Journal of Rollo Lavius 3

Entry #549 - Snakes In A Castle

(G549 10/02/2024 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AL) YI17

[Fenrir, Giselle, Corhim and Dak have set off for to find the Fortress of the Yaun-ti. They are currently causing trouble in a tavern in Pedestal, a city in the Underdark.]

DAY 620 (13th Uktar) (November) cont ...

The lich that sat alone at the bar had warned them not to burn his "local" down, but they still wanted to do over the place as part of the deal they had done with Es Sarch.

To begin with Dak ransacked the till and gave out the money (about 70 gold) to the servants with an additional 50 gold each from his own pocket. The servants then scampered off.

Fenrir's vision was coming back so they headed into the sleeping and storage areas of the inn that lay further back from the tavern area.

There were all sorts of beings back here, looking out of their doors or hovering around in the corridors, wondering what all the commotion had been in the tavern.

There were orcs, kobolds, ogres and other odd looking humanoids, but not the "armed and dangerous" types, more like traders, crafters and the like.

Dak shouted for their attention then cried in Orcish, 'there has been a kerfuffle!'

When he got a bunch of baffled looks he tried again in Common.

Some understood that, and Fenrir could hear them talking in Underdark with his magical ability to understand any language. Some of the people began to leave, but most did not.

Dak tried to get them moving but was not successful. Fenrir tried too;

'There has been a kerfuffle! Please evacuate the building!'

The inn patrons either did not understand or decided not to move. Dak went and got the skull from the tavern and then threw in on the floor. Even then they didn't move so Fenrir walked past them all to the rear of the inn where some large barrels were stored. He blasted at them with a fire-enriched eldritch blast.

The barrels all exploded in a massive fireball, shaking the inn to its foundations and knocking people off their feet. Fenrir was pushed back by the blast and Giselle was struck on the head by a falling beam. Everyone was very anxious to leave the tavern after that!

As smoke billowed all around them they left through the door they had come in. The lich was putting bottles into his bag at the bar and swore at them colourfully as they left.

They went back to the Dripstone Inn and lay low for a while, taking a rest in one of the better rooms.

Es Sarch seemed happy enough with his rival tavern, the Friendly Fish, being blown to bits, but was just as happy to get rid of them as soon as possible.

'I'll get a guide for you tonight,' he said in his whispery voice. 'Then you can go first thing in the morning.'

DAY 621 (14th Uktar) (November)

As promised a sullen servant of Sarch took them through some secret tunnels under the magical barrier and into the Necromancer's Spike area.

The wee kobold then scarpered back home.

The Spike was deserted, and after carefully heading up through its chambers they found what they were looking for. A "snake gate", a type of portal created by the yuan-ti. These are usually temporary, but not always.

They entered the portal one after the other, and each in turn discovered that the portal was one-way and that there was no way back to the Spike from where they had arrived.