The Sewers under Axegard

 

17th of Reaping. High Summer

The Fellowship work their way up the sewer byways. Three on one side and three on the other. Gizzard has the lead, guiding the party forward. the stench is over-powering, even a cloth covered mouth and nose don't lessen the impact. Wafts of mist hang in the still air, the slow flow of the sewage flowing
along the narrow canal. AS they move along the sewage starts to lap up and on to the walkways used by heroes. Gizzard stops and looks over her shoulder at the adventurers.

"This isn't normal.." She looks down at the sewage then sticking her fingers into the grimey liquid puts it to her lips and licks it. Spitting she grimaces. The party has been in sewers but nothing like this, there is a pressure.

Gizzard holds up a jar of the lichen moss that glows and it shows the sewage slowly moving by.  Gothi holds up her vial which provides a little light as well. Hester recalls he can cast the light spell and calls upon his deity and the area is lit up. The party moves along, weapons at the ready.

Gizzard whispers back, "Douse that light!" 

Hester at first didn't catch the accent then understood and cancelled the light spell. In the middle of the sewage a partially submerged form was slowly floating towards them. Humanoid size. Then they see it appeared to be a body. Slowly turning over. Breathing slightly easier, Tibaltuous whispers to Graxxuzazz, "Mage hand?"

The portly lizardfolk nods already preparing to cast. The ghostly lizard claw appears nearby and floats towards the body. The claw taps on the skull, no effect seemingly, as it slowly floats nearer. Gizzard backs up against the wall of the sewer, crouching down. She holds a crossbow in her hands [normally a hand crossbow for a standard humanoid, but requiring two for her small form].

Appears to be a bloated humanoid body, something wrapped around the head, bandaging around the face, it is face up currently, the hands not visible. There are bindings around the legs. The party whisper back and forth to decide about stopping the body.

Tibaltuous jumps into the 3 feet deep sewage and pulls the body to the side and checks it over. Hester casts light spell again. The body looks to be a female orc, Her hands were bound behind her as well as legs bound with leather straps. Probably 2-3 days old. There are incisions one on each side of her neck. 

Doc looks over the body with a practiced eye. "There looks to be some organs removed from the neck." The gunslinger looks troubled, he normally would be able to recall what may have been removed, but perhaps the pressure, stench and more are affecting him. "A steady hand did this work."

Tibaltuous notes a dagger pommel sticking out of one boot. He notes an engraving on it. "The Black Source" he murmurs. "the clan formerly worked for the Black Runes but they decided to change.. employers.. to work for Iuz." An assassin's blade, jagged and sharp.

The body floats off into the darkness as Hester mumble a short prayer. The adventurers move forward. The sewage flow is now lapping around the ankles of the Fellowship. Gizzard looks very 

"Something's wrong. None of my friends are here.."  Gizzard motions ahead, "There are 2 chambers ahead, one to go to a lower level, but that is caved in, has not been used for years." She points to the left, "The other was filled with supplies and all for takin' care of the sewer maintenance. The party look into both chambers carefully, shining the light from Hester's spell and the glowing lichen in jars from Gizzard and Gothi.

The right chamber [top] has what appears to be a cracked mirror in a floor stand laying on the ground
with a fancy wooden carved chair grime and dirt covered facing it.

The left chamber is filled with cobwebs and what appears to be a humanoid skeleton in the middle of the open area. The walls glitter with gold flecks or something similar.

The party debate, and decide that there are traps, illusion and more down here so decide to not venture into either chamber. Heading onwards.

Gizzard advises the passage turns to the right. There is a chittering or slow scrabbling or scraping

echoing from ahead and behind. There is the same glittering goldish red along the walls ahead. Gizzard is starting to look very scared. "Never heard this before.. she whispers back tot he group. Tibaltuous tries to steady her resolve with some supportive words. The goblin/gnome nods and steps into the corner chamber. As she does, the light shines into the room. the whole room, walls and ceiling are covered in these glittering goldish bumps.. and they are moving. 

At first thought to be eggs.. then realization comes to the group beetles. Gizzard cries out as a large number of these gold red beetles fall onto her. The large mandibles of the 6" beetles tearing into her. The party move in to assist their guide. The beetles don't discriminate attacking all. Doc lights up his sword the flames don't seem to have any affect on the beetles. He then chops through a number deciding fire does not have any effect. The beetles that are chopped have a black - purplish blood that smokes in their area.

Tibaltuous snatches up a beetle and scans it examines it. It is trying to snap its mandibles on the bard's metal gauntlets to no effect. He determines they are not water-based beetles, surprisingly thinking back to a boring lecture in his university days on beetles and insects. With his water breathing potion still in effect, is able to move deftly through the water, his Ring of Free action a marvel. Seeing this good

tactic, the rest of the party follow suit and also dive into the sewage as well. As Gothi swims by, she pulls Gizzard into the flow and the non-swimming beetles float off, leaving quite a few wounds. Gothi is able to cast a Cure Light wounds spell and that keeps the guide alive as the gnome rips off the final burrowing beetles. Graxxuzazz runs up and expertly tackles Doc - with no resistance from Doc - into the sewage. All the beetles float away. The party swim under the fetid and rancid water looking up at the beetle infested room until they pass on into the tunnel again. Interestingly the beetles never leave the room. Perhaps something gathers them there.. the party decide to check this out possibly upon their return.

Moving onwards, the party climb out once again fully covered in sewage. the party hears whispering.. all around them. Cannot confirm it is words or a language.. it echoes down the tunnel. Hester stops to listen closely, as the party moves on, and he hears the whispers.. they are calling out his name. Full name. Each party member focuses and they can hear the whispers.. each saying the name of the listener.  The party members trade a look and grimly move onwards. Their guide advises ahead is a ladder up to the town, a glimmering light ahead. 

St. Cuthbert provided these eternal flames that don't burn but shine light. There is one at each stairwell up tot he roads in the town. The whispering continues getting louder. Every once in a while Gizzard shakes her head, assuming the constant name calling is getting on her nerves. The voices are different, a child, deep man's a woman, never the same.

Tibaltuous crouches down by Gizzard and points to a map of the town. How do we get to here. his gauntleted finger pointing to a sewer entrance near the keep of Axegard.

She sucks on her one long tooth, looks up at the bard and nods. "Yes we can get there, we are here, getting close to the centre plaza. We have to travel along a few more tunnels but should be able to get there!" She nods confidently, once again feeling brave. Tibaltuous looks to the group. "I think we need to get to the keep of Axegard. That is where this dome of darkness may emanate from." 

The party in agreement, motion Gizzard to guide them forwards. The flow at their calves and nearly at their knees. The voices start to sound more often, and often now more than one at a time. The sounds start to merge and are discordant, causing the group to wince in pain at the harshness of the voices.

Gothi last leaving the ladder room hears turns back as she hears a sound from the tunnel heading up for the ladder. The ladder goes up about 15' and then a manhole cover. Locked from the outside but openable from the inside. The ranger hears some shuffling. Whispering to the party she advises them, the decision is made to ignore and forge ahead.

The party moves ahead, the flow nearly passed their knees now, the walkway can no longer be seen. Gizzard takes out a ring and puts this on. As the party look on, she steps up ONTO the sewage. Gothi

smiles, and starts to walk along the walls. Her Boots of SpiderClimbing very helpful. The party wades forward, all hindered except Tibaltuous, Gothi and Gizzard, Graxxzazz starts to swim using his tail so is able to move fairly well.

The cacophony of sound each party member hears gets so loud that at times they cannot hear each other speaking. Different voices saying their name. It is if at times it is near them the voices, but no one is there. The purple haze gets brighter as the names screech in their heads. 

The party try to stealth forward and look around a corner. Ahead the purple glow cross the sewer filling the area. A gate, portal or wall? It pulsed once every few moments. Filling the whole sewer passage from flow to

ceiling. Gizzard was muttering to herself now. Between furtive looks at the purple haze to looks at the party to cringing back, she looked close to bolting now. The steady word of Tibaltuous as well as Doc and Gothi steadied her nerves slightly and she crouched on the water waiting on the plans for the Fellowship.

Gizzard advises there is a central hub - basically near the keep. She says that there is a passage to the far right that leads to the keep. A number of sewers merge to feed the main ones to exit into the river.

Much discussion back and forth on if this was a gate, a wall of force or something even more sinister. Graxxuzazz thinks it is a shield or wall of force from his experience. Graxxuzazz is tied with a rope and moves forward to examine more closely. Hester casts a light spell for the sorcerer to assist with the examination.

Doc looks back at Hester and Tibaltuous, and the light flashes back as Graxxuzazz moves and he glimpses a bright red glistening attached to the neck of Tibaltuous and the back of Hester's leg. Pulsing red over 8" long. All have a number attached are feel now blood is being drained. They have a numbing effect as they drain the blood.

Hester casts a sleep spell and this affects most of the leeches, this is able to

affect most of the leeches. All take a little damage to remove the slumbering creatures that are then disposed of by blade or other means. Then Hester also casts Word of Radiance affecting all the creatures around him and killing them.

The parry again turn their focus on the portal or wall of purple energy. The sorcerer casts a firebolt and it goes right through. A rock is thrown and it passes through as well. Graxxuzazz calls upon the power of Orcus and calls forth a ghast and then Tibaltuous is yelling the

same words. A ghoulish figure surfaces from the sewage and stands before the two. They name it "Sir Ghastly". "Maaaaastersss..." It looks longingly at Doc, Hester Gothi and Gizzard, licking its lips. The rope is tied about the ghast.

Graxxuzazz sends Sir Ghastly forward to investigate the portal and comeback. It steps through the gate. It wades forth and steps through the purple. The rope feels a pull and then as Tibaltuous, Graxxuzazz

and Hester struggle with the rope then pull. Sir Ghastly, is unfortunately missing his head, and one arm. The rope is wrapped about his waist. Tibaltuous standing up closer, the ghast looks to be ravage by multiple scrapings and and cuts. Shredded it appears. The remains of Sir Ghastly start to float down the sewer. Doc takes a closer look with Tibaltuous aiding, and the former doctor note nearly circular razor cuts - multiple. The arm looks like it was pulled from the socket by brute force.

Gizzard doesn't want to go in there.

The bard puts forth his sword, through the purple wall for six seconds. and then back - without ill effect on either. The blade advises the party of what he saw in his accent [English]. 

"There is a glowing yellow gate a bonelike arch above it, there are all these god-awful writhing tentacles all around. One coming for me as I was pulled back!" 

Appears to be a Demonic divine portal. Sir Lawrence advises that Tibaltuous is not to worry as he is not good! Tibaltuous after some interesting discussion and sarcastic remarks with his sentient blade "Sir Lawrence" - and then the sword being shoved under the sewage water. "That is outrageous Sir!" 

The party prepares and goes on full attack. Leaping through the purple wall. Gizzard makes a surprising morale check and steps forward and throws a acid vial at one of the bone arches over the gate.

Tibaltuous floats up - levitating with the power of Sir Lawrence, floating over and towards the upper left passage, the one Gizzard had advises went to the keep. The tentacles don't appear to reach up to the floating bard.

The party then realize [after NAT 20s by Graxxuzazz] that the bone arches are the key to what Graxxuzazz is perfectly sure is a gate to the ABYSS. As he has been there before. [DM: blogpost ] Some focused there attacks on the massive tentacles with razor sharp suction cups down there length -

the end of Sir Ghastly no doubt - while others attacked the bone arches. Gothi had some explosive arrows made for just this need and the arrows pulsed as they hit the massive bone arch, putting cracks in the structure. The Abyssal energies make casting spells difficult and the sorcerer fails to cast his spell. Tapping into the power of his toilet bowl god, he casts one of his signature spells: Destructive Wave.

The eave crashes over the arches as well as the tentacles. Blasting some out of existence. The radiant

damage of the spell appears to have greater effect than normal. The tentacles were barley moving around except the ones attacking, all of the remaining ones shudder and attack. Doc slices into the tentacles with his sword Lucky Seven. The black and brown 3' think tentacle body spurts black and purple blood. He is able to lop off the one tentacle. Hester for a moment is unable to contact his god's power but is able to push through and casts a Moonbeam which has massive effect, the radiant damage causing three massive cracks to appear in the top bone arch. Each time the attack or damage hits the bone arches, the tentacles writhe as if in pain.

Tibaltuous continues to float and pull himself across the ceiling. As he does he dons his Mantle of Inspiration and his melodious words inspire all.

Some of the Fellowship take advantage of the movement, while others hold their ground.

A massive tentacles whips out to grasp and rend at the bard, It tries to pull him up into the air but he is able to withstand it. He now hangs upside down. A tentacle slaps in to Doc, but is unable to wrap around the gunslinger.

A tentacle whips out to attack Gothi as she stands on the ceiling, pulling her off the wall, wrapped around her waits and starts to crush her. A final tentacle wrap around both Hester and Graxxuzazz crushing them together, pulled up into the air. Both restrained taking necrotic crushing damage.

Tibaltuous calls out to Doc, "Are these tentacles undead!?" 

With that, we will join the Fellowship mid-battle next time!