Session 56: Knowing One's Place

## Key Plot Developments

The team approaches Menzoberranzan through Vizeran’s hidden entrance. Finn gives them a map and debriefs them on the major families in the city (including the ruling family, House Baenre).

As they enter the city, they attempt to be stealthy, but Bogtooth is quickly spotted by drow guards. The drow are going to capture and torture the truth out of Bogtooth, but Pix is able to charm them. They request a lock of her hair for divination purposes, but she conjures the image of a drow matriarch to frighten them away.

Unfortunately, while their subterfuge was able to fool the less intuitive guards, the escapade revealed their location to House Baenre.

Half of the party is taken to the rulers of the city. Trix and Finn are able to slip away in the confusion. They decide to find Wilenet and ask House K’Gaust for assistance.

**THE MAIN PARTY:**

Bogtooth looks around the city, a massive metropolis. The city has 20,000 drow inhabitants and hundreds of thousands of humanoid slaves such as goblins, kobolds, bugbears, duergar, svirfnebli, orcs, ogres, minotaurs, and giants, as well as herds of rothé kept as livestock. He ponders what would happen if the ritual took place here—the senseless deaths would be on a scale far behind anything they’ve done before. The guards only address Pyrite and Pix (the women of the group); the men are beneath their notice.

The group sees the following: a vast web of heavy metallic strands forms a kind of fence around a sprawling compound of structures laid out on the plateau at the top of Menzoberranzan's great cavern. Dozens of massive stalagmites and stalactites have been carved and shaped into towers, girded with balconies and walkways, and connected with delicate-looking ramps and bridges. All the compound is lit with blazing light in pale shades of violet, green, and blue. Dozens of drow warriors are stationed on the overlooks and walkways, ever vigilant as they watch the party’s approach.

Pix is treated as the group’s de facto leader; she’s given some drow food. The drow acknowledge the group’s accomplishments as they guide the drow through the massive Baenre estate. Pix intuits that the group wants to make the goblins into their vassals—perhaps so they can recruit other ‘powerful’ goblins as conscripts.

Pix is led to the Matron Mother of the Baenre family, an impossibly old and wizened drow cleric. Matron Baenre addresses her with the subtlety, power, and pride unmatched by any other they’ve encountered.

Pix is interrogated and mind-probed. She learns that Matron Baenre wants the goblins to take the grimoire and conduct the ritual to banish the demons—outside of the city. By capturing the goblins as a display of power, she is ensuring that 1) the goblins are intimidated enough not to hinder the Baenre family, 2) the goblins conduct the ritual outside of the city, and 3) since Gromphe Baenre was responsible for the original demon-summoning, that she can pin the whole affair on outside forces to ensure her family’s reputation. Pix stays on her good side throughout the negotiation, and they’re allowed to leave.

**TRIX AND FINN:**

Trix, escaping to the bazaar, tries to buy a special metal rod (so he’s able to plane shift). He pretends to be a slave of House K’Gaust. The merchant reveals his disgust towards House K’Gaust; they’re known for being too progressive in their views towards non-drow. Another drow monitors Trix from behind—a drow with a pin in the shape of a small, plumed hat. Recognizing the pin from Tremble’s discussions with Jimjar, they follow him.

In a private conversation, they learn he’s from Jimjar’s secret organization! After several humorous moments (the drow, as Trix learned during his torture at Ilvara’s hands, hate improvisational comedy; Jimjar’s drow love it), the drow (Krilelyn H'Kar, who calls himself “Scout-Commander-Friend”) escorts Trix and Finn to meet with their leader: Jimjar’s namesake, Jarlaxle.

## New NPCs

1. Krilelyn H'Kar, Scout-Commander-Friend of Bregan D’aerthe
2. Quenthel Baenre, Matron Mother/Chosen of Lolth

## Memorable Quotations

* **Finn:** We gotta make sure not to fall. There are a lot of spiders around here waiting for us to fall. Oh! And don’t kill a spider!
* **Bogtooth:** What kind of fucked up person would kill a spider?
* **Tremble:** I feel like we’ve killed spiders in open malice….
* **Bogtooth:** I’ve always been pretty open about thinking spiders are pretty cool. I’ve allied myself with spiders!

**Pyrite:** Sometimes we hurt the things we love.

* **Lemon**: This place its sooo…it’s sooooo…. What color is it?
* **Trix**: It's like…purple?
* **Lemon**: It’s so purple!!

* **Tremble:** Wait, they live for 900 years?
* **Bogtooth**: That’s too many years.
* **Tremble:** Wow that’s like 300 years older than I am!

**Tremble:** Oh, so proximity to wealth increases one’s ability to live a longer life!

* **Bogtoogh:** I’ll simply use my politics.
* **Drow Guard:** Who’s your master?
* **Bogtooth:** Can I first ask what house you’re in?
* **Drow Guard**: Have you not heard of the House Mizzrym?
* **Bogtooth**: Um, my master told me to go check on the purple worm eggs, he said—
* **Drow Guard: H**EEEE??
* **Bogtooth:** Um. NO, HE IS JUST AN ENVOY OF MY MISTRESS!
* **Drow Guard:** And who is your mistress?
* **Bogtooth:** Baaaa GAAArraaaa yum!
* **Drow Guard:** Are you stupid?
* **Bogtooth**: I guess I might be a little bit stupid…
* **Drow Guard:** Correct. So, I’m going to ask you again, slowly, in goblin… *WHAT ARE MISTER?*
* **Bogtooth:** Hanne Hallen!
* **Drow Guard:** Who the FUCK is Hanne Hallen?
* **Bogtooth:** You know the daughter of one of the great egg hunters?
* **Drow Guard:** So you’re a slave for the MERCHANT class?

* **Drow Guard:** House Mizzrym has a particular disdain towards goblins right now, That’s why we’re going to beat you, cut off your ears, and then take you back.
* **Pyrite**: Whoa, whoa everyone, beat the shit out of him but let him keep his ears, he’s too thick in the head. He’s gonna need those if he’s gonna be of use to any drow!
* **Drow Guard:** Yes of course! A goblin with as much sense as your breed would allow.
* **Pyrite**: I know my place.

* **Drow guard:** Mistress, it’s a runaway slave! We beg that you let us catch it in the name of the queen of spiders!
* **Pix:** Count to one thousand spider legs of Lolth!

* **Tremble:** Why do you think they want us?
* **Pix:** The world thinks we’re kinda hot shit right now, for good and bad reasons. I dunno which ones these people think but we’re gonna find out!
* **Tremble:** Oh..that is NOT neat.

* **Pix:** You all have a pretty impressive city here. One of the more impressive things we’ve seen in the Underdark.
* **Drow:** ONE of the more impressive. What’s the MOST impressive thing you’ve seen?
* **Pix:** Well, I haven’t seen the entire city yet!
* **Drow:** Hmmmm very good! You are the matron of your clan, I assume?
* **Pix:** Yes!
* **Drow:** And she is your apprentice?
* **Pix:** Yes!
* **Drow:** You shall be announced properly. What is your name?
* **Pix:** Pix of Clan Cragmaw!

**Drow Merchant:** You let J’rienz know this CAN’T keep happening. No more rush orders! I will prepare it in two hours! And if he has a problem with that, he can tell me himself!

**Pyrite**: You honor me with such……food.

**Pyrite:** Drow live for a long time. I should figure out how to do that.

* **Tremble:** Awww, what are we doing here? I was trying to go see Wilenet and the K’gausts. Now we’re at the scary place we specifically thought not to go there.
* **Bogtooth:** Wait, we have Pix! I trust Pix with everything! I just need to be quiet and be a good actor. Everything will be aaaaaall right!

* **Pix:** Why do they want us and how can I play the best part of giving them what they want without putting my family in pain?
* **Matron Baenre:** Well. It is time for you to explain. Why are you here?

* **Pix:** Projection is my forte!
* **Matron Baenre:** I heard that you were quite quiet, actually. You’d have to be quite quiet to sneak up on a drow priestess. To ambush her and kill her, as you did. You will step into the zone of truth, won’t you? Here, I’ll join you.
* **Pix:** My lady, it would be my honor.
* **Matron Baenre:** Ah. Charming.

* **Matron Baenre:** I’ve heard that goblins saved the city of Blingdenstone. Were you one of them?
* **Pix:** Yes.
* **Matron Baenre:** I’ve also heard that goblins also caused the destruction of Gracklstugh. Is this true?
* **Pix: Y**es.
* **Matron Baenre:** Were you one of them?
* **Pix:** I was not. It’s been a perilous journey. We’ve been separated and reunited.
* **Matron Baenre:** I also heard that a group of goblins broke into Gromph’s study and erased their footprints? Just vanished. Did you hear anything about that?
* **Pix:** What a rumor!

**Matron Baenre:** On behalf of our great lady of spiders, keep doing what you’re doing. I look forward to hearing the horrible news tomorrow about the break-in at Gromph’s study.

**Drow Archer:** There shall be no connection to house Baenre. You will find any other family and pin it on them.

* **Trix:** Lemon, be ready to make a quiet escape when I come back.
* **Lemon:** Yeah, I’ll kill him.
* **Trix:** What, no, Lemon —

* **Scout-Commander-Friend:** SO…you’re with mistress K’Gaust? Both of you?
* **Trix:** I like your pin.
* **Scout-Commander-Friend:** Thank you. Iiiii’m certain the family—wait, what?
* **Trix:** My friend Jimjar also likes your pin?
* **Scout-Commander-Friend:** Fuck, fine, alright. I had a moment, and I want you to know we of Bregan D'aerthe are BIG on those moments. I feel like I need to take a second.
* **Trix: I’**m sorry, we can take it from the top.
* **Scout-Commander-Friend:** So, you work for the K’Gaust family? Both of you?
* **Finn:** That’s right?
* **Scout-Commander-Friend:** Well, I happen to know that the K’Gaust family doesn’t employ darklings. They haven’t paid their darkling permits. And based on that ledger they still late on their payMENTS.

* **Trix:** Oh, Jimjar was captured.
* **Scout-Commander-Friend:** Indeed, Jimjar was captured. But you set him free….Tremble.
* **Trix:** I’m Trix, but keep going.
* **Scout-Commander-Friend:** What--no you’re messing It all up--keep it going!

**Scout-Commander-Friend:** This shall be a heist--that even Jarlaxle will be proud of me. He shall say….good job!

* **Trix:** Are you okay?
* **Scout-Commander-Friend:** I, well, I swooped!!

* **Scout-Commander-Friend:** I am so named by Jarlaxle. I am named scout. Named commander. Named friend. That is indeed my true name.
* **Trix:** Scout-Commander-Friend?
* **Scout-Commander-Friend**: Indeed.