Enola Yarn – blogpost 34

During our short rest in the tiny hut and the investigation of the horn, Valentine goes around with a book. She wants us to write our names in there. I don’t see what the harm is, so I write my name. Zeph doesn’t want to, because of the situation at the Skullport battle he has not forgiven her for. He just doesn’t trust it, and neither does Farryn. I am disappointed in the party: why aren’t they trusting Valentine? She has proven she is party-material and has rescued our lives multiple times. Grond growls and presses its blood-covered paw onto the page, signing it. We decide that we’ll bring the horn we obtained to Tas when we’re going to Skullport again.

After the short rest, we start investigating the Minotaur bodies. The pile of bodies is SO large, that Zeph can fish in it, and I use a mage hand to help him. Of course, Farryn thinks it is taking too long and just jumps into the pile. He finds a magic glove, a spider silk pouch containing 50 gold pieces, two obsidian scarabs engraved with the insignia of House Freth, and a jeweled anklet. Zeph and Valentine clean Farryn off when he is finished. He stinks like rotten flesh, blood, and wet fur from the Minotaurs. The glove is actually one glove of Missile Snaring, but we have only one, so it is unusable – for now.

Done with the bodies, we investigate the area for passages. I use the wand of secrets on a piece of the wall and try to find a door there. When I call Zeph, he immediately sees the door and opens it. In the secret room, we find a lot of chests and creates. In the back of the room, we see a big arch. Zeph flies towards it, but we stay behind to find loot. After a couple of minutes, we find the second glove of Missile Snaring, a set of weaver’s tools, shortswords, crossbows, mushroom flour, a spider silk satchel with rations, a silver holy Lolth symbol, and money (200 gold pieces, and 1700 silver pieces).

“Oh, look at this!” Zeph touches the arch and it starts bleeding for some reason. Thick red blood droops from the pillars. When Zeph flies away, the arch stops bleeding. We all approach and see a big X on the inner ceiling of the arch – there is where the blood comes from. Zeph again touches it, and starts screaming: “NOO HELP GUYS, I’M CAPTURED!!” We’re all alert in an instant. Valentine produces a mage hand to drag him out of the portal. When Zeph is near us, and away from the X, he says: “Oh guys, I almost got sucked in by the portal!”l

“And my mage hand made the difference?” asks Valentine sarcastically. She and I know that a mage hand cannot drag that much weight and that Zeph was probably faking it. 

“Maybe, Zeph, you should put your own blood on it,” says Farryn. 

Zeph gets his little dagger from his belt and cuts his finger. He smears a little drop of blood on the X in the arch, but nothing happens. We also try to place a dead Minotaur below the X to see whether that does something, but alas. To find out what is needed to activate the portal, Valentine touches the arch (“ew, ew, ewwww”) for a full minute. I can now see that the blood, gushing from the X, is pulsating from it, like a heartbeat. After a minute, Valentine knows it is a portal, and it’ll open when we draw a cross over our bodies with the blood. Zeph immediately takes action and draws an X on his forehead. The blood starts running faster and thinner: the arch is turning into a waterfall of blood, and then turns transparent. We can go through, back to level eight as Valentine told us. “Oh no! Don’t go through! It goes to level 19, NOT 8!” Valentine shouts. In front of us, we see a little canal filled with a black substance. Valentine commands a mage hand to go through the portal and touch the black liquid. When it approaches, a black tentacle grabs the spectral hand and makes it disappear. “This must be a black pudding…” mumbles Valentine. We decide to leave the portal for what it is. We don’t want to go to level 19 right now, that is FAR too dangerous.

I check for some more secrets in the room we were in before we found the weird portal but don’t find anything. We walk up north to scout but are delayed by some spider webs. Zeph burns holes in the webs so we can get through. However, when we step out of the webs, we find ourselves in a giant cave and hear a loud, high-pitched screech from the ceiling. Something flies over us, towards a higher point. I cannot see what it is, but it doesn’t sound good at all. We approach a tower with slits in the walls, and we show the symbol of House Freth. However, something or someone shoots an arrow and it hits Valentine, knocking her out. “NO!!” I shout. “Please don’t shoot, we’re from House Freth!”

Zoof. Another arrow, hitting Farryn this time. Then, I have to watch how a Vrock flies towards us, picks up Valentine, and flies off. When I know what is happening, I shoot a fireball at the Vrock, so powerful that flames are lit all around me – from my skin, but also from my feet to the ground. Unfortunately, the Vrock doesn’t let Valentine go and puts her on top of the tower we’re looking at. I cannot see her anymore, but hear her voice shouting “EEEEEK!” as the Vrock tries to eat her.

Suddenly, she’s standing behind me – she used dimension door to get to safety. I walk closer to the tower, avoiding all the arrows, and see the tower is placed at a lower ground than I thought. I cast earth tremor to get it to collapse. Unfortunately, that doesn’t do everything I wanted to, but I created a crack in the wall, making it possible to get in. I am alone because I slid down due to the spell. I have to get into the tower because I am shot at again. I see two Vrocks fly over and hear their screeches – it is unbearable. I really hope everyone is okay…

Tripping over all the rubble, I get into the building. However, a Drow caught me and came downstairs with a couple of his friends. The party is still not down here, and I don’t know why. I have to fend for myself right now, and cast fireball to get rid of the Drow. To make sure all enemies are dead here, I walk to the next floor, open the trapdoor upstairs, throw another fireball and burn everything and everyone on the first floor. I look outside and see my friends on one side and an empty courtyard on the other. Then, I hear a horrifying scream. Zeph is being abducted by a Vrock!

I try to attack it with spells, but also don’t want to hit Zeph. I hit the Vrock with a chromatic orb, but it doesn’t kill it. I am starting to panic now. I cannot do anything from here. As I’m trying to think of a plan to get to Zeph – who is up on a ledge with the Vrock – something horrible happens. I have to keep quiet while I have to watch the Vrock pull an arm off Zeph and eat it. Zeph must be in horrible pain, or already dead. I have to put a hand over my mouth to prevent myself from shouting in horror and pain. Crying like a maniac, I turn around towards some noise from the courtyard. Some enemies approach, spotting me in the tower.

Like in a dream, I stop crying and walk towards the center of the courtyard. I feel some kind of serene power come from within, making everything seem like a blur. I cannot do anything for Zeph anymore, and I feel devastated. However, I need to rescue Farryn and Valentine – THAT is my goal right now, whatever happens. In the middle of the courtyard, seeing more than twenty Drow approach me, I cast wall for force around myself, placing myself as a target. I cast thaumaturgy to intimidate the Drow, and to let Farryn and Valentine know I’m still alive. The Drow are intimidated and stumble back. A Vrock tries to attack me, but cannot get to me because of my protection. Farryn shows himself, making me feel relieved for a moment and come to my senses. I see someone approaching from the back of the courtyard. It is a Drow and seems important. I reckon it is one of the leaders of House Freth. Then, in an epiphany, I use the rod of rulership. I command the Drow not to attack my party and kill the Vrocks.

All twenty-five Drow stop what they’re doing, and look at me. I have them under my control.