Friday, December 18, 2015

Gloomlight Session 10: The Warchild and the Pueblo

-When the party returned from their discussion with the guard D'Jasper Probincrux III, they found three slender, pale, and blind salamander people waiting for them. One of their number stepped forward and proclaimed "We seek The Warchild." Warbaby assumed she meant him, so he asked what these people wanted. The female introduced herself as Gluprash, daughter of the Great Matriarch of the city of Blupduprash, the last great stronghold of the Olm in this region of the Underdark. She said the Trilobyte Knight (who the Gloomlight prisoners dubbed "Klack") returned to the people of Blupduprash with the news that he had tracked down and killed the Meazel which had been preying on their kind. He did this with the help of the new residents of Gloomlight, and the Olm were very interested to learn that one of their number referred to himself as "Warbaby".

The Olm: Like this, but people.

-Gluprash had many questions for Warbaby--was he a hewer of wood in the world above, lowered here on a vast chain? Is it true he fell in combat with a champion of law but still bested him after the fact? Warbaby carefully considered these questions but answered in affirmative to them all, as he was a woodcutter before his internment in Eberhardt's prison camp, he was lowered into Gloomlight on a miles-long chain, and during his combat test with Klack actually tripped and fell, but then got up and defeated the mighty warrior with a lucky blow. 

-The Olm spoke amongst themselves briefly in their native click-language, but then kneeled before Warbaby. They told him that his coming was foretold for many years, and that he was come to deliver them from their enemies. Gluprash told him many things very quickly, but it seemed they now expected him to first defeat a tribe of beings known as The Savage Ones and then don ceremonial armor and lead them in battle against their ancient enemy, a being known as Old Scar. The details were hazy due to Gluprash's excitement, but once the Savage Ones and Old Scar were defeated the Olm could rebuild settlements above the water and increase their presence once more in Gloomlight. The residents of Gloomlight asked what they stood to gain by assisting them, which confused Gluprash and her companions, but she stated that along with the Svirfneblin, the Olm were likely the only race who would willingly ally themselves with the Gloomlight prisoners instead of trying to eat or enslave them, and that the more power the Olm gained, the more access they would have to food, resources and protection. 

-The party discussed this matter and agreed that it would be good to offer their assistance, even though Warbaby voiced concerns he was in over his head. They offered to return with the Olm to Blupduprash, but Gluprash explained that preparations would need to be made, and since their city was beneath a vast lake whose shores were stalked by the Savage Ones and other dangerous beings, it would be better for the party to remain at Gloomlight until the Olm could return for them. When Warbaby asked how long it would be, the Olm struggled to explain their sense of time was innately different than that of the surface dwellers, which made it almost impossible to express. They settled on "soon" and swam away to the south via the river behind the ruined mill. 

-With time to kill, the party decided to head up the cliff to explore the abandoned pueblo. While passing under the window of the fortress, Mother called down to them to ask where they were going. When they told him they were bound for the pueblo, he laughed and said there was nothing up there for them and that he had taken anything worth taking years ago. Still, they were determined to at least look around.

-Before they left, Mother inquired about Lowtrade's changed form. Due to his now fungal nature, the strange man assumed Lowtrade with the prisoners' slave. Impressed with Lowtrade's ability to fly, he offered to trade the party his own myconid slaves, Channi and Asashi, since they couldn't fly. Recalling the myconids' plea to free them, they contemplated going along with it to pull a fast one on the strange man, but ultimately decided a rescue should involve more planning.

-Traveling East of the fortress, the party saw the pueblo village built above them on a series of steppes to the North. On the level where they stood were two large buildings--a storehouse containing mostly foodstuffs and other provisions gone to dust, but did find 100' of usable rope, 200' of strong, thin, and remarkably unrusted chain, a few shovels, and a stack of dusty but well-preserved lumber under a crumbling tarp. Judging by the foul, greasy smell in the back room of the storehouse, they also found a den possibly used by the pale tigers littered with skeletal remains of shitpigs.
The Pueblo: Like this, but in a dark cave.

-Lowtrade decided his thin tentacles wouldn't be much help sorting through the salvageable items in the storehouse, so he floated to the other building on the first level to investigate. Outside he found a forge, anvil, a bin of coal and a set of blacksmith tools that might be useful again with a little cleaning. Inside, he found several crates of carefully oiled and stored weapons and armor.

-As he floated across the open area between buildings, he heard a scuttling noise from above and saw a medium-sized heat signature move just out of the periphery of his vision. He quickly returned to the storehouse to tell his companions about the armory as well as the potential visitor on the level above.

-The group quickly went to the armory to examine the weapons and armor, especially since there could be need of them in their immediate future. They found four suits of leather armor, a spear, a long bow, as well as a suit of plate mail emblazoned with the crest of House Eberhardt. After crawling through countless cramped, wet caves in their time below, they knew this heavy armor would court danger instead of shielding its wearer from it, but it could have value as a trade with Eberhardt.

-They decided to go investigate the next level, as well as seek out the creature Lowtrade saw to determine if it was a threat or something they could potentially eat. Climbing a ladder, they found four medium-sized buildings and a small one. They also saw a large web spun between two of the builidngs, and in the web a hideous creature that hissed in the torchlight. It was the size of a large dog, and moved on eight arachnid legs which sprouted from a body resembling the head of a moray eel. Its tiny eyes glinted before it rushed at them, attempting a hit and run attack before scrambling back up to its web. The party decided to set the web on fire, which went up quickly. The eel-spider scuttled off into the darkness above.
Eel-Spiders: Like this, but with spider legs, thus even more terrifying.
-The group then ducked into a nearby building. Inside they found a cask of lamp oil as well another (or perhaps the same) eel-spider. Rushing it, they managed to put it down in short order without any serious injuries. At the back of the building they found an opening near the ceiling just the size of the eel spider. They thought they heard more scuttling outside. The party braced themselves for another attack and waited...