Timberlands Campaign, Session 14: The Monsters That The Monsters Are Afraid Of

March 2, Caudex Annales, 71 AUP
After regrouping, the party pushed farther into the depths of the White Tower Academy dungeons. The upper level control stations had been locked out, making it inevitable that the only solution to the infestation of water-planar creatures in the depths would only be eradicated by a frontal assault. The party elected to split into two groups, with the amphibious lizardmen exploring ahead to find and unlock the local control station, returning permissions to Master Wainskirtle in the control room above, while everyone else waited.

Of course the waiting members soon become bored, and wandered upstairs (and directly into a
purple-worm ambush!) to investigate the trolls who had been described as living on the fifth level. They were conspicuously absent from their chambers, with evidence of a battle between them and some other force of many-legged creatures. Deeper into the southwestern areas of the level, the party found an elaborate laboratory: great glass vessels full of mundane and magical beasts being altered by some kind of blue fluid, cast-off bodies with skulls oozing the same blue ichor, and a ritual circle with the unfortunate victims of magical sacrifices -- including a slowly regenerating troll, pained by mutilations to the point of burning anger. He could tell them little, beyond the savage nature of the attack, and the existence of a trap-door passage leading to the lower level somewhere beyond the flooded hallways.

Surprise! No one expects the cthulhu-lobster inquisition!

Returning throuth the lab, the vanguard encountered a chuul, a huge sentient crustacean patrolling on behalf of some greater master. The creature put up a dreadful fight before being subdued. Beyond that, the party found a pack of hellhounds guarding the private chambers of a disagreeable stone giant. After a short struggle, the party secured the area and sent Shayna down the verticle shaft to investigate.

Meanwhile, the two lizardmen met numerous guardians along the way forward: a wyvern, another intellect devourer, and a partially flooded chamber populated by nasty little leeches. After nearly perishing, the two retreated to the sealed shrine of an idol depicting some kind of betentacled fish-monster flailing a throng of miserable humans. There they waited... until the serendipitous arrival of Shayna from above!

Roster

• Edward (run with it) Sir Dame Winsley, 5th-level dandy mystic (Andrew)
• Jeeves, 1st-level butler-paladin
• Zelmar
• Anatolia
• Frigodria Dawnbringer, 5th-level paladin (Reba)
• Insanely OP flaming slayer demigod (Kyle)
• Grurdev Onyxvault, 5th-level dwarven lightbearer (Sion)
• Need to check about henchmen here also (two, I think)...
• Thrassian witch (Will)
• Viserion, 5th-level young white dragon (Zac)
• Adonirim, 3rd-level mage
• Shayna, 6th-level shaman (Kim)
• Ur khla lu khbea, 4th-level gladiator (Jonathan)

Mercenaries and followers:

• Aksel Steelheart, 9th-level vaultlord
• 10 dwarven lieutenants:
• 4 5th-level vaultguards
• 3 4th-level vaultguards
• 2 3rd-level vaultgaurds
• 2nd-level vaultguard
• 18 fire dwarf infantry
• ~ 90 light-infantry pirate survivors from the defeat of the Charybdis crew in the Saberstrath campaign

Not appearing in this adventure, but potentially available now that everyone is back in the area:

• Saltbeard (Trefor)
• The very young white dragon, Namazu, reporting back on the frost giants
• Sir Rock Boulder Fist, dwarven 5th-level summoner
• Sir Robin

Retiring, unless they somehow resurface:

• Zalgesh
• Jarrus Velt, 5th-level thief
• Thorvald, 6th-level spy (Zac's Mom's PC, not a henchman)
• Togast, 6th-level skinscribe (Juston is happily married)
• Tu'a'than, 5th level spriggan

Casualties

Will's Thrassian, badly drained by a persistent leech

To be continued, treasure/experience when you're finally out...