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• Arhian Vos – Human Monk
  • Pet: Pabu (Young Red Panda)
• Hartmut Helmsworth – Elf Monk
  • Pet: Kalistia (Young Blink Dog)
• Sindri Waggletop – (Forest) Gnome Wizard – Absent
• Rettniss Kulvith – Water Genasi Druid
  • Pet (?): Vindri (Sindri Voodoo Doll)
• Avacyn “Jolyne” Uloth the Merciless – Half-Orc Paladin
• Twilight Skybane – Tiefling Bard
  • Pet: Gem (Sailor Parrot With A Mouth)
  • Pet: C.C. (Copy Cat, Mimic Bag Of Holding)

• Headed into the Redstone caves, the party is overcome by the massive size of the Redstone crystals – some as small as a rock, some larger than the white dragon they’d seen weeks ago (back in Session 29)… some so large, their mind reels…

• As they enter – they hear a voice say, “No. This isn’t the one. Neither is this. Drat! I am sure she came in here! Did she discard it! I can’t find her tracks! No, this isn’t it either. It has to be here. I am sure of it. If only the thumping heartbeat sound would stop to let me think…”
• The party also hears the fabled heartbeat of Redstone – but as they approach they see an all too familiar face…

• It’s Nikalos, who upon spotting the party is quite excited. “So good to see the lot of you again! Perhaps you can help me? Some woman – who looked rather disheveled – seems to have made off with my Ruby of Levitation. I tracked her to here – but in this blasted mountain, that thumping heart sound has me disoriented. Perhaps you could help track her down and see if you can find her? I was right on her heels – so I am not sure if she discarded it. So I will keep searching here if the rest of you could see if you can track her. I can’t go any deeper – that thumping is too disorienting.” (DM Side Note: This isn’t the first time Nikalos has had an issue with his Ruby of Levitation being stolen! The first time he appeared in my campaign – he came to another party asking them to get it back from a brigand who had stole it from him).
• Based on the description given to Nikalos, the party begins to search for tracks or signs of someone having recently passed through the area – and Rettniss calls others over to her after she spots some movement in the red, crystal dust.

• They follow the tracks effortlessly – this woman is making no effort to hide her tracks – she’s fleeing as quickly as she can – and by the looks of it, has robes that are dragging behind her – making her path all too easy for Rettniss to follow
• Deeper and deeper the party heads into the caverns, the rhythmic heartbeat of the caves growing louder and louder, becoming more and more disorienting – as if they were actually traveling to a heart beating inside the mountain
• They reach a thin cave – where just ahead – a shimmering image on the floor, like water – but a mirage in appearance – glistens before them. Arhian and Hartmut recall from their teachings at the Monastery that this is indication of a portal.

• Deciding to step through – the party – all save Sindri, who was distracted by the red stones and the heart beat (DM Note – Sindri was absent this session, so I left him on the other side since this was going to be a side quest – resolved, one way or another, this session!) – and discover themselves landing, ungracefully in a swamp – the swamp is dense and difficult to trudge through. The dead fish and other animals, whose carcasses have settled on the bottom, only help to create hypoxia which is the growth of bacteria that produces the wretched, sulfurous rotten-egg smell that is often associated with marshes and mudflats. The water in the swamp is stagnant with green moss almost gripping at the adventurer’s shoes.

• As the party tries to sort themselves – they hear roaring sounds – and it sounds like they’re closing in on them – first it’s one, then another, then a third – Rettniss listens closely and identifies the creatures…

• He identifies the creatures as basilisks… and is reminded of the Kraken Priests, and the triceratops symbol representing the ancient deity, Terrorskew, who is fabled to have been the one who created basilisks as a plot to destroy mortals…

• The party struggles to get quietly away as the mud and muck seems to pull at their legs, to try and hold them in place until the basilisks come… but they’re able to get away before the predatory hunters arrive. Moving quickly, but quietly as possible, through the swamp – the party eventually comes to a black, murky river. Staring down at the liquid, they can see what appears to be faces, with horrified expressions, washing down the river – but they don’t look like people – they loud like people made of ink, simply black, flowing liquid…
• Then a voice hisses, “Coin.”
• As they look up – a being on a boat – that was not there a moment ago, extends its hand and repeats, “Coin.”

• Each of the party members toss the man a coin – and discover that when Arhian throws two – one for herself, and one for Rettniss – it does not accept it – until Rettniss herself throws a coin to him. As each of them board, the man rows the vessel, which seems fragile – but never sways in the murky, inky, waters – once aboard, the inky people flowing beneath the boat can be heard, screaming in horror and begging for help. The man pauses, as if to see if anyone dares reach in the water to try and help the river of the black souls. No one does and simply tries to shut out the screams.
• The boat docks on the other side
• The party disembarks – and find themselves attacked by a massive, eight-foot towering humanoid toad-like creature

• In one swoop, the creature devours Arhian – and while in its stomach, she tries to punch her way out – while her party tries to save her (a few times, Hartmut thinking he’s hitting some solid bones, is actually hitting Arhian) – but the party eventually defeats the creature and cuts Arhian free of its stomache
• Behind the creature there’s a path… a path leads up to an all too familiar house in which they’ve seen before..

• It’d been the same beaten down, wooden home, covered in runes, that they’d briefly seen when fighting the spirit of a green hag (all the way back in Session 12!)
• The party cursed and wish Sindri were present – he would be useful against magic and runes as a Wizard
• Hartmut edged closer to the window – and he sees body parts hanging on hooks, symbols all over the floor that seem to be made of blood, and things brewing that he is too horrified to think too much about
• Avacyn attempts to kick down the door – and to her horror discovers it’s a mimic!

• Avacyn lets out a growl – and the party attacks the door – when the mimic is defeated, the true door is revealed – and suddenly swings open. Indeed, a disheveled woman opens the door – and to Hartmut’s surprise – the room beyond her looks reasonably normal, for being in the middle of a swap – not the horror scene he’d witnessed peering into the window

• She offers to let the party in – Hartmut and Avacyn accept while the others explain they will wait outside. She keeps the door open, explaining they’re free to come in any time. She sits down with Hartmut and Avacyn and explains that it’s true – she stole a magical gem she saw (she doesn’t know who it belongs to). She goes on to say that long ago, her child was abducted and brought into the caves – but what was suspected to be a hag. This certainly matched with what they’d heard about the deeper caves of Redstone. (See the Legend of Redstone Mountain), fueled by rumors set by other adventurers – and there was event recent events, that other adventurers blamed on hags that had taken place in the town – the very Inn the party was staying at.
• She explains she hoped to use the power of the gem to help track down her abducted child.
• Hartmut asks why the house looked different inside when he peered in from the window – and the woman stands to reveal her true form – slamming the door with a quick stomp of her foot – the rune triggering the spell.
• The spell traps Hartmut and Avacyn in with her – while the party outside is forced to try and find a way to get inside – they quickly discover the runes on the house prevent it from being damaged long – shattered windows begin to automatically mend themselves due to the Coven’s runes – mimicking the “mending” spell repeatedly
• The party manages to get the hag to a point where she kneels down and touches the floor – igniting all the runes – she opens the door – and throws the Ruby out of the wooden home and warns, “If you want the Ruby, fetch it – otherwise come with me and meet my sisters.” The house hums loudly – and Hartmut and Avacyn quickly exit the house
• The house spins and vanishes – just as it had done before
• A shimmering portal opens behind them after they pick up the gem – and see Sindri still in the cave. Sindri asks where they went and why they smell like dirty swamp water. The party sighs and returns the Ruby of Levitation to Nikalos.
• Arhian stares at the cut on her arm – from when she tried to shatter the window – and can’t help but feel that now the hags can track her down. Anytime. Anywhere.

To Be Continued.