# [[104_20220101 Gloomtoes's Gift]] ## Session Summary > [!tldr] [[104_20220101 Gloomtoes's Gift]] > As the environment around us changed, we briefly saw a glimpse of the room in Castle Never where the levers and controls were, and then we found ourselves in some sort of underground cavern where we encountered several dwarves. The dwarves seemed a little off: they spoke to themselves like someone was in their heads. > > During the fight, we realized that the dwarves are actually dead, but their bodies are controlled by Intellect Devourers, adolescents of the ustilagors we had previously encountered. Unfortunately, Ka'ira was grievously wounded, and despite our best effort, Ka'ira's already meager intellect was devoured. Maestro used his faction inspiration to say that Gloomtoes left us a gift the last time we saw him: a one-time protection from being charmed, dominated, or devoured mentally. He used it to protect Ka'ira from the worst of it, and she survived. > > I used my faction inspiration to try to understand something written on one of the scrolls that Oghma showed to me in a previous dream. I figured out some of the symbols and learn Leomund's Tiny Hut, and then I cast it to give us all a good night's sleep-- a rest we sorely need. ^summary %% [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZecoYA2iM) %% ## Recap of last session ![[103_20211226 Tyr corrupted#^summary]] ## Log My scar: right upper back Need to treat my eye during a long rest Maestro got a power source: the gem. It is poisonous and exuding smoke. We're on the fourth orb. We catch a glimpse of electric sparks - that wasn't there when we left. We're now in a cavern. It smells like sulfur, and the air is warm. There are [[Not-dwarves]] that are walking around. They are talking to each other: - "[[The Crassius Praxus Ingenium]] is gone... gone?" - "The prisoner is gone" - "Sorry, not using this one's voice" And then they turn to us. Ka'ira understands half of what they're saying, because they're speaking in a mixture of Deep Speech and something else she can't place. A third dwarf runs away and the other two turn to us. ![[fr-ring4-underground-dwarves.png]] There are four holes on the floor. There are metal cages around them. On the ceiling, 20 feet above us, there is a similar grate above the four things. - 29 Maestro - 16 Xio - 18 Ka'ira - 7 Eraithe - 21 Keren Two of the dwarves are wearing full armor and crossbows (except for the one that turned to run, who has a mace). - "What are our orders now? The Prexus is gone. What do we do?... Okay." He seems to be answering himself. - "In the absence of further instruction, we must do our duty." Exhaustion - -1 to attacks, defenses, movement, skill checks, damage - Round 1 - Maestro tries to talk to them in Common. - Dwarf 3 tries to leave, and it looks like he's pushing against an invisible thing. He bends his neck in a weird way. Without seeming frustrated, he does a gesture with his hands and the mace erupts in bright light. The bright light gains fire and he points at me. It misses, because Maestro gave me some cover. - Dwarf 1 takes a bead from one of them and throws it at Keren. It's some sort of needle with a braid at the back. It's called _Beard Quill_. - Dwarf 2 moves up to Ka'ira. He looks like a brute; all strength. He doesn't show emotions. Beard Quill. He braced himself upon entering the light from her bracers. - Something's stirring in both holes near us. - Keren: Heals Maestro and does a _Misdirected Mark_ on one of the dwarves so that it's marked on Ka'ira. - Ka'ira: Tries to talk to them. She understands "Praxus Ingenium" and "slaves". Attacks them. DR 8 (chain mail armor), AC is 18. - Xio - Have I heard of Praxus Ingenium? Arcana check. It's not a spell. It's not any of the mages of old. It's not a library or a book. It's not a place. This name is not connected to Arcana at all. - Try to talk to them and communicate with them. - Minor: Extract Name - fails on Dwarf 1 - Standard: History check on Praxus Ingenium. It's really high. I have heard of beings that lurk underground. It has been here even before my time, about a century ago. It's a ruler of sorts. Those that are sent to investigate it or talk to it don't return. - Move behind the twins - Eraithe: Attacks Dwarf 1. 12 damage. Reflex: 18 - We hear a slight rumbling in the ground. Air funnels out through grate no. 3 (lower left) and goes towards the ceiling. Everything within 2 squares of it is flooded with air. It smells acidic and hot. - Round 2 - Maestro: fails on _Steel Wind_. - Dwarf 1: hits Maestro. - Dwarf 2: heals Dwarf 1 and buffs him somehow. - Dwarf 3 moved - Keren: _Staggering note_, 5 thunder damage on Dwarf 1. He lets Ka'ira hit Dwarf 1, and Ka'ira gets hit with 5 damage (but Ka'ira resists that.) - Ka'ira: Attacks Dwarf 1. - Xio - Investigate the grate(s) and try to see what's happening there. Which one will be next? Cage is bolted to the ground, lots of holes for steam to go through. I think the next one will come from the grates on the sides. - Move towards the center - Eraithe: Hits Dwarf 2. Drops his sword. - Gas erupts from all of the grates on the side, and erupt within 1 square of it. Fortitude saving throw. Maestro takes 12 fire and acid damage and is pushed 1. - Round 3 - Maestro adds +2 to all his defenses till the end of the encounter - Keren heals himself (_Majestic word_) and casts _Mire the Mind_, an encounter, to try to make me and Maestro invisible, but it works. - Ka'ira: Tries to talk to dwarf. - Xio - Standard: 18 is Fort. 14 damage to it and it's bloodied. It enlarges! My Thunderwave blows its helm away. I saw a worm-like thing briefly in its ear, but it ducks back into its brain. - Move to Keren - Eraithe: Attacks Dwarf 3 with Booming Blade. - Top right gate explodes with steam - Round 4 - Maestro readies an action - Dwarves - Keren hits Dwarf 2 and kills him! We see a brain with tentacle legs. Ustilagor are larval form, but not of mind-flayers... they are the larval form of pets of mind-flayers. [[Mind-flayers]] enthrall humanoids and turn it into one of these things. Illithids. Ustilagor in their mature form are called [[Intellect Devourer]]s. - Ka'ira kills Dwarf 1 - Xio - Run away from the Intellect Devourer! - Standard: Sacred Flame on ID 2 - Minor: Potion of Healing - Eraithe attacked but missed - Bottom right grate exploded? - Round 5 - Maestro: Gives Ka'ira a potion of Cure Moderate Wounds. Attacks ID 2 and realized that his stonefist gets +3 to attack against aberrations. He also adds a 3d8 against when he crits against them! - Dwarf hits and misses Eraithe - ID1: _Devour Intellect_ on Eraithe: misses - ID2: Attacks Maestro. - Keren: _Timeless Trek_: Banishes ID 1 to the Feywild. Save ends. _Glimpse the future_ and once until the end of the next turn, he can replace the roll of an ally. - Xio: Let Maestro do a second wind. - Eraithe attacks and misses - Top left grate explodes and pushes Maestro by 2. - Round 6 - Maestro - IDs. Eraithe's Will is 16. - Keren does _Stirring shout_. - Ka'ira attacks ID 2: Reflex is 20. - Xio - Standard: Sacred Flame on ID2, temp HP to Eraithe - Gas - Round 7 - Maestro: Heals himself - ID1: _Devour Intellect_ on Keren, with a natural 20. - ID2: _Devour Intellect_ on Eraithe. Misses! - Keren heals himself and makes everyone but him invisible to ID 3. - Ka'ira: Attacks - Xio - Standard: Extract name: +6+6-1=+11 - Minor: Healing word on Eraithe and max healing: 15+17=32 - Eraithe: Tries and fails to attack - Bottom right explodes - Round 8 - Maestro - ID 1: _Intellect Devourer_: Ka'ira loses half her intelligence. She's down to 4! She's also dazed. - ID 3: Jumps 5. Also attacks Ka'ira. Ka'ira's intelligence is 0 and she is stunned. - Xio - Standard: Charm: +6+2+6-1=+13: charmed - Minor: Knack for Success (+2) - I fail in convincing it not to attack Ka'ira. It says that Ka'ira needs to be presented to the Praxus Ingenium. - Milestone to make Ka'ira invisible - Eraithe - Lower left grate explodes, hitting Keren. - Round 9 - Eraithe reacts: ID 3 is now vulnerable to psychic and we all get resist 5 to psychic during the encounter - Maestro uses his faction inspiration to rewrite the narrative: Before [[Gloomtoes]] left, he gave us a parting gift to protect us against psychic attacks: 1 per person. We are all protected against a single psychic attack, and this saves Ka'ira. - Xio - I sent her away, like my other friend (pointing to Keren) did to you before he knew you were our friend. - Minor: Sustain invisiblility on Ka'ira - Standard: Life transference on Ka'ira Obliquity Ka'ira uses a faction inspiration... I use a faction inspiration ([[Oghma]]) to learn Leomund's Tiny Hut. When Oghma appeared to me and showed me a scroll that I didn't fully understand.