Expedition 101: It's So Difficult to Get Good Help

## Summary

The group treks to Otiluke's Northern Sanctum, and deal with Slaads, Beholders, and angry Sparksouled. And that's just on the way there. They trick Paragon, fight some Shambling Mounds, then explore the Mageline.

## Detailed Writeup

The group set off from Port Vrall, seeking the Felwood entrance to the Mageline. Travel was impaired by snow and leaf litter, with the cold taking it's toll on some of the party. If that wasn't bad enough, the group is ambushed by a group of Gith that are able to down Gonerton and bloody Uzmir before the party can even respond. Bea notices that Chestknee and Armbar are part of the group. Luckily the group is able to respond quickly, and deal with the attackers and gain a single Gith Greatsword, although not before dealing a sizable amount of damage to Bea. A single Gith flees the battle after its companions fall, but Gonerton causes them to fall into convulsive laughter and Uzmir finished them off, netting the group another Greatsword.

Yezra manages to track down the entrance to the Mageline, and Gonerton marks it's location on a map. The group heads down, deals and marks a fire trap on the ladder, and heads north along the Mageline, towards Golemyard and the Northern Sanctum. On the way, Ellie and Uzmir spot a creature lying on the ground, colored electric blue with claws and fins. Gonerton identifies it as a Slaad. Unsure if it is alive, Nexrin and Bea shoot it with arrows, and Gonerton hits it with a firebolt, but it lays there. Gonerton sends his familiar ahead with a light to investigate, but by the time the familiar reaches the place the Slaad was, it has vanished, leaving only a trail of blood. The party is paranoid, but continues forward. They pass by Rosemary's sanctuary, finding a grotto with fresh, delicious-looking meat pies and a Stonetongue note.

*Welcome to the Abode of Archmage Rosemary; I am am unfortunately visiting with my family right now, but leave a card and I will answer your call when I return. Do take a meatpie.*

Uzmir leaves a note referring Rosemary to him and his guildfolk, and the party moves on, paranoid of Slaads. The group reaches Golemyard, and finds a pit separating them from a castle wall, with an upraised drawbridge barring the path and light shining from the walls. Gonerton has his cat try and climb the tunnel walls to reach the castle. In response, the party hears crossbows being loaded and Gonerton desummons his cat in time to prevent it from being skewered by four arrows. Uzmir hears a voice call out.

**NO ADMINISTRATOR DETECTED. VULGAR TONGUE DETECTED. ACTIVATING DEFENSIVE PROTOCOLS.**

The group retreats from the arrow fire, and the defenses seem to deactivate. Uzmir peeks around the corner, only to be lifted into the air by a large green beholder, with 24 eyes. Uzmir attempts to bluff, telling it that he is an apprentice to Otiluke. The beholder seems incredulous, but seems willing to let him pass in exchange for payment. Uzmir offers the Greatswords in payment, and the Beholder lets him go and allows the group to pass through it's domain, deactivating various magical golems and traps with it's anti-magic eye as it does so. Uzmir asks how we might speak to it again if we come back, and it tells him to call for it by name, Warden Flegh'do. The group moves on, and reaches the intersection with Highhall, only for Ellie to be hit with a blast of flame. Gonerton sticks out a Mage Hand, triggering a blast of acid, but nothing else, before a mechanical voice speaks out demands to know who is there. Uzmir names the group as from the Stolen Land. The voice demands to know what the killers of Dragonsbane want, but allow the group passage, noting there is only death ahead. The group moves on, and finds a ghost streaked with vomit, surrounded by corpses. Uzmir talks to the ghost and offers to allow it to speak to its dead companions, it's mother and father. In return, the ghost, a messenger for Visek, gives Uzmir information regarding Otiluke. The ghost makes one last request, for Uzmir to bury the family, before disappearing. Uzmir collects the bones, and the party moves on, reaching the Main Hall of Otiluke. A large golden door stands there, bearing the message:

*The Main Hall of Otiluke*

*Enter only upon invitation*

*Seriously.*

Nexrin attempts to open the door, and it opens easily. A wonderful flowery scent comes out, and the next chamber appears to be a flower garden with a path. Away from the path the garden gives way to a pastoral scene, although it seems out of focus. The suns of Torr and Raal light the sky. A pair of nymphs, male and female, flit around trees and garden the flowers. A brass door lies at the end of the path. Bea steps into the room, and briefly pierces the illusion, revealing everything to be fake and artificial. The group passes through by lighting the sconces adjacent to the door, coming to an antechamber with an Orichalcum statue with a candlelit crown. Six unlit sconces on the walls. Guessing the statue is the golem Paragon, Uzmir tries the password we learned from the ghost. Paragon responds, and notes that Uzmir is not his master and demands he explain his presence. Uzmir claims that his master Otiluke asked him to retrieve something from the sanctum, and Paragon asks why he wasn't given the password for guests. Uzmir says it must have slipped his mind, and Paragon opens the exit, telling him to get the correct password. The group retreats and confers, eventually deciding to fight it.

Gonerton gives everyone a casting of Lightning Bolt and summons an Earth elemental. Ellie uses Silent Image to attempt to summon a form of Otiluke, and Uzmir throws his voice. Paragon, amazingly, buys it and opens the door. The next chamber seems to be a wide courtyard like in a town, with buildings like an inn and a church surrounding the area, overgrown with vines of a specific flower. Bea examines the flower, and determines they are a version of Paradise Locus, bred for beauty. Bea becomes captivated by them (DC 20). Yezra attempts to collect her, and makes the save. The Earth Elemental picks her up and returns her to the group. Gonerton slaps her, snapping her out of the stupor but attacking Gonerton. Gonerton has his elemental start tearing up the flowers, which in response begin retreating into an alley and forming a pair of Shambling Mounds that attack the group. The group dispatches them, though not before having to deal with more party members charmed by the flowers. After the fight the group is exhausted, both from fighting the mounds and each other. The group searches the buildings and find them richly decorated and upholstered, and proceed to take everything not nailed down. Bea also takes a seedling of the Paradise Locus.

In the tavern, the group finds ethereal guests waiting to provide entertainment, and food available. The group also finds a mirror that appears to be the entrance to the next section of the Sanctum. The group decides to leave the Sanctum, and Paragon allows people to leave without issue. the group then decides to explore further down the Mageline, towards Vizek's sanctum.

After a brief rockfall, the group encounters a group of spectral creatures in the Mageline, wielding pikes. Uzmir asks them in Stonetongue where the nearest exit is, and one of the travellers points down the hall towards Vizek. The group moves on, finding a staircase blocked with rockfall. The group decides to excavate the staircase, during which Ellie finds a cursed metal orb that burns and locks into her hand, although Yezra removes it. While the group is digging, a group of Spectators come by and object to the modification of the Mageline and attack. The group dispatches them quickly, though not without Ellie going down.

The group successfully excavates the stairwell, leading into a tower looking out over green hills. The group encounters a Sparksouled who demands to know who the party is and sounds an alarm, at which point Yezra uses Word of Recall to send everyone home.