D&D 5e: Out of the Abyss

Our adventurers shall descend into the Underdark; the sprawling subterranean domain of twisted labyrinths, Drow strongholds and - even deeper - the devils of Hellish realms not meant for sensible mortals. It is the home of horrific monsters that have never seen the light of day. It is here that the dark elf Gromph Baenre, Archmage of Menzoberranzan, casts a foul spell meant to ignite a magical energy that suffuses the Underdark and tears open portals to the demonic Abyss. What steps through surprises even him, and from that moment on, the insanity that pervades the Underdark escalates and threatens to shake the Forgotten Realms to its foundations.

However, there are more immediate matters to be dealt with. Our heroes are familiarizing themselves with each-other under great duress, for they are all prisoners of the notoriously power-thirsty Priestess Ilvara of House Mizzrym. Outpost Velkynvelve crawls with her minions who are encouraged to take their inherent sadism out on prisoners much like our lowly heroes whose various misfortunes put them in cold Drow shackles awaiting transport to the city of Menzoberranzan...

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Chapter 1 - Session 1 | Deep Down

It is hard to keep track of time in the Underdark with or without the benefit of freedom, but it has been at least several days in captivity for all but a new arrival; a compact, scrappy human named MacTire. There had already passed a few days of senseless hard labor, but as they wait for transport to the great Drow City of Menzoberranzan, the general sense is things may get a lot worse.

Their captor Priestess Ilvara was seen from a distace if at all, robed in silken garments and flanked by two male drow, one of whom has a mass of scars just beginning to heal along one side of his face and neck. Eldreth, the spirited Dwarf soldier, has been in Velkynvelce since before those scars showed up and suggested a shift in power, or at perhaps a shift in allegiances between the sheets.

McTire wastes no time attempting an escape, disregarding the week of plotting and planning that has taken place, largely between Eldreth and Kywyn Tehanzia, a fastidious monk. Other prisoners who have been their longer, each of races only common in the Underdark, are either dispirited or mentally unstable, so it will be difficult to pull off an escape, but the McTire's initiative was blowing their relative illusion of subjegation.

Drow Rogue Kalian makes a play, lands himself an audience with Ilvara with the promise of information that will greatly interest her. Cern doubts this, but the next thing you know, its arranged. The rest of the prisoners decide to precariously reattach their bonds and wait another night.

In the morning, Cern escorts Kalian to the central tower while the rest are being divied up into groups to be assigned to something laborous...

No XP awarded yet, to be continued...

Chapter 1 - Session 2 | A Hard Day's Work

The prisoners of Velkynvelve were split into three groups for the day’s labor; Oakleaf, Sarcastia, Prince Derendil, Topsy and Turvy suffer gross embarrassments in the sewage trenches beneath the outpost. Mainly Oakleaf, who fell into a pool of filth and needed a rinsing. He makes note of the pipe system delivering water.

Eldreth, Fitzroy, Kaiwyn and, Buppido,were made to move heavy barrels of water in the outpost’s depot where they executed a hasty plan to distract the Quaggoths. Fitzroy gets a guard in a headlock while Kaiwyn asks veteran dwarven slaves where their belongings might be vaulted. They learn of a safe-room beyond the depot’s overwatch.

Kalian however was escorted to the hanging tower for brief audience with Ilvara Mizzrym who had arranged for him to be accepted back to his previous house as a servant who is meant to be her eyes and ears. She feels House Faen Tlabbar doesn’t deserve their status and seeks to ruin them. Kalian accepted, and was led back to a private cell by Cern, but both were sidetracked by the commotion in the depot and arrived at the tail end of that encounter.

Cern almost had MacTire fed to the spiders but Kalian's silver tongue persuaded the other drow to have the tough guy thrown into solitary confinement instead.

Group
+250xp
Oakleaf
+25xp for Investigation
Fitzroy
+25xp for Instigation
Kaiwyn
+25xp for Planning
Kalian
+50 for Outstanding Roleplay
Sarcastia
+25 for sounding like Dennis Miller

Chapter 1 - Session 3 | Unrest

Fitzroy may have temporarily avoided being fed to the spiders, but after being thrown in a cramped cylindrical cell filled with slime and bone shards, he finds himself beginning to prefer the idea. The quaggoth he injured had dragged him to the cell personally and was already miserable and easy to provoke. Fitzroy takes note, then rants and raves to pass the time.

Kalian finds himself led to a private, relatively more comfortable cell not too far from the chamber by the falls where Fitzroy was stashed. The junior drow priestess beneath Ilvara, Asha, visits him with a shockingly powerful transformative spell that reconfigures Kalian’s features to look like the court musician (Mirkk) of the now eliminated House Clintonn. Asha reveals that Ilvara promised house Tabbar a servant of that house as a token, but had in a fit of rage murdered all of them as she did their priestess Hilarree. Ilvara saw this as an opportunity to plant a spy. That is why Kalian is alive, and that is his mission, however, Asha drops a hint that Ilvara may not be around long enough to reap the rewards

The remaining prisoners had to finish their labor, and everyone returned to the main pen rather exhausted, and in the case of Mushuu, sadly, the strain was too much for his old body and he passed away. Things were dire enough already, and Kaiwyn, Eldreth and Oakleaf - with some nonsensical interjections by Buppido - began reviewing escape routes. Ront took the fish man’s death as a cue to force an escape and has at the bars of the cell. Here is where things get really crazy.

With very little skill, Fitzroy erupts into an impromptu song insulting the quaggoths as a species. His nemesis took the bait and after a brief comical argument with his partner freed Fitzroy from his cell with force and drags him down the hallway, announcing his intention to feed the scrappy human to the spiders.

Just as they pass Kalian’s cell, Fitzroy stabs the beastly guard in his forearm with a boneshard he had tucked in his oversized shackles. This resolves with Fitz being slammed against the wall. I’m calling Fitzroy Fitz now, deal with it. Anyways, the musky sent of machismo remains as they continue down the hallway, and this is when Kalian discovers his cell was left unlocked, most likely on purpose. Asha apparently took to heart Kalian’s bold suggestion that a prison-break could diminish Ilvara’s standing. With some stealth he’s able to slink down to the main pen, finding the commotion that proceeded him to aid his cover.

There is some confusion, because Kalian doesn’t look like Kalian anymore, in fact according to the mirror Asha kindly lent him after the absurdly painful spell she blasted onto his face, he was slightly less ugly. By the time he can convince the others that he is Kalian, Balruk - a drow penmaster - and two particularly large Quaggoths arrive and catch Kalian red handed. There is an embarrassing attempt to trick the veteran drow that ends up with him in a stone grip against the wall. In a twist of fate, Balruk turns his back to the bars of the pen while interrogating Kalian, and the orc Ront emerges from the shadows to grab the penmaster’s head and pulverize it. The drow falls to the floor and Oakleaf fumbles for the keys while Kaiwyn keeps the unoccupied quaggoth at bay with her poison dart. Oakleaf gets the keys!!!!

Group
+150xp
Oakleaf
+25xp for getting the key
Fitzroy
+25xp for escalating matters and +1 Inspiration Point for the method.
Kalian
+25xp for enabling the escape. +1 Inspiration Point for continuing previous sessions roleplay.
Kaiwyn
+25xp for facilitating acquisition of the keys.

Chapter 1 - Session 4 | Escape

No sooner does Oakleaf open the door to the pen does Sarith, choosing a most inopportune moment to engage the group, jumps on Rond’s back and plunging his index fingers deep into the ork’s eye sockets. The group is startled and Stool’s psychic wails of suffering don’t help.

The remaining Quaggoth moves into the cell to confront the prisoners and Kalian takes this opportunity to remove the unconscious Balruk’s clothes with which he dresses himself as he runs through the Quaggoth pen out to the main cavern.

Kaiwyn with her poisoned arrow, moves confronts the Quaggoth while the others face Sarith, who rises from Ront’s prone body, gnashing ferally. Combined effort restrains him. Somehow the Quaggoth is dealt with, I don’t remember. I should really write this stuff down sooner.

Meanwhile, all of the other Quaggoths are making a ruckus on the overhang of the caverns rim - gathered around the squirming, profanity slinging McTire - while a drow sorceror is ringing the bell to alert the giant spiders of dinner. An elite guard and his second hand arrive to establish order, but allow the feeding to continue.

Kalian, dressed as the captain Balruk, shouts at the mob saying “Prisoners have escaped, get them!” and the ruse actually works; the Elite guard orders his second hand guy to check it out, who takes two Quaggoths with him.

While that is happening, the prisoners deal with the Quaggoth, and Kaiwyn reveals herself to be pretty darn cold blooded for a monk as she sticks the poison dart into the necks of all their fallen adversaries to finalize their lives. Sarcastia catches some hell for shrinking in fear; she more or less explains she is useless without her powers. They all agree to move out of the pen together. While moving through the Quaggoth pen, a few items are found and aid in removing the charmed shackles. This is highly satisfying.

By the time they reach the exit to the rim, there is a disagreement on which direction to go; Eldreth insists we retrieve weapons first to arm the group against the inevitable wave of enemies, but Kaiwyn and Oakleaf don’t think McTire has that kind of time and they need to save him.

Kaiwyn doesn’t wait for permission, she runs full speed into the mob. She tumbles and weaves her way to McTire and manages to release his bonds (I think) then she springs to the elite guard and engages him in combat right at the overhang. The drow sorcerer doesn’t stick around, he floats up towards the main tower, likely to raise alarms.

Oakleaf and Eldreth’s arguing is interrupted by the drow and two Quaggoths headed towards the pens. They quickly agree to ambush the enemy and Sarcastia kicks things off with an impressive blast of flames which sets them ablaze. The rest move in and strike...

Group
+175xp
Oakleaf
+25xp for having balls
Fitzroy
+25xp for keeping to his schtick
Kalian
+25xp for fooling those fools
Kaiwyn
+50xp for charging into certain doom to rescue friend +1 Inspiration Point
Sarcastia
+25xp for showing characteristic restraint