Session 22-A: The Best Men

## Notable Plot Developments

Trix, Glyn, Misu, and Shuushar resolve to marshal their resources and get the dragon egg back from the West Clef district. While they could choose to demonstrate loyalty to the Stone Guard, Keepers of the Flame, Themberchaud the dragon, or any other number of factions, they decide to get the egg before making a final decision.

Feeling pressured by their nightly deadline to report back to Themberchaud, the group splits up to optimize their information-gathering time. Trix removes his own curse. Then, he pretends to be Dur the duergar, goes to the Blade Bazaar, meets a vendor named Uruk Honorhand, and buys an overpriced fishing rod. Shuushar joins him; because they have been given paraphernalia from both the Stone Guard and Keepers of the Flame; he can travel unmolested.

Misu goes to the Darklake Docks. There, she witnesses the dock inspector, Werz Saltbaron, be murdered by a pair of duergar assassins. She waits for them to leave and then inspects the body (which has been dumped into the water). Using her Stone Guard credentials, she asks surrounding dwarves to investigate the killing--there are no obvious stab marks, but she remembers seeing flashing blades. Trix arrives with his fishing rod (hoping to fish) and casts gentle repose on the body. Leaving this mystery to the duergar, he and Misu return to the bazaar and buy a trident and shield for Shuushar.

Glyn tries to reach out to the Society of Brilliance for assistance. Y indicates that Grazilaxx has forbade him from speaking Glyn and cuts off communication. Then, Glyn tries to connect with Rotgut, who appears disoriented; Persemone's voice lingers in the background before he loses his line of communication. Finally, he tries to speak to Grazilaxx directly. When he does, the Dark Prince intercedes, blames him for being tricked into talking with a mind flayer, cuts off his second hand in their dreams-cape (replacing it with another crystallize six-fingered hand) as punishment, and makes him break his Society of Brilliance brooch.

The group checks in with Lemon, who wants more blood; they have no blood to offer the ooze.

They leave Shuushar and Lemon in the inn and take Trix's derro slave into the West Clef district. It is a squalid, pitiable place, overrun with mad derro and the stench of sewage. The derro leads the group into the entrance to a tunnel, where he indicates he's seen the oddly-hatted derro Misu noticed earlier in the Darklake District and the dragon's egg. The group enters the Whorlstone Tunnels.

These tunnels are enormous--as far as the group can tell, they extend through all of Gracklstugh's underground--and they're infused with faerzress. The glow of faerzress casts an eerie soft light across this cavern, swirling into spiral patterns and casting dancing shadows from the jagged pillars lining the walls. The air smells and tastes slightly metallic, and the sound around them is strangely muted. The dripping of water makes no echo, as if they stood in open air.

Misu has a flashback to her mother, the Erinyes Tilphousia. In the flashback, Tilphousia is busy, but confirms that her father Fior-Ghlan is still being tortured and transformed into a lemure (to Misu's delight). Misu reminds herself of the importance of being precise, value-oriented, and relentless.

As they venture into the cavern, a stench of rotting meat rises. The floor is carpeted with humanoid remains in varying stages of decomposition, arranged in a spiral pattern around the cave's center. Misu recognizes the pattern--it matches a cult ritual in honor of Orcus, the demon prince of undeath. When the group gets closer, a series of ghouls, ghasts, and wights arise and attack. Trix uses Twilight magic (to Glyn's surprise); Glyn uses Oathbreaker powers (to Trix's surprise) and Long-Ears (who, to nobody's surprise, dies quickly). All of the undead creatures are defeated.

The ghost of a deep gnome emerges from the center of the pattern. He introduces himself as Pelek. He says he is--was--a cartographer from Blingdenstone who joined Buppido (a derro--one of the prisoners from Velvynvelve!) for a jaunt from Blingdenstone to Gracklstugh. He was tricked by the derro, who brought him into the tunnels and killed him.

Pelek wants to find his body parts and journey back to Blingdenstone, so his spirit can be laid to rest. The party agrees to help. He recalls that the strange magic of the tunnels animated one of his severed hands; it was wearing his obsidian ring.

Pelek joins his new friends as they continue through the tunnels. The tunnel opens into a natural cave, wherein they see several fungal creatures dancing to a silent tune. Three of them stand five feet tall, while the others are half as tall. Hunched nearby are two larger creatures that resemble apes covered with mushroom growths and yellow mold.

The group recognizes myconids--much like Stool--but notices their bizarre behaviors (myconids don't dance). Glyn speaks with their representative, an adult named Voosbur. Voosbury mentions how its "troupe" was attracted by the special mushrooms in these tunnels, and it tells the characters about the magical properties of the pygmywort and bigwig mushrooms. The pygmywort mushrooms shrink those who eat them; the bigwigs, conversely, enlarge their consumers. Voosbur further explains that the myconids didn't wander into this area, but arrived here by traveling "through the Lady's dream." Voosbur describes "the Lady" as a powerful being that loves and guides all myconids. He offers to share "the Lady's gift" with the characters, allowing them to travel "through the Lady's dream" as the myconids do.

Finally, Voosbur explains that, after receiving the Lady's gift, he was invited to an upcoming wedding by the wedding's best man, who was just here before he took the fungal paths and left. Glyn asks for the best man's name, and Voosbur shares it: **Sarith De'Vir.**

## New NPCs

1. Uruk Honorhand, duergar merchant
2. Tilphousia, Misu's devilish mother
3. Pelek, deep gnome ghost
4. Voosbur, myconid adult

## Memorable Quotations

* **Glyn**: I kinda find that when you're in a position of authority, people will just give you things.
* **Misu:** Yeah, well, we call that abuse of power, my friend.

**Glyn:** So what you're saying is that there is no difference between a cult and a religion?

* **Trix:** Glyn, did you start a cult?
* **Glyn:** I didn't START one.
* **Trix:** Are you IN a cult?

**Trix:** Yeah. Pelor and I, we're, uh, we're best buds.

**Misu:** Glyn, you're courageous. Let's get you some armor so we make sure you're courage isn't stupidity. Or else, who knows, you could end up on Mount Celestia. A hoooorrible place!

**Glyn:** Hi. I'm a...I'm a duergar...I'm...(deep voice) **A DUERGAR.**

**Trix** (in his Dur the Duergar voice): I want to buy the pokey...pokey stick (in his normal voice) the trident.

**Shuushar** (holding a trident): I am made whole.

**Y** (speaking to Glyn): LOOK, GLYN, ARE YOU...YOU? HOW DO I KNOW IT'S YOU? MAYBE IT'S SOMEONE DISGUISED AS YOU. GRAZILAXX TOLD ME NOT TO TALK TO YOU RIGHT NOW. I REALLY LIKE YOU! YOU REMINDED ME I COULD TELEPORT! BUT THERE'S SOME REAL SHIT GOING ON.

* **Glyn:** Y, what are you doing now?
* **Y:** TALKING TO YOU!
* **Glyn:** What were you doing before?
* **Y:** UH, SORRY, RECEPTION'S BAD. GOTTA GO!

**Uncle Rotgut:** Issat Glyn? Glyn from the clan? Little Glyn? How're you talking to me right now? Something's wrong. I feel like I've been here for lifetimes. I...

**Dark Prince:** Who are we talking to, Glyn? Why are we trying to speak with a mind flayer? We aren't going to talk to one of them again, are we? Don't we know that mind flayers are dangerous?

* **Lemon** (pretending to be someone else): Hi, everybody! Um, do you think Lemon should be allowed to drink blood?
* **Trix:** No!
* **Misu:** Only as a treat.

**Tilphousia:** We're going to stick knives into your father's sternum in a way that will be both physically and geometrically grotesque. I appreciate your information. This has been a pleasant exchange. Good deal.

* **Tilphousia:** Misupheles, do you require emotional reassurance?
* **Misu:** No.
* **Tilphousia:** Good. I was not prepared to give it.

**Long-Ears:** MASTER! I shall rend your enemies asunder! I shall feed them into your mouth like a baby bird!

* **Long-Ears:** I love tearing fish apart BONE BY BONE!
* **Trix:** Okay. I'll get you some fish later, then.
* **Long-Ears:** THANK YOU, FRIEND!

**Glyn:** Stop! You stand before Lord Glyn!

**Long-Ears:** The taste of this flesh is putrid, but the taste of our conquest is sweet!

**Pelek:** Ah, yes. I shall be silent as the grave. (Pause.) You cannot imagine what it is like when you are chopped up and then you are left alone!

**Voosper:** You are a softer. You are not like us. You are bone and bristle. You are doomed to die and become our food. Why not enjoy a nice wedding first?