Welcome back, brave delve-mates! Session 9 picked up after our lengthy battle in Session 8, where we cleared out a significant Xanathar Guild presence, acquired some loot (and a goblin!), and got tantalizing hints of paths forward. With some experience points under our belt (just shy of level eight!), our adventure continued.
We began by deciding to explore one of the previously noted hallways, specifically the one where a bugbear had perished, suggesting a trap. Sending the bat familiar ahead confirmed the hallway connected where we suspected but, as expected, couldn't detect traps. Knowing the danger, the party cautiously moved forward, actively searching for hazards.
Our caution paid off as the first row of traps was quickly located. These were identified as pressure plates in the floor, linked to dark holes in the north wall from which darts would fire. Notably, these traps automatically reset and could fire multiple times. Through successful Dexterity checks, the party managed to disable the first two rows. However, the last trap proved trickier to find during the initial sweeps. Despite precautions, one party member (Anna) moved forward without locating it and triggered the trap. She took 4 points of dart damage and was poisoned. The poison damage was a one-time effect, though. Fortunately, after triggering it, she was able to disable this final trap as well. A short 10-minute rest was then taken, including using Prayer of Healing to mend wounds (including Anna's, though her Constitution score seemed to have an issue, causing her to fail the poison save). Detect Magic was also cast during this time.
Healed and regrouped, the party decided to head east from the crossroads. The bat familiar again scouted ahead, revealing the finished tunnel came to an end, leading to two crudely dug tunnels. One led through a partially caved-in room (which contained nothing of value), while the other wound further east.
Following the eastern passage, the bat revealed a long, winding corridor that opened into another finished section. While no occupants were initially seen, the walls of this passage were strikingly painted with images of creatures. Two depicted stood out: lizards transforming into “notic” creatures and a vivid image of green light from a spellbook changing a wizard into a “glittering mouth”.
Investigation and Arcana checks provided some unsettling lore about these entities. The Notic are described as wizards who, failing to achieve godlike power from arcane secrets, were cursed by a powerful witch into tormented, creeping monsters. Rumors suggest looking at them causes decay, and their eyes are very dangerous. The Glittering Mouths are products of foul sorcery, made of eyes, mouths, and the liquefied matter of their victims. Driven insane, they babble incoherently. Hearing this babbling requires a Wisdom save, failure of which prevents reactions and dictates their actions on their turn (though the specific outcome wasn't detailed). A Silence spell could potentially counter their babbling. The paintings were just well-executed graffiti, with no magical aura.
The hallway eventually branched, with one path leading north towards an upper level, and another continuing east/north to an unfinished section. The party chose to check the first doorway encountered. This revealed a large, vaulted chamber lit by continual flame torches. The room contained chairs, a table laden with fresh food and wine, empty shelves, and a portrait of a smiling Halaster. Relaxing in a chair was a female figure wearing two holy symbols: a gold coin (symbol of Waukeen, god of Trade) and a black disc with a purple outline (symbol of Shar, goddess of Darkness and Loss). No Fanus recognized these symbols, noting she had likely stolen them from temples.
Introducing Glom into the room drew her attention, and she immediately chastised the goblin. When the party entered, she advised them to leave. Despite attempts to de-escalate, she commanded someone (likely her unseen servants, though this wasn't immediately clear) to “Beat the Goblin senseless”, triggering combat.
Initiative was rolled. The party deployed tactics to manage the situation. Glom was lured away with a Minor Illusion of a chicken. Spells like Sacred Flame and Fairy Fire were cast. Fairy Fire revealed that the room contained not just the woman, but several invisible entities – Living Unseen Servants. These magical constructs, appearing as slender humanoids when revealed, could wield simple weapons and were positioned around the room, some up high.
The fight was underway, with Servants attacking Glom and party members. Glom eventually disengaged and fled down the hallway. The woman, later identified as Nadia the unburnt, commanded the servants to “Kill them all” and retreated to the back of the room. Gallador cast Melf's Acid Arrow at her, hitting and dealing ongoing damage. A note in the transcript mentions “the ongoing acid damage killed her” shortly after this, causing the servants to stop their aggressive behavior. The party secured the room, finding Nadia's holy symbols (worth 25 gp each) and the portrait of Halaster (worth 25 gp). Gallador intends to study the portrait for illusion spells.
With Nadia and her initial servants seemingly dealt with (or at least no longer aggressive), and no further treasure in that room, the party decided to continue exploring the southern hallway they had previously noted. This very long hallway eventually curved south and contained another carved tunnel. Further along, it opened into twin hallways featuring crumbling stone tables, decaying dwarven blacksmithing tools, and another carved archway gate. This gate displayed an image of a dead tree on its keystone. It was identified as a magical gate leading to Level Five of the dungeon, but it required the party to be Level 8 or higher to activate. Being just shy of that level, the gate remained unusable for now.
The party pressed on down the southern hallway. This led to a lit room containing a single large, unsettling creature. As the bat familiar approached, it was noticed by this creature. It was identified as a Beholder Zombie. Despite recognizing their reliance on magic and the potential dangers of fighting a beholder (living ones having anti-magic cones), the party decided to engage, positioning themselves in the corners of the room.
Initiative was rolled, and the Beholder Zombie immediately used one of its eye rays, targeting Gallador with a Ray of Paralysis. Gallador successfully saved against the effect. The battle quickly escalated as the Fireball spell cast by No Fanus (hitting the zombie) drew in reinforcements: several bugbears and thugs from an adjacent room.
The Beholder Zombie continued its eye ray attacks, paralyzing Anna temporarily (though she could attempt saves to end the effect). The party used various spells: Avana's Ray of Frost and Toll the Dead, No Fanus's Word of Radiance and Blindness (successful against the zombie, granting disadvantage on its attacks), and Gallador's Crown of Madness. Notably, Crown of Madness was cast on Nadia the unburnt, who had mysteriously reappeared as part of the enemy forces in this room! Under the spell, Nadia was compelled to attack the bugbears.
Combat was dynamic, with the party dealing with multiple enemies and the zombie's rays. Gallador used his reaction to Shield against a javelin hit, increasing his AC and causing it to miss. No Fanus strategically cast Wall of Fire, creating a fiery ring that encircled most of the room, dealing damage to creatures starting or ending their turn near it or passing through. This spell required concentration, causing No Fanus to drop Blindness on the zombie. The Wall of Fire proved effective in controlling enemy movement and damaging multiple foes. Enemies like Nadia and bugbears took damage attempting to move through the wall, and No Fanus even successfully shoved a bugbear into the fire.
Despite the chaos, the party systematically eliminated the threats. The Beholder Zombie was eventually killed. The bugbears and thugs fell to spells and weapons. Nadia the unburnt, having survived the fire damage from the wall and resisting or saving against other spells, was finally killed by Anna's rapier (using an inspiration point). Post-combat, Anna expressed interest in using Change Self or Alter Self to impersonate Nadia.
After the intense battle, the party searched the beholder zombie's remains (finding nothing) and the room. In her corner, Anna discovered a secret door. On the floor near it was a large circle painted in blood, the symbol of the Xanathar Guild. The secret door opened to a small area containing the backside of another secret door to the south and a third carved archway gate to the north. This new gate had an image of a rust monster carved on its keystone and led to Level Six, requiring the party to be Level 9 or higher to use.
Investigating the second secret door to the south revealed a large, 20-foot high armory. It was filled with racks of weapons and armor, a sharpening stone embedded in the floor. However, most of the gear was rusted and decayed to the point of being useless. Detect Magic revealed no magical items in the armory.
With the area cleared and explored, the session concluded. The party discussed their path forward, deciding to press on further south. It was also noted that the group would take a break for the remainder of the year after the next session.
Session 9 was packed with action, trap-disabling, lore discovery, and not one, but two significant combat encounters – including the unexpected return of Nadia the unburnt! The party's use of area control spells like Wall of Fire was crucial in overcoming the numerical advantage of the enemies. Stay tuned for what lies ahead as we venture deeper!