7 June 2019

Upon Bree returning to the party and telling everyone what she has just seen our adventurers decide it is time to fight. Autun especially is convinced everyone in the next room needs a bit of killing. Moving stealthily our adventurers make their way down the passage Bree has just returned from to disrupt whatever mischevous magic may be occurring.

Once they enter the room the party is able to make out 5 normal looking derro, 1 derro who is clearly a leader and spellcaster, and one two-headed dog in a cage. They are clearly interrupting some kind of magical ritual in progress. The dog, who we later learn is called Pew-Pew, smells their approach and begins to raise the alarm, but before that can happen our adventurers make their first attack.

Autun and Caius make their way headfirst into the surprised ritual makers putting themselves between their enemies and the rest of the party. While Bree simultaneously eldritch blasts two bolts from her fingers and explodes the head of the derro guarding Pew-Pew. These actions alert the defenders who raise the cry of alarm, which summons a giant ettin from behind the defenders. The ettin races to the front of the defenders and Autun races to meet it. Caius rushes forward as well, positioning himself between a derro and the cage of Pew-Pew that this derro is attempting to open. Kais and Jimjar deliver arrows from their bows, and Bree casts Faerie Fire on 2 of the weaker derro, the derro leader, and the ettin. Only the derro leader manage to avoid its cursed green glow.

The ettin and Autun strike at each other hitting one another multiple times, Caius grapples with the derro attempting to free Pew-Pew while the rest of the party fire their missiles. Autun goes down first from the ettin's deadly blows, and Kais is forced to use his Mage Hand to stuff a Gourd a Greater Healing down his throat, but upon standing he is then able to bring the ettin down, and in his next immediate blow brings the head derro down as well. Meanwhile Caius has successfully dispatched the derro he was grappling with, and succeeded in relatching the cage of Pew-Pew preventing the fetid canine's escape. Bree explodes the head of another lesser derro with Eldritch Blast.

With the ettin, the derro leader, and three of the lesser derro dead, one of the two remaining derro eats a pygmywort mushroom and escapes into a small hole in the wall. The remaining derro cowers in the corner visibly shaking and crying.

Caius eats his own pygmywort mushroom and chases after the fleeing derro. Seeing this Bree and Jimjar also give chase leaving Autun and Kais behind to deal with the simpering derro, Pew-Pew and the process of looting.

In the tunnel chasing after the derro Caius is bitten by something unknown with teeth that resembles a bat like creature, but is invisible. Bree is also attacked, but the strange flying creature misses this attack. Caius, Bree and Jimjar chase the derro back into the room with the bears where the see the derro attempting to release the bears. Caius tackles the derro, but then Bree explodes its head with Eldritch Blast. No bears escape. Jimjar finds some teeth in the decapitated derro's pocket and a strange flying invisible creature decides to trade the teeth for gems. Jimjar trades all 12 teeth for gems. Bree casts Faerie Fire on the speaking, flying space, but instead of revealing the creature it only causes a glowing ball about the size of a coconut to appear floating in the air. The three adventurers head back to meet their two comrades.

Simultaneously, while Caius, Bree and Jimjar have been chasing the derro, Autun and Kais have had their own adventures. After witnessing their friends disappear down the tunnel Autun heals himself while Kais captures and ties up the one remaining simpering derro. Then they both begin to search and loot. Autun destroys the statue that had been vibrating as part of the ritual with the ettin's weapon, then he destroys the spiral pattern on the floor with also with the ettin's weapon. Kais loots the spell casting leader of the derro, whose name they learn is Nerrick, and finds a key on a necklace. In the area behind where the ritual was taking place they find another broken statue, two statues still intact, and a locked chest. The broken statue appears to maybe have had 6 fingers. The chest is opened with Nerrick's key.

Inside the chest they find

• 245 gp
• 15 sp
• A book with spells
• A spell scroll
• A note from Droki addressed to Nerrick

The note says, "". On the back of the note are the names of 6 stone giants, two of them crossed out.

At around this time Caius, Bree and Jimjar return from the bear room making the party whole again. The party now moves to interrogate their new prisoner, lead by Jimjar because he can speak under common. Their new flumph friend Ickle is angry with their derro prisoner, claiming that the derro ate all of Ickle's family.

From the prisoner they learn that everyone here was working for the Council of Savants under Nerrick. Nerrick was a low member of the Council of Savants and he was trying to rise in the ranks by performing these dark rituals. This particular ritual was called "Glory to the dark prince." Droki was supposed to bring more stuff for the ritual, but he was somewhat unreliable. Droki works for no one in particular and will do anything if you pay him. Droki stays alive by playing all sides against each other and making sure that he stays indebted enough to prevent his own death, but never too indebted so someone powerful wants him dead. After questioning the prisoner Jimjar helps him change into clothes from one of the dead derro since the prisoner had soiled his during the battle.

Through all this Pew-Pew has remained in his cage. Autun tries to communicate with him, but this is no normal animal. Pew-Pew is instead a death dog and will attack them if released. Learning this, the party euthanizes Pew-Pew without releasing it.

The party returns to the bear room, feeds the bears with some of the gruel from the cauldron and some derro corpses, and takes a short rest before heading back to the surface of Gracklestugh.

Gained

• 12 small gems worth 1 gp each Jimjar
• 245 gp
• 15 sp
• A book with spells
• A spell scroll
• A note from Droki addressed to Nerrick
• A derro prisoner

Lost

• 1 Gourd of Greater Healing belonging to Autun
• 1 pygmywort mushroom belonging to Caius
• 1 size restoring mushrom belonging to Caius

---

Prior: 31 May 2019, All: Play_Sessions, Next: 14 June 2019