to confirm. Not that I didn’t believe them! I just needed to read it for myself,” the tiefling said grimly.

“Well, read it for us then!” Fraeya urged.

Kazimir dramatically cleared his throat and then began to recite with vibrato…

“Faster this time. Faster, I say! I want to hear heads rolling by the time the ink dries on the tip of my quill!! Veins bursting with black poison, lungs filling with water, or faces melting in forges… I don’t care how you do it! Just do it faster!!!

THANGUS IRONHEAD—how dare he try to encroach on my family business???? BOIL HIM! Boil him in oil and feed him to the roaches!”

“Must you shout?” Fraeya interrupted.

Kazimir halted midsentence and snipped, “There’s a lot of exclamation points and capital letting. I’m merely reading with the tone as written.” He continued, “WERZ SALTBARON—the sniveling, squealing, writhing little rat! BIND HIS FEET AND THROW HIM OFF HIS PRECIOUS DOCK!

CAPTAIN ERRDE BLACKSKULL—I’ve smelt treason on her since she was but a lass. She’s always had an eye on my throne, but she’ll never get it. PUT A KNIFE THROUGH HER EYE! SHE’LL GET WHAT’S COMING TO HER. Yes, that’s what she’ll get!

HIS ARROGANCE, HIS ROTUNDITY, THE PAMPERED, PORTLY, SCHEMING RED—how many names must we give him? FREEZE THE WYRMSMITH until his heart turns crystalline, then smash it to bits!

LINGRICK XARDELVAR—my most gaseous ally!!!!!!”

Kazimir paused for dramatic effect before concluding, “It ends there, but I have no doubt there is probably more to this.”

. . . 

You can read more here:

https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/112113748?show_comments=true&view_full_work=false#comment_615139354

or

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13962836/30/The-Grey-Warriors

[lumendelmari]

Chapter Twenty-Seven

A Favor for a Favor

1485 DR / Day 35

The Whorlstone Tunnels, Gracklstugh

Kazimir spent so long staring into the strange abyss of the raucous mesa’s ceiling that Nine had already begun the second watch by the time he finally drifted off to sleep. During that time, the wizard heard many whispers but nothing of consequence. Instead, it was a lot of rumor and grumbling about the current state of Gracklstugh.

The only thing the tiefling heard of note was that several citizens of the duergar city were losing faith in their king’s rule. His behavior of late was strange. The Deepking made laws that had no correlation to Gracklstugh’s current state, for he spent his days locked away in the palace. Furthermore, these strange decrees came through his advisor. But Kazimir failed to see how that information would help their current tasks.

All he wanted to know was where the dragon egg was! And who, ultimately, was behind the assassinations! Unfortunately, it seemed those questions would remain a mystery.

But as the wizard drifted through dream, a familiar sensation washed over him, and even in sleep, he knew he was about to experience a vision. It had been some time since he had had one—not since before the carrion crawler attack, at least. But this time, instead of seeing his companions, Kazimir saw Gracklstugh, and along with it, he felt a crushing weight.

...

To read more of a completed ‘Out of the Abyss’ rehash go to: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35100307/chapters/109100946

or

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13962836/27/The-Grey-Warriors

[lumendelmari]

Because I know a dungeon crawl can be a little confusing…here is an updated version of the Whorlstone Tunnels map detailing the path the adventurers have taken thus far (up to chapter 27).

1)    Entrance

   1b) Buppido’s Lair

2)   Diseased Pool

3)   Chamber of myconids (called Parade of Fools in the module)

4)   Fungi Thicket

5)   Raucous Mesa

    5b) Assassin’s tunnel

6)   Assassin’s den

    6d) Northwest barracks

    6e) Mindwitness chamber

7)   Assassin’s headquarters

    7c) Pathway up to the Grey Ghost territory

9)  Fountain of Evil (as told to the adventurers by Elgrim; now home to a hydra instead of the Water Weird from OOTA 77)

14) Obelisk room (where the party is currently)

     14b) Unknown room

     14c) Thief barracks

You can read the story here: 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/35100307/chapters/87436915

or

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13962836/1/The-Grey-Warriors

[lumendelmari]

Chapter Twenty-Six

The Gift

1485 DR / Day 34

The Whorlstone Tunnels, Gracklstugh

The adventurers were all too glad to leave Buppido's gruesome lair behind and continue their exploration of the Whorlstone Tunnels. Fraeya and Fargas resumed their positions as scouts in the front of the group, while Zelyra elected to join Sarith as a rearguard. Normally she would have walked in the middle of the group with Kazimir and Derendil, but she wanted to give the prince his space.

Almost immediately after Derendil had walked away, Zelyra realized her mistake. Her words had come out too soon and at the worst time. The prince was still recovering from the shock of attacking her. Her thoughtlessly bringing up his curse and comparing him to a primal animal had been incredibly insensitive. She reasoned that she would apologize to him later, perhaps when they stopped to rest. But when that might be was anyone's guess. The druid could only suppose that they were not returning to Ghohlbrorn's Lair until they had enough proof to bring back to Blackskull or found the missing dragon egg. Until then, they would likely be sleeping in the tunnels.

As Fargas and Fraeya led the party to the mouth of a third open chamber, the faerzress changed again. This time, the magical energy was neither pale silver nor sickly green. Instead, it was bright gold and spun in hypnotizing patterns, as if in time to some sort of dance or song. The rogues watched the faerzress for a moment before peering around the corner. To their disappointment, the chamber beyond was not empty, and its inhabitants were all acting rather odd.

. . .

Read the rest on Ao3 or FF.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13962836/26/The-Grey-Warriors

[lumendelmari]

Because I know a dungeon crawl can be a little confusing…here is an updated version of the Whorlstone Tunnels map detailing the path the adventurers have taken thus far (up to chapter 30).

1)    Entrance

  1b) Buppido’s Lair

2)   Diseased Pool

3)   Chamber of myconids (called Parade of Fools in the module)

4)   Fungi Thicket

5)   Raucous Mesa

   5b) Assassin’s tunnel

6)   Assassin’s den

   6d) Northwest barracks

   6e) Mindwitness chamber

7)   Assassin’s headquarters

   7c) Pathway up to the Grey Ghost territory

9)  Fountain of Evil (as told to the adventurers by Elgrim; now home to a hydra instead of the Water Weird from OOTA 77)

14) Obelisk room

    14b) Unknown room

    14c) Thief barracks

and now added...

12) Narrack’s hideout (where the party is currently)

. . .

Also featured, close up maps detailing the obelisk room, the Empty Scabbard Killers/Qualax’s hideout (formally the Grey Ghost’s alchemist hideout/garden), and Narrack’s hideout.

You can read the story here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/35100307/chapters/87436915

or

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13962836/1/The-Grey-Warriors

[lumendelmari]

Chapter Twenty-Five

An Undying Pledge

1485 DR / Day 34

The Whorlstone Tunnels, Gracklstugh

After completing the messy business of hiding Droki’s body, the adventurers continued to explore the winding Whorlstone Tunnels. Fraeya and Fargas took the lead and scouted ahead while Sarith sluggishly trailed at the party’s rear. Though the others had pressed him about what caused him to snap, the drow warrior was noticeably sullen and quiet and refused to speak on the matter—even to Fraeya. But neither did he clean Droki’s blood from his swords, which struck the rogue as odd. Was it possible he regretted his loss of control? Surely it was not genuine guilt or remorse? A typical drow did not know such feelings.

The companions found the path split three ways at the chamber's end. To the left was a tall fissure that led to a small cavity that was short and squat. Derendil would not fit down it at all. The center pathway was a continuation of the current chamber, except a large pool of water blocked the way forward. Its strange, blackened waters were deadly calm, and something about the sour scent that hung in the air around it made the companions uneasy. The opposite shore was nearly one hundred feet away.

When Zelyra insisted on checking the waters for poison before anyone attempted a crossing, she found the pool entirely disease-ridden. The cause was soon revealed when Nine spotted a severed dark tentacle floating some ten feet from the shore. Seconds later, Fraeya noticed more body parts floating further out in the dark water—and they did not all appear to be from the same creature. Some, in fact, many were humanoid. Perhaps it was nothing but a battle gone wrong, but it was enough to make the companions avoid the diseased waters like the plague. That left the third option, the tunnel to the right.

���I don’t really care for the smell coming from that direction either,” Zelyra told the group.

“What does it smell like? I don’t smell anything,” Fraeya asked the druid curiously.

Zelyra sniffed the air and thought for a moment. Then, she bluntly said, “Death.”

...

Continue on the website :D

[lumendelmari]

Chapter Twenty-Four

Order and Chaos

1485 DR / Day 33

The Flowstone District, Gracklstugh

Gartokkar’s entourage led the adventurers through Laduguer’s Furrow and deep into the heart of Gracklstugh. And though they were battered, bruised, and quite frankly winded from fighting the crazed stone giant, the companions had little choice but to follow. Within minutes, it became apparent that Laduguer’s Furrow was the duergar’s housing district. The group passed by the tight-knit and well-fortified iron dwellings of Clan Hammercane, the construction engineers. Next came the sprawling shacks of Clan Anvilthew, the toolmakers. Gartokkar even led the adventurers by the intimidating Hold of the Deepking. The priest did not expressly point it out by name, but one could only assume it was a place of prominence, given the structure was far grander than any other in the city—by duergar standards, anyway.

But the group did not stop at the Hold. Instead, Gartokkar marched them further south to yet another heavily guarded gate. As they passed under it, the priest made a point to snidely tell the adventurers that this invitation was a ‘great honor.’ Few duergar, not even high-ranking members of society, were permitted to enter the Flowstone District. Erected buildings were sparse here. Instead, the natural terrain was utilized. Gaping holes in the cavern walls led to offshoot chambers that could be used for many purposes—meeting spaces, private dwellings, or business. The list was endless.

At last, Gartokkar halted the group at the very southwestern edge of the city. They stood before a darkened tunnel where two Keepers of the Flame priests, marked by their crimson robes or red-tinged armor, flanked the entrance. Only now did Gartokkar’s entourage fall back as the two priests waiting at the cave’s entrance came to meet them.

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Official “Wizards of the Coast” art of Droki from Out of the Abyss.

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Inspiration for the Whorlstone Tunnels in Gracklstugh.