“Around here, we DON’T see them, EVERY day.”
Usually said by way of hello, very close, from right behind you, in extra deep voice, whilst invisible.
“You don’t see them here, you don’t see them there, you don’t see them just about everywhere, pretty much all the time. Those also, we’re ALWAYS not seeing those, everywhere.”
The 1/2 Copper Dragon Lady, Sunset Gala Moon, visualizes right behind the character closest to the stairs.
At her left is Bright Rising Moon, 1/2 dragon son of Sunset, a bard.
At her right is Mistwind Song Bear, satyr / wood elf bard who hangs with the Faerie Dragon and High Druids.
They are very dirty.
“Hey! would any of you ever like to see some of my collection of mind pictures of ancient mosaics? They are mini permanent illusions I made to be exact copies of mosaics and artworks I’ve seen in ruins. I discovered a way to store them in crystals so they can be browsed at leisure…” You just hold them up to light and look thru them.
“Bright Rising Moon, my son here, knows you’re welcome in my lair even if I’m not there at the time. He’s usually a homebody, sitting comfortably around the yard writing some song for me.”
“The way to the new tower has just been sealed for your protection.
The Exterminator Squad will be hitting what’s left of those poor bugbears any minute now.
Likely it’ll all be over w/in an hour or few.
I swam through the loose dirt they were piling at the top of the tunnel. The ogre and bugbear workers told me they were told to seal the tunnel to keep us out and to say they relinquish any claims if asked or attacked.
Turns out (air quotes) leadership had no intention of doing anything but stalling for a little more time.
I went down there to give King MugFace Ogre Magi of the Nosebiter Clan a good, “look see, here’s how’s it gonna be”.
He didn’t seem to be following me, but long before I saw it in his eyes I saw it in random bugbears around me…
By the time I saw one of their jumping brain puppies, I could tell the King was already gone!
I’m upset I didn’t see it sooner… (the other 2 shake their heads slowly, then nod), I know that look far too well, but I’ve had so much on my mind lately.
I ate his head out of mercy for what may have been left of him, and fled. We imagine we barely made it (the Bards nod solemnly then grin).
Of course, I felt a need to render him as much with my acid as with my teeth, yike! (makes yucky face).
The place was filthy with those horrors and now, double damned, their victims. That nest of filth must be sterilized.
Is there anything easier to loath than mind flayers?
So I sealed the stone corridor. The Tunnel Rats will hit them within the hour I’m sure.
You can probably expect some company up top over here. I recommend you join them. It’s good to gather in the largest possible crowd when the Delta Demons Squad (DELTA DEMONS! YAH! they’re not actually ALL demons, of course, laughs) are actively working their expertise nearby.
As everyone knows, you never know what will pop up out of the ground fleeing on the ethereal or material planes; mindless, horrid, horror show stuff. A run in can be very unsettling at best.
The walls in the ziggurat will prevent entry from the ethereal, down here, not so much.
If you like, I can be back early on the morrow to let you back into the new find… (pause for response), there seems to be plenty left down here either way. I’ll be here helping get a good start on growing a living stockade around the ziggurat anyway.
You should party and enjoy the forced company. Just don’t pass out, and make sure to watch no one becomes a thrall.
Oh! and in room number 2, off of the 4th floor, the one marked by 2 vertical dashes, please do not damage the possible frozen Egyptian.
If it’s not just some Eskimo, as it is dressed as such, it could be the most instrumental find in known Batteugrun history, or at least an extremely remarkable and maybe very popular one.
Very interesting how it looks like the whole thing seems keyed to teleport magic yet it has gates.
Well, I’m off to spread the word. Ciao!”
The bards look back.
Mistwind, “We’ve got a few chords, rhythms, rhymes, and lines together already, be good pals and create a great song for us to write.”
Bright Rising Moon, “Don’t try too hard tho bros, so far you already seem like a giant box of natural born adventure!”
Mistwind, “Yeah, you wouldn’t want to cut the story short by dying before it’s really gotten started.”
They wink, nod, and nudge at each other, they wink at you.
They hasten to catch up.
Bright Rising hop-flys twice, grabbing the thinish tallish “satyr”, and landing as high up the stairs as he can, just as Sunset Gala Moon climbs up out of sight.
…
The next time the PCs have a pause and time to think, the cleric’s spell server is tapping him on the shoulder.
Dragon shaman is having a similar experience:
“Yes, the rooms are composed with extremely powerful magics, but it is the ilithids you should never forget to fear.
We have no knowledge of these structures, tread carefully, obscure no info without it’s full comprehension, damage as little as possible.
We are watching with interest, do not hesitate to seek aid, both above, and here.”
They both now get access to the 2rd lvl spell, Lesser Sense Psionic Mind.
They each now have all spell slots opened, as if they had slept and prayed well.
For the remainder of the day they each have an extra slot filled with Sense Psionic.
These are auspicious signs of inauspicious times.
May Allnessing continue to enfold you.
Sunset Gala Moon told a few of the more curious gnomes up top about Zippy da Quicklien’s stuff:
+2 Dig Gauntlets – Move Earth @ 17th – no user limitations
+3 Mithril Entrencher of Excavation or Move Earth @ 16th, 8/week.
2.5 lbs. Can be used as a one hand hammer-axe or dagger-axe for 2d3 blunt dam; if kept sharpened after being used as a shovel: 1d4 slashing, or 2d3 +1 piercing. Counts as +3 magic weapon for purposes of ability to hit. Can be set against a charge by tiny or smaller – no user limitations.
+2 sm club of hold on contact, can throw Bane at 3d4 targets/day- no user limitations.
Spider climb ring 1-3 hrs, 1-3/day
+2 short sword
+2 small size hand crossbow & 23 bolts.
+1 sm buckler of Shield 1-3/day.
Ancient coin of emulate feat 1/day
2 perm light coins.
3 heal d8+2 coins (one time use)
2 enlarge coin @ 3rd & 5th (one time use)
1 reduce ancient coin at 4th lvl (one time use)
Map of how to get here from a cave 55 miles Westward.
2 each sm, & tiny cold iron manacles.
Small sketch pad and pencil.