Enter the Void Hollow - Episode Seven

== 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 eliminated a manticore and confused a grasping trap. They found a secret room filled with Lizardfolk, including a shaman who could raise the dead. After defeating their opponents, they interrogated the shaman, who offered them great power. Asher was tempted, but ultimately it was Eyalon who took the offer, linking himself to Krolevadrek but returning revivification magic to Embrel. Afterwards, the party found a treasure vault and fought a Lizardfolk champion before taking a rest.
== 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: ==
“I don’t suppose you wouldn’t want to fight?” Asher asked the manticore. The manticore smiled and pawed the ground.
“Very well.” Asher cracked his neck and cast Psychic Lance, shattering the manticore’s psyche. It wailed in pain.
Nwalmë applied poison to the Last Dagger, then threw it at the manticore, hitting its right back leg. The manticore resisted the poison, but then the dagger exploded with thunder, rocking the manticore. Nwalmë moved in front of Tar’ren, protecting him from harm. Tar’ren backed away and focused on his dodging.
Eyalon cast Fire Bolt, relying on his Tides of Chaos, which caused his strike to do critical damage, plunging straight into the manticore’s face. The manticore burst into flames that withered its body, leaving charred remains behind.
Asher kept up his Sickening Radiance to keep the hall blocked, in case something tried to come up behind them as they checked out the secret tunnel.
Gobin wanted to search for clay, so he tried to break through the flagstones on the floor. Roger said he could help, casting Fireball on the ground and incinerating the stone. It uncovered clay, which Gobin collected. He took three pounds of clay, digging for two minutes.
Saval came up and asked if everything was alright. He felt an explosion. Asher said they stopped the manticore. Roger said he didn’t know the meaning of self-restraint.
Tar’ren wondered if there would be bones from the manticore to collect, but it was too charred. Gobin said he only collected people bones. Nwalmë gave him a weird look. He reached into his bag and pulled out Bones of Foretelling, which he gave to Gobin. The bones were out of magic, but they could service Gobin’s needs.
The group went down the secret tunnel and found a vestibule. There were claw-armed pillars holding up the ceiling. There was a barred gate to the east and a closed stone door to the south. Gobin had a bad feeling about the room.
Nwalmë investigated the pillars. Both claws released from the ceiling and tried to grab him. He pulled back just in time before the claws got his arms. The claws then went back to their original position.
Nwalmë had a silly idea. He wanted to get right between the claws and get them to grapple each other. Eyalon said that making an illusion of a person between the pillars would be safer. He cast Minor Illusion, but it didn’t seem like the pillars went after intangible things.
Nwalmë positioned Tar’ren and Asher to his left, instructing them to cradle their arms. Eisen slapped Guidance onto Nwalmë. Nwalmë flipped between the pillars and then used his Blessing of Lianda to teleport out of the way and into Asher’s and Tar’ren’s arms. “Thanks, gents,” he said.
The claws grabbed each other. Gobin ran in and cast Stone Shape to fuse the stones together. In order to do this, he used the clay he had gathered as a material component and formed it into a sculpture of hands. However, it came out looking off. Asher wrinkled his nose at the sculpture and said, “No Gobin, that’s not what hands look like,” sending him a mental image of hands and pointing out that he could look at the entangled claws for another example.
Gobin recreated his sculpture and released the magic. The fingers of the claws cleaved together as the pillars went inert.
The bars of the gate were wide enough for Maahes to slip through, but there was also a lock. Gobin asked Nwalmë to lockpick it. Nwalmë plied his trade and opened the gate. “I don’t see no stinking lock, little buddy,” Nwalmë said, winking.
Nwalmë and Gobin led the way around the bend. Gobin could hear the sound of stone shuffling. Nwalmë asked Tar’ren if he had more golems. Tar’ren confirmed he did not.
Eyalon peeked around the corner. He didn’t see anything weird, though there were lit torches. It looked like a dead end.
Nwalmë went up with Eyalon and Eyalon extinguished the torches with Control Flames. He went to the end of the hall and touched it, but couldn’t feel any loose bricks or secret switches.
Instead of looking at the walls, Nwalmë looked at the floor for tracks. He saw kicked-up flagstones and gravel that led to a wall. Nwalmë checked the wall and pulled the nearby torch. The column pivoted around in a half circle. Nwalmë cackled.
Beyond the secret door, Nwalmë heard voices calling out to each other, almost barking. Around the corner he saw a pair of Lizardfolk.
Maahes meowed at the other party members and led them to Nwalmë and Eyalon. Eyalon cast Minor Illusion to make the door look closed. One of the Lizardfolk investigated the door and saw it was clearly an illusion. He attacked Eyalon and slammed into him with a greatclub, pushing Eyalon away.
Gobin transmuted the rock under the Lizardfolk berserker to mud using Transmute Rock.
Nwalmë disengaged and shot an arrow, piercing a berserker. He then used Wails from the Grave to burn another.
Tar’ren cast Eldritch Blast, accidentally singeing Asher and damaging a berserker. The cold of his blast did extra damage.
Tar’ren winced and said, “Sorry, clipped the wall!”
Asher looked over his shoulder with a grim smile. “Clipped my shoulder more like.” He tutted, but looked amused.
Eyalon cast Chaos Bolt, melting a berserker who sank into the mud, dead. Wild magic swirled around Eyalon, and suddenly, he felt invincible, as if his soul would endure and his body reconstitute should he die.
Gobin cast Erupting Earth on a Lizardfolk. The mud geysered up and damaged the berserker.
Asher moved to the doorway and pointed a Ray of Frost at a berserker. He told the Lizardfolk to surrender or else keep fighting and die, then shot the blast. It did more damage than Asher was expecting, killing the berserker. Asher blinked and apologized, shoving that down to deal with in therapy later. He said it was a warning to the rest of their enemies.
Eisen moved close and cast Sacred Flame, clipping the tail of a Lizardfolk.
Eyalon suddenly saw the spirits of the fallen berserkers rise up and form a perimeter around something. He warned the party.
“Nwalmë,” Asher said, “You're a spirit tracker; you can talk to them, right?”
“Heck no, I’m a spirit killer,” Nwalmë said. He shook the mud off his Muddy Boots and moved forward, ignoring the difficult terrain. He dashed towards the ghosts and swung his spectral dagger. The dagger swished past the ghost. The ghost tried to grasp Nwalmë, but missed. It seemed as if the ghosts were used as Spirit Guardians by a shaman.
A Lizardfolk peeked out from behind a large rock and threw her spear at Nwalmë. Another gentleman did the same. Both damaged Nwalmë.
Gobin dropped his concentration, turning the mud back into stone. Eyalon moved into the room and cast Fireball. All the Lizardfolk got roasted. The shaman lost concentration on their Spirit Guardians while four other Lizardfolk were incinerated.
Gobin moved out and saw the destruction. “I’m here to help,” he said. But seeing no one visible, he used his Spirit Totem to summon a bear. Gobin then cast Goodberry and gave one to Eyalon.
Asher and Eisen moved out, looking into the room. Asher couldn’t see behind the rock, but Eisen could see the tip of a tail. Asher prepared a Ray of Frost while Eisen cast Sacred Flame. The tail whipped back just in time, preventing the flame from catching hold.
The Lizardfolk shaman moved into range, dodging the Ray of Frost. He grabbed a lingering spirit and shoved it into the fallen berserker, bringing him back to life. Asher gasped at the revivification magic.
The berserker rose up and swung greatclubs at Nwalmë, harming him. Nwalmë attacked in response, stabbing the berserker and killing him again. Nwalmë then chased after the shaman.
Tar’ren kept watch on the path behind them.
Eyalon moved to the rock and Fey Stepped right in the Lizardfolk’s face, the magical flourish almost charming the shaman, but failing. Eyalon cast Silvery Barbs, bolstering Nwalmë, but he still didn’t charm the Lizardfolk.
Gobin moved south and said, “You’re gonna learn why Mister Asher calls me Dust-Willow!” He then cast Dust Devil. A tornado whipped up near the shaman.
Asher rounded the boulder and cast Sleep on the shaman, Eyalon, and Nwalmë. Nwalmë and Eyalon were immune to Sleep, but still, the shaman wasn’t weak enough to be affected. Asher twitched his nose and harrumphed.
Eisen cast Toll the Dead, but it failed. The shaman cast Banishment on Nwalmë. For a moment, a planar thinning appeared and nearly ripped Nwalmë out of the dungeon, but he held himself there. The shaman pushed between Eyalon and Nwalmë, running away. It took an opportunity attack from Eyalon, taking critical damage. The knife stuck in the shaman’s back.
Nwalmë chased after the shaman and whacked him with his tonfas. It was a critical strike that crippled the shaman, who fell forward.
Nwalmë tied up the shaman, creating the best knot ever. He searched the shaman and found a holy symbol in the shape of a dragon. Asher guessed that the shaman worshiped Krolevadrek.
When the party was ready for interrogation, Gobin sent a stream of water onto the Lizardfolk’s face with his Nearly Empty Decanter of Endless Water. The Lizardfolk awakened. Gobin asked how he could put spirits back in body.
The shaman sat up and tested his bindings. Seeing that he was securely caught, he spoke with an air of resignation. He spoke in a draconic language that none could understand, so Asher cast Comprehend Languages and translated through the telepathy link to the rest of the party.
“I will the spirit back from where it came,” the shaman said. “It returns so long as the body is willing.”
Asher hummed and asked how long the body would be willing. As long as the body and mind could fathom the idea of being alive, the shaman could cleave the spirit to the body.
“Can we learn this magic?” Asher asked. “Who taught it to you?
The shaman looked offended. The spirits were his to command. One did not learn; one was gifted.
Nwalmë nudged Asher and asked him to ask if the shaman could revive the dead adventurers in the other room. Asher relayed the request, mentioning that the adventurers had been killed by troglodytes.
At the sound of troglodytes, the shaman spat angrily.
“You don’t like them?” Asher said. “We don’t, either.”
“Befoulers,” the shaman said. “Ruiners. Desecrators of our shrines and offerings.”
Asher pressed his lips together. He knew the answer, but he had to hear it: “Who do you worship?”
The word was the same in the dragon tongue as it was in Common. “Krolevadrek.”
Asher kept his face non-judgemental. He apologized for killing the shaman’s comrades, saying it wasn’t his goal to end lives.
“It’s my goal,” Nwalmë said with a shrug.
Asher asked if the shaman could tell them about the plane they were on.
“Long ago,” the shaman said, “my kin came aboard a great ship in the sea of wind. Then, a beacon. A light. Many ships sailing. A voice calling. Reclaim home. Crashed within. Caverns and chaos everywhere. The creatures that are weak die, the strong continue.”
Asher looked to the rest of the group. Tar’ren nodded, thinking that the “beacon” could have been when magic returned to Embrel.
“What’s your name?” Asher asked the shaman. The man gave his name as Tha’baum. Asher said that the group would be willing to trade Tha’baum’s freedom for his knowledge. If he could show them a way to command those healing magics, he could go free.
Tha’baum thought about this for a moment. He dipped his head. “Dagger,” he said in the common tongue.
Nwalmë whipped out a dagger.
“Untie,” Tha’baum said.
Nwalmë looked at his party. They nodded their assent. He gave the rope a simple little tug and it uncoiled in a neat pile.
Tha’baum stood, took the dagger, and carefully walked towards Asher. He bled his palm, offering for Asher to do the same.
Asher took in a breath. He could sense that this blood pact would alter his magic fundamentally, and while it would give him power, it would link him to Krolevadrek. But this would be the fastest way to return revival magic to Embrel; his hand twitched as he contemplated the temptation, and his scales glowed with his shell nearly activating.
But then the glow calmed, and he smiled. He pushed Tha’baum’s hand away and said that he appreciated the offer, but would not accept. Tha’baum was free of his obligation.
The shaman raised a brow, but didn’t argue. Instead, he looked to the other party members, holding out the dagger, offering them the same power.
Eyalon licked his lips. He felt his rising insanity cloud his thoughts, but in the back of his mind, there was a niggling. With the power of Tha’baum altering his Thread and calming the chaotic tides, he might regain his mind. It could be his only chance.
He stared at the dagger, then stepped forward and took it. Tha’baum waited as the Deerfolk sliced his left hand and held it out. Tha’baum grasped it with his own bloody palm.
The pact was sealed. Immediately, Eyalon felt himself transformed. The chaos departed as divinity surged into him, giving him a divine soul and new powers. His horns became dragonbone. His blood turned a copper-green color. The insanity stripped away in layers, peeling back until he had a raw mind. In that fertile soil, a thought was planted: Dragons were superior over all of life, and life was better when the dragons ruled.
Eyalon pushed beyond that thought, his mind racing with its clearness. He rubbed his eyes. “Finally,” he whispered, “clarity.” His tone was ominous.
Suddenly, Tha’baum’s eyes rolled back in his head. He collapsed to the ground, lifeless. The party was shocked and could not save him. They looked at Eyalon, wondering what had been created.
With a solemn air, Eyalon took the shaman’s holy symbol. While looking at it, he noticed that the cut on his hand had scarred in the shape of a dragon’s head.
Roger asked Eyalon how to put his soul back in his body. Eyalon said he wasn’t sure if his power could restore Roger, as far gone as he was.
Moving on, the party saw a vault that had been broken open. As they neared it, they got the attention of a Lizardfolk, who said, “This is our treasure, get out.” There were three others around her, including a massive Lizardfolk champion.
“No,” Gobin said, “This is our treasure. You get out.”
The Lizardfolk were not impressed. The champion charged at Gobin. Gobin wildshaped into a giant goat.
Asher moved behind Gobin and cast Fireball, melting three Lizardfolk and damaging the champion. He heard the clanking of gold as it melted in the treasure chamber.
Eyalon moved behind Asher and cast Fire Bolt. It bounced off the Lizardfolk champion’s brass abs.
Nwalmë moved into the hall beside Gobin and parkoured off the wall. He jumped on Gobin and popped an arrow down the way. The arrow pierced the champion. The Lizardfolk ran down the hall, hissing at them.
Eisen moved into the hall and cast Guiding Bolt. He hit, causing the champion to glow. The Lizardfolk again ran forward, straight up to Nwalmë, and attacked. He dislocated Nwalmë’s jaw and bludgeoned Gobin.
Gobin tried to ram the Lizardfolk, crashing into the man’s flesh.
Asher cast Psychic Lance, doing brutal damage. The enemy’s nose began to bleed greenish blood, eyes losing focus.
Eyalon cast Wither and Bloom, healing Nwalmë and harming the champion.
Nwalmë moved around to the back of the Lizardfolk and attacked with Aerial’s Dagger of Magic Missiles. The champion sank to his knees and fell, dead. Nwalmë was frustrated that he hadn’t used his Shortsword of Life Stealing, so he stabbed the dead body with it.
The party took the Heavy Flail of Brutality from the champion. In the treasure vault, they found partially melted gold and silver. There were 1000 silver pieces and 400 gold pieces. There was also one longsword, a wand, and a potion. The longsword was a Mage Slayer’s Longsword. The wand was a Wand of Ignition. The potion was a Potion of Freezing Fog.
Lastly, there was a locked door. Nwalmë unlocked it. Inside was an additional chest. It looked suspicious, so he popped an arrow at it. The arrow went straight into the lock, causing the chest to pop open. Inside was a series of black garments. Nwalmë carefully approached and picked up the clothes. Weight-wise they felt like quilted padding. They were the Vestments of the Bleak Shinobi. It could cast the Darkness spell and made it easy to stealth around.
Nwalmë sent Maahes up to the previous level with a note to Dulwin, saying that the treasure vault might be a good place to set up shop.
The party then decided to take a rest, contemplating all they had seen that day.
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Enter the Void Hollow - 07