#10 The Underdark

 I wanted to do something with the characters backgrounds, or lack thereof, so I told Emmley that a feeling of 'home' was nearby. The party followed it and found a hidden cave leading to the underdark.

They followed the cave path down and found a lone dwarf mining ore. As they were engaging in conversation, a Roper snatched him up, pulled him up, and munched on him. 

Rogar and Emmley both failed their saves, got grappled and reeled toward its mouth. After they both got free, they ran away from it. 

The party kept trucking forward and got to a huge plains-like area with giant mushrooms and tiny mushroom caps sticking out of the ground. Emmley managed to use hand signals to communicate with them to avoid battle. She taught the Myconids how to wave, and the hundreds of them waved as they continued down the path. 

 

The party eventually came to a drow city where everyone there was under the impression that their "god" Lolth. Lolth was getting free food as sacrifices, that the drow thought she took in payment for defending them from whatever harm. After some investigating, they found out where Lolth resides, and decided to pay her a visit.  

Before and after entering, they encountered a Famorian. Again, Niamh managed to intimidate the creature, then flipped it off, then.. of course.. passed her save to become deformed. 

They soon realized they were being followed by a Yochlol shapeshifted into a beautiful drow. It repeatedly asked for a sacrifice and after refusing, they killed it. 

The party came to Lolth's castle, attempted to kill her after refusing to be sacrifices. Lolth (CR 30) defeated the party with nonlethal damage, wrapped them up, and took them to rot in her basement. 

After some successful checks to get out of the drider's webs, they came to three doors in front of them. After choosing the left (middle was Elder Brain, and the right was Beholder) they came to a Mind Flayer. The mind flayer said he was there against his will, but had to do his duty to Lolth or be eaten. He offered the party an out with 3 riddles, or fight.

1. It dampens as it dries - Towel

2. I'm made out of five letters, and I'm made out of seven letters; I have keys but don't have locks, I'm concerned with time, but not with clocks. - Piano

3. I am green with envy when I am placed below the sky. I do not breathe the air you breathe but I never wonder why. If you go and shelter me, I simply shrink and die. - Plant

They successfully got all three riddles (my 9 year old got the first one, wife got the other two.)

They escaped the underdark and never looked back. The feeling of home soon vanished from Emmley's heart.