Session 65: Wedding Crashers (Act II: To the Bride and Shroom)

## Key Plot Developments

The party goes forward; the spores they took earlier help them to see and hear things differently. They observe myconids dancing around in total madness, reminding Glyn of his first terrifying vision of Zuggtmoy (whom he now finds attractive). Pix feels upset, not wanting to experience this madness again and have her body become not her own. She thinks on Stool and how much pain he must be in due to his infection. They can make out that the tree next to them is not a tree, but a moving fungus. Bogtoth feels a deep-seated anger that has grown since they first got to the Underdark, hearing the song of madness and thinking on Sarith and how terrible he is.

They spot awakened Zurkhwood and other fungi and spores scattered around. None of them communicate verbally, and the group wonders when Shuushar and the cavalry will arrive; unbeknownst to them, key miscommunication prevented Shuushar from learning the proper location. They speak to a few of the guests, all of whom are very excited to explode or throw up in “softer” mouths. Bogtooth finds a demon—a barlgura—who begs to be killed, and the handmaidens approach the group. Vines plunge into the monster; they see that he is sucked dry, leaving plant-like flesh paper behind—a gruesome sight. Bogtooth decides he is done talking to the wedding guests and they move on, only to spot a group of regenerating black puddings on the ceiling. Pyrite drinks a health potion. One of the fungi sees this and insists that she open wide for them to throw up in her mouth. She ecapes.

Pix thinks back on the little gnome-ooze, Fiddleplitz. They recognize his slime trail and they can smell an absolutely rank odor. Two myconids appear, one of which stands out like a sore thumb. These are not creatures; they are puppets, molds, plant suits with tiny strings trailing off them. Fiddleplitz, their oozing puppeteer, sees Pix and approaches her, then begins to follow her. Pyrite tries to persuade the other oozes that they are on the same side. Pyrite is persuasive. The group gets poisoned from the stench of the ooze puppets, and Glyn heals everyone except Pyrite.

As they get closer to Stool’s mountainous core, they encounter fungal beasts that serve as natural antibodies for the Araumycos.  When they do battle with the creatures, they hear psychic whispers of Stool crying out, and Sarith telling him to go back to sleep. The more they fight, the more it seems to hurt Stool.

Tremble reaches out to Stool’s core, makes contact through Mr. Stool’s rapport spores, and is transported to the Astral Plane.

He is floating, weightless, adrift. A gray, silvery light spreads around him like the dawn of a cloudy day, illuminating a peculiar realm. He floats in a silvery haze that shimmers with swirls of color.

His thoughts draw him toward a distant, floating object. It appears to be a hemisphere, until its slow rotation reveals its true form: a giant skull missing its jawbone, formed out of some kind of pale rock. The skull reveals itself to be the size of a small mountain. Its surface is covered in lichens and broad patches of mold, the colors resembling those of Araumycos on the Material Plane. This is Stool’s brain.

As the rest of the party battles the guardians outside Stool’s core, everyone’s vision starts to sway. They all feel dizzy; their legs and arms feel numb. Pix and Glyn know that if they don't resist this force, then they will be paralyzed. Pyrite and Glyn are going to be left alone together. The others are sucked into the astral plane.

Glyn and Pyrite take a moment while surrounded by the bodies of their companions. Then, a whisper is heard. Verin has come.

Below, the astral plane party members sense that Zuggtmoy's wedding ceremony has begun. Receiving the myconid's impressions, they become aware of a huge crowd of fungal creatures and spore servants—hundreds, perhaps thousands of them—watching as a grotesque procession makes its way through them. Myconids of all sizes caper madly before a troupe of giant animated mushrooms, bearing a mossy litter upon which sits the Demon Queen of Fungi in all her terrible splendor.

Zuggtmoy is draped and veiled in molds and fruiting mushrooms woven into a grotesque gown. Vaguely humanoid figures set with clusters of luminescent lichen and tumescent fungal growths follow her like bridesmaids, carrying a veil and train of lacy mycelia. Stepping off the litter as her followers set it down, the Demon Queen of Fungi rises to tower above all the creatures around her. She’s heading to Stool’s core—where most of the party rests in the fungus, and Pyrite, Glyn, and Verin currently reside. Pyrite is panicking. Glyn measures his options—Verin is volatile and, earlier, expressed his desire for Pyrite.

Sarith, entirely fungal, demonic, and twisted, crawls out of Stool’s skull in the astral plane. He attempts to connect to Tremble, who is filled with hatred for Menzoberranzan, but Tremble rejects him and attacks. Bogtooth scowls at Sarith. The Bogteam (and Trix) finally have an opportunity to right Sarith’s wrongs.

## Memorable Quotes

**Glyn**: Oooh. Zuggtmoy. Pretty hot. Shame she's getting married.

**Bogtooth:** Fuck this song.

* **Glyn:** So, when are we expecting our goopy friend?
* **Trix:** I need to send a sending to Shuushar.
* **Glyn:** Who's goopier?
* **Tremble:** I think Juiblex is more slimy and Shuushar is more goopy.

* **Bogtooth:** Excited for the wedding?
* **Fungus:** Oh, happy day. What did you bring?
* **Bogtooth:** We were invited.
* **Fungus:** But as a gift?
* **Bogtooth:** The groom explicitly asked for it to be us.
* **Fungus:** Oh! I was not asked for, but I am proud that when the time comes I will explode into millions of pustules! It is all I can give, to give of myself.
* **Bogtooth**: Oh. What a lovely gift.
* **Fungus: Y**ou are very lucky to be asked for. I hope that when I explode, I get all over you.

* **Myconid:** Soon after this I'll be able to find baby softers and then vomit into their mouths!
* **Bogtooth:** Hello, fellow wedding goer! How are you liking the party so far?
* **Barlgura:** Every moment is pain!
* **Bogtooth:** How so?
* **Barlgura:** End it for me!

* **Barlgura:** Why won't you let me die?! Kill me! Please kill me! I'll do anything! Please kill me!
* **Myconid:** Was that guy giving you trouble?
* **Bogtooth:** No, I think he was just confused.
* **Myconid:** Welp, can't get drunk at a wedding. It's not about you. It's about them.
* **Bogtooth**: Exactly...I think I'm done talking to them.

**Fungus:** Oh, that's not the right thing for you to ingest. Here, open wide.

* **Glyn**: Need a fireball down your throat?
* **Pyrite:** You don't know fireball, you're a paladin--piece of shit.

* **Bogtooth:** Tremble, Pix! It's the potion seller!
* **Pix:** He stole so much of our money! He's here at the wedding?
* **Fiddleplitz**: Hi, I'm here to get some insurance.
* **Pyrite:** You want to get insurance? Eat a mushroom and then we can talk.
* **Fiddleplitz:** Shake on it?
* **Pyrite:** No, not in public. A mental shake? Sure.
* **Fiddleplitz:** Hoho!

* **Bogtooth**: We're doing this. We have the best people in the game right here. We have no excuses. As long as I have my family here, I'm good.
* **Glyn:** Glad to be here.
* **Bogtooth:** I'd like to say something too. We've been through a lot. There have been a lot of terrible things that have happened to us. We've failed a lot of times, and we've also succeeded. With the exception of Pyrite, Stool is someone we all care about. Let's do our best for our friend. Okay? Tremble, maybe you need a name change. Maybe you're not Tremble the Destroyer. Maybe you're Tremble the Maker. You're always making a path for all of us.
* **Tremble:** Hmmm. I like that. The Destroyer always seemed so violent... and it's closer to sis, so that's nice! And I'm an artificer and make things with my hands all the time!
* **Bogtooth:** And you always make the shot!
* **Trix:** I hope we live long enough to tell people about that name change.

* **Lemon:** Hey, can I be Tremble the Destroyer?
* **Trix:** You'll have to ask Tremble.
* **Lemon:** Hey, can I be Tremble the Destroyer?
* **Tremble:** You wanna be?
* **Lemon:** Yeah, it's the name of a pretty cool cat.
* **Tremble:** Hmm. Well, I like cats, and I like cool cats, so why not?
* **Lemon:** Right on, daddy-o.
* **Tremble:** What's a daddy-o?
* **Lemon:** I dunno, but I guess he'll be here soon. Come on, friends! It was nice to see my aunts and my cousins.
* **Trix:** You know them?
* **Lemon:** Yeah, you know... It's like... the clan's slime is my slime.
* **Pyrite:** That's a good way to look at it.
* **Trix:** Is it?

* **Trix:** Lemon, why are you a cube?
* **Lemon:** Wait, I have a shape?

* **Stool's Voice:** I'm having a nightmare.
* **Sarith's Voice:** Go back to sleep, we'll take care of it.

* **Stool’s Voice:** I think it hurts! I think it hurts really bad!
* **Sarith’s Voice:** Don't worry. Here, I'll give you a bedtime story.

* **Tremble:** I think this is hurting Stool!
* **Pyrite: I**s it quick or merciful? What do you want?
* **Tremble:** NEITHER!!

* **Sarith’s Voice:** Tip and tap, the spider's feet--Pinch and bite, the spider's kiss--Drip and droop, you go to sleep--Sip and nip, what tasty meat!
* **Stool’s Voice:** I don’t know if I like the rhyme...

* **Tremble:** Stool! It’s your friend, Tremble!!
* **Stool’s Voice:** What? I’m trying to sleep…
* **Tremble:** Don’t go to sleep! Sarith is mean and terrible to you all the time!
* **Sarith’s Voice:** That wasn’t very nice to say to an old friend.
* **Tremble**: It wasn’t very nice, because we’re not old friends!

* **Pyrite:** Did you get this one from the infinite battlefield?
* **Glyn:** Of course.
* **Pyrite:** Which one?
* **Glyn:** The green hand clan.
* **Pyrite:** Before that!
* **Glyn**: I didn’t ask. Doesn’t matter.

* **Pyrite:** The password is Tremble…on the dog…don't get too close without saying it.
* **Glyn:** What happens if I get too close?
* **Pyrite:** It’ll bark and attack you. He’s a good guard dog.
* **Glyn:** Got it.
* **Verin:** Tremble..

* **Mr. Stool:** It begins. This is as far as I can take you.
* **Bogtooth:** We'll try to get your boy back.
* **Mr. Stool:** What is it that you said? I love you.
* **Tremble:** We love you too, Mr. Stool!
* **Lemon:** Yeah! We love you too!
* **Tremble:** Hey, Lemon.
* **Long Ears:** YES. I TOO LOVE YOU!
* **Bogtooth**: Hey, Long Ears.

* **Trix:** Are you okay, Long Ears?
* **Longears:** NO NOT AT ALL! I MEAN YES! PAIN IS GOOD!
* **Lemon**: Can I have your blood?
* **Longears:** YES, TAKE IT ALL!

**Zuggtmoy:** Till death do us. Happy wife, happy life.

* **Sarith:** Oh good, Pix, you made it.
* **Tremble:** Where's Stool?
* **Sarith: Y**ou don't get to see him.
* **Tremble:** I'm not asking!
* **Sarith:** Hahahaha! You going to keep making a fool of yourself, boy?
* **Trix:** Is that SARITH?
* **Sarith:** Charmed!
* **Pix:** Looks as fucking ugly as he always did.
* **Bogtooth**: I didn't think it was possible for him to look any worse.
* **Sarith:** Have you come to help?
* **Tremble:** We've come to take back Stool! And by the way! Your brother sends his regards!
* **Sarith:** Why would he send his....we're not on speaking terms...
* **Tremble:** You're so STUPID!!
* **Bogtooth:** You know what Sarith, we ARE here to help! To free Stool and put you down!
* **Sarith:** I can't die now, not until Menzoberranzan is destroyed!!

* **Sarith:** Oh, have you finally grown up? Are we the same?
* **Tremble:** I will NEVER be the same as YOU, Sarith. I WILL NEVER STOOP TO YOUR LEVEL!
* **Sarith:** Sticks and stones.
* **Tremble:** Let me try something different, then!

* **Sarith:** You know for a while I was very lonely in here, but now I have friends. It's no wedding without a funeral.
* **Tremble:** Really? Well, happy day, I don't know!
* **Bogtooth:** I'm gonna leave a hole in that fucking face.