Previous: Session 055; Next: Session 057
Start: 8th of Excitol, evening, at the end of the tunnel to the lair of the Nexus Encephalon, preparing to approach and scout ahead with Quenthal and his rangers.
Aoife Sweeney scouted forward and came to a leathery end to the tunnel. Moving the flap aside, she observed 2 Intellect Devourer-controlled Duergar - one staring off ahead of himself, and another gathering pickaxes in a pile. The pair were stationed within the inside of a small, dark chitinous hut about 20 feet in diameter. Neither seemed to clock Aoife Sweeney until she entered the hut and made herself known. One of the thralls noticed her and ran outside, she pursued.
Exiting the tent, Aoife Sweeney observed the lair of the Nexus Encephalon: a several mile long cavern lit by an array of blue, red, and purple deep crystals from the ceiling. Immdiately around her was a quarry staffed by hundreds of Duergar thralls, mining and working from several dozen similar chitinous huts stationed in a semi circle, each about 200 feet apart (1.36 mile diameter semi-circle, roughly). About a mile ahead is the ruined Duergar city of Uldrazim, with a castle-fort stationed amongst a stone brick town, all behind a 20 foot high wall. Beyond that, near the back of the cavern, is the ziggurat Velkrazar. Observed atop the ziggurat were four circular pillars with massive (15 feet tall) red deep crystals nestled in crown-like tops to the pillars. Open archways lead inside the ziggurat from each layer, and stairs run up the center of each side at a 45 degree angle.
The Duergar thrall was running ahead towards Uldrazim, and Aoife Sweeney pursued through the hundred of Duergar miner thralls. Arwa Hathspelt also emerged to aid, and quickly retreated. Aoife Sweeney made it half way across the quarry before turning around and fleeing back to the tunnel: she dumped her bag of ball bearings, causing most of the thralls to slip all over them. She succeeded on 7 Int saves from the Intellect Devourers and ran back towards the tunnel. Two teams of thralls with Neogi on leashes converged on the hut the Bill's Bimbos emerged from: with a quick casting of Hunger of Hadar, she slipped past and rejoined the team down the tunnel. Arwa Hathspelt and Calliope used their spells to collapse the tunnel behind them, and everyone ran off back down the tunnel.
About an hour down the tunnel, late in the day, Nesdin set up a Tiny Hut and everyone went to rest. Aoife Sweeney sent a message to Xan'alith'alan, who essentially was surprised they made contact, and warned them about not engaging. Merlara and Limbaron couldn't fit in the hut, and slept nearby outside of it. Some time through their watch, tremors grew and grew. In a flash, Merlara was swallowed whole by a Purple Worm. They quietly relocated, and completed their long rest.
9th of Excitol - 11th of Excitol, the Bill's Bimbos and the surviving rangers snuck back down the tunnel to Qir'ellan'alak. The Bill's Bimbos and Quenthal reported back to Azaetha Starstride and Xan'alith'alan on the status of the Nexus Encephalon colony and their lair, having alerted the colony with their scouting mission.
End: 11th of Excitol, evening, in Rathian Hall planning next steps with Azaetha Starstride and Xan'alith'alan