F-413

Therendor 3rd, Zol, 998 Y.K.

Into the Sewers

1.30 a.m.

Fezzal Informs the group of several facts that Martell did not.

1. He saw that it was shipped into the Sewers by goblinoids, he believes they are of the Skullgnawer tribe.
2. The people who now have the consignment are likely to be Khyber Cultists.
3. He feels that whatever is in the consignment it is particularly important. Leading him to believe that there is a greater power behind this group of dumb goblinoids.
4. He is sure glad his contract with Martell is over, too many late night calls…
5. It came in on the Silverwind which sailed from Vralkek in Droaam.

He leads you out of the taverns side entrance into a narrow alley and heads east into Precarious District. After a few twists and turns he heads down a darkened passageway and hoists up a storm drain cover.“Once we’re down there we’d all better pray it don’t rain or we’ll end up in the bay somewhere.” With a loud laugh, he looks at the groups faces, "only messin' with yer...."

He climbs down and beckons for you all to follow. He leads you on a winding trail through the sewers, going down several levels, the path back is practically impossible to remember. After an hour or so he stops.

“I will wait for you here to guide your return. If there is no sign of you by daybreak I will leave you assuming the worst. That gives you around 3 hours, head along this tunnel and take the first right and just keep going, good luck.”

The group followed the tunnel as instructed, travelling several hundred yards before coming across any sign of habitation. It was Ajax who found the trip wire and Anvil who triggered the alarm whilst trying to disarm it..... Whatever element of surprise they should have had was gone.

Some 2o feet up the narrow tunnel 2 hobgoblin guards were alerted and sprang into action before being swiftly despatched.

Guard Post

Debris has fallen from the tunnel’s sides as the structure has cracked, the way forward seems blocked at first but as you get closer there seems to be a path.
Passing through the debris you can see a large wooden door ahead bearing a crudely painted image, it appears to be a skull lying on it’s side with a bite taken from it – the symbol of the Skullgnawer tribe.

Ahead the locked door's lock was too complex for Anvil to deal with, at least with any kind of finesse, so he resorted to the warforged way of opening locked doors.

The Tunnel drops off to either side here, the smell of sewage is particularly pungent. Below a gushing river of effluence is carried toward the sea. The slight sound of whirring emanates from an extraction vent in the ceiling. Ahead steps lead up several feet to the left and periodically a flash followed by a sharp crack emanates from the recess at the top.

As the door splintered off its hinges with the force of the blow, the cracks and sparks of light could be detected ahead. Also the tunnel appeared to be blocked off by a heavy steel bulkhead.

Bulkhead

This heavy steel door seems to be some kind of bulkhead that has seized into place. Originally designed to roll aside, the edges have rusted into it’s runners. As a precaution it has also been barricaded from the other side, it cannot be opened by normal means.

Vermin Deterrant

At the top of the steps is a room that is basically a huge alcove. It seems to have been initially designed to keep unwanted guests from entering the complex beyond, today its purpose remains unchanged, only the unwanted guests are no longer the vermin or strange monsters that dwell in the sewers.
The first thing You notice about this room are the 4 contraptions down each side, a hemisphere of brightly polished metal on a thick shaft that appears to be coiled with copper. A spike protrudes from the centre of the hemisphere and the shaft is connected to a rune marked metal case that is set into the wall. On further investigation the floor seems to be made of sheets of steel that have obviously been regularly cleaned.As you watch one of the devices shoots a small bolt of lightning into the floor with a flash and a sharp crack. 20 feet across the other side of the room is a door, there is a semicircle cut out of the metal floor in front of the door so the floor there is stone.

This room was the first real problem for the group to come up against. The floor sent electricity through anything that it came into contact with, they (in rather macabre taste) threw one of the hobgoblin corpses onto the floor to see what would happen, and watched with concern as it cooked. Their eventual plan was simple, throw the broken door to cover the first 5 feet or so, and rubble to cover the next 5 feet. Although something in the rubble was conductive they were given enough cover for Ajax to leap across to the safety of the ground surrounding the door.

As he opened the door he was instantly assaulted by another hobgoblin, which was despatched in short order.

Generator

This room has an elaborate “pedestal” in the centre. Upon the “pedestal” is a glass dome which houses a metal rod that is inserted into the “pedestal”, electricity dances over the surface of the rod. A slot similar to a keyhole sits next to the dome.

Once Anvil was in this room he disabled the electrical floor and the others could cross in safety. One by one the rest of the group headed into the small room. Goblinoid voices could be heard ahead, and peering into the dark corridor they could see the small disfigured shape of a Dolgrim ahead. There was a corridor running off this one to the right and a set of stairs straight ahead that led to another door.

They headed down the corridor, eventually defeating the two guards, as they did so the door at the top of the stairs slowly began to open.

Anvil headed up the stairs slamming the door open to be faced with 6 hobgoblins and 4 more Dolgrim, a longer battle ensued but the group were eventually victorious. They appeared to be in some sort of sleeping quarters with two doors exiting the room. Both led into small utility rooms with no other exits.

Armoury
This is a poorly equipped armoury, several cheap or damaged pieces of armour and weapons lie scattered about the room in no particular order.

Store

Dried foodstuffs, old and decaying meats (some of which are of particularly dubious origin), sacks of dried fish and a few jars of pickles are scattered about the sparse shelving in this room.

As the room is being searched Anvil locates a secret door in one wall which he follows down a short tunnel to a strange looking shrine.

The Shrine to the Dragon Below

Six crudely carved pillars support the ceiling; they seem to be trying to emulate some kind of viscid, organic sinew, but the craftsmanship is poor. At the far side of the room flanked by curtains is a blasphemous altar, etchings of the symbol of the Dragon below adorn the altar upon which stands three gold candle-stick holders. The curtains have a crudely painted symbol upon them, probably painted in blood. The symbol appears to be some kind of star.

Within the room Anvil could see 2 hobgoblins worshipping at the altar and a strange looking priest flanked by a pair of eqaully strange cohorts, he is spotted as he closes the door.

Meanwhile.....

Lorric and Kapek decide that with the threat ahead they should keep an eye at the back of the group and so head to the corridor they passed. They take a hobgoblin rogue, that is trying to out flank them, unawares and remove him. The door ahead is just ajar and Kapek can make out another hobgoblin hiding in the shadows beyond. He is quickly killed by Lorric.

The room they are in seems to be some kind of makeshift brewery.

Brewery

This room has a strong smell of yeast and a close humidity. A network of pipes fills half the room, most are warm or hot to the touch. Among the pipes are barrels of fermenting liquids, it is unclear what the liquor is made of, but it is strong. Two doors leave this room to the south.

Anvil has the idea of turning one of these barrels of liquor into a rolloing bomb, so he rigs up a makeshift fuse, checks the flamability of the contents and rolls the barrel into the shrine. A good plan......

As the door is opened it becomes clear that the opponents inside have cast an obscuring mist spell and the shrine is all but invisible, also as the door is opened one of the adepts tries to drop a sleep spell on the party, but all make their saves.

Unbeknown to the group a simple create water spell dowses the fuse on the barrel.

Lorric drops a handful of caltrops to cover their rear and the group move into the thick mist of the shrine, leaving Katerina and Kapek to watch the rear, and wisely so. The two Dolgaunt cohorts of the priest had left the shrine through a side entrance and were seeking to surprise the groups rear, but they failed, although they did concern Kapek and Katerina by their very visage.

One by one the Khyber cultists are defeated and the group continue thier exploration of the complex.

They travel through the side door to the shrine, carefully deactivating a trap on the way and find their way to the Priest's quarters.

High Priest's Quarters

This room is filled with items of comfort and relative opulence. Fur rugs are adorned with feather pillows, a small furnace glows in one corner keeping the room warm. Several small chests are located around the pillows. There is a door in each wall of this room.

Most of the chests are filled with stones, cut glass and various other items that look as though they could be worth something, but aren't, and only a scattering of coins on the surface to make them appear more full.

The Three doors....
High Priest's Chamber

This room is filled with large feather cushions, silk sheets and the aromatic scent of incense (Heathrush - A herb which grows mainly in Darguun’s Torlaac Moors, commonly used in Goblinoid religious ceremonies).
Tattered old tapestries hang from the walls and several valuables lie about the room.

The Prison Cells

Stairs lead down 10 feet to a series of six barred iron doors.

6 cells line the walls here, 2 of which are locked with emaciated corpses slumped in them where they have been left to starve to death.

Slave’s room

Rough straw bedding is accompanied by the stench of stale urine and excrement. Manacles on the wall hold 3 slaves, 2 human women and 1 male Halfling. A set of keys hang on a hook by the door.

The prisoners names are Merena and Selfarn Wistman (human sisters) and Helfan Arl (Halfling) of House Ghallanda

Helfan Arl offers the group gold in exchange for his release and the retrieval of the barrel of Gatherhold Honey wine he was transporting when he was abducted.

The two girls have no idea why they were abducted, they assume they were to be some kind of sacrifice but have so far been either manacled on the wall or used as slaves.

Upon realising that was no further way ahead the group returned to the brewery and tried the other door. Asking the freed prisoners to wait in the brewery until further notice they head on.

Beyond the door the tunnel wound its way left and right with 2 sets of stairs along its path and ended in a door which was neither locked nor trapped. As the room was entered it became apparent that there were occupants in the form of 2 Dolgrims.

The Broken Pipe

An extraction pipe gently draws air through this room, the pipe has been torn open and a ladder leads down to the tunnel below.

One of the cratures managed to flee down the shaft after minor injuries, the other was not so lucky. Upon searching the dead dolgrim Lorric found a strange whistle on a chain around its neck. Anvil studied it realising that this golden whistle, shaped almost like a sinuous tentacle, radiated faint magics.

Lorric in a moment of impetuousness decided to simply blow the whistle to see what it did, with a strange gurgling squeal the thing seemed to writhe in his hand and from the shaft in the room he could hear soft thuding movement heading up the pipe.

Kapek took a look to see what was there but could see nothing, however as he leant into the pipe a crossbow bolt was fired from below, luckily missing him.

Once Anvil had made the hole in the pipe large enough to fit comfotably through it was time to move on.

Heading down the ladder first Anvil glanced up the pipe to see a shadowy shape crawling down at speed on strange suckered hands, the light glinting off two black eyes and the gradual baring of a row of pointed needle-like teeth. It headed past him with speed and into the tunnel below.

Once down Anvil could see the dolgrim that had fled here and he charged towards it, one by one the others followed.

Combat ensued an there were two of these strange shadowy creatures darting out of the darkness to attack the group, it seemed that their method of attack was to try and strangle their opponents, as Ajax found to his discontent.

To the north is a heavy steel bulkhead, you assume it is the other side of the one you came across earlier. Debris piled up against it houses the remains of many creatures.

To the south is an identical bulkhead, only this one is in working order, it bears the same star like symbol as was present on the curtains in the Shrine.

The Warehouse

As the bulkhead rolls open you realise that you have at last reached your destination, the air is heavy with the smell of spices, livestock and effluence. As you look into the warehouse to your left you can see stacks of crates piled high, some have burst open spilling their contents to the floor, they seem to be foodstuffs. Directly facing you is another bulkhead similar to the one you have just come through with a score or more barrels stacked to the left of it. To the right are stacks of crates and cages, most seem to be holding livestock of some kind, chickens, goats and lambs. As you peer into the darkness it seems that the crates get bigger as they reach the other side of the room.

There were several occupants of this room that the group could initially see, two dolgrims were tormenting the livestock in cages and on the other side of the room a dolgaunt was tentatively "tasting" spices from a spilled crate with his tentacles. As Anvil charged the closest, and the only one he had actually noticed, the battle began. Kapek used his preferred method of keeping just out of range and attacking with his reach weapon the Talenta Sharrash. Ajax charged in with reckless abandon and was soon surrounded by 2 dolgaunts which were significantly more adept at fighting than the previous ones the group had met, this led to a simple result, continued and repeated grappling by the aberrations which then gradually drained his constitution bringing him to the brink of death on more than one occasion. Lorric took great glee in the fact that Ajax was in this position as it meant that he could apply his sneak attack to the grappling dolgaunt. Another of Lorrics hare-brained ideas was to begin pushing crates onto the enemies, it worked to some degree but had more of an effect in slowing down everyones advances and freeing goats and chickens into the melee.

Eventually the battle was won and the group began to search for the crate, Loric found among the larger crates at the back of the warehouse.

Within the crate labelled F-413 sits a human child of about 10 years. His milky white eyes stare into nothing, He makes no response as you approach. The crate is locked with a heavy padlock; although you get the feeling that even if it were open the child would remain where he is.

The child is freed and the group decide to push on rather than returning the way they came, so they open the next bulkhead.

The bulkhead rolls aside to reveal a short passage with an extraction vent in the ceiling, several feet ahead the passage narrows and drops away to the sides where a torrent of raw sewage flows beneath, just over the bridge is another door.

The Laboratory

This room has the scent of death and evil clinging to it, even the censer burning pungent herbs in the corner cannot mask the vile stench of corruption. In the rooms centre is a wooden table with leather straps at the corners and the rusty hues of dried blood on and around it. To the side walls are benches with strange apparatus and brewing liquids that emit pungent gases.

Anvil quickly collects a crate from the warehouse and begins filling it with the alchemists laboratory equipment while the others anxiously watch the shadows. They then try the far door to see where that leads, hoping to find and easier way out......

The Chambers

Upon opening this door you get the feeling that the entire ambience has changed. Directly ahead about 15 feet is an ornate semicircular balcony and beyond that a large crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling glowing with a dim light. To either side hang heavy vermillion velvet curtains each emblazoned with the star design found in the Shrine.

As the group begin to peer over the blacony a figure rises from the level below, the tentacles around its mouth seemingly tasting the air. Levitating in mid-air the slow realisation of what this creature is creeps across Anvil's thought centre, "MIND-FLAYER!!!", he yells and slams the door, the party flee barring the bulkheads as best they can on their retreat, but this does not stop them noticing the strutts they place across the opening mechanisms taking the strain of something on the other side trying to force them open.

They head back as quickly as possible following the route they came by and collecting the freed prisoners on the way, they meet with Fezzal and continue at a brisk pace, not stopping until they feel the cool night air of the surface upon their faces.

The group head to the "Painted Heart" to retrieve their animals and bidding farewell to Fezzal they head across Sharn to take the child somewhere safe.

The Skullgnawer Temple Map

1. Entrance

2. Guardpost

3. Wooden Door

4. Effluent River

5. Bulkhead

6. Vermin Deterrant

7. Lightning Generator

8. Dolgrim Guards and Sleeping Quarters

9. Armoury

10. Store

11. Brewery

12. Shrine to the Dragon Below

13. High Priest's Quarters

14. Slaves

15. Prison Cells

16. High Priest's Chamber

17. Extraction Pipe

18. Continuation of the main tunnel

19. The Warehouse

20. Effluent River

21. The Laboratory

22. The Illithid's Chambers