(S013) Into the Underdark

Leaving the Myconid colony, the Mighty Menagerie navigates the hazardous Underdark, explores an abandoned underground complex featuring trapped doors, a teleportation circle, a mysterious well, and an ogre ambush, and uncovers a hidden passageway.

📝 Session Summary

The Wild Cards were called The Menagerie by some until they came up with the name The Wild Cards.

• Barlo: A grizzled tabaxi barbarian who has been doing some work for a network that one should be wary of.
• Bastion: An orphan human who spent his life studying magic and blades, even though his elder pushed him away from the sword. He replaced Reginald.
• Calliope: This bardic faun joined the party late when she needed to find help to save her homeland.
• Reginald: A leonin cleric who was off to show his family's royal background and would later find out there were secrets leading to him becoming a king.
• Sas: A tortle hermit was given an item of power and a quest.
• Shadow in the Snow: This tabaxi got a coin, and her curiosity set her on a path.

🎬 Scenes

• Scene 1: Barlo's Backstory — From The Bronze Canyon in Kampos. Gave up Tabaxi name, "Smiles". Help move people. On way to Eushia to help Black Road with a client. Currently on ship near Carrune.
• Scene 2: Bastion's Backstory — When Bastion Bladesinger was very young he lost both of his parents to a plague. He took care of himself as he taught himself how to use the rapier his father once wore. He lived in Dyrt and watched all of the great knights. He also had an interest in the ways of magic and he wished he could do both – use swords and excel in magic – like many elves he had heard about.
• Scene 3: Calliope's Backstory — Calliope was born into the nestled highlands of the Oraniad Mountains. The Skola Vale, wild and free, blessed by the gods and inhabited by whimsical Satyr and Faun. Deep within it among the lush valley, reside the Dawngreets, a long generational line of storytellers and lore keepers.
• Scene 4: Reginald's Backstory — He was born at home, a modest-sized mansion where his family lived a modest means – even though his father could never stop talking about how they were royalty and yet this was the only lands they currently possess. His childhood was generally a happy one full of several friends. He was an only child.
• Scene 5: Sas' Backstory — Sas was born on the continent of Oth'Mar – a content mostly inhabited by Tortles and is far to the south of the Carrune Isles.
• Scene 6: Shadow's Backstory — Deep in the snowy mountains high in the north, there lived a large group of Tabaxi, The Blinding Wild Clan.

📜 Missions & Quests

• Completed:
  • Established individual party origins and initial connections to the world of Dierde.
• Active / Discovered Threads:
  • Barlo's ties to the smuggling rings and the Black Road.
  • Bastion's mysterious past and fallout with Grognard.
  • Calliope's quest to save the Skola Vale.
  • Reginald's pursuit of his family's royal mint commission and claim in Neyer.
  • Sas's vision of the Cat Goddess Bast and journey to find her lost lands.
  • Shadow's golden coin and mystical calling from her clan shaman.

NPCs

S013: Into the Underdark

Date: 2021-05-15

Short

The party departed the Myconid colony after receiving warnings about the dangers of the Underdark, including Torog the death god, magic-dead zones, and mind flayers. They navigated treacherous terrain for five hours, crossing a perilous natural bridge over a deep chasm where magic failed, then traversing complex cave systems using their combined skills. Eventually they discovered an ancient complex of stonework, where they found a remarkable star-speckled black cloak and a room containing a teleportation circle with a shattered magical mirror, from which Shadow collected enchanted glass shards.

The party explored several chambers, forcing open trapped and locked doors with crowbars after Barlo was poisoned multiple times by needle traps. They discovered a mysterious well room with a glowing red button surrounded by celestial symbols, where coins transformed into mirrors when removed from the freezing water. After defeating two ogres in combat—with Calliope's ice spell proving particularly devastating—they found a dusty laboratory containing books about the Underdark and golems, written by the unstable sage Tharros. When Shadow activated the red button using her spectral hand, it triggered a sequence that caused the mirror shards to glow in synchronization and revealed a hidden northern passageway, leaving the party with multiple unexplored paths and unanswered questions about the mind flayers they sought.

Summary

The party concluded their rest in the Myconid colony, a settlement of telepathic fungal beings who communicated through glowing spores that filled the air with visions and warnings. The Myconids spoke of the dangers that awaited in the depths below: Torog, the god of death and patron of jailers and torturers, was said to claim the souls of those who perished in the Underdark. They warned of magic-dead zones where spells would fail, of treacherous portals and gates that could lead to other realms, and of dark elves, gnomes, and the dreaded Illithids—mind flayers who had once transformed a beholder into one of their own. Despite these ominous warnings, the Myconids guided the party westward, assuring them that a gate would lead them to the colony they sought.

The party formed their marching order with Bastion and Shadow taking the lead, Sas in the middle, and Barlo bringing up the rear, with Artie the owlbear cub padding alongside. Shadow enchanted a pebble with light to illuminate their path as they entered narrow, twisting passages where the walls pressed close and the ceiling forced some to duck their heads. The passage eventually opened into a vast cavern where Shadow's light spell suddenly flickered and died, revealing that magic was unreliable in this place. Before them stretched a natural rock bridge, about five feet wide at its thickest, curving over a chasm so deep that when Shadow dropped a stone over the edge, they heard it smash far below only after a long, terrifying fall. The air smelled of moisture and living stone, and in the darkness, bioluminescent lights twinkled like distant stars.

With Sas lighting a torch for those without darkvision, the party carefully crossed the long, curving bridge, roping themselves together for safety. Shadow slipped once on the treacherous surface, but the ropes held firm and prevented disaster. On the far side, they entered another network of caves carved from blue-black shale rock, soft enough that Shadow could scratch marks into the walls to track their path. The party then faced a skill challenge as they navigated the complex cave system, using their various talents to find safe passage. Sas checked the ground for stability, Bastion bounded athletically around stalactites and stalagmites to scout ahead, and Shadow marked their route. When Sas misjudged the path and led them astray, Barlo confidently declared he knew the correct way, and the party followed his lead without question. After approximately five hours of careful traversing, they successfully navigated the treacherous caves without encountering hazards.

The natural caves gradually gave way to ancient stonework—smooth blocks and slabs that spoke of long-forgotten construction. The party entered a narrow corridor about five feet wide, leading to a reinforced wooden door. Finding no tracks or disturbances, Shadow cautiously used her spectral hand to test the door, triggering a three-inch needle trap that pierced the magical construct. Barlo attempted to pick the lock despite knowing it was trapped, and the needle pricked his hand, delivering poison that his barbarian constitution helped him resist. On his second attempt, he successfully disarmed the trap by cutting the needle mechanism, but the door remained locked. Bastion and Barlo then used a crowbar to force the door open, breaking the locking mechanism with a satisfying crack.

Beyond lay a square chamber, thirty-five feet on each side with a sixteen-foot ceiling, featuring a door in the center of each wall. On six pegs along one wall hung a remarkable black hooded cloak that appeared like a window to the night sky, speckled with stars. Bastion's magical senses confirmed the cloak's enchantment, and Shadow immediately claimed it, placing it in Sas's bag of holding for safekeeping. Sas sent Artie to sniff for danger, but the owlbear cub found nothing alarming. Shadow tested another door with her spectral hand, triggering yet another needle trap, and Barlo was pricked again while attempting to pick the lock. Once more, they resorted to the crowbar, forcing the northern door open.

The room beyond was shrouded in darkness until Shadow tossed in her enchanted pebble, revealing glowing runes and intricate designs covering the floor. A circular pedestal stood in the center, topped with an elegant wooden frame that held the shattered remains of a mirror. Bastion recognized the runes as a teleportation circle, explaining that spellcasters who memorized the sigil pattern could use it to travel to distant locations. His magical detection confirmed that both the runes and the mirror fragments carried conjuration magic. Shadow carefully collected several shards of the magical glass while the party noted the thick layer of dust covering everything, indicating the room had been abandoned for some time.

Forcing open a second door, the party discovered a room with dark stonework and a large well in its center, five feet in diameter and surrounded by thirty stone cylinders, each marked with a celestial symbol. Inside the well, a pedestal rose from the water, bearing a red button that glowed with a faint crimson light. At the bottom of the well lay a stack of platinum coins. Carvings on the well's interior depicted a grim scene: monsters emerging from caves to attack humanoids who were desperately trying to reach the red button. When Shadow used her spectral hand to retrieve coins from the well, they transformed into mirrored pieces upon touching the air, though a pebble dropped into the water behaved normally. Barlo touched the water and found it extremely cold but otherwise unremarkable.

Before the party could investigate further, the sound of heavy footfalls announced the arrival of two massive ogres squeezing through a doorway, their great clubs raised to attack. Bastion unleashed bolts of fire while Artie screeched defensively, trying to protect Sas from a crushing blow. Barlo flew into a rage, his greatclub smashing into ogre flesh, while Shadow darted in with her short swords, her swarm of insects adding to the assault. Sas enhanced her club with druidic magic and struck with surprising force. Calliope's spell proved devastating—a shard of magical ice struck one ogre and exploded in a burst of freezing energy that killed a second ogre outright. Shadow finished the remaining ogre with precise strikes to its kidney while Barlo distracted it from the front. When the party searched the bodies, they found a surprising amount of gold but no keys to the locked doors.

The party forced open a third door to reveal a dusty laboratory filled with chemistry equipment—Bunsen burners, tubing, and various apparatus—all covered in a layer of undisturbed dust. On a desk lay five books: "A Guide to the Underdark," "The Magic of Stone" by Tharros, "Choosing Your First Rock Golem" by Suffey, and "Making Friends" by Baba Bean. Bastion recalled that Tharros had been a sage known for his brilliance but also his instability, prone to speaking gibberish and alternating between childlike fear and cold disdain. The dehydrated liquids and crystals in the equipment suggested the laboratory had been abandoned long ago.

Returning to the well room, the party debated whether to push the ominous red button. Shadow was eager to activate it, but they decided to use an immovable rod to prop open the door first, preventing it from magically sealing them in. When Shadow's spectral hand pressed the button, the room plunged into darkness before the symbols around the well began to glow in sequence, progressing from yellow to orange to red. The mirror shards they had collected glowed in perfect synchronization, both those in the room and those in the bag of holding. Mechanical humming filled the air, and a door to another room magically unlocked. On the third activation of the sequence, Barlo noticed a small section of wall near the doorway briefly pop out. When he pushed it back in, the sound of shifting rocks filled the chamber, and a section of wall opened to reveal a hidden passageway leading north.

The party attempted to force open the final door in the laboratory, but despite multiple attempts with the crowbar, even with combined effort, the door proved too sturdy to break. Exhausted from their efforts and the combat with the ogres, they decided to leave it for later. Before them lay two unexplored paths: the newly revealed hidden passageway and the northern corridor from the laboratory. The mysteries of this ancient complex were far from solved, and somewhere ahead, they hoped to find answers about the mind flayers they sought.

Scenes

Departure from Myconid Colony

The party prepares to leave the Myconid colony after a long rest, receiving telepathic warnings and guidance about the dangers of the Underdark.

• The party finishes a long rest after dealing with a troll encounter.
• Myconids release spores, communicating telepathically with the party through visions.
• The Myconids warn about the dangers of the Underdark, including Torog (god of death and patron of jailers and torture), magic-dead areas, gates, portals, dark elves, gnomes, and Illithids.
• The Myconids mention that an Illithid turned a beholder into a mind flayer.
• The Myconids advise caution with gates and portals, noting some may lead to other realms.
• The Myconids guide the party to head west, indicating a gate will lead them to the colony they seek.
• The party forms a marching order: Bastion and Shadow in front, Sas in the middle, and Barlo at the rear, with Artie accompanying them.

Traversing Narrow Passages and the Natural Bridge

The party navigates narrow, twisting passages that open into a large cavern with a natural rock bridge spanning a deep chasm, where magic becomes faulty.

• Shadow uses a light spell on a pebble to illuminate the path as they traverse narrow, twisting passages.
• The passage walls close in, requiring some party members to duck their heads.
• The party emerges into a large cavern where Shadow's light spell suddenly flickers out, indicating faulty magic in the area.
• The cavern contains a natural rock bridge about five feet wide at its thickest, curving over a deep chasm.
• Shadow drops a rock over the edge, hearing it smash far below after a long fall, confirming the great depth.
• The air smells like a 'live cave' with water all around and bioluminescent lights visible in the distance.
• Sas lights a torch to provide illumination for party members without darkvision.
• The party carefully crosses the long, curving bridge, making dexterity checks.
• Shadow slips slightly but is saved by the ropes connecting the party members.
• They reach the other side and enter another network of caves made of blue-black shale rock.

Skill Challenge Through the Caves

The party undertakes a skill challenge to navigate the treacherous cave system, using various skills to find a safe path.

• The party enters a large cavern with two exits and decides to take the left path after Shadow flips a scratched pebble.
• A skill challenge is initiated to navigate the complex cave system safely.
• Sas uses Survival to check the ground for safety, successfully guiding the party.
• Shadow marks their path by scratching the soft shale walls with her claw.
• Bastion uses Athletics to bound around stalactites and stalagmites, acting as a lookout.
• Sas attempts to use Survival to sense the air and aura but misjudges, leading the party in the wrong direction.
• Barlo confidently declares he has found the correct way, and the party follows his lead.
• After approximately five hours of traversing, the party successfully completes the skill challenge without encountering hazards.
• They arrive at an area where the natural caves transition to ancient, carved stonework.

The Ancient Corridor and First Trapped Door

The party discovers an ancient corridor with carved stone walls leading to a reinforced wooden door protected by a needle trap.

• The party enters a narrow corridor with obvious signs of old carving and shaping, made of smooth, hard stone blocks.
• The corridor is about five feet wide and high, leading to a closed wooden door about 50 feet ahead.
• The party investigates the door, finding no tracks or disturbances.
• Shadow uses Mage Hand to attempt to open the door, triggering a three-inch needle trap that pokes the spectral hand.
• Barlo attempts to pick the lock with his lockpicking tools, knowing it's trapped.
• The needle trap activates, pricking Barlo's hand and dealing poison damage, but his barbarian constitution helps him resist the worst effects.
• Barlo successfully disarms the trap on a second attempt by cutting the needle mechanism.
• Despite disarming the trap, the door remains locked.
• Barlo attempts to pick the lock again but fails.
• Bastion and Barlo use a crowbar to force the door open, successfully breaking the locking mechanism.

The Square Room with the Magical Cloak

The party enters a square chamber with multiple doors and discovers a magical black hooded cloak hanging on pegs.

• The party enters a square room, 35 feet by 35 feet, with a 16-foot high ceiling.
• The room has a door in the center of each wall and six pegs on the left wall.
• A black hooded cloak hangs on one peg, appearing like a window to the sky with black and white speckles.
• Bastion casts Detect Magic, confirming the cloak has a faint magical aura.
• Shadow expresses a strong desire for the cloak.
• Sas uses Artie, her owlbear cub, to sniff for humanoid scents, but Artie finds nothing alarming.
• Shadow uses Mage Hand to test another door, triggering another needle trap.
• Barlo attempts to pick the lock on the northern door but is pricked by the needle trap, taking damage.
• Bastion and Barlo use the crowbar to force open the northern door.
• Shadow takes the magical cloak and places it in Sas's bag of holding.

The Teleportation Circle Room

The party discovers a dark chamber containing a broken mirror, glowing runes, and a pedestal, which Bastion identifies as a teleportation circle.

• The party enters a dark room with a high ceiling, about 30 feet.
• Shadow tosses a light pebble into the room, revealing glowing runes and designs on the floor.
• A circular pedestal stands in the center, about five feet wide, with an elegant wooden frame.
• Fragments of a broken mirror are scattered around the pedestal.
• Bastion identifies the runes as a teleportation circle, explaining that casters must memorize the sigil pattern to use it.
• Bastion casts Detect Magic, confirming the runes and mirror fragments have conjuration magic.
• Shadow collects several shards of the magical glass from the broken mirror.
• The party notes the room is covered in dust, indicating it hasn't been used recently.
• They find no other exits or hidden doors in this room.

The Well Room Discovery

The party forces open another door to reveal a room with a mysterious well containing a red button and platinum coins with unusual properties.

• Bastion and Barlo use the crowbar to force open a second door.
• They enter a room with dark stonework, similar to the previous chambers.
• In the center is a large well, five feet in diameter, surrounded by 30 stone cylinders with symbols.
• Inside the well, a pedestal rises with a red glowing button in the center.
• A stack of platinum coins is visible at the bottom of the well.
• Carvings on the well's interior depict monsters attacking humanoids who are trying to push the red button.
• Bastion identifies the symbols around the well as celestial numbers.
• Shadow uses Mage Hand to retrieve platinum coins from the well.
• The coins transform into mirrored pieces upon touching the air.
• A pebble dropped into the water behaves normally, but a copper piece also transforms into a mirrored coin when retrieved.
• Barlo touches the water, finding it extremely cold but otherwise normal.
• The party experiments with trying to collect water and coins in a potion bottle, but the opening is too small.

Ogre Ambush

The party is suddenly ambushed by two ogres emerging from a passageway, leading to a fierce combat encounter.

• Two ogres emerge from a doorway, squeezing through to attack the party.
• Initiative is rolled, with the party preparing for combat.
• Bastion casts Scorching Ray, hitting one ogre with fiery bolts.
• An ogre attacks Bastion, but Artie (the owlbear cub) uses his reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack.
• Barlo rages and attacks an ogre with his greatclub, dealing significant damage.
• Shadow attacks an ogre with her short swords and swarm, dealing heavy piercing and slashing damage.
• Sas casts Shillelagh and hits an ogre with her magically enhanced club.
• Calliope casts Ice Knife, hitting one ogre and causing an ice explosion that kills a second ogre with cold damage.
• Sas attempts to use Halo of Spores on the remaining ogre, but it resists the necrotic damage.
• The remaining ogre attacks Barlo, but Barlo uses his tail to deflect the great club attack.
• Shadow strikes the final ogre in the kidney while Barlo distracts it, finishing it off.
• The party defeats both ogres and searches their bodies, finding a significant amount of gold but no keys.

The Laboratory Discovery

The party forces open a third door, revealing a dusty laboratory with chemistry equipment and several books about the Underdark and golems.

• The party uses the crowbar to force open a third door.
• They discover a dusty laboratory with a table containing Bunsen burners, tubing, and other chemistry equipment.
• A desk holds five books, which Bastion examines.
• The books are identified as 'A Guide to the Underdark', 'The Magic of Stone' by Tharros, 'Choosing Your First Rock Golem' by Suffey, and 'Making Friends' by Baba Bean.
• Bastion recalls that Tharros was a sage known for being unbalanced, speaking gibberish at unpredictable moments, and alternating between acting like a frightened child and being coldly disdainful.
• The chemistry equipment shows dehydrated liquids and crystals, covered in dust.
• The party searches a bed in the room but finds nothing underneath.
• Everything in the room is covered in a layer of dust, indicating it hasn't been used recently.
• The party finds a door leading north from this room.

The Button Puzzle and Hidden Passageway

The party experiments with the red button in the well room, using an immovable rod to keep the door open, triggering a sequence that reveals a hidden passage.

• The party debates whether to push the red button, with Shadow eager to activate it.
• They decide to use an Immovable Rod to prop open the door to the well room.
• Shadow uses Mage Hand to push the red button from a safe distance.
• The room turns black, and the symbols around the well begin to glow sequentially in a circular pattern.
• The colors progress from yellow to orange to red.
• The mirror shards collected earlier also glow in sync with the changing colors, both in the room and in the bag of holding.
• Mechanical humming sounds are heard throughout the sequence.
• A door to another room magically unlocks and opens.
• The party pushes the button again with the door held open by the rod.
• Barlo notices a small, round section of the wall near the doorway briefly pop out and recede.
• On the third activation, Barlo pushes the popped-out button back into the wall.
• An unsettling sound of rocks shifting is heard, and a section of the wall opens, revealing a new passageway to the north.

Attempting the Final Door

The party attempts to force open the last remaining door in the laboratory but finds it too sturdy to break, deciding to leave it for later.

• The party decides to try opening the final door in the laboratory, which leads north.
• Bastion attempts to use the crowbar to pry the door off its hinges from the hinge side.
• Despite multiple attempts and assistance from another party member, the door proves too sturdy to break.
• Barlo offers to help, but even with combined effort, the door remains unyielding.
• The party decides to leave the door for now, acknowledging their exhaustion.
• They discuss their options: the newly revealed passageway and the unexplored northern corridor.
• The session ends with the party considering their next move.

Memorable Moments

Barlo confidently declares he knows the correct path after Sas leads the party in the wrong direction, and the party follows his lead without question.

During the skill challenge, after Sas's survival check failed

Calliope's Ice Knife spell hits one ogre and explodes, killing a second ogre with the cold damage in a spectacular display.

During the ogre ambush, turning the tide of combat

The platinum coins retrieved from the well transform into mirrored pieces upon touching the air, revealing the well's mysterious magical properties.

While investigating the well room after defeating the ogres

The button puzzle activates, causing symbols to glow in sequence and a hidden passageway to dramatically open in the wall with the sound of shifting rocks.

After multiple attempts to solve the puzzle using the immovable rod

NPCs

Myconids

Telepathic fungal beings who communicate through spores, releasing visions and warnings to the party. They warned about the dangers of the Underdark including Torog, magic-dead areas, gates, portals, dark elves, gnomes, and Illithids, and guided the party westward toward the colony they seek.

Ogres

Two large, brutish humanoids who ambushed the party in the well room, squeezing through a doorway to attack. They wielded great clubs and were surprisingly wealthy, carrying a significant amount of gold but no keys.

Jacoby Drexelhand

The Menagerie first met Jacoby at Outding Refuge , as he was responsible for the Dragon issue. Later he took Solec as he had been trying to obtain the Journal of Grognard, Meenlock Caves .

Tharros the Wanderer

Tharros is a famous wizard.

Torog

Torog, the Crawling King is an evil god of torturers, slavers, and jailers. His worshippers are those who take others' freedom and creatures living in the darkness below. It is said that pathways under the world are the result of his tears of pain and anger, and his realm is a network of deadly caves and manacles.

Cellymas Villuhne

Human Cleric leads the Fortunate Mead Heroes

Jeets

A halfling rogue that is part of an adventuring band called the Fortunate Mead Heroes.

Pradam Estorich

Human Wizard that was part of the party, but also was in a different party where they all died.

Talbron Tewn

Human fighter in the Fortunate Mead Heroes

Locations

Myconid Colony "Under" Outding Refuge

A large colony of telepathic fungal beings who communicate through spores. The party rested here after dealing with a troll and received warnings and guidance about the Underdark before departing westward.

Natural Rock Bridge Cavern

A large cavern containing a natural rock bridge about five feet wide at its thickest, curving over a deep chasm. Magic is faulty in this area, causing light spells to fail. The air smells like a 'live cave' with water all around, and bioluminescent lights are visible in the distance.

Cave System

A complex network of narrow, twisting passages and larger caverns made of blue-black shale rock. The party navigated through this system using a skill challenge, marking their path on the soft rock walls.

Ancient Corridor

A narrow corridor about five feet wide and high, with obvious signs of old carving and shaping. The walls, ceiling, and floor are made of smooth, hard stone blocks, indicating ancient construction.

Square Chamber

A square room, 35 feet by 35 feet, with a 16-foot high ceiling. It has a door in the center of each wall and six pegs on one wall where a magical black hooded cloak was found hanging.

Teleportation Circle Room

A dark chamber with a high ceiling containing glowing runes on the floor forming a teleportation circle, a circular pedestal in the center, and fragments of a broken mirror scattered around. Everything is covered in dust.

Well Room

A room with dark stonework containing a large well five feet in diameter in the center, surrounded by 30 stone cylinders with celestial symbols. Inside the well is a pedestal with a red glowing button and platinum coins at the bottom. Carvings depict monsters attacking humanoids trying to push the button. A hidden passageway was revealed in one wall.

Laboratory

A dusty room containing a table with chemistry equipment including Bunsen burners and tubing, a desk with five books, and a bed. Everything is covered in a layer of dust, indicating it hasn't been used recently. A door leads north from this room.

The Underdark

An entire world all underground with various creatures and societies.

Tharros Underdark Hideout Near Outding Refuge

This hideout was discovered as the party was going to the Abandoned Mindflayer Colony Under Outding Refuge.

Items

Light Pebble

A small stone enchanted with a light spell by Shadow to illuminate dark passages. Its light flickered out in areas of faulty magic but worked again later.

Torch

A conventional light source used by Sas to provide illumination for party members without darkvision when magic proved unreliable.

Rope

Used to connect party members together for safety while crossing the narrow natural rock bridge over the deep chasm.

Lockpicking Kit

A set of tools used by Barlo to attempt to pick locks and disarm traps on the reinforced doors, though he worked at disadvantage due to lack of proficiency.

Crowbar

A sturdy tool used by Bastion and Barlo to force open multiple reinforced, trapped wooden doors by breaking their locking mechanisms. Bastion expressed interest in keeping it.

Black Hooded Cloak

A magical cloak found hanging on pegs in the square chamber, appearing like a window to the sky with black and white speckles. It has a faint magical aura and was placed in Sas's bag of holding.

Mirror Fragments

Pieces of a broken mirror found in the teleportation circle room, imbued with conjuration magic. Shadow collected several shards. These fragments glowed in sequence with the well's symbols, changing from yellow to orange to red.

Platinum Coins

Coins found at the bottom of the well that transform into mirrored pieces upon touching the air but revert to coins when returned to the water.

Immovable Rod

A magical rod used to prop open the door to the well room while the party experimented with the red button, preventing it from magically closing.

Healing Potion

A standard healing potion consumed by Barlo after taking damage from a needle trap. The party has three more in Sas's bag of holding.

A Guide to the Underdark

One of five books found in the laboratory, providing helpful information about the Underdark.

The Magic of Stone

One of five books found in the laboratory, authored by Tharros, a sage known for being unbalanced.

Choosing Your First Rock Golem

One of five books found in the laboratory, authored by Suffey, suggesting the possibility of creating rock golems.

Making Friends

One of five books found in the laboratory, authored by Baba Bean.

Spells

Light

Cast by Shadow on a pebble to illuminate dark passages. The spell flickered out in areas of faulty magic but worked again in other locations.

Mage Hand

Used extensively by Shadow to interact with objects from a distance, including testing trapped doors, retrieving coins from the well, and pushing the red button while staying safe.

Detect Magic

Cast by Bastion to identify magical auras, revealing the magic of the black hooded cloak, the teleportation circle runes, and the mirror fragments.

Scorching Ray

Cast by Bastion during the ogre combat, sending multiple rays of fire toward one of the ogres.

Shillelagh

Cast by Sas to magically enhance her club, making it deal significantly more damage in combat against the ogres.

Ice Knife

Cast by Calliope during combat, hitting one ogre and causing an ice explosion that killed a second ogre with cold damage.

Halo of Spores

A druid ability used by Sas to deal necrotic damage to creatures that move within range or start their turn next to her, though the ogre successfully resisted its effects.

Notes

Factions.

Myconid Colony "Under" Outding Refuge

(+ The colony seems to be a kind and neutral party)

Various creatures of the Underdark

Possible Tharros Connections

Classic

Last we left off, our intrepid party departed from the Myconid colony, their minds still swimming with telepathic visions and dire warnings of the Underdark's many perils. The fungal beings spoke of Torog, the god of death who claims souls in these lightless depths, of magic-dead zones where spells fail without warning, and of mind flayers—the dreaded Illithids who bend minds and flesh to their terrible will. Guided westward by their hosts, the party ventured into narrow, twisting passages that opened into a vast cavern where Shadow's light spell suddenly died, revealing the unreliable nature of magic in this place. A treacherous natural bridge stretched before them over a chasm so deep that a dropped stone took an eternity to shatter far below. Roped together for safety, they crossed into a network of caves carved from soft blue-black shale, navigating a grueling five-hour journey through the complex system.

The natural caves eventually gave way to ancient stonework, leading them to a square chamber protected by poison needle traps that tested Barlo's constitution more than once. Within, they discovered a remarkable star-speckled cloak and a room containing the shattered remains of a magical mirror atop a teleportation circle—its intricate runes speaking of long-forgotten travel to distant places. A mysterious well room presented them with an enigmatic puzzle: stone cylinders marked with celestial symbols, coins that transformed to mirrors when removed from the freezing water, and a glowing red button surrounded by carvings depicting monsters and desperate humanoids. Before they could fully investigate, two massive ogres crashed through the doorway, clubs raised. The battle was fierce but brief—Calliope's devastating ice magic and the party's coordinated assault left both creatures dead upon the ancient stones.

Now, having discovered a hidden passageway revealed by the well's mysterious mechanism and a laboratory filled with the abandoned works of the unstable sage Tharros, the party stands at a crossroads. Two unexplored paths stretch before them into darkness, one door remains stubbornly sealed, and the glowing mirror shards in their possession pulse with synchronized magic whose purpose remains unclear. Somewhere in these depths, the mind flayers they seek await, and the mysteries of this ancient complex are only beginning to unfold...

Middle English

Harken well, ye gentlefolk brave,
To tales of depths beneath the earth's dark cave;
Where Myconids with spores of light did warn,
Of Torog's realm where souls of dead are torn!

Through magic-dead and treacherous stone they went,
O'er bridges curved where Shadow's light was spent;
Five hours through shale of blue-black hue they trod,
With rope and torch, by Barlo's guidance, shod.

In ancient halls where needle-traps did wait,
They forced each door and challenged cruel fate;
A cloak of stars, a mirror broke in twain,
And runes of power marked the wizard's domain!

Two ogres fell to fire, frost, and blade,
When Calliope's ice such carnage made;
The well of coins with button crimson-bright,
Did unlock secrets hidden from the light!

Now stand they at the crossroads of their quest,
Two passages unexplored, their courage test'd;
What mysteries await in Tharros' keep?
What horrors lurk within the Underdark's deep?

Snarky

Our intrepid adventurers took a break with some telepathic mushroom people who cheerfully warned them about soul-stealing death gods, magic-dead zones, and mind flayers who apparently have a hobby of turning eyeball monsters into more mind flayers—you know, standard Underdark tourism advice. Armed with these comforting warnings, the party marched straight into a cave system so treacherous that Shadow's magic literally gave up and died, forcing them to tightrope-walk across a bridge over a chasm so deep that dropped stones had time to write their wills before hitting bottom.

After five hours of wandering through caves (with Barlo confidently leading them despite absolutely no one questioning whether he actually knew where he was going), they discovered an ancient trapped complex that Barlo decided to unlock using the "get stabbed by poison needles repeatedly" method. Inside they found a magical star-cloak, a broken teleportation mirror, a mysterious well with a big red button that the carvings literally depicted as a "DO NOT PRESS UNLESS MONSTERS ARE ATTACKING" emergency switch, and a laboratory belonging to Tharros—a sage famous for being brilliant but also completely unhinged. Naturally, Shadow pressed the ominous button multiple times for science, which opened secret passages, because when ancient carvings show people desperately fleeing monsters to reach a button, the correct response is obviously to activate it while casually looting. The party then got jumped by ogres, which Calliope dispatched with ice magic so devastating that one explosion killed two ogres, making everyone wonder why they even bother bringing weapons anymore.

Limerick

The Myconids warned with spores bright and clear,
Of Torog and mind flayers to fear.
They crossed a stone bridge,
Over a deep ridge,
Through caves where their magic disappeared.

They found an old chamber with care,
A star-cloak hung waiting up there.
Shadow claimed it with glee,
While traps pricked Barlo's knee,
And crowbars broke locks everywhere.

A mirror lay shattered on stone,
With teleport runes overgrown.
A well held strange coins,
That changed at their joins,
And buttons that glowed all alone.

Two ogres came crashing right through,
But Calliope's ice-shard then flew.
It burst with a crack,
Killed one in the attack,
While Shadow's blades finished off two.

They pressed the red button with care,
The symbols lit up in the air.
A wall opened wide,
Revealed paths inside,
Now mysteries await them down there.

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16