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• Adrian Silverstrength (Human Paladin)
  • Ms. Claws – Summoned Raptor Mount
• Sephrenia (High Elf Cleric) 
• Don Kannin (Half-Elf Ranger)
  • Halia – Summoned Drake (Typically Blue)
• Korra (Air Genasi Rogue) – Absent This Session
  • Rei – Skyfox pet (Plane of Air)

DM Note – Because Korra was absent and the War of the Planes story centers on her, I created a last minute side quest for today’s session. Random Additional Note – Beyond20 was down so we were forced to use the D&D Beyond Campaign thing… which works, and I am glad it’s there, but having it all through Beyond20 into Discord is infinitely better, because I can easily see the rolls without tabbing around, as well as when I do my notes, Discord keeps all of that, where as the D&D Beyond Campaign log is not nearly as easy to find older things…

• After their time with Lord Greymountain aboard the Plane of Earth, the party returns to the Spelljammer where Buppido tells them that he just got a message coming from Barawaui, from their friend Harakin. (DM Note Reminder – Harakin had been the sole survivor from a Githyanki raid (during Session 83) on his spelljammer. He’d been gathering supplies for their war against the Githyanki when several Githyanki ships broad sided him, hiding behind several floating stones in the Astral Plane. The Githyanki murdered his crew and captured Harakin and tortured and starved him. He was rescued by a party and returned back to Barawaui).
• Buppido explains that it was an urgent message, begging for our assistance. The party agrees that they should go and help. The Spelljammer leaps through space and quickly arrives, floating above Barawaui. The others teleport down, while Korra explains that she will remain on board and see if she can get through to the other Planes (Water, Fire, or ideally, her homeworld, Air) DM Note – Easy way to explain she’s doing something else to take her out of tonight’s session since she was absent.
• Harakin meets the party when they are teleported down to the surface and walks with them and explains, “There’s been a recent sighting of a creature known as Flumphs – they’re unusual creatures… look like floating jelly fish with tentacles…”
• At the mention of “flumphs” – Sephrenia nods – she’s heard of these creatures. In part of her studies as a High Elf and understanding the “Drow Culture” (the Enemy, as they were often referred to during the teachings) – it also detailed a number of the creatures found in the Shadow Realm in which the Drow call home – one of them being Flumphs – who were known for their dislike of combat, and fed off of those who were telepathic – however, not in that it ate them – simply it fed off and was drawn to telepathic energy, since this is how they also communicate – and among the Shadow Realm a species known as the Mind Flayers were humanoids with supposedly supreme forms of telepathy and psionics.

• Sephrenia notes that the Githyanki also have limited psionic abilities
• Harakin nods, “That was Councilor Estel who is brave and stubborn, spotted a flumph entering a nearby cave and suspected that something telepathic may be near by. He refused to allow me to send a scout – said he wanted to do it himself, prove he still ‘had’ it. It’s been a few hours – certainly longer than it should have been. I suspect trouble, and if it is Githyanki, I know you’re well versed in dealing with them. We could use your help. I am going to keep the people distracted because questions have arose as to why the councilor hasn’t yet returned.”
• Harakin points them to a cavern in the distance. He mentions if they need potions, they can check when Menzar (DM Reminder – Menzar is an Astral Elf who runs a Potion shop in the Astral Plane, specifically on the home of the Astral Elves, Barawaui. He was thankful for a party who helped fight against enormous beasts known as Braxat, back during Session 85) who runs a potion shop
• The party splits the potions up
• Harakin notes that it’s getting dark outside
• They then head for the food shop, where Adrian, Don and Sephrenia purchase a week worth of rations
• The party rummages through their belongings to see if there’s anything else they might need
• By the time they’re ready, it’s dark outside
• The party makes their way to Menzar’s shop – and speaking with him, he tells the party that he has 12 potions available – 11 of which are Superior Healing Potions, and one of them the standard Healing Potion. He offers the Superior at 50 gold a piece, because of how the party had helped them before – and he knows they’re going to search for the Councilor.
• The party makes their way there and immediately sees evidence of potential Githyanki, two crude serpentine statues rear up on each side of the door; they look around and see signs of a struggle outside the mouth of the cave
• Sephrenia examines the statues and notes the bastardized elven writing that she recognizes to be Githyanki – but the writing seems more bastardized than before, as if someone less fluent had written it; as they proceed, the statues seem to come alive revealing themselves to be similar to Gargoyles
• It is a relatively quick battle as the party defeats the serpent gargoyles and makes their way inside the cave; just after entering, they immediately notice that there is acidic liquid dripping from the ceiling of the cave

• Making their way quickly through the entrance of the cavern with only a few drops of the sulferic acid type residue dripping on them, they’re confronted with an underwater lake which has thin sides around each side of it, to the other side of the cavern

• Sephrenia spots writing on one of the larger stones on the shore – and recoginizing it again – as the bastardized elvish – but again, someone who appears to be less fluent in elvish than the Githyanki. The scripture reads: Serpent Sleeps In The Darkness.
• Sephrenia touches the placid lake and quickly discovers the liquid appears to be made up of the same acidic nature dripping in the chamber they’d run in from… it’s a pool of acid.
• Sephrenia skips a loose rock into the acid pool and sees something ripple where the stone sinks – a much larger ripple than just the stone’s impact on the acidic water – confirming there is something inside the acid pool that’s “alive”
• Don fires his energy bow on the opposite side which helps illuminate the darkness – and also draws out whatever it is that’s in the acidic pool – and it looks like a watery serpent…
• However, the flash blinds Adrian who had turned on his dark vision googles to maximum (He rolled a double Natural 1 on Perception…)

• It is something they’ve all seen before – a water weird (way back in in Session 27, that’s the power of good note taking and a website!)
• Don fires three shots to the opposite side and the party times; and as they run, the still slightly blinded Adrian slips into the acidic pool; the Water Weird approaches, and Don pauses to extend the bow down to Adrian to see if Adrian can grab it, but Adrian flails in the murky acidic water, so Don uses his strength to hook Adrian’s arm (Natural 20)

• The water weird reaches them just as Adrian is pulled out of the murky, slick, yet acidic water – and pauses, it’s form shimmering in the darkness, but it does not attack – it looks… almost waiting for something…
• Sephrenia realizing that Githyanki may be behind this and command the water weird, speaks in bastardized Elvish to say, “These can pass.” The Water Weird rears up and lunges in for the attack! (DM Note – It was waiting for “The Serpent Sleeps In The Darkness” which would have been the command for it to return to the darkness of the bottom of the lake and sleep for now)
• The battle with the Water Weird is brief, with Sephrenia casting Guiding Bolt to end the battle – her bolt of energy flying from her hands, taking an energy form of her goddess firing an arrow at this creature summoned by the elves greatest enemy – the Githyanki, or something similar – and it evicerates the remains of the Water Weird…

• The party makes their way to the other side of the cavern and find drag marks and following it into the next chamber – they’re greeted by anywhere to twenty to thirty statues, all in different poses, all different races, even some animals…
• Immediately the party suspected a basilisk (being all too familiar with them… (DM Note – Way back in Session 16 Nor’orn gave them a mission to get the heart of a basilisk – I miss Nor’orn!, in search for the Basilisk heart they entered a basilisk cave in Session 22, they would go on to encounter another basilisk in Session 56!)
• Looking around – they determine the size and carelessness of the basilisks would have knocked over some of these statues
• Adrian recalls encountering a cockatrice that had turned one of the party’s earlier companions to stone (Adrian is the sole remaining original member of the group at this point – both as a player and a character – this happened all the way back in Session 04!)
  • DM Note – I have the party roll a History check to see if they might have heard of anything else that could turn someone to stone… and naturally, DMs, when you do this, you better have something cooked up and ready, because in this instance, Sephrenia rolled a Natural 20…

• Sephrenia recalls a story about a female elf by the name of Fein Maheas, who proclaimed she was more beautiful than Nifika herself (who is often viewed as the most beautiful of all the deities) – from here, the story varies – some say Nifika herself cursed her, some say, Seerana, the goddess of Fate cursed her, some say Nifika had Seerana curse her – whatever version of the story it is – Fein’s vanity had reached the ears of the gods, through an angel – and a curse was bestowed upon Fein, that anyone – man, woman, child, animal, any living being or creature – who met her gaze would be forever turned to stone, so that no one could ever admire her beauty and live – and those that did, would meet their fate by turning to stone, forever trapped. But the gods were cruel in their curse, for they gave Fein eternal life as well, so that her curse could never come to an end; she would be eternally beautifully, but never could be looked at. As if that were not enough, Fein was also cursed that she could never bring injury to herself or her offspring. Vengeful, Fein turned her back on her goddess and called upon Nifika’s greatest enemy – the serpent demon lord, Nebakrau. Nebakrau embraced her new form and welcomed her into his domain transforming her into the first Marilith demon. The legend states, there are humans who follow Nebakrau called Yuan-Ti, who aspire to become Marilith demons; some become something known as Nightmare Callers, other ascended to Marilith status; others are returned to the world as Medusas, due to failing their task that Nebakrau has given them…
• At that point they hear a faint voice in their head whisper, “Help me…”
• The party moves through the statues silently and find where a portion of a statue has fallen apart and landed on an unusual looking creature – a flump!
• After helping the creature, it crawls around on Sephrenia, and attaches to her – speaking to her telepathically. It explains that it was wandering around Barawaui when it senses a strong presence of telepathy near by. It explains then an Astral Elf was dragged through here by two serpent like beings. Beyond the cave it said there is “Snake Lady” and “Lady Snake” which seemed to indicate two different kind of Githyanki. It also explains that “Lady Snake” created the statues, it has seen the thoughts of “Snake Lady” and knows that “Lady Snake” can apparently turn people to stone and all these statues are her victims.
• Sephrenia asks its name and it explains it’s name is Umpha.
• The creature climbs on top of Sephrenia’s head, sitting like a crown on her head.
• Umpha explains that one of them has a little bit of telepathy and that’s what drew him here.
• Adrian and Don also share their mind with Umpha and they hear a sultry woman’s voice say, “Just because you tore out your eyes councilor, does not spare you from your fate…”

To Be Continued.