🧟60. plants n' zombies

session 60 • february 05 2022 • 1,251 words

🌞 DAY 16 • 📅 MARPENOTH 5

The Plants

As dawn breaks, Soren stops playing and wakes the rest of the group. He goes foraging with Will and Hugh while Sildar watches Nezznar. We have a simple breakfast of foraged mushrooms;

Nezznar expresses disgust at the mushrooms, and he is not offered any food. How tf did this motherfucker survive the Underdark.

We set off for Old Owl Well, where we know that excavators working on Netherese ruins have been chased away by an influx of undead.

Myco briefly stirs and is a grumpy baby because we are not headed towards the wedding. Hugh coerces Droop into "training", i.e. running alongside the cart. We try to convince Myco to stop eating Hugh's brain and instead try some deer; it says it is stuck in Hugh for now but one day it hopes to try deer.

We find a doe and her baby while hunting; Myco immediately wants to kill them, but Hugh tries to teach it that we should let babies and their mothers be, so that they can grow and repopulate that forest. Myco is thoroughly nonplussed about the nuances of eco-biology and grumbles about not massacring the deer.

Will and Soren sort through their foraged plants. Will works on a potion of force vulnerability whilst letting his grass carpet soak up some sunlight. Nezznar, the bitch, idly comments that it's good Will has such a portable item--so that he can pack it up and run, referencing last night's private conversation about Will being a coward and leaving his village to die to the drow.

Soren picks up on the tension and inquires about it, but Nezznar pretends to just be interested in the magic item, and Will does not elaborate.

The Zombies

We arrive at Old Owl Well. Will casts Pass Without Trace and we manage to sneak up to what appears to be a makeshift campsite. We notice some undead patrolling the outside of the camp, and Hugh encourages Will to shoot a zombie, which Will does--grieveously injuring it.

As the other undead begin to stir, a human hurries out of a tent and expresses concern over the zombie, whom he calls "Morb", before furiously calling for the culprit to step up. Will reluctantly does so, and lies, saying he was hunting in the vicinity. The human, who introduces himself as Kost and has a necromantic symbol tattooed on his forehead, is angry but sends Will on his way.

After some group discussion, Soren, Hugh and Will approaches the tent and tries to reason with Kost, whom we learn is a necromancer from Thay looking to study and collect Netherese artifacts. He chased the other excavators away because he didn't want to share in his findings.

Soren, seeing his passion for his field of study, reasons that the stories found through the study of history and culture should be shared, not hidden away, and manages to convince Kost to let the excavators back into the dig, as long as he gets first pick of the artifacts. Kost also complains about orcs in the area, and we agree to get rid of them for him in exchange for 20gp even though we already decimated most of them in the raid on Phandalin lmao.

Hugh notices that Kost has a nice ring, and pretends that Myco wants it, lowkey threatening (?) Kost with the "demon in his brain". Kost proves unwilling to part with the ring, and we depart. Myco is offended that Hugh is using it to barter. Myco continues on its tirade about going to the wedding, and reveals that it doesn't really know if it's a demon or not.

The Orcs

Teaching Lights

We decide to go to Wyvern Tor, where there were rumors of orc warband sightings, just to make sure there weren't any orcs left. Along the way, Soren teaches Sildar dancing lights; Nezznar is furious that Soren is teaching a hUmAn drow magic.

Sardonically, Soren asks Nezznar for tips on teaching magic as Nezznar used to teach at Sorcere; Nezznar tells Soren to "look at your hand, then shove it up your ass". Damn nezz

Wyvern Tor

We scout along the area until we find a cave; despite our Best Attempts at stealth, the orcs hear us coming and launch a surprise attack on us as we enter. Though it's a Spicy Fight because we end up in a chokehold at the cave entrance, we manage to decimate the orcs. Hugh uses his new greataxe, which proves effective in combat.

We explore the rest of the cave, which is filled with stinky orc stuff and corpses :( It looks like they were worshipping some kind of bestial being. We also find various crates and loot from, presumably, raids on caravans on the High Road.

🌙 NIGHT 15 • 📅 MARPENOTH 5

Night Watch

We settle on a nearby cliffside and set up camp before divvying up our loot, then preparing to take watch.

Will

During Will's watch, Nezznar continues to try and instigate him--taunting that he is a coward and that surfacers are disgusting and weak. Will is, understandably, upset but takes it relatively in stride. He advises that Nezznar enjoy what little time he has left, and points out that the stars are spectacular that night.

Nezznar sneers at the idea that the surface is "beautiful", mentioning that he'll one day take Will to see the "stars in the Underdark"--referencing the "star cave" of bioluminescent fungi that Soren used to bring sacrifices to under Nezznar's orders. Will is confusion.

Soren & Sildar

As always, Soren allows Nezznar three hours of sleep -- not enough for his body to heal, but some rest nonetheless.

Then Soren, in an act of equal rebellion and passion, waits till Nezznar falls asleep, brings Sildar behind a tree and re-enacts session 12. :) After the deed, Soren lays in Sildo's lap and enjoys some peace and quiet.

Soren

After Sildar goes to sleep, Soren eventually has to wake Nezznar. Nezznar is once again a grumpy boye. Soren cites that Nezznar once kept Soren up for several days as well, though Nezznar accurately argues that it's never been as long (Nezznar has been up for five consecutive nights). Soren is firm about not allowing Nezznar to sleep.

The conversation turns to the topic of Will; Nezznar scoffs at how weak Will is, Soren notes that for Will to be able to try to show Soren kindness and Nezznar the beauty of the surface (even after the trauma that Will has endured at the hands of drow), Will might be stronger than both of them combined. Nezznar stoutly disagrees.

Nezznar once again asserts that he'll escape sooner or later. Soren, morbidly curious, wonders what Nezznar's plans would be, if he does escape--Soren notes that Will and Hugh are both showing Nezznar mercy, and, against all odds, wonders if Nezznar would spare them. When Nezznar laughs at the idea, Soren asks Nezznar to spare him the details, but, naturally, Nezznar keeps going.

Nezznar explains that he would kill Will and Hugh immediately, return to Menzoberranzan and install Zaara (assuming she is still alive) as the head of a rebuilt House Xorlarrin after "stripping her of all free will". Soren gets angry on Zaara's behalf, but Nezznar continues that he would keep Soren and Sildar alive, and "break them both" until they were the perfect slaves.

Soren is horrified, and remarks on his own stupidity in thinking that there was even an ounce of goodness in his former master.