(S014) Mindflayer Colonies & Wizard Hideouts

Navigating deeper into Tharros's Underdark complex, the Mighty Menagerie discovers a captive elf named Vyerith, accesses a permanent extradimensional mansion via a key phrase, battles animated armors and a flaming skull, and encounters a mysterious, story-demanding cursed iron door.

📝 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

S014: Mindflayer Colonies & Wizard Hideouts

Date: 2021-06-12

Short

The party explored a mysterious chamber complex, discovering rooms with peculiar features including a button-activated mechanism that revealed Infernal runes forming a countdown to unlock doors. They found books belonging to someone named Tharos—"The Monster Harvester's Handbook" and a coded journal—in a macabre workshop filled with taxidermied creatures and bloodstained tables. In this area, they also discovered an imprisoned elf woman who explained she had been captured by an old wizard while searching for her brother after goblins killed her family. Though wary and distrustful, especially after Sas scratched her to verify she wasn't an illusion, the woman demonstrated she could move freely within her cage despite the arcane runes and crystals binding it. Among their findings, the party discovered that speaking the word "scepter" opened a fifteen-second portal to an extradimensional mansion, and they acquired a Glamour Weave cloak that could create illusory patterns and enhance persuasion abilities.

Continuing deeper into the Underdark, the party encountered a massive twenty-foot iron door with a human face worked into the metal that revealed itself to be a cursed entity bound to hear travelers' stories before allowing passage. Rather than immediately addressing this challenge, they explored chambers with alien architecture containing long-dry pools with briny residue and empty glass-like pods, suggesting an ancient, abandoned purpose. They discovered a one-way portal showing a grassy landscape, which Bastion tested by stepping through before being pulled back by Barlo. The exploration was interrupted by a fierce battle against animated suits of armor that attacked with both physical strikes and searing fire rays from their eyes. Despite taking heavy damage, the party prevailed with Arktos the owlbear delivering devastating blows that shattered the constructs. Exhausted, they settled in the workshop area for a long rest, contemplating the mysteries that remained: the cursed door's demand for stories, the one-way portal's destination, and the purpose of the alien chambers.

Summary

The party found themselves in a mysterious chamber they had entered through a strange door, discovering three additional doors, a cloak, and several peculiar rooms. One room contained a broken mirror, another held a well with a button, and a third was a bedroom with a desk covered in books and potion-making apparatus. They began experimenting with the button, discovering it caused certain objects to glow—specifically, mirror pieces in the adjacent room and runes on the wall. The runes displayed a countdown-like sequence, shifting from yellowish to orange to red before a button appeared. Bastion examined the glowing runes and identified them as Infernal script, typically associated with demons or devils, suggesting the floor contained a circle of transportation.

The party used magical manipulation to press the button from a distance, causing a door to unlock after the countdown completed. To keep the door open for further exploration, they placed an immovable rod in the doorway, where it continued to float. They also discovered that platinum coins retrieved from water transformed into mirror pieces upon leaving it, and only the shards glowed when the button was activated, not the round pieces.

Proceeding deeper into the complex, the party entered an area with more natural, rough stone walls, contrasting sharply with the carved stone of previous chambers. This new space appeared to be a strange workplace of some kind. As they ventured further, they heard movement and attempted to move stealthily, though their efforts were only moderately successful. The room revealed itself to be a macabre workshop filled with large tables stained with old dried blood, full plate armor stands, and an extensive collection of taxidermied creatures mounted on the walls, including the head of a young dragon.

Among the workshop's contents, the party discovered two significant books. The first was "The Monster Harvester's Handbook," an older tome detailing various ways to use parts of beasts and creatures for crafting and magical purposes. It contained handwritten notes from someone named Tharos, with crossed-out sections marking failed experiments and annotations suggesting better alternatives. The second was Tharos's personal journal, mostly written in code but with some passages in recognizable languages describing his studies of various creatures. The party collected these books for further examination.

Their exploration led them to a room where they found an elf woman imprisoned in a cage. She explained that she had been walking down a road in Ultharr when an old wizard with long, scraggly hair and a beard put her to sleep and brought her to this place. She had been trying to find her brother when she was captured, as the rest of her family had been killed by goblins. The woman was wary and distrustful, especially when Sas approached with sharp claws extended. Despite Sas's attempts at persuasion, the elf refused to offer her hand, expressing fear and discomfort at the idea of being scratched by a stranger.

Bastion examined the cage, noting crystals set into the stone with arcane runes, though the specific magic was unfamiliar to him. Sas investigated the gates and found them solid and securely locked. In an attempt to verify the elf wasn't an illusion, Sas scratched her hand, drawing blood. The elf immediately backed away, hand on her dagger, and threatened that if Sas touched her again, the dagger would go through her throat. She stepped outside a circle marked on the floor, demonstrating she wasn't bound by any magical constraint, though she remained trapped within the cage itself.

The party turned their attention to the books and papers they had collected. Among the loose papers, they found notes about manipulating a spell into a permanent dwelling, with the word "scepter" prominently highlighted. When someone spoke this word aloud, a shimmering, translucent doorway appeared before them, complete with visible doorknobs. However, the portal only remained open for approximately fifteen seconds before vanishing. Through experimentation, they confirmed this time limit was consistent.

Bastion performed a ritual to identify the magical properties of an enchanted book, using a valuable pearl as a component. The ritual revealed that the book was tied to a modified, permanent version of a powerful spell that created an extradimensional dwelling. The key phrase "scepter" activated a portal to this magical mansion, though the portal's brief duration presented a challenge. Bastion warned the party about the unpredictable nature of portals in the Underdark, explaining that travelers could potentially lose magic, items, or even time when passing through them.

The party continued their exploration, moving through a passageway with dark, rough stone walls into a large cavern. The cavern's walls and floor were made of striped tan and gray sedimentary rock, and it featured multiple exits—a wider passage straight ahead and a narrower one to the left with a dark crater containing muck. They proceeded straight ahead through the hallway until they reached a near-circular room with a ceiling that soared fifty feet above them.

In this circular chamber stood a massive iron door, twenty feet high and intricately carved to resemble a normal wooden door but with the detailed face of a human worked into the metal. To their surprise, the door spoke, revealing itself to be a cursed entity. It explained that it had been placed there by a wizard and was bound by a curse to hear the stories of travelers. The door mentioned that it had seen mind flayers on the other side long ago and described the vast network of tunnels throughout the Underdark. It clarified that all members of the party would need to tell stories that were neither banal nor boring to satisfy the curse and open the passage, and that it had no control over the locking mechanism—it simply existed to fulfill its cursed purpose.

Rather than immediately dealing with the cursed door, the party explored other passages, discovering several chambers with distinctly alien architecture unlike anything they had encountered before. These rooms contained large, empty pools that appeared to have been dry for an extended period, with only traces of a salty, briny residue remaining. One larger pool area had a small amount of water at the bottom, like a swimming pool that hadn't been filled in months or years, with a crystal coating from evaporated fluid. In the back of one chamber, they found pods with strong, glass-like structures, also empty and long abandoned.

The party encountered a portal showing a landscape with grass and what appeared to be a day-night cycle. Bastion tested it by throwing a light-emitting rock through the barrier, watching it land in a grassy field under a night sky with a bird visible above. When Bastion stepped through the portal himself, he discovered it was one-way—he could see his companions through the shimmering barrier but couldn't return through it. Barlo reached through from the other side and successfully pulled Bastion back, confirming they could still interact across the barrier even though it wouldn't allow passage in both directions.

Suddenly, the party found themselves under attack by animated suits of armor. The battle was fierce, with the armored constructs striking at multiple party members. Shadow took a heavy blow to the face, while Sas was struck by both physical attacks and searing rays of fire that shot from the constructs' eyes. Bastion also suffered burns from the fire rays as the animated armors targeted the spellcasters. Arktos, Shadow's owlbear companion, proved invaluable in the fight, delivering a devastating blow that shattered one of the animated armors completely, sending chunks of metal clattering to the ground.

The party fought back with determination. Shadow's swarm of creatures bit into the metal constructs, leaving them severely damaged. Sas wielded her magical club with tremendous force, nearly cutting one armor in half and sending metal splinters flying through the air. Despite taking significant punishment from fire rays, the party persevered. Shadow's maul strikes and Bastion's attacks gradually wore down the remaining constructs until Arktos delivered a final, crushing blow that caused the last animated armor to crumble into pieces on the ground. Bastion disposed of the remains of a defeated flaming skull by throwing it through the portal they had discovered earlier.

Exhausted from their battles and explorations, the party decided to take a long rest in the workshop area. During this time, they examined their findings more carefully and discovered the properties of a magical cloak they had found. The Glamour Weave cloak was imbued with harmless illusory magic that could create moving patterns within its fabric or cause them to rise from the cloth—flames, butterflies, or other decorative effects. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the cloak could enhance the wearer's ability to perform or persuade others, providing a subtle magical advantage in social situations. As the party settled in for their rest, they contemplated the mysteries still before them: the cursed door demanding stories, the one-way portal to an unknown field, and the alien chambers that hinted at purposes they had yet to understand.

Scenes

The Button Room and Infernal Runes

The party explores a strange room with three doors, a cloak, a broken mirror, a well with a button, and a bedroom with books and potion apparatus.

• The party enters a strange room with three other doors, a cloak, a broken mirror, a well with a button, and a bedroom with books and potion apparatus.
• They experiment with a button, observing that it makes mirror pieces in another room glow.
• Bastion identifies some glowing runes on the floor as Infernal script, suggesting a circle of transportation.
• The party uses Mage Hand to press the button, causing a door to unlock after a countdown-like glow sequence.
• The party places an immovable rod in the doorway to keep it open.

The Monster Harvester's Workshop

The party enters a new area with natural stone walls, discovering a workshop filled with taxidermied creatures, armor stands, and old dried blood.

• The party enters a new area with rough, natural stone walls, contrasting with the previous carved stone.
• They discover a strange workplace containing large tables, old dried blood, full plate armor stands, and taxidermied animals and creatures, including a young dragon head.
• The party finds 'The Monster Harvester's Handbook,' an older book detailing the use of beast parts for crafting and magical purposes, with handwritten notes.
• They also find a coded journal belonging to a wizard named Tharos, containing notes on creature studies.

Encounter with the Captive Elf

The party encounters a captive elf woman in a cage, who explains she was brought there by a wizard.

• The party encounters an elf woman held captive in a cage, who asks for help finding a way out.
• The elf describes being put to sleep and brought there by an old man with long hair and a scraggly beard, not the bald man the party previously encountered.
• She expresses distrust towards Sas's sharp claws and refuses to let Sas touch her hand, despite Sas's attempts to persuade her.
• The elf reveals she was trying to find her brother, as her family was killed by goblins.
• Bastion examines crystals set into the stone of the cage, noting arcane runes but not understanding their specific magic.
• Sas investigates the gates of the cage, finding them solid and locked.

Discovery of the Portable Mansion

The party investigates books and notes, discovering a key phrase that activates a portal to a modified magical mansion.

• The elf examines books and loose papers from a desk, finding notes about manipulating a spell into a permanent abode.
• The word 'scepter' is highlighted in the notes, revealing it as a key phrase.
• Upon speaking the key phrase, a shimmering, translucent doorway appears, which then quickly disappears after about 15 seconds.
• The party experiments with the key phrase, noting the doorway only stays open for about 15 seconds.
• Bastion uses Identify spell with a pearl worth 100 gold pieces to discern the properties of an enchanted book.
• The party learns the book is tied to a modified, permanent Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion spell, and the key phrase opens a portal to it.
• Bastion warns the party about the unpredictable nature of portals in the Underdark, including potential loss of magic, items, or time.

Confrontation with the Elf

Barlo accidentally injures the caged elf, leading to a tense exchange.

• Barlo attempts to scratch the elf to make her bleed, wanting to verify she is not an illusion.
• Barlo successfully scratches the elf, causing her to bleed.
• The elf backs away with her hand on her dagger, threatening Barlo if touched again.
• The elf expresses anger and distrust, stating she will not be touched again despite being saved.
• The elf steps outside of a circle on the floor, demonstrating she is not bound by it.

Exploration of Natural Stone Passageway

The party proceeds to explore a new area, navigating a natural stone passageway and a large cavern with multiple exits.

• The party decides to move to the north room.
• They enter a passageway with natural, dark, rough stone walls, different from the previous carved stone.
• The passageway opens into a large cavern with striped tan and gray sedimentary rock, featuring two exits: one straight ahead (13 feet wide) and one to the left (3 feet wide) with a dark crater and muck.
• The party proceeds straight ahead through a hallway.

The Cursed Iron Door

The party encounters a massive, intricately carved iron door in a circular room, which reveals itself to be a cursed entity guarding a passage and demanding stories to open.

• The party arrives at a large, solid iron door, about 20 feet high, in a near-circular room with a 50-foot high ceiling.
• The iron door has an intricate carving of a human-like face.
• The door speaks, revealing it is cursed and requires stories to open, stating that everyone must satisfy the rules of the curse.
• The door mentions having seen mind flayers on the other side long ago and describes the vast tunnels of the Underdark.
• The door clarifies that the stories must not be banal or boring to satisfy the curse, and all party members must tell a story.
• The door states it has no control over the locking mechanism and is simply cursed to hear people's stories.

Exploration of the Alien Chambers

The party explores several strange, alien-looking chambers with dried-out pools, pods, and a pervasive briny smell.

• The party observes multiple chambers containing large, empty pools with a salty, briny smell, suggesting they have been long abandoned.
• They discover pods with strong, glass-like structures in the back of one pool area, also empty and dried out.
• The architecture is described as very alien and unlike anything they've seen before.
• One large pool area has a little bit of water remaining at the bottom, like a swimming pool that hasn't been filled in months or years.
• The pools have a crystal coating inside from evaporated fluid.

Portal Field Encounter

The party interacts with a portal leading to an open field, testing its properties and discovering it is a one-way passage.

• The party observes a portal showing a landscape with grass and a day-night cycle.
• Bastion throws a Light Rock through a portal, observing it land in a grassy field under a night sky, with a bird visible in the sky.
• Bastion steps through the portal into the field but finds he cannot return through it, realizing it's a one-way passage.
• Barlo reaches through the portal to pull Bastion back, successfully bringing him back to the original side.
• The party can hear each other through the portal.

Combat with Animated Armors and Flaming Skull

The party engages in combat with animated armors and a flaming skull in the workshop area.

• The party is attacked by two animated armors.
• Barlo attempts to strike a tiny creature but misses.
• An animated armor attacks Shadow, missing with its first strike but landing a second blow for 8 points of bludgeoning damage.
• Another animated armor attacks Sas, hitting once for 4 points of bludgeoning damage and missing once.
• Arktos, the owlbear companion, critically strikes and destroys one of the animated armors with a powerful blow, causing a chunk of armor to break off.
• The remaining animated armor attacks Bastion with fire rays, hitting him with one ray for 14 points of fire damage.
• Shadow's swarm attacks the animated armor, leaving it severely damaged.
• Sas lands a powerful blow with her magical club, nearly cutting the animated armor in half and causing metal splinters to fly.
• The damaged animated armor retaliates against Sas with two fire rays, both hitting for 17 points of fire damage total.
• Shadow's attack with her maul further damages the animated armor.
• Bastion attacks the animated armor, causing fragments to break off.
• Arktos delivers a final blow to the animated armor, causing it to crumble to the ground.
• Bastion throws the remains of the flaming skull into the portal.

Long Rest and Discovery of Glamour Weave Cloak

The party decides to take a long rest and discovers the properties of a magical cloak.

• The party decides to take a long rest in the workshop area.
• The party discovers a Glamour Weave cloak, an uncommon item imbued with harmless illusory magic.
• The cloak allows the wearer to create moving illusory patterns within the cloth or have them rise from it.
• The cloak provides a bonus to Charisma (Performance) or Charisma (Persuasion) checks once per day.

Memorable Moments

Barlo scratches the caged elf to verify she's not an illusion, causing her to bleed and threaten violence.

Tense moment of distrust as Barlo tests the elf's reality against his will

"You touch me again, and this dagger goes through your throat."
— Captive Elf

*Angry and defensive after being scratched by Barlo *

The iron door reveals itself to be a cursed entity that demands non-banal stories from all travelers to open.

The party encounters a massive talking door that guards the passage

Arktos delivers a devastating critical blow, shattering an animated armor with a single strike.

The owlbear companion proves its worth in combat

Bastion discovers the enchanted book creates a portal to a modified permanent Mordenkainen's mansion using the key phrase 'scepter'.

Using Identify spell to uncover the book's magical properties

NPCs

Vyerith, Captive Elf

A tired elf woman held in a cage, brought there by a wizard with long, scraggly hair and a beard. She is wary of strangers, especially those with sharp claws. She seeks a way out and was previously searching for her brother after their family was killed by goblins. She threatens violence if touched again after being scratched by Barlo.

Tharros the Wanderer

The wizard responsible for imprisoning the elf. He is described as having long, scraggly hair and a beard, looking like a stereotypical wizard who hasn't bathed in some time. He is known for experimenting with unique magical properties.

Talking Door of the Underdark

A large, intricately carved iron door that is a cursed entity. It speaks, demanding non-banal stories from all who wish to pass, and claims to have no control over its own locking mechanism, only serving as a gatekeeper to hear tales. It mentions having seen mind flayers on the other side long ago.

Arktos "Artie"

Shadow's owlbear companion, polymorphed into a giant eagle, who is an active participant in combat, delivering critical blows that destroy animated armor with powerful strikes.

Fistandia

She is the creator of "Fistandia's Mansion," a luxurious, multi-level pocket dimension accessed from a special book.

Mordenkainen

A very powerful wizard from another realm.

Locations

Tharros Underdark Hideout "Near" Outding Refuge

A mysterious chamber entered through a strange door, containing three other doors, a cloak, a broken mirror, a well with a button, and a bedroom with a desk, books, and potion apparatus. Runes on the floor suggest a circle of transportation, identified as Infernal script by Bastion.

Tharros' Workshop

An area with natural, rough stone walls, appearing to be a strange workplace. It contains large tables, old dried blood, full plate armor stands, and taxidermied animals and creatures, including a young dragon head. This is where the party found The Monster Harvester's Handbook and Tharos's journal.

Tharros' Caged Room

A room containing a cage where an elf is imprisoned. The cage has bars and crystals set into its stone with arcane runes. The room also contains books and loose papers on a desk.

Natural Stone Passageway

A passageway with dark, rough, natural stone walls, contrasting with the previously encountered carved stone. It leads into a larger cavern.

Large Cavern

A cavern with walls and floor made of striped tan and gray sedimentary rock. It has a diameter of about 50 feet and a ceiling 80 feet high, featuring a wider passage straight ahead (13 feet wide) and a narrower one to the left (3 feet wide) with a muck pit.

Circular Room with Iron Door

A near-circular room, approximately 60 feet in diameter with a 50-foot high ceiling. It contains a massive, 20-foot high solid iron door intricately carved with a human-like face that speaks and is cursed to demand stories from travelers.

Abandoned Mindflayer Colony Under Outding Refuge

A series of strange, alien-looking rooms featuring large, empty pools with a salty, briny smell and pods with glass-like structures, all appearing untouched for a very long time. The architecture is very alien and unlike anything the party has seen before.

Open Field (via Portal)

A grassy field under a night sky, accessible through a one-way portal. It appears calm and devoid of immediate danger, with only a bird visible in the sky. The portal shows a day-night cycle.

Modified Mordenkainen's Mansion

A magical abode created by a modified, permanent version of the Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion spell, accessible via a key phrase ('scepter') tied to an enchanted book. The portal to it only stays open for about 15 seconds.

Carrune

Western continent of jungles and forest mostly known to be the home of anthropomorphic humanoid species.

Eushia

Eushia is not currently under any kingdom, and the civilizations on the island are mostly city-states where they about trade and commerce. On this continent one of the most important large cities is known as Neyer'sWinter which has grown over the centuries from the winter resort of Neyer, a gnome of odd adventures and history, to the important trade center it is today. Many of the various nations trust the artisans and mints of Neyer'sWinter for minting new coinage and it is a great trading center for most anything. The continent does have a large mountain range where gnomes and dwarfs live as well as many monsters who reside on the continent. The west side of the continent is mostly civilized with Neyer'sWinter as the Jewel of the North and a bustling market center. Near the center are tall mountains that house many dwarves and gnomes who mine for metals, stone, and precious gems to sell and trade for other goods and services. There is a colony of Dark Elves who also reside there.

Hyulla-Putyor

This continent is the home to elves and they may allow outsiders to live on the coastlines, they are banned from the inland.

Outding Refuge

This tiny island has a little village and is a port that used to be used as a brief stop for travelers, but recently has had an issue with a White Dragon.

Philander

A small village on Eushia

The Underdark

An entire world all underground with various creatures and societies.

Trade Mar Route

A main water route for merchants

Triboar Trail

A travel route where Vyerith was reportedly taken captive.

Items

Immovable Rod

A magical rod that, when activated, becomes fixed in space. It was used by the party to keep a door open and is currently floating in a doorway.

The Monster Harvester's Handbook

An older book with handwritten notes by Tharos, detailing various ways to use different beasts and creatures for crafting or magical purposes. It provides insights into salvaging materials from dead creatures.

Tharos's Journal

A mostly coded journal belonging to a wizard named Tharos, containing personal notes and studies of different creatures. Parts of it are in recognizable languages and describe the wizard's research.

Enchanted Book (Portal Activation)

A book containing notes about manipulating a spell into a permanent abode. It is tied to a modified, permanent Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion spell, and the key phrase 'scepter' from its notes opens a portal to this magical dwelling for about 15 seconds.

Pearl

A valuable pearl worth 100 gold pieces, used by Bastion as a spell component for the Identify spell to discern the properties of the enchanted book.

Light Rock

A rock imbued with light, used by Bastion to test the properties of a portal by throwing it through to observe the other side.

Glamourweave Cloak

An uncommon cloak imbued with harmless illusory magic. While wearing it, the user can create moving illusory patterns within the cloth or have them rise from it, such as flames or butterflies. It also provides a bonus to Charisma (Performance) or Charisma (Persuasion) checks once a day by allowing the wearer to roll a D4 and add it to the check.

Spells

Mage Hand

A spell used by the party to interact with objects from a distance, specifically to press a button in a mysterious room and trigger a door mechanism.

Identify

A ritual spell cast by Bastion using a pearl worth 100 gold pieces to learn the properties of the enchanted book, revealing it creates a modified, permanent Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion.

Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion

A powerful spell that creates an extradimensional dwelling. In this session, a modified, permanent version of this spell is tied to a specific book and can be accessed via the key phrase 'scepter', opening a portal for about 15 seconds.

Notes

Factions.

Myconid Colony "Under" Outding Refuge

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

The Fortunate Mead Heroes

(+ Allies)

Classic

Last we left off, our intrepid party found themselves deep within a mysterious complex in the Underdark, having stumbled through strange doors into chambers that defied explanation. What began as experimentation with glowing buttons and mirror shards soon revealed Infernal runes and a circle of transportation, leading them deeper into a macabre workshop stained with blood and adorned with taxidermied horrors. There they discovered the journals of Tharos—a wizard whose experiments in harvesting monster parts told a disturbing tale—and freed a captive elf woman who spoke of being kidnapped by an old, scraggly wizard. Through careful study of Tharos's notes, they uncovered the command word "scepter," which opened a fleeting portal to an extradimensional mansion, though its fifteen-second window proved frustratingly brief.

Venturing further into the cavern system, the party encountered a massive iron door carved with a human face—a cursed entity bound to hear the stories of travelers before allowing passage. Rather than immediately satisfying its demands, they explored alien chambers with empty, ancient pools and discovered a one-way portal showing a grassy field under starlight. Their investigation was violently interrupted by animated suits of armor that unleashed searing fire from their eyes, forcing a desperate battle in which Arktos the owlbear proved instrumental, crushing the constructs with devastating blows while Shadow's swarm and Sas's magical club tore through metal and magic alike.

Now, having claimed a Glamour Weave cloak from their spoils and taken refuge in the blood-stained workshop to recover their strength, the party faces crucial decisions. The cursed door awaits their stories, the one-way portal beckons with unknown promises, and somewhere in these depths, the wizard Tharos may still lurk among his grotesque experiments. As they rest and contemplate the mysteries before them, we pick up with our adventurers preparing to face whatever horrors—or revelations—the Underdark has yet to reveal...

Middle English

Harken well, ye brave and bold,
Of chambers strange and secrets old,
Where mirror'd shards did glow with light,
And Infernal runes burn'd red as night!
Through button press'd by magic's hand,
The party ventured through the land.

In workshop dark with blood-stain'd tables,
They found grim tomes and taxied fables,
Where Tharos kept his monster'd lore,
And dragon's head hung evermore.
An elf-maid caged did plead her plight,
Captured by a wizard's might.

The word "scepter" spoke aloud,
Did summon portal, shining proud,
To mansion'd realm of magic rare,
That lasted but fifteen seconds there.
Through caverns deep with stone of gray,
The wanderers made their weary way.

A door of iron, twenty feet tall,
With human face carved in the wall,
Did speak of curse and stories sought,
Of mind flayers and tunnels wrought.
Through alien chambers, pools long dry,
They found a portal to the sky.

Then armor'd foes with eyes of flame,
Did strike the party as they came,
But Arktos strong and Shadow brave,
And Sas with club the day did save!
Now resting in the workshop drear,
They ponder mysteries waiting near.

Snarky

When last we left our intrepid adventurers, they had stumbled from a mysterious puzzle-filled mansion into what can only be described as "Tharos's House of Horrors and Questionable Life Choices." After playing with glowing buttons, floating immovable rods, and coins that turned into mirror shards (because why not?), they discovered a creepy taxidermy workshop complete with dragon heads, bloodstained tables, and enough red flags to outfit a parade. Oh, and they found an imprisoned elf woman who was understandably NOT thrilled when Sas decided the best way to check if she was real was to scratch her. Pro tip: that's not how you make friends.

But wait, there's more! The party also discovered a magic word ("scepter") that opens a fifteen-second portal to an extradimensional mansion, stumbled through alien architecture with empty pools and mysterious pods, accidentally sent Bastion through a one-way portal (don't worry, Barlo yanked him back), and got absolutely wrecked by animated armor suits with laser eyes. After Arktos the owlbear smashed the final construct into scrap metal and Bastion yeeted a flaming skull through a portal, the exhausted party decided to take a well-deserved nap in the murder workshop. Now they face their greatest challenge yet: a giant cursed iron door that demands entertaining stories from everyone, or they're not getting through. No pressure.

Limerick

A chamber with doors, mirrors, and wells,
Where buttons made runes glow like bells.
Infernal script bright,
A countdown in sight,
And portals to transport through spells!

Through workshops of blood they did creep,
Where taxidermied creatures lay deep.
They found Tharos's tome,
In his macabre home,
And an elf in a cage, fast asleep.

The word "scepter" opened a door,
To a mansion—fifteen seconds, no more!
Through caverns they pressed,
To a door that confessed,
It was cursed to hear stories and lore.

Strange pools and a portal they found,
One-way to a grass-covered ground.
Then armors attacked,
With fire rays they cracked,
Till Arktos smashed them to the ground!

A cloak weaving glamours so fine,
With butterflies, flames that could shine.
They rested at last,
From battles now past,
While mysteries waited in line.

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16