Undermountain Session 2 - Quest for the School Store

Dagda

Apr 24, 2024 • 10 min read

Bethesda February. The Delvers wiped the Middle Earth gore from their armor and carefully made their way north down the dark tunnel, pausing at the DMs repeated references to drums in the dark and open musings on the mysterious ring they found. They arrived at a turn with an acid-scarred skeleton pointing down the western tunnel. Esvele and Malsanos made haste while Ysara decided to keep her noisy armor to herself and snapped into a Slim Jim while she waited.

The western tunnel soon opened to a narrow landing on the shore of the same river that had brought them into these depths, with a nondescript rowboat with a blanket tethered to the shore. Esvele, slowly overcoming her shock at the recent carnage, stepped into the boat to peek under the blanket only to learn it was actually a tongue.

The river mimic quickly held her fast and started moving into the current while Malsanos unleashed a barrage from Bad News. This was effective but bloodied Esvele as well, who bravely decided to fight instead of break free. Her shrieks also heralded the arrival of a large cave bear. Sumfun was ready to dogpaddle to the rescue and took a hefty bite out of the side of the boat, which now also held him fast as the water started seeping in and sinking the trio. Esvele fought free, the mimic died after a few more wounds, and the party gave a collective high five as Ysara arrived loudly but sexy like.

The party backtracked and took the north passage which continued to wind down in the dark ending in a gargantuan hole easily 30 feet across. A chimney of sorts. The party found signs in the earth of past monster travels and deep below sounds of scraping, clawing, inhuman shrieks could be hear in the distance. A torch was dropped and fell from sight. The party (wisely?) decided not to attempt a descent.

Returning to the tunnel mouth and crossing the bridge, the party returned to the jade temple and informed the dragon Tearulai that the tunnel was clear and a large hole did in fact exist to speed his exit. While he was dubios, the promise of dead wyrmlings in the tunnel sparked his interest and he took flight, leaving the Delvers to trespass into the temple loft.

A well-organized treasure was found neatly piled in the center of the dusty room, directly below a large hole in the ceiling. Most of the party took the coin (2,400 gp) leaving the 6,000 sp and 15,000 because no one has huge pockets). They also nabbed a 500 gp black pearl with a minor magical property (it glows faintly when undead are within 120 feet of it), a ring of animal influence, a scroll of summon greater demon, and a journal written with text they couldn’t understand (but would recognize symbols if they saw them again). Esvele investigated to conclude the coded journal was written in a transposition cipher that needs some outside input with the only clue being the series of symbols used on the books binding.

Finding faint human tracks in the dusty floor, the party found a secret door in the corner of the room gained entrance to a small pristine closet chamber with an immaculate floor and a large stone arch which somewhere another party recognized as a gate portal. The Delvers, thrilled with their new discovery, entered to investigate but the floor was trapped with a glyph and soon a toxic cloud was spreading into the room. At this time, the party also heard great wings above and a sonorous challenge. “Who is at my treasure? Is it you, little wyrmlings?” An unhappy green dragon head poked through the hole in the main chamber and a deceitful diplomatic joust began. Combat was only avoided as the Ysara honestly claimed she didn’t take any treasure. Esvele somewhat less successfully tried to persuade Terulai that nefarious dwarves had stolen away into the forest.

With a temporary reprieve and the need to flee the cloudkill spell, the party quickly fled the temple, found the tunnel exit opened by Wyllow, and accessed a glowing run which spoke to their minds. She did not seem to like Sumfun. “Strange. She did not bring you. Strange… you may be enough…” Before the voice faded, the party asked who she was and she simply said “…the mountain…I am one of his. Held prisoner for so long. I will help you….” Then faded away like Yogurt and the schwarz. They took the leap of faith across a river and began a descent towards a swampy cavern and ultimately hoped to find some arcane academy rumored to be deeper in the mountain.

At the same time the Delvers were making friends with druids, the fickly railroading fingers of fate found the Spear of Phandelin (META: group decided this placeholder name was fine until you come up with something else) left the bullywog swamp and descended into an ancient hallway with a set of double doors and **gasp** another glowing rune. “You persist. But you are followed. It must be you. You know what you must do.” Zanalor wasn’t entirely sure on that so she persisted, entreating the Spear to stop Halaster before he ends everything. Zanalor, who interacted with the rune, received a random roll table boon which ultimately didn’t do anything (You recover all expended spell slots 6th level and lower. If you have no spell slots to recover, a magical shield surrounds you for one hour instead. This shield grants you resistance to all damage and can't be dispelled, though contact with an anitmagic field destroys it.)

Through those doors, a trapped hall appeared with bright mosaics of magic battles and statues of eighteen wizards of all different magic schools on both sides. The party took playful hops, finding and disarming traps but did not avoid the attention of a man’s left arm floating near the end of the hall and a larger set of double doors. A battle ensued and Pessius quickly learned that the arm was casting powerful spells including Time Stop and perhaps other deadly efforts, but she cast a globe of invulnerability which most of the party except the most plucky used. It was soon clear that one floating limb was outmatched and as it dissipated the double doors opened admitting a tall man in flowing robes. “Yes, yes, enough with Manshoon…” a name that means a lot to the party exploring somewhere overhead. He introduces himself as the headmaster and explained that “the fabled Dweomercore” provides the best instruction of the arcane arts unhampered by the ineptitudes above. Those not gifted might win passage by helping with “an overdue sanitary service.” The party didn’t ask for clarity so none was given. Zanalor surprised him with a short demonstration and soon he and Pessius were bamfed away leaving Nuitt and Peter to take themselves through the doors to the main central square.

Zanalor and Pessius appeared in a small meeting room and were immediately left alone as well, with the headmaster simply saying they would need to complete testing. Exploring their immediate environs, they avoided a demolished classroom with rather ominous rumblings within, noting two sets of stairs down and also passing but not exploring a dining hall with an ornate tapestry at one end. They were interested in sounds to the south of a pitched battle, and through a couple doors found a Tiefling fighting three wizard like constructs and not doing well. As they arrived, she surrendered to the wizards and they retreated to alcoves in this spellcasting chamber. They learned she was named Turbulence and asked if they would help she and her sister Violence escape the school by creating a distraction. In return she would help them with whatever she knows. She tells them Violence is most likely with the headmaster Halaster in his office and nods to the north (where they had come from).

At the same time, Peter and Nuitt explored the central square. A visitor registration desk with names crossed out and happy skulls next to each. A central fountain. A reading niche with a Rashemi man reading (about Ahghairon, the archwizard who founded Waterdeep) guarded by a hulking half-ogre woman. Nuitt found a creepy portrait gallery showing past graduating classes with one picture notable as Halaster appears in all portraits except a central one. A room with some kind of aracane college radio station helmed by a lithesome Yuan-Ti (Belouisss Ssssome) with a “shitty bard” paper taped to her back who promptly announced the arrival of “new party favors” to the academy and begins to play “Lady in Red” while drawing sad hearts on her paper.

Peter meanwhile found another alcove in the square that had a student registry below the bust of a feral jackal like creature. The book is open to a page for the current year 1492 and all names have an icon like a demon or devil next to them as well as one indicating a school of magic. The top names seem to be in heavier red lettering. The last three names have been struck through.

Gemma Shadowdusk (demon evocation)
Elan Tanor’thal (demon conjuration)
Nylas Jowd (demon necromancy)
Spite Harrowdale (devil illusion)
Cephalossk (devil transmutation)
Turbulence (devil evocation)
Violence (devil evocation)
Belois Some (demon enchantment)
Pessius Arineria (devil divination)
Zanalor Liadon (demon illusion)
~~Yazul Ko (devil conjuration)~~
~~Dorothea Baum (devil illusion)~~
~~Terenzio Cassalanter (devil enchantment)~~

When Nuitt joined him, Peter pointed out the room with the curious cabinet nearby and when the party was fully joined again through the doors connecting the central square to the spellcasting chamber to the west, the Spear took turns at the cabinet mastering “Thay You Will”. The cabinet’s illusion had them control a red wizard fighting symbols for Harpers, Witches, and eventually large boss battles against the Seven Sisters themselves. Victors received a handful of tickets featuring a cheering Halaster on one side an a lich Ssass Tam on the other.

The party decided to check the Library, where an ill-conceived (DM) event unfolded. Huge bookshelves promising a treasure of lore beyond even that of Candlekeep. Desks with small floating luminous orbs and curious display cases that the party did not find curious enough but held wands from wizards with small placards denoting their provenance. Some famous names like Silverhand, Soulmore. Other odd names like Spengler and Stanz. Oh well. Ghostbusters library battle ensued without getting the wands to cross the streams. The librarian was pretty sweet though. The ghost had a power to make characters sleepy (Nuitt), horny (Pessius), confused (Peter), or Berserk (Zanalor) but as it played out wasn’t able to do much as the party kept her at bay but did little damage. A slow slog. Sorry.

While untold answers wait to be found in the great library, the party was really feeling school spirit and hell-bent on finding a school store, asking at the odd music desk of a young elf (with a sign “same shitty bard” taped to its back) and getting directions to the west. Passing the same spellcasting chamber and there pausing only to note a gore-soaked rabbit laying on a top hat and slowly gnawing on the intestines of “the amazing Kressangel.” Passing the unexplored dining hall and other rooms to descend the stairs in the north and entering what seems to be a floor with classrooms and dorms. One door had a doorframe carved with arcane sigils showing schools of magic and another a lecture hall, but excitement for the ultimately underwhelming school store was high so they pressed ahead.

One room, when opened, briefly paused the persistent pursuit of the school store. Opening the door, all saw a dorm room clearly belonging to a woman, with silk bedsheets, soft furs from exotic beasts, fresh fruit, a censer next to a cushioned wicker chait etc etc. However, it was the dresser that caught Pessius, who felt the strong pull of divination and déjà vu, recalling “the small vase on your bedstand to check yourself in the mirror, a stranger staring back with bright red hair and beautiful grey eyes. You straighten your purple wizards robe and run to open the door to you chamber, whispering "Acamar..” A short search of the desk reveals a diary which is not a school store so was pocketed unread. This chronicler expects someone at some point will read it so below are salient point.

The diary belongs to a Gemma Shadowdusk. The book affords a rare glimpse into the insane mind of a Shadowdusk family member. In addition to expressing contempt for her peers in Dweomercore, Gemma rails against the constraints placed on her by the headmaster. She contemptuously chronicles her fellow students, mentioning efforts to end them. She believes this is the actual “test” the headmaster expects, subduing other students. Last year she sent Dorothea to the Apprentice knowing he would find some unsavory use for her. She made a pact with the twins to feed another peer "to the kettle". She also speaks of an imaginary lover named Acamar, who comes from the void beyond the sky, and talks about visits to the Far Realm in her dreams. Acamar has been counseling her on how to advance but increasingly adamant that she stop Yazol in his efforts to summon devils.

The dresser contained ten sets of fine clothes and a set of traveler’s clothes and a small chest lay at the base. This is also not a school store unless, like Narnia, it lay beyond the wardrobe. So the Spear left and ultimately found reached their destination. Huzzah.

Up a small set of stairs from the dorms and classrooms, the small round arcane shop was quiet with a number of wares on tidy shelves – many seeming made by students in the course of their studies – and staffed by an apathetic Aarakoa named Schuster.

· Armor of Fungal Spores - Magic Items - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com) (Chain Shirt) UC

· Astral Shard - Magic Items - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com) 3500g

· Lantern of Revealing - Magic Items - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com) 450g

· Philter of Love - Magic Items - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com) 250g

· Pixie Dust - Magic Items - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com) 370g

· Potion of Diminution - Magic Items - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com)

· Psi Crystal - Magic Items - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com)

· Restorative Ointment - Magic Items - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com) 4 charges 400g

· Scroll of Protection - Magic Items - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com) fiends fey or undead 3500g

· Smokepowder - Magic Items - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com) 200g

· Spell Scroll - Magic Items - D&D Beyond (dndbeyond.com)