October 18 Game Notes

Gameplay picks up in Darkenhold, where the party nears the cave Charles Fox told them about. Along the way, the party encounters their old buddy Oak, who decides to go with them to the cave.

When they reach the cave, they discover it is sealed shut with a porthole door. The boys figure out how to open the door, and how to shut it behind them in an effort to cover their tracks. Scaramouch does not join them, preferring to stay outside. Inside, the party discovers a natural cavern. After discerning that none of the stalagmites or stalagtites are actually ropers, and after a slightly inconvenient encounter with a choker, they happen upon a large, dark chasm with a natural stone bridge. The party starts across the bridge, but are forced to back off when they encounter a small team of Driders coming to attack them. Virgil fireballs the bridge, taking out the Driders but also the bridge in the process. Using Floyd’s Pegasus, the group flies over the bridge and heads farther into the cavern.

Shortly thereafter, they encounter a Delver, which is quickly dispatched, but not before it damages Guy’s axe, reducing its effectiveness. This led to Guy receiving some ribbing by Floyd, which resulted in Guy magically charming Floyd, who for the next eight hours became Guy’s new best friend.

The party worked its way to a chamber where there was a large door with three gems inside. The three gems were related to three levers with corresponding gems that would light up when the levers were pulled. The first lever was hidden in the room with the door, and the other two levers were in adjacent rooms – in the first adjacent room, the party was attacked by a group of Darkmantles, who tried to engulf Axe and Guy, but they were destroyed by Brixmore. When the Darkmantles were defeated, their magical darkness was lifted, and the 2nd lever became apparent.

The third lever was in a room in a pool of highly corrosive acid, but Brixmore managed to stone shape the area around the lever and pull it. With all of the levers pulled, the door in the center room opened, revealing a staircase with metal technology resembling what the party knew of the high elves.

The party tread carefully down the stairs and into the chamber, where they discovered they were being watched by a high elf, who spoke to them through the walls. As the party made its way towards a room the elf was directing them to, he told Brixmore the story of how he created Brix and his brother, Graxx. According to the elf’s story, he was commissioned by his Emperor to create a perfect living war machine. In doing so, he discovered that he had to use one of the original bloodlines, which were inclined towards creating twins, allowing him to filter all of the faith, goodness, and virtue to one, and the anger, hatred, and aggression to the other. Using Hargrove’s genetic material, he “grew” Brix and Graxx in the womb of a succubus.

Upon reaching the story’s shocking conclusion, the party finds itself in a chamber with the vegetative succubus, now just a head and torso. Disgusted and enraged, Brix attempts to wrest control of the Shiva Sword from Guy, but the rest of the party prevents him from doing so. In response, Brix takes Svarth and begins destroying all of the technology and the succubus.

The elf, pleased with himself, informs the party that he will not allow them to escape, and sends a dozen mephitis after them. The party handily dispatches the mephitis, and Floyd and Brix lead the way back into a the High Elf’s chamber, finding him guarded by an Iron Golem, who provides a challenging fight, although he is ultimately defeated by Axe’s killing blow.

Guy corners the elf and kills him, but the elf’s head dislocates from his body and attempts to escape. However, Virgil sends a searing light spell down the tube which fries the head, and the party takes the elf body and the golem body out of the cave with them (Brix carries the elf in his enlarged state, and Virgil polymorphs into an Umberhulk to carry the golem). On the way out, Floyd finds a half-dozen potions on a rack labeled “Wonderous Potions,” but Guy does not let him drink them, as Floyd is still under the effects of Guy’s charm spell.

End of Session

For the session, the party is awarded 2500 XP.

Guy, Virgil, & Floyd level.