Session 19-A: Between Hell and High Water

## Key Plot Developments

Trix, Misu, and Shuushar (Lemon is inside Misu's Bag of Holding) reach Gracklstugh's eastern gates.

The ground at their feet gets smoother and flatter, a welcome respite from the uneven passages to which they have grown wearily accustomed. Eventually, stone tiles become more noticeable, turning the path into a proper road. They can see spots of light in the distance, blue-white and too regularly placed to be phosphorescent mushrooms.

The lights are proper lamps flanking two massive stone gates blocking the tunnel. Before they get a chance to examine the intricate carvings on the gates' surface, a harsh voice hisses from a slit on the cavern wall that was not there before.

**"State your names and business!"** the voice orders in Dwarvish. Other similar slits open, revealing the tips of a dozen crossbow bolts. Behind them, a metallic din announces a group of six heavily armored dwarves appearing out of thin air, their swords leveled at you from behind sturdy metal shields.

Not wanting to be imprisoned, Misu offers her letter of introduction from Forgehome. She says she's in the city to investigate demonic influences.

The duergar removes his helmet, revealing the gray skin of his kind. He musses his white beard as he walks closer, switching to Common as he lowers his voice. There is a discomfiting glint in his eyes and his smile. **"You are clearly lying. I ought to just send you to the slave pens, but... you amuse me. What do you have that is worth your freedom?"**

Misu tries to bluff the dwarf (whom she identifies as one of the Stone Guard--tasked with enacting the king's will and keeping the city in line). The dwarf introduces himself as Gorglak. She offers various worthless items. He is unimpressed; she speaks about various demons in an attempt to gain his interest, but he is insulted by her obvious deceit. Trix intuits that Misu, for all of her caution, seems to be a pathological liar.

The Stone Guard demands that Misu, Trix, and Shuushar turn themselves in. He rips him the letter. The party starts to run. The duergar enlarge themselves and throw javelins. The group escapes by jumping down to the Darklake (which borders Gracklstugh) and turning invisible.

A while away, the party tries to strategize how to get into the city. Misu intuits that the guard was part of a different faction than Mayor Leadshaper, and had some reason to undermine the Mayor's authority. They could use the Darklake to try and sneak in through the docks (to the North of the city), but Shuushar is traumatized from his encounter with the Demogorgon and is reluctant to go. They could also try to break in to the city by finding an opening in one of its smog-producing forges on the city/volcano's side.

They decide to try and find an entrance on the side. When they attempt to scale the mountain, they are spotted by the Vrock who nearly saw them before. The Vrock badly wounds Shuushar; it grabs him and attempts to carry him off. Shuushar is barely able to break free of its grip. The party runs away, pushed to their limit. Lemon is released from the Bag of Holding and uses newly discovered psionic powers to heal his friends and harm the vulture.

Finally, Shuushar agrees to take the Darklake into the city. They piece together a ramshackle raft. Misu disguises Trix as a duergar and herself as an old wizard. Shuushar begins to cry during their time on the lake; Trix can't figure out why. He just prays to his unknown god that he can find Glyn. He wonders why Pyrite hasn't contacted him.