Retreat

I never really had a group of players who were willing to retreat or regroup from a Dungeon. When they do this it requires some work for the DM. On the one hand, the dungeon maps and notes are already prepared but now you need to think about how the inhabitants of the dungeon will react with time to recover from the hero's first foray.

Session 69: Chambers of the Mind Flayer

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alonso (human fighter), Aashdoshan (human necromancer), Domago (human cleric NPC), Lantosh (human fighter NPC), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Vervork (human fighter NPC).

In the previous session, the players had finally located the Lair of the Mind Flayer who has been pulling the strings behind a number of attacks on their characters.

Fenris continues to lead the adventurers through the unused sewer tunnel until they come to a point where there is an intersection. Lakima tells his mimic to form a bridge across the open water. They cross over using the mimic as a bridge. Soon after they come to what looks like a natural cave opening in the side of the brick wall of the sewer. Fenris peaks into the cave but it is dark. Lakima lights the entrance with his staff and they see a patch of giant mushrooms and yellow fungus and mold. The light triggers several shriekers to let out painful, piercing wails. Lakima decides to fireball the cave destroying all of the fungal life. Once the fires have burnt down, the adventurers proceed into the cave and find a natural tunnel.

While moving carefully along the tunnel, a glass bottle drops from above shattering at Lakima’s feet. Oil that they now see on the floor of the tunnel explodes into flames. Lakima drinks a potion of Fire Resistance, while Aashdoshan’s Ring of Fire resistance prevents him from harm, but Fenris and Eathwund are burned. A wall of flames rises in the tunnel cutting off Fenris, Lakima, Aashdoshan (and his skeleton minion), Eathwund, and Domago from the rest of the party. Fenris points up at a ledge where they spot three drow warriors. The drow fire crossbow bolts at the adventurers from above. Eathwund uses his Magical armor to step into the ethereal plane and drift up behind the drow. He manifests and attacks them with surprise on his side from behind. Fenris climbs up the tunnel wall and joins the fight.

One of the drow is killed by Eathwund. One drow casts faerie fire on Eathwund and the other drow casts a globe of darkness over the area. However, Lakima summons a Glow Minion and it dispels the darkness. They catch the remaining pair of drow as they are trying to run for it. Eathwund kills one and pushes it off the ledge. It lands with a thump at Aashdoshan’s feet. The necromancer immediately raises it as a zombie. The last Drow is killed before it can get away. Lantosh uses water from his waterskin to put out the worst of the fires. The party is able to regroup together.

Fenris leads the heroes deeper into the caves. Aashdoshan raises another drow as a zombie. As they enter a large cavern with a stream and pool of water crossing it, they see an enormous snake uncoil from around a stone pillar. As the snake rears up they see that it has the head of a human female. Aashdoshan yells, “a naga!”

The Naga demands to know who has disturbed it, and Lakima proudly answers. The naga asks for proper deference and tribute or it will kill the adventurers. Lakima suggests the same if the naga does not want to die. The naga begins to cast a spell while at the same time but a little quicker Lakima casts Charm Monster but it fails. The naga finishes her spell and an area of silence settles over Lakima and Aashdoshan.

Spurred into action, Alonso and Eathwund attack the Naga with their swords and are joined by Lantosh and Vervork. The 30-foot long naga is stabbed and slashed repeatedly until a dagger thrown by Aashdoshan catches it in the head and it collapses in a heap. Aashdoshan busies himself inspecting the corpse. Lakima uses his Wand of Metal Detection and discovers there are several metal objects at the bottom of the large pool. Aashdoshan sends his skeleton minion into the pool to retrieve whatever it can find. While Lakima sends the glow minion. The skeleton returns with a femur bone while the glow minion returns with a few gold coins, a stoppered crystal jug, and a large emerald.

Waiting for the party at the tunnel exit from the cavern are a number of Drow warriors and several giant poisonous snakes. Lakima yells for the fighters in the party to move to the front. Eathwund, Alonso, Vervork, and Lantosh push to the front and into the tunnel. The tunnel widens into another cavern. A confused melee results with the Drow and the snakes, and more Drow including a priestess attack from a ledge overlooking the melee. At the height of the battle, the Drow priestess leaps down from the ledge to attack Aashdoshan. But Domago is nearby and intercedes. Domago is badly injured in the fight. The Drow manage to kill all of Aashdoshan’s undead minions but first, their snakes are killed and then the warriors fall. The Drow fight silently with single-minded attacks but soon only the priestess remains. She refuses to surrender and dies fighting.

The adventurers take stock after the tense battle. Domago casts healing on Lantosh. They find an iron gate leaving the cavern into a dark cave. Aashdoshan senses undead on the other side so they decide not to open it. On a nearby ledge, Fenris finds a shrine to a spider god. He pockets the crystal idol of a spider. At the back of the cave, they find another tunnel. Fenris takes the lead again.

Fenris comes back to report a trap ahead. Lakima tells him to disarm it but Fenris tells him that it is a magical trap. Aashdoshan and Lakima follow Fenris until they are within 15 feet of a purple, glowing glyph set into the floor. Aashdoshan casts dispel magic at the glyph and it vanishes. Fenris cautiously leads the way down the tunnel followed by the rest of the party. As Domago passes the spot where the glyph was set into the floor there is an explosion of flame without warning. Only Domago is caught in the fire trap. The fires burn briefly and then dissipate. But when the fire dies away, the party sees their companion Domago lying dead on the floor of the cave. His flesh, blackened and peeling revealing protruding bones. With no healing for this kind of damage, the group decides to stuff Domago’s corpse into the Bag of Holding.

They proceed with more caution and arrive in another cave. On one wall of the cave, they find two large, marble doors. The symbol of the mind flayer inscribed into the doorposts. Fenris checks the doors and reports that it is blocked by a bar on the other side. As they discuss the dilemma, three hideous, eight-tentacled creatures slide down stone pillars from the ceiling and start to move towards them. Lakima instantly casts Wall of Iron. A thick iron wall appears dividing the chamber and blocking the creatures in the other half.

Safe from the creatures, Vervork, Eathwund, and Alonso take turns putting their shoulders against the stone doors. Finally, they hear a crack when Alonso strikes the doors. The doors swing inward revealing a strange circular chamber. In the center of the chamber rests an enormous 15 foot in diameter, a 12-foot-tall stone carving of a human brain. The stone is slick and green with darker green veins shutting through it. The veins pulsate and glow with green light like they are alive filling the chamber with a green glow. Fenris and Alonso cautiously advance toward it – Alonso hears a strange voice in his head and feels intense pain before he fights it off. He warns the others.

“Smash it, Alonso!” Lakima yells.

Alonso strikes the glowing stone brain causing cracks to appear. Eathwund moves up to join him. Alonso again feels the strange presence in his mind, but this time he listens to it. He must protect the brain and kill the intruders! Alonso turns and swings his sword at a surprised Eathwund. Eathwund falls back from the onslaught trying to protect himself. Lakima casts Confusion on Alonso but it fails. Eathwund continues to stay on the defensive as Alonso continues to attack. Lakima now casts Mikda-Err’s Practical Tilt and Alonso stumbles and falls to the floor.

“Quickly, smash it!” Lakima yells.

Eathwund, Lantosh, and Vervork all smash away at the brain opening cracks in the surface. Finally, the brain grows dim. Alonso gets to his feet and shakes his head. Back in control of his actions, Alonso apologizes to Eathwund. Eathwund just pats Alonso on the shoulder.

Fenris continues to lead up a ramp leading from the chamber of the brain. The ramp leads to what is clearly a laboratory. The chamber is dominated by a 10 foot in diameter iron tank filled with bubbling green liquid. Strange metal boxes and pipes are attached to the tank’s sides. Against the wall are a number of enormous glass jugs filled with green liquid.  Against another wall are two large bookshelves filled with books. Before the bookshelves is a small table and chair. The table is covered in books, parchments, and writing implements. A stone door leads from the chamber and a large passageway that heads out and up.

Aashdoshan and Lakima are immediately drawn to the bookshelves and desk. Aashdoshan notes that the book spines that have titles are all written in infernal and all have to do with the subjects of anatomy and magical fusion of species. The desk is covered in notes in an unknown language. Lakima tells Alonso to smash the glass jars. Alonso walks toward them, sword in hand but Lantosh cautions him that they might explode if damaged. Lakima then casts Aztazibar’s Acrid Finger and burns a hole in the side of the iron tank. Green liquid sprays out onto the floor. The rest of the party enter and begin to look around. Then they hear a splash from the tank and an enormous tentacled creature with a single eye rises up out of the bubbling liquid. The creature drags itself out of the liquid and slides to the floor, tentacles lashing out at Aashdoshan and Vervork. One tentacle that ends in pincer-like claw clamps over Aashdoshan and nearly cuts him in half. When he is released Aashdoshan slides to the floor. Lakima yells for everyone to get out of the way and then casts Lightning bolt at the creature – but it seems to revel in the electricity and actually grow in size.

Eathwund, Alonso, and Vervork lead the attack against the creature. It strikes Eathwund and clamps down on an arm. It hits Alonso twice with clawed tentacles. Meanwhile, the attacks from the fighters hit the creature but its tough, leathery hide seems to deflect much of the blow. A pincer grabs Vervork and crushes his chest. Vervork falls to the floor dead. Lakima casts slow on the creature and that does affect it. But it still fighting on – only more slowly. With the creature slowed, Lakima yells that it is time to run. Most of the heroes run up the ramp which they find leads to a closed door. Eathwund stays to take two more desperate swings at the creature with his sword. The attacks strike home and the creature finally stops moving.

The party comes back to the laboratory to regroup. Rune Frost and Glason arrive – they had hidden for the entire battle in the room with the stone brain. Lakima feels they are close to the final lair of the Mind Flayer, but everyone decides the smart thing to do is to retreat. Vervork and Domago and dead and Aashdoshan is barely alive. Even Alonso and Eathwund are laboring. The heroes move back through the caves without incident and exit into the cellar of the blacksmith’s shop.

As they leave the smithy, they see that the sun is just rising. They make their way across town attracting a lot of attention as they drag Vervork’s body. They head directly to the Church of St. Cuthbert. Brother Wakefield greets them and immediately calls for Abbot Marta once he sees the state of the party. The bodies of Domago and Vervork are laid out on the floor. Abbot Marta tells them he can save the two men - but the cost will be great (and not in gold). Lakima tells him to save their companions and that they will pay the cost.

Several priests arrive with a stretcher and carry Domago and Vervork back into the private rooms of the Church.