🌄49. wave echo cave

session 49 • november 06 2022 • 710 words

🌞 DAY 12 • 📅 MARPENOTH 2

Bugbear Break-In

As always, however, the happiness is shattered; in the morning, Soren is woken by frantic knocking from Toblen: Pip has disappeared from his bedroom, and there's a sign of a break-in. Soren, realizing that Nezznar may have taken precautions due to Soren's "incompetence" in getting caught, asks Toblen to inform the villagers to arm themselves.

Investigation of Pip's room shows a window shattered from the outside. Will casts Speak with Animals to talk to a shaken Glitter, who says a big hairy creature came and took Droop and Pip after exclaiming: "You fucking mutt, there you are. We thought you'd died with the others but you fucking betrayed us, didn't you? Don't worry, we'll have fun with you yet."

Will sprouts a fucking beard from the Belt of Dwarvenkind.

We fetch the cart and set off towards Wave Echo Cave to rescue Pip and Droop.

Edgy Drow Hours

Soren is a sad, sullen little sack of edginess on the way to the cave.

He briefly discusses strategy: we all agree to prioritize saving the children over killing Nezznar. Soren instructs the party to kill him if his affront against his fellow drow gets him turned into a drider.

He then asks the party to give him an hour alone with Nezznar; Will asks if Soren plans on turning to torture, which Soren implicitly confirms. The party try to dissuade him from this, but Soren is adamant that it will help him feel better. "Friend" and "you'll be just as bad as him" cards are pulled.

Soren claims that the party is just angry that he's now gaining some power and control over his life; that they want him leashed just as much as Nezznar does, so that he can keep supporting them in battle. Hugh claims that if Soren's use of power is to torture, then it's best that he remains powerless. Furious, Soren tells Hugh "fuck you".

Soren retreats into the tent to process the rest of the potions, until an exasperated Sildar reminds the group that this might be our last day alive together, and are we really going to spend it mad at each other? Soren sheepishly crawls out of the tent and sadly lays down next to Sildar.

The Cave, At Last!

We find Wave Echo Cave, and it looks like it's recently been excavated. We make our way into a small ravine and Soren uses Locate Object to detect the direction of Droop's items. A giant rat is sent into a mineshaft to scout; it's eaten by a giant ooze, which we then fight. Another encounter with an ooze hurts Soren, but the group overall makes it through quite alright.

We find some items in a pool of water!

Eventually, we find a bugbear guarding a door, and try to launch a suprise attack on it until Will, BLESS HIS HEART, opens the door to alert the rest of the bugbears. We see Droop cowering in the midst of the bugbears after being abused and humiliated, and Soren loses his mind just a little bit. He repelling blasts one of the bugbears through the opposite door, where it is promptly eaten by an ogre zombie.

Hugh's rage grants him the ability to teleport, which he uses liberally to rescue Droop and attack the bugbears. The group outputs steady damage and eventually whittle the bugbear forces down.

From the Northern passages, another bugbear comes to check, and he seems thoroughly unsurprised by the party's presence, citing instructions from Nezznar to escort Soren to his room + keep the "black haired human" alive. Soren talks his way out of getting attacked until he Viciously Mocks the bugbear, at which point they consider him a traitor to the Spider and destroy his twink ass until Hugh steps in with his teleportation.

DROOP BELOVED

We fuss over Droop and give him health potions and animals. Soren questions him and learns that Nezznar indeed has Pip in his room as hostage. We send Droop out to chill with the Rothe, with instructions to indirectly tell Garaele of our deaths should we not emerge within 24 hours.

We take a brief break before finally walking through the door to confront Nezznar Xorlarrin.