Part 2 - Chapter 4
Having made good use of their first free morning in Redharbor, the companions make their way back to the Fool’s Flagon to reconvene with the Deep Gnomes and plan their journey to the caverns beneath the city - caverns that may lead to the Underdark.
As the sun was now well past it’s halfway point, the group easily wound their way through the bustling marketplace and back toward the Fool’s Flagon - noting as they did that the afternoon seemed to bring out the working people of the city. Perhaps the nobility sent their porters and procurers down to the market at the crack of dawn, to have the best chance at the choicest goods, they mused. Finding themselves back at the Flagon, they all piled down the broad steps and into the still-musky, still-hazy common room. The amber light and radiance of the single hearth enveloped them as they bustled into the now familiar pub. Sighting the Deep Gnomes still sat around the hearth, the party made in that direction - all except for Boot. Spying a grim-faced (if well dressed, and armed) man seated a little ways away from the fire and seemingly eyeing the companions, Boot veered away from the group and into the cover of the cloth-walled sleeping area. The rest of the party had noticed the man as well, and understood that the crafty old Boot must have a plan. Once sure that no eyes were on him, the Gnome called upon his innate Druidic ability, and pictured himself as a cellar-mouse, small and swift. With not a sound, the Gnome transformed his earthly form into that of the mouse. So transformed, Boot was easily able to slink underneath the table where the dark figure sat, now in conversation with another, hooded man. Using the mouse’s superb hearing, the Druid was able to make out a good bit of the conversation between the two men. It seemed as though the finer dressed of the two, possessing the grim face and no small number of blades on his person, was seeking a group in possession of a large blade. The conversation seemed to slow though, as the unsavory fellows apparently wrote off the companions - seemingly unconvinced that they were in fact in possession of a large and sought-after blade.
As the grim-faced man got up to take his leave of the Flagon, he hardly noticed the little brown mouse scurrying away from his finely-booted tread. Upon regaining his Gnomish form, Boot met the party by the hearth and filled them in. The Deep Gnomes were briefly perturbed by the news that the companions may have been tracked - though only because they desired honesty from their new-found allies, and not because they seemed to fear whatever trouble might befall them. The news that someone was actively seeking the blade of Aquitaine (presumably) was unsettling, though the group couldn’t say that they were surprised. They discussed with the Deep Gnomes the uncertain situation they’d left behind in Canibri, and it seemed that the Deep Gnomes felt a kinship and understanding with their troubled past. Putting that thought aside for the time being, the combined party decided to meet in the rear of the Flagon, before letting the Deep Gnomes lead the way.
Gathering up anything they thought might be of use on their journey (which in truth was most of their belongings, save the Blade of Aquitaine), the companions locked their room door and followed in the determined wake of their new allies. Gida led the way, opening up the metal grate found in the rear-most room of the Flagon, and clambering down the ladder found there. They descended into the system of aqueducts and runs which the party was already familiar with, and after three quarters of an hour, they were astonished to see that they’d arrived at the near-invisible entrance to the Deep Gnomes’ newly excavated side tunnel. Following that tunnel for a hundred and fifty feet or so, they found themselves back at the partially-concealed stone doorway which had baffled them during their first experience in these caverns.
Thuda and Dwali now took up their stout Gnomish pickaxes, and began to work at the stone with methodical, never-tiring strikes. They would periodically rotate out, in exchange for the third member of their troop; it was clearly a well practiced routine. This took several hours, and while it was happening, the party became aware of growing sound emanating from the main cavern. Boot slunk away to check it out, and was surprised to see a group of brutish humanoids in dark hide armor marching down the walkway, toward the center of the city. In their midst, even more surprisingly, was a familiar (and ugly) face - Kelling. The monstrous Bugbear strode past quickly, and Boot was thankful that neither he nor his cohorts had spotted the Druid. Once again, Boot found himself relaying his findings to the party - Kelling was one of the last names they’d expected to hear again, and his presence raised a number of questions. None of these questions were immediately pressing however, and content that the danger had passed, they resumed their work on the door.
Half an hour later, and the Deep Gnomes had succeeded - the door was free of it’s rocky encasement. They collectively took a step back, and Thuda startled them all with a loud gasp. He caught himself short of falling right over, but struggled to contain his nerves. He explained that the script carved into the Doorway read simply, ‘Hreggison’. Gida then explained that Hreggison was the family name of the King who had stolen Redharbor’s crown, and caused the great rift between the surface folk and the Deep Gnomes. He and his followers had then been driven out of the Deep Gnomes’ society, to roam the Underdark alone: a death sentence. There had been no Hreggisons since. Gida then spoke the name aloud and with intent toward the portal, and the door opened - the two halves sliding like pocket doors into the surrounding rock. They were greeted then with a darkness previously unknown to the companions - heavy, inky, pervasive. The smell of damp stone rolled out of the yawning portal, and Charax rightly declared that he would need a torch.
Torch lit, the full party made their way forward and encountered a spiral staircase carved right out of the earth. The Gnomes at the head of the group peeked in, and looked back over their shoulders at the awaiting adventurers.
‘It leads down’.
With nothing else for it, they went down.
The stairs descended for a long while, and Sindri estimated that they’d traveled perhaps two hundred feet straight down before reaching the end of the staircase. They were then greeted with a wide hallway, which they followed as it veered sharply to their left. The hallway continued on, but Charax’s torchlight illuminated alcoves set into the wall at regular intervals some distance ahead. Gida then explained that the Gnomes were fond of laying traps or preparing trickery for would-be tomb robbers. This news elicited a collective groan from the four companions, who were already feeling out of their depth in the oppressive darkness. They forged ahead, however, and Sindri took it upon herself to examine one of the alcoves, after feeling what she believed to be a cool draft originating from it, around ankle height. She and a few of the others had also picked up on what they believed to be the sound of moving water. Inspecting the alcove, the Ranger found no obvious danger, but instead a finely carved, many-faceted plate protruding from the wall like a button. After consulting with the rest of the party, she pressed the button.
Suddenly, the rear of the alcove rose into the ceiling, exposing a four-and-a-half foot tall tunnel, which clearly rang with the sound of rushing water. Boot once again stepped ahead and entered the Gnome-sized tunnel bravely. After a short time, he found that the tunnel opened up to a sort of stone-balcony, overlooking a very large chamber which was bisected by a fast-flowing river. Faint purple fire illuminated much of the cavern, although the high ceilings were still just a murky darkness. More troubling though, were the two figures just barely visible near a far wall of the cavern. A floating, orb-shaped thing which Boot couldn’t identify seemed to be in conversation with a humanoid. The darkness and distance meant that the humanoid’s features remained a mystery, but nonetheless, Boot hurried back to the party and informed them of what he’d seen.
Gida and Thuda were very troubled, and explained that the floating creature fit the description of only a Beholder. They provided no great description beyond what Boot had seen, other than that they were horridly evil creatures, made of and possessing great magical ability. The humanoid was more of a question mark, though Thuda elaborated on two possible suspects; a Drow, or an Illithid. Despite this grim news, the party bravely forged ahead. Their hallway only led one direction, and they followed it to a shattered stone doorway. Clambering over the stone-wreckage and debris, they were greeted by a cyclopean room of columns - some fallen, some intact. Near the center of the space, was what turned out to be a coffin. The coffin of Old King Hreggison. The structure was made of stone, and seemed to rise up out of the stone floor seamlessly. It was embedded with finely-carved scenes and images, depicting the Deep Gnome’s beloved pickaxes, and stylized depictions of Gnomes and jewels. Some of those jewels, it turned out, were real - after a brief dusting, it became apparent that there were two small sapphires, and two small rubies set into the stonework. These were as nothing compared to what the Deep Gnomes found within the already-open coffin, however. Gida retrieved from the open casket a pickaxe - a Mithral pickaxe. It was explained then, that Mithral held a near mythical place in Deep Gnome lore and history - setting apart families and individuals as noteworthy, or legendary. Mithral is apparently hugely difficult to locate and mine, and no finer metal exists for the forging of arms, armor, and tools. Thusly, a family who is able to successfully find, mine, and craft using Mithral not only ensures their economic wellbeing, but likely finds a place in the history of the Deep Gnomes.
While the party inspected the tomb itself, Charax discovered two other things of note. Nearly tripping over an un-lit torch on the ground, he noted that it was not covered in the same layer of dust that so blanketed everything else in the place. He also found that the farthest end of the room was not a wall, but a ledge. The Bard was able to discern what he thought was the sound of distant water, but could see nor hear much else. As he stood there however, he picked up on a familiar scent. A mightily unpleasant odor, which Sindri had also noticed hanging in the air: death, and stale water. The group then found scattered linen and cloth, some stained dark, though long dry.
After the unsettling discoveries of the chamber, the party then moved on through what appeared to be the only other passage out of the room; a rough-hewn corridor that seemed to have been burrowed out of a rock wall to the right of the stone coffin. Forming their marching line, the assembled group found themselves descending further into darkness, and soon came to the chamber which Boot had previously glimpsed. The rushing dark waters of the underground river flowed before them, and the companions became immediately aware of what sounded like the flapping of leathery wings in the darkness above them…
Defeated: -
Characters met: Old King Hreggison (Dead)
Acquired: Two small Rubies (finely cut), two small Sapphires (finely cut), Mithral Pickaxe of the Hreggison family (In Thuda’s possession)
Quests: Hunt the Green Devil / Assist the Deep Gnomes burrow home
