Dopplegangers, Fire, and a Rescue
Nundro told the tale of how he and Tharden were attacked while waiting for Gundren to return. He seemed shocked at Gundren's fate and suddenly got very weak at the knees.
Please, is there somewhere safe we can rest? I just need to lie down a while.
The party trapsed back to the forge of spells, which Nundro was very interested in, and fortified it again. During second watch, Nundro woke up and asked Kronk for some food. While looking through his bag for some rations, lights out.
The party woke up to the echoes of the twin stone doors slamming shut, Kronk splayed out over his bag, and Nundro nowhere to be seen.
Springing to action, Torrfig brought Kronk back. Kronk feebly alerted the party that Nundro was a dick. Droop and Hada realized quickly that the bastard had barricaded the doors from the outside with the immovable rod.
Going the long way round, Kronk sprinted after Nundro and caught up. Nundro turned and slammed two heavy fists into Kronk's body, lights out, again. A bit dazed this time around, Kronk re-awoke when the party caught up and the chase continued.
Nundro made a beeline for the body of the Mage and took up his staff to cast Web, hindering the party's attempts to follow him. He lost concentration when Hada threw a javelin through the webs and into his body.
Torrfig saw his chance, checked his bootstraps, and lept once, twice, three times mid-air. Hada was splayed out on the ground from jumping down the cliff and looked up to see the magnificent dwarf flying through the air above him. Kronk was hot on Nundro's heels and looked up in time to see Torrfig's warhammer collide with Nundro's head. Torrfig tumbled, Nundro fell, and Nundro wasn't Nundro anymore.
The blueish body of another Doppleganger lay where he fell, dead. A proper head scratcher.
Hurt and angry, the party got what they could off of the corpses of the Doppleganger and the Mage, they also found an ancient dwarf cleric's skeleton crushed under some rubble wearing two particularly nice gauntlets.
Stuu had scouted out a barracks room with defendable doors and the prospect of returning to the Forge of Spells was too much. Barricading the entrances, the party finished their rest.
Refreshed, the party explored the part of the cave they hadn't yet. A dark pool concealed a skeleton clutching a Wand, which was fished out expertly by Kronk.
In the very northwest of the caves, a temple to the Dwarf God Dumathoin was choked with dark webbing. The webs seemed to drink in light and the air in the room was close, stuffy. Rather than explore, the party opted to light them on fire. The webs caught easily, and quick as a flash the fire was spreading out of control.
A table with some loot sat in the middle of the room, Stuu saw the flames getting a little too close to it and acted. Dashing in, he grabbed the leather satchel sitting on the table just as the flames started licking up some sacks and a strongbox. Torrfig followed suit and they managed to rescue all of the loot, mostly unscathed.
After no more than a minute of two all of the temple's walls were blackened, but free of the choking webs. A door was discovered, and the key they found fit nicely.
Opening the door A lone dwarf, emaciated, clothes shredded, was huddled in the corner, rocking gently. He looked up as the door opened and tried to crawl further into the corner.
No no no no PLEASE. I told you everything already. PLEASE JUST LET ME GO. Let me go with my brothers. We won't come back, I PROMISE.
Torrfig ran to his cousin.
No not Torrfig too. PLEASE. I don't know it's you. I can't know it's you. I can't. I can't. ANYTHING I THINK ABOUT YOU KNOW. I can't. I mustn't.
The party tried to reason with him, showed him their red blood, but he didn't, couldn't, wouldn't believe them.
You.. You have to remind me of something! Something only you would know! I can't think about it. I can't I mustn't. If I think about it you'll know. REMIND ME OF SOMETHING. Please, convince me you're real.
Torrfig thought back to his childhood. He started talking about his family, Nundro's family. After a minute of talking, the tears streaming down Nundro's face stopped. He rose from his corner and ran to embrace Torrfig with all the strength his weakened body had.
Torrfig healed as many of the cuts and bruises Nundro's body as he could and Nundro told the story of how the Drow followed them to the cave and ambushed their camp.
They killed Tharden right in front of me! Gundren was out getting your help. Tell me he's ok.
The party relayed their story to him, and their uncertainty of Gundren's fate. The news hit Nundro like a sack of bricks.
I'm the last Rockseer. Why did this go so bad? Can we leave? I need to get away from this place.
Among the things found in the spiderweb room:
- A well padded lockbox that contained only a flask made of cold iron with a brass stopper. The flask has a crack down the middle, almost a laceration.
- The leather satchel contained a single piece of paper, written in a language vaugely elvish in origin. Stuu tried to decode what he could from it:
Letter from the Leather Case: #
Yasquarra ilharess casa Xorlarrin
Lolth rewards ussta dedication ulu nindol thry. Usstan muth folbol dos shlu'ta tlu zhaunus de', nindol zhah tha'tsit. Ol's t'larryo, jhal usstan talinth usstan shlu'ta dajakk ol ka dos ragar wlalth ak'uech buried wun nindol wreck. Qu'ellar Xorlarrin orn khr'uss tlu izil ulu kl'ae nindol artifact whol bwael kl'ae.
gaer phu' deaths a ril intersection nindel hinder ussta advance. Usstan fris mziln reinforcements dal Cragmaw quellarin, jhal usstan guu'lac ussta char'riss orn xund. Ussta agents della uns'aa nindel ussta websites zhahen collapsing. Lil' cha'kohkev Kords abbanid pahntus natha shop wun phandalin xuil lil' xxizz de' blynol adventurers.
Vyerith nindel hasn't yutsu' quin, jhal quarthen uns'aa ulu inbal biu venrin party wun lil' har'ol, vel'bolen udos muth xuil umber hulk wun ol. Uk believes nindel nind h'ros ssuth nindol dro lueth ka nind xun ji, udos orn inbal natha yorn kr'athin whol nind. Uk uriu xunor natha zhennu emp'poss yol usstan fris ukta ulu rhseev natha card dal valuk Grol dal Cragmaw. Nindolen pairs morfeth udossa kla'ath dal phor, udos inbal ulu itami natha kyuvrem program.
ussta zer'tath della uns'aa nindel gaer zhahus mzilt zet ulu explore, jhal lil' elghinyrr zhahen natha nuisance. Dorn post jalbyr update zil ulnin zil usstan ragar wlalth ak'uech.
xal xund sila ib'ahalii ulu Lolth
Nezznar: Renor Orbb, elder dalharuk de' Yasquarra yatharil, Xorlarrin fuma