Enter the Void Hollow - Episode Three

== Summary: ==
"The Void Hollow," also known as the Endless Dungeon, was a tapestry woven from the remnants of ancient caves, fallen cities, and forgotten temples dedicated to obscure deities. Its halls whispered of a history littered with those who never returned and monsters that thrived in the shadows.
The dungeon was not merely a collection of corridors and chambers; it was an entire world unto itself, a realm where the very walls seemed to pulse with a malevolent life. There were secondhand accounts and a curious wizard's notes describing a place where dark fey drifts intersected with the remnants of lost civilizations. The dungeon's inhabitants ranged from lost souls unable to find their way back, to malevolent creatures luring unwary adventurers with hoarded gold as bait.
This place was a crossroad of the vast caverns, exiled fey, and fiendish domains. Legends spoke of dark fey banished from their realms, demons and devils trapped in a purgatory of their own making, and entire ecosystems thriving in the dungeon's depths. Six mercenaries navigated this living, everchanging dungeon, where every step could lead to fortune or death.
In this episode, the party obliterated ghouls. They found a flaming skull and befriended him. They circumvented traps, and finally they found a friendly merchant with whom they promised to share a meal.
* Mercenaries:
* Asher "Whiffle-Tongue" - Lizardfolk Wizard
* Eisen Mistburo - Human Cleric
* Eyalon Bogpyre - Deerfolk Sorcerer
* Gobin Glowstep - Halfling Druid
* Nwalmë Shadhavar - Shadar-Kai Rogue
* Tar’ren r'Eehp r'Eehp - Warlock
== Adventure: ==
On the second level of the Void Hollow, some of the walls had translucent stone that allowed the party to see into rooms beyond their own. Nwalmë saw ghouls with glowing blue eyes gnawing on fresh limbs. He alerted the party, then urged caution: The rickety wooden floor would make it difficult for even a rogue like him to stealth.
Seeing an opportunity to debilitate the whole group of ghouls, Asher crept up to some of the translucent stone and held out his hand. A fluffy snowball of green light appeared. He blew it, causing it to spray as diamond dust that flashed into the room with ghouls. The motes of Sickening Radiance rained on the ghouls, burning them and weakening them all. Asher then cast Mind Sliver on the closest one, shattering its mind and causing it to collapse.
The ghouls began to flood out of the room through a doorway, running into Nwalmë. One dropped the leg it was eating and slashed at Nwalmë. The Shadar-Kai took the blow but didn’t succumb to the numbing claws.
Gobin climbed onto Balboa the golem and cast Wall of Water through two of the ghouls. One of the ghouls fell prone. Gobin then dropped off the golem.
Rocky, the other golem, stepped into the water and swung at the prone ghoul. Bubbles sprang from the ghoul as its spinal fluid cracked. Balboa swapped places with Nwalmë, pulling him from harm and blocking the hall. Mr. T, having revealed himself as Tar'ren, then cast Acid Splash, dissolving the other ghoul in the water.
Nwalmë drew Sagrid’s Gambit and shot a silver arrow at the ghoul in front of him. It went clean through the ghoul, killing it. Nwalmë pulled a death token from the corpse and then shot another ghoul. Finally he used Wails from the Grave, harming a third ghoul.
Eisen cast Sacred Flame on a ghoul, causing it to dance in fire. Eyalon cast Fire Bolt and hit. The fire went up the ghoul’s gullet and up the back of the head, burning it to death. Only one ghoul remained, and soon the motes of radiance eviscerated it.
The group looked into the room and saw that it was a foyer complete with a fireplace. Nwalmë and Tar’ren went into the room, though Asher hung back. He noticed a thin hallway that they hadn’t yet seen and mentioned it to Gobin. They called it the secret tunnel.
Nwalmë fished eleven loose silver from the floorboards around the fireplace. Tar’ren prodded the ghoul bodies and found a rose quartz, which he handed to Eisen.
Gobin investigated the thin hallway and knew it was about forty feet long. It looked like it had partially collapsed. There was a little bit of a gas smell, like rotten eggs. Eyalon cast Fire Bolt down the secret tunnel and heard a roar of flame. The gasses burned, filling up the hall with a roaring inferno. Gobin screamed and hid behind Balboa.
The flames continued to burn. Asher was certain that a constant gas leak fed the fire. Gobin swallowed hard and said that his Stone Shape could cut off the gas, but he’d have to get to it to block it. Eyalon said that he could use Control Flames, protecting Gobin from the fire. He persuaded Gobin to follow him.
Eyalon cast his spell. He briefly felt the heat, Control Flames ineffective against the onslaught, but Asher’s eyes glowed. He tapped Eyalon on the shoulder and reminded him to breathe. Eyalon nodded and refocused; this time, the flames broke before him, licking against the walls but not their bodies.
Gobin clung to Eyalon’s skirt and followed him in. Eventually they found a small crack along the wall which seemed to be from where the fire gushed. Gobin cast Stone Shape, sealing the crack. In thirty seconds, the fire petered out.
As the fires died, Gobin and Eyalon heard a faint voice calling for help from down the tunnel. They found a deep hole with a green light at the bottom. Gobin wildshaped into a border collie and went back to the party to tell them what they saw.
Looking into the hole, Eyalon saw what looked to be a talking skull covered in green fire.
“Help!” the skull said. “I’m badly burned.”
Eyalon told the skull that he was dead. The skull disagreed.
Asher gave Tar’ren his Crystal Academy Pennant, since it was magical and fireproof. Tar’ren then flew into the hole and scooped the skull into the pennant, lifting it up out of the hole. Gobin cowered behind Asher’s leg.
Asher, Nwalmë and Eyalon put together that the poor skull did not realize he had died. If he didn’t realize he was dead, he was harmless.
Asher took a breath. “I’ll handle this,” he said. He took the skull into a separate room and talked to him. The skull introduced himself as Roger. Asher asked about the skull’s family and his most joyful memory. The skull shared that he was a rogue who worked for the Whispering Cutlass and that his most joyful moment was saving his party from a dangerous trap. Asher was pleased that Roger would find joy in helping his comrades. Roger also noted that he was a big fan of Nwalmë, and Asher told him that Nwalmë was in the adventuring party.
Then Asher got to the meat of the conversation. He used his Still Life Cave Pearl to show Roger an image of a flaming skull. He described how those undead were created from spirits who couldn’t find rest.
“...You couldn’t find rest, Roger,” Asher said. “I’m sorry.”
Roger’s green eyes flared and seemed to shake. The jawbone rattled. For a moment, Roger looked ready to blow up and attack Asher.
Suddenly, Nwalmë’s voice entered the room. “You two okay in there?”
Asher assured Nwalmë that they were fine and to stay back. But hearing the voice of his hero, Roger seemed to return to himself. He told himself that he was alright, that he was a skull, but he could function. He manipulated his flames to create a facsimile of a hand. He asked if mages had figured out resurrection magic yet.
Asher told Roger that he was in fact in the Void Hollow looking for powerful restorative magic. Even if they couldn’t find it, however, he believed that Roger could live a fulfilling unlife and continue to have moments of joy. He would try to get Roger home to his family. Roger appreciated that and said his grandmother had a perfect spot for him on her mantlepiece.
The two returned to the group, Asher introducing Roger as a friend. Gobin asked Asher to ask if Roger had seen any books. Roger had seen some dusty scrolls, including one that had the spell Magma Spray, but his party had taken them.
The group continued on. Ahead of them was a door. There was also a crack in the wall. Nwalmë carefully looked into the crack. In the room he saw three creatures with open mouths and loose tongues. He described them, and Asher said that he had heard of these elite ghouls called iron ghouls.
Nwalmë wanted to fight the ghouls rather than have them sneak up behind them. Asher told Roger that he had powerful skills, but that they needed to be quiet. He couldn’t shoot off Fireballs without endangering the group.
“I can shoot Fireballs!?” Roger asked. He excitedly practiced his magic and realized he was proficient with quite a few spells. Asher assured him there would be time for him to fight later. For now, he needed to stay back. Roger agreed and floated into a corner.
Gobin wildshaped into a goat and Tar’ren cast Bubble Hex on him. Gobin charged through the door. As the goat busted open the door, the large ghoul recklessly swung its glaive at Gobin, slashing him. Gobin passed the ghoul by and charged at a different ghoul, though that ghoul dodged him.
Asher cast Ray of Frost at the first ghoul, chilling it. Rocky and Balboa moved into the room. Rocky went to a ghoul with a crossbow and swung at it, hitting. Tar’ren cast Eldritch Blast, but both beams missed.
Nwalmë drew his bow and attacked the nearest ghoul, striking hard. The ghoul screamed. Nwalmë then used Wails from the Grave on another ghoul. He then hid behind the wall.
The ghoul by Rocky stepped backwards to use its crossbow, the bolt thunking into the golem. The golem took the opportunity to strike the ghoul.
A ghoul slashed at Gobin, though the Bubble Hex absorbed the blow.
Eyalon moved into the doorway and activated his Tides of Chaos. He cast Chaos Bolt on the closest ghoul, sizzling into it with acid damage. Eisen tapped his cane on the wooden floor and cast Bless on the party.
The ghoul with the glaive swung towards Balboa, missing the first strike and getting a glancing blow on the second. Gobin tried to headbutt a ghoul but missed.
Asher cast Ray of Frost on the front ghoul, once more frosting it. Tar’ren cast Eldritch Blast and hit once. Nwalmë got in another massive sneak attack against the lead ghoul, then used Wails from the Grave on the ghoul near Gobin.
The ghoul by Rocky abandoned its crossbow and slashed into the golem. The ghoul near Gobin slashed him. Gobin felt his muscles seizing up, but he shook it off.
Eyalon moved into a corner of the room to quarantine himself in case he exploded with magic. He cast Chaos Bolt, but he surged, casting Grease on himself. He tripped and fell prone.
Eisen used Sacred Flame on the closest ghoul. It tried to tumble out of range, but failed. Instead, it burned, exploding in holy light. Nwalmë snatched a death token from it.
Gobin dropped his wildshape and pulled out a dagger, shanking the ghoul.
Asher cast Slow, causing the ghoul near Gobin to slow down. The other remaining ghoul shook off the magic.
Balboa tackled one ghoul while Rocky tried to grapple the other. Neither attack was effective, but Tar’ren’s Eldritch Blasts crashed into one of the ghouls.
Nwalmë attacked the ghoul near Rocky, then used Wails from the Grave on the one near Gobin.
The ghoul by Rocky critically struck the golem. The rock creature crumbled, collapsing into a pile of rubble.
The ghoul near Gobin struck Balboa, then tried to strike Gobin, but critically missed. Gobin took the opportunity to drive his dagger deeper.
Eyalon remained prone, acting as if falling was exactly what he wanted to do. He cast Fire Bolt with Tides of Chaos, striking the ghoul. Fire raced past Gobin. Gobin screamed.
Eisen cast Sacred Flame on the southern ghoul, sizzling it. Gobin tried to stab the northern ghoul but missed. He ran away. Asher cast Chromatic Orb, freezing a ghoul. Balboa thunked his ghoul and Tar’ren blasted it with eldritch energy. Nwalmë shot both ghouls.
The southern ghoul screamed at and dashed into melee with Asher, Nwalmë, and Eisen. Eisen reeled back from the ghoul in his face and cast Sacred Flame.
From behind them, Eisen heard Roger shout, “Get away from my new friends!” Green ethereal daggers shot from Roger, Magic Missiles that plunged into the ghoul, dropping it.
Asher turned around and blinked at Roger, surprised by his power. He bowed low.
Eyalon stood in the grease and tried to move, but immediately fell again. He used Fire Bolt on the ghoul near Balboa and singed it.
Gobin cast Moonbeam on the last ghoul. Asher cast Ray of Frost and hit. Tar’ren cast Eldritch Blast, but missed.
Nwalmë smashed into the last remaining iron ghoul with a sneak attack arrow, piercing it. Then the fire of the moonbeam eviscerated the ghoul.
The battle done, the party went into the room. They found a lot of junk. They did see an old suit of banded armor. Asher Identified it. He traced the sigils along its edge and saw runes and glyphs that flashed upon it. It was Witch Hunter’s Armor, heavily effective in protecting against magic. As the only heavy armor-wearer, Eisen gladly put it on.
“It’s going to explode!” Tar’ren shouted as a joke. “Get down, Gobin!”
Gobin dropped.
Nwalmë retrieved some of his silver arrows. Eyalon took the bone crossbow just to keep as a souvenir. It was a heavy crossbow.
The door to the west was locked but the door to the south was unlocked. Nwalmë unlocked the western door. Inside the next room he saw a wooden drawer from a wardrobe that was out of place. Inside the wardrobe was a secret door. Prodding around, Nwalmë decided there were no traps.
Tar’ren went through. A statue slid out of the way, revealing a wide, open chamber. The room was eighty feet wide by seventy-five feet long. He didn’t see anything moving, but he did see marble stairway heading downwards.
The party gathered in the room. Down the stairs they saw a crypt-like series of stonework.  They also saw a crypt door from the north. Gobin considered squeezing into a mouse to go through the door quietly. Nwalmë suggested sending an invisible Maahes down another hallway. Asher ritual cast Rary’s Telepathic Bond to link all their minds, allowing them to communicate from any distance.
Maahes went up the hall when suddenly a series of blades came up from the floor. Maahes flew back to dodge the bone-like spikes. Maahes then snuck past it. Then there was another trap further up the hallway. Maahes weaved and bobbed and dodged around oil traps and a flamethrower. More traps were further up the hall, including faint growling from cages nearby. It all led to the door that they had found in the large chamber, showing that the secret passage had allowed them to circumvent much of the danger.
The group went back to the room with the iron ghouls and opened the southern door. There were broken chairs and other furniture. There was a door to the south and the east.
Maahes, invisible because of a spell Nwalmë cast, led the way to scout. The group saw their head turn as if hearing something. Maahes saw a small flap open up in the door through the south. A spectacled figure peeked out and asked who was there. The door looked fairly well-secured.
The group hid in a hallway while Maahes scratched on the door. The person opened the flap once more.
“Anyone there?” the person asked.
“Just a couple adventurers,” Tar’ren said.
The person disarmed a ward of power and let the group in. It was a small room with a copper bathtub and artificer tools.
“It’s been a while since I had customers,” the man said. “Welcome to Dulwin’s Discount Deals.”
The party had found the chaos black market.
Asher asked how long he had been there. Dulwin said it had been two years since the tower fell. He traded potions and other curios for rations and gold.
Gobin immediately bought a Nearly Empty Decanter of Endless Water for five silver.
Tar’ren said that Dulwin must have been craving some real food. Dulwin wanted a roast boar. Tar’ren said he could summon what he wished to eat if Dulwin gave them a discount. Dulwin did him one better and gave him a trained Bag of Devouring. If it was fed a fish every day, it wouldn’t try to eat people.
Gobin bought a vial of troll blood for fifteen gold. 
Tar’ren asked if Dulwin wanted to go home. Dulwin thought he had a decent shop and was fine.
Feeling safe for the moment, the party decided to peruse Dulwin’s wares at their leisure.
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Enter the Void Hollow - 03