Session 19

·      Stepping out into the market outside Champion’s Halls with Conor, Benadryl, Bzemok, and Effiedred, Paddy spots an old friend – Cassandra – who he recognises from Mallowacre. Struck by the feeling that they were meant to meet each other, Cassandra explains that she needs to speak to Rhysu Xiltrym, and all went to Eldrid to pick up some interesting arrows, then to Zinnn.

·      When speaking to Zinnn, she explained that her husband was Wefas Coinhand, and that he was last rumoured to be near Drac Keep or Redwall.

·      All headed up to find Rhysu deep in the Beastmaster’s quarters, coming up to an enormous bunker door, cracked open slightly, the size of a building. Entering, they saw tracks through to another door – through which Rhysu said the worse creatures were kept – in a room with tall ceilings littered with magical glyphs all over the walls. There was also a work area with lots of items, and a small door to his private quarters.

·      Rhysu explained that they need to set up a teleport link somewhere safe in the underdark, and he could get them close based on one of his kills. He mentioned the Oath Bow which will say “swift death to my enemies”, and if you reply “swift death to those who have wronged me” then the target of the successful hit becomes your sworn enemy until death or for 7 days.

·      They left Piglet & Prozac in the bunker, and Rhysu gathered more items, then all stepped onto his platform as he picked up a big thick candle made of black wax. All pricked their thumb & touched a drop of blood to a glyph on the shaft of the candle Rhysu pointed out, and in doing so all of the blood drops ran up to the wick and worked into the fibres. With one final warning, and a description of his friends, they were all teleported to between the tusks of a huge slain creature.

·      Effiedred sensed undead creatures nearby, and the sound of a piercing scream & huge wings passed overhead, which they believed to be some sort of dragon. Rhysu mentioned a crack in the rocks nearby to make a break to – which they did.

·      In running, a hand reached up from the floor & grabbed Cassandra’s foot, and a series of skeletal figures rose from the ground! They took some down, and ran for the crack in the walls Rhysu spoke of, and he plugged the gap by dropping a statue which expanded to full size.

·      In the crack, Rhysu mentioned that by touching the blood dropped thumb to the forehead they can return, and Effiedred, who wasn’t fully listening, accidentally teleported herself home. Rhysu lead on, and explained that the dark dwarves – the Duergar – are attacking his Myconid friends’ home. He navigated through the cracks, explaining about the fort around the mother spore & that inside they can establish their teleportation circle. He also pointed out a legion of Duergar marching to the same destination.

·      Rhysu slowed them by throwing a screaming stone to disrupt their march, and the team all hurried along through the cracks. Ahead, the sounds of battle & action became louder and louder, and as they emerged the sight of flaming projectiles were within 150 feet. All made preparations, then stealthily advanced on a crew surrounding one of the trebuchets. Benadryl stealthily moved in and placed a cart bomb on the first trebuchet, before moving on towards the second.

·      Just before the bomb went off, they attacked the second crew, and ended up taking on both crews while the bomb exploded. Regardless, they took out the two trebuchets and slowed the attack – then Benadryl burned down a large part of their camp with flaming oil-dipped arrows.

·      Rhysu said that they must destroy the siege ram to break the moral of the attackers, while Benadryl accidentally set fire to herself with burning oil. Bzemok offered to put her out of her misery with a crowbar, but it was Connor who was able to smother the flames with Cassandra’s blanket.

·      Rhysu then lead the charge towards the gates, and saw the ram. Bzemok shot her buzzing arrow and messed up the Myconid defence. The Duergar tried their hardest to bring the ram to the gates, and every time one fell another took its place. Even when the axel was destroyed, the team tried to pick it up and drag it! It came within 5 feet of the door, and was finally halted – with more Duergar piling in to make it the last few feet!

·      A pair of large drakes, clearly broken free of their constraints, charged in and engaged Rhysu, stopping him from assisting & slowing him down. More Duergar poured in, and our heroes needed to heal while fighting to keep their place. The flapping of wings, and that same screech, returned in the air, and when swooping the team saw the figure of the dragon, covered in spores, breathing fire all over one side of the battlefield. It did the same a moment later to the other side of the battlefield, and seeing their loss the remaining fighters fled.

·      The team pushed the ram away from the walls, and Rhysu destroyed it. The gates opened, and our heroes charged in to the fort. Rhysu mentioned the incoming legion of Duergar, and established a teleportation ring. The team spotted various holes in the fort following the fighting, and all returned to Moarkaliff via their thumbs, to then rest in Champion’s Halls.