Psionic Song

Modokus

Monana

Ena

Minty Pineapple

Leora

This session opened moments after the previous session ended. Modokus noted the tripwires had been broken during the fight, but didn’t know what that meant. Minty Pineapple tried to take the carapace of the shiny Thri-kreen, but she was unable to harvest it. The group discussed what to do with the eggs, and Monana stated she didn’t want to hurt the eggs since it seemed this vibrating rhythm in the ground was controlling them, and destroying their eggs would be unfair and unwise as it may provoke them to attack even when the rhythm isn’t present.

Everyone agreed it was time to head back. As everyone entered the five-way chamber, Edric noticed a Thri-kreen watching them from another tunnel, but not ready to attack. He began to hum a ¾ tune and the creature cowered and backed away. A moment later, suddenly Edric, Ena and Monana felt the floor beneath them suddenly shift beneath them as it suddenly became quicksand.

Edric and Monana began to sink quickly, while Ena escaped. Leora began pulling Monana out by her hat, and Eero activated his Aasimar blood, sprouting a pair of wings and flying to the center of the quicksand to grab Edric and begin trying to pull him out. Tube quicksand reached out with tendrils of sand, trying to lash out at the others and pull them in. At the same time another Ankheg burst through the wall and began fighting Modokus, Ena and Minty.

With half the party kept busy with the sand-pit monster, Ena took the brunt of the Ankheg’s fury and was knocked unconscious. The sand monster tried to pull her in, but Minty stabilized her and Edric had CARL heal her.

Monana was pulled out and so was Edric, but Leora was pulled in. Leora got a critical hit against the beast, flinging sand everywhere as the sand beast was killed. However, its body was covering up a large chasm and Leora fell straight in. With miraculous luck, Leora ended up wedged directly between the walls of the funnel shaped rock formation without taking any damage.

The Ankheg was quickly dispatched and Leora began to climb out. At this point, several party members noticed a faint purple glow from deep within the chasm. Eero and Modokus secured a rope and began to traverse down, but Modokus slipped and Eero had to catch him. The two of them learned that the chasm was hourglass shaped and Eero saw a purple aetheryte crystal at the bottom in a half-corporealized state, sitting on an altar. Eero didn’t touch down and returned to the top with this news.

Edric and Monana theorized that this aetheryte crystal was possibly phasing between dimensions and this was why it wasn’t constantly singing. Only when it fully phased into this reality would it begin to sing and drive the Thri-kreen to attack.

Edric had sent CARL to the surface for help, and at this point, Oscar, Lysander and two new faces, a leonin knight with a scythe and his halfling companion with a greatsword came charging down ready to assist in battle. The Leonin and Halfling were the knights who destroyed the horse-sized ants that came up in the tavern during the initial incursion, and they introduced themselves as Uther and Zane.

Uther was a bit quiet and serious while Zane was a little more outspoken and friendly. Moments later the Three Be’Torn worshipers arrived with Sir Branos to assist in the battle as well. Edric told the Be’Torn worshipers to find another way around and they took the hint to leave. Sir Barros posted six of his men and took two of the lanterns from the group to light the tunnel for his men to stay guard over the hole while the group rested. Lysander opened a tab at a tavern to get everyone rooms and Zane managed to bum a free room off of this tab as well.

Everyone rested and prepared spells. Edric and Eero went back to see Lady Faust and informed her of the purple aether and the rhythm that controls the Thri-kreen. Edric asked for 1000 gold to cover expenses and reluctantly Lady Faust agreed, saying it would take her a couple of hours to gather the funds.

With these funds the party bought a longbow for Minty, 3 common healing potions and 3 uncommon healing potions, leaving the party with 530 gold to spare.

Everyone returned to the hole where Oscar informed them that everyone inside the hole was spooked as the crystal had begun singing. The group rushed down to find Zane and Uther already inside keeping the guards behind their wooden barricade company. The purple glow from inside was brighter now, and everyone could hear the singing from the dream, singing a haunting ¾ melody.

Everyone descended the rope while Leora let slip that she was 120 years old, well past the 80 year life expectancy of a dragonborn. With more pressing matters, the group moved to examine the incredibly powerful aetheryte crystal. Immediately Modokus pointed out one corner of the chamber and when Edric moved to examine it, he felt the breath of an unseen creature blow across his face. He immediately cast fairy fire, revealing a Drow wearing silver armor, with the symbol of The Webweavers on his chest, and three Thri-Kreen drones. Like lightning, the drow’s eyes snapped open and he drew a blade of pure shadows and cut Edric across the chest, nearly drowning him in a single strike and breaking his concentration on the fairy fire.

Edric had had enough and he transmuted an old piece of armor that hung around his neck into a full suit of living steel armor. He immediately blasted the drow back against the wall and the two Thri-kreen next to him as well. Modokus leapt into action as well and Monana used detect thoughts to realize the entire chamber was filled with invisible Thri-kreen.

An intense battle broke out, but the Drow stopped for a round to crush a magical stone in his hand instead of fighting. Uther summoned a shadow thri-kreen to fight with him to the surprise of many party members. The drow had his back against the wall and Monana sensed he was getting ready to retreat and secure the aetheryte. She tried to block his path but he cast darkness on his sword and secured the crystal. In the sphere of darkness no one could see what he did, but the crystal was gone. Eero moved to block the door, but the drow shoved him out of the way and spoke a command word in undercommon (Originally misidentified as elvish) to open the door and step through. But he and his aura of darkness disappeared the moment he closed the door.

The remaining Thri-kreen were mopped up and Eero tried to convey the word he had heard, but he couldn’t. Minty began guessing every elvish word she knew to no avail to get the door to unlock. Eero saw beneath the door crack was a flat wall, meaning even forcing the door wouldn’t work as it was hiding some kind of teleportation magic.

Lysander arranged a meeting with the Luracian high council as everyone theorized what it might mean for such an incredible power source of Purple, psionic aetheryte to be in the hands of the webweaver drow faction. A piece of Aether so large would be devastatingly powerful in the wrong hands. This was certainly news worthy of the Luracian high council.

## Loot

* 10 Thri-kreen spear
* 10 Thri-kreen bows
* 100 Bone arrows