Want to help? Consider becoming a Patreon.

• Adrian Silverstrength (Human Paladin)
• Morsus Firebeard (Hill Dwarf Cleric)
• Sephrenia (High Elf Cleric)
• Ragnaroc (Aasimar Warlock)
• Don Kannin (Half-Elf Ranger)

Connected Adventures: Adventure 14, Adventure 15, Adventure 16 and Adventure 17.

• After dealing with the Shriekers that called the attention to a small patrolling band of bugbears, the party decides to move towards the Mycanoid marking on the map

• As they move north, Don Kannin notices what appears to be signs of a struggle where it looks as if someone was pulled off the dirt “path”. Carefully examining the tracks he’s able to determine whoever was pulled off the path was someone short in stature
• The party agrees to follow the tracks and hears muffled sounds up ahead and discovers what appears to be an ancient serpent civilization where two large stone snake totems enveloping a humanoid stand “guard”

• The party stumbles onto four “Snake Men” – humanoids with Snake heads – preparing to sacrifice a Dwarf who is strung up – his feet tied and pulled apart, and his arms tied above him pulled apart.

• For visual – the Dwarf was in this type of torture/sacrifice rack:

• Unsure of who or what the snake people represent, having never encountered anything like them, thus knowing nothing about them – the party considers not interfering until they see the dwarf looks like a Mountain Dwarf and not one of the Duergar which Morsus was familiar with to know that they were typically evil
• Morsus tries to pursue the Snake People, who only appear to speak Abyssal which Morsus speaks, and tell them to release the Dwarf captive
• The snake men explain that they need the “blood of good” to call their god, who they claim is Skortaurian
• Morsus knows that that is the god of venom, poison, disease and spite and considered a chaotic evil greater god
• Don then intimidates the Snake Men and convinces two of them that this isn’t worth their trouble; and if they release the Dwarf prisoner, they can go free; but if any of them attack, they will be expected to help fight their comrades
• Two of the Snake Men determine this party out numbers them, and that they can get another “stupid dwarf” who wanders down below in the Shadow Vale so that they can call upon Skortaurian to send an agent to help stop “The Dark Queen.”
• The other two attack the party; so the two who are convinced this isn’t worth the problem attack their comrades to try and stop them
• The two Snake Men are killed the the Dwarf is freed
• The Dwarf introduces himself as Pren Flintrock and while thankful to be free, he warns the party that letting them go is ill advised

• The party sighs and agrees – and turns and launches a surprise attack on the two Snake Men who have their backs turned.
• However, the Snake Men, once being attacked – do not turn and fight – they know they’re out numbered and that escape is the better plan for now so they proceed to use their full movement to escape
• An Eldrich Blast from Ragnaroc puts one down; but the other manages to escape into what appears to be a hole in the ground
• The party opts to not give chase, not knowing what lies in “a snake’s hole”
• Questioning Pren, the party asks what he’s doing down here
• Pren explains that he’s gathering ingredients for a cure to the poison
• Sephrenia asks to see his lists – and when Pren checks his pockets, he proclaims he must have lost it in the ambush
• Sephrenia then asks who sent him down here and he explains it was Zar Hammerstone

• This raises suspicion with Sephrenia who wonders why Zar Hammerstone would have supposedly sent Pren down with a list, but Rex Flamehammer sent them down to meet the goblin, since he didn’t know what was required
• Sephrenia casts Zone of Truth and asks
• Pren explains that Zar had gotten the list from one of the runners who’d come down before to find out if Nor’orn might know. Nor’orn had provided the list to the runner who then gave it to Zar Hammerstone. Zar Hammerstone then gathered a small team of runners to go fetch the ingredients, of which Pren was a part of. However, Pren and the others were ambushed by Drow, and Pren was the only one (that he’s aware of) that managed to escape. So chances are Rex knew, because he – along with Zar – are both aligned to the Blackoaks in the current “civil war” happening among the Dwarves – but was not there to know what the list contents were
• The party decides to “trust” Pren and together they head for the Myconoid village
• As they approach, towering mushrooms form homes, with bridges between them to connect them, and pulley systems that pull up elevators

• As the party approaches the Myconoid Village, they’re approached by six Myconoids, with the crimson one appearing to be the leader.

• Arum informs them that Nor’orn warned him that people might be coming inquiring about their Pacify Spores. Arum explains that if the party helps them get rid of a Bone Naga – they can help the party get the Pacify Spores.
  • Arum explains due to the Bone Naga’s undead nature (and being composed of only bones) it is able to easily cross through Bone River (since the fish in the river can not devour its flesh) and attacks the Myconoids frequently to “feed” off of them (though they know not how or why; but assume it devours life essence to maintain itself) and it has been doing so for months now.
• The party agrees. Arum explains that his sporeling, Krunt, will go with the party but stay at the back – and when the party engages the Naga, Krunt will by nature release the Pacify Spores (which the Bone Naga is immune to, being undead) – so someone will need to collect the spores immediately when they’re released

• Pren explains that he will stay back with the Myconoids
• The party at first tries to make their attempt still wearing their heavy armor; but the unusual raft (made of chopped mushroom stumps) is unable to easily carry their weight and it buckles over spilling the party into the water
  • In the water, the party is attacked by thousands of tiny little fish, no more than half an inch in size, but whose mouth are lined with tiny little teeth (inflicting 3 damage upon everyone). The party learns this is why it’s called Bone River – many animals (and humanoids) have ventured into the river and been devoured by the tiny fish, leaving bones in the water.
• The party pulls it back to the shore and Adrian, Sephrenia, and Morsus all decided to remove their armor. Ragnaroc then casts Mage Armor on himself and the others. Adrian, Sephrenia and Morsus, knowing that the Naga they’re about to face is undead, also cast Protection from Good and Evil.
• The party successfully makes it across now that the raft isn’t burdened by weight
• The path down Bone River is illuminated by metal that interacts with the unique moisture found down below

• The party arrives at the mouth of the Bone Naga’s cave and calls out to it.
• The Bone Naga appears and hisses that it’s followers had warned it that there were “strangers below”

• Upon spotting Sephrenia, she becomes the Naga’s primary target (it’s desire to kill all elves due to the “Snake People’s” war with the Drow), however the Protection from Good and Evil helps Sephrenia ward off some of it’s physical attacks
  • During this initial combat, Krunt releases some of the Pacify Spores which Morsus is able to successfully collect
• However, the Bone Naga isn’t without magical resources itself, powered by the belief of the “Snake People” and uses a spell to try to curse Adrian, but he’s able to shake off the effects
• It then uses a spell to cast Sleep which renders Ragnaroc unconscious; Morsus is forced to us his Spiritual Weapon to strike Ragnaroc to awaken him
• It’s Adrian however, who – extending the sacred weapon through his body and into his blade – strikes the killing blow, where his sword cleaves the spine of the Bone Naga, and even as the skull comes falling down, the undead nature gone from its eyes, Adrian smashed it into pieces with his shield.
• With the Bone Naga defeated and the Pacify Spores collected, the party successfully takes the raft back to the Myconoid Village, where Krunt speaks of how the Aasimar (Ragnaroc) who so heroic that he found the battle boring, so he went to sleep in the middle of it; and how Adrian single-handedly (an exaggeration on Krunt’s behalf, but what do you expect from a young Sporeling?) destroyed the Bone Naga.
• Arum welcomes the party to rest in their village for the night as the celebrate the destruction of the Bone Naga