Intro
At the end of WoW C3.S3.09 - Songs of Supernatural Splendor, the party had been tricked by the Orc shaman Lutra Terasse and walked right into a trap, sliding down a series of steep slimy sewer tunnels, hundreds of feet down into the depths of Undermountain. They thought they were entering themselves as competitors for a gladiator battle run by the The Thieves Guild, but they would soon find out that things would be a bit more complicated than that. Little did they know, they had waltzed right into the The Overseer's Lair.
They were deposited into a cell with iron bars which was guarded by a group of fearsome looking humanoid fish creatures with odd staff-like weapons (Kuo-Toa)
They heard an ominous disembodied voice say: “Welcome arena competitors, please stand by for security measures. Don't resist or you will be killed without further warning."
Suddenly tentacles sprung from all surfaces, grasping at their arms and legs. The Kuo-toa proceeded to throw a glass jar into the cell that smashed and released a cloud of powder that made everyone feel feel woozy.
The party initially resisted unconsciousness and prepared to attack, but the Kuo-Toa reached into the cell with their long pincer staffs and further restrained Bruce and Pyper. The party wisely agreed to surrender and succumbed to unconsciousness.
An Audience with The Overseer
The party was shaken awake and found themselves shackled together, each with an odd magical looking collar around their neck. Their weapons and bags had been taken. They gazed up at a large domed underground chamber, the ceiling over 40 feet above them. The floor was tiled with black marble and featured a large design in the center of the room, adorned with gold inlay. It featured a circle with ten spokes radiating from it, similar to the glowing graffiti warnings they had come across when seeking out the sewer lair in session WoW C1.S2.02 Warehouse Warfare, Sewer Stronghold. By now, they knew all too well it was the The Overseer's mark. Floating above the symbol was a cloud of small multi-colored motes of light. High in the center of the domed ceiling was a brass bell shaped object that the party quickly surmised was some sort of device designed to emit or amplify sound.
The party saw they were guarded by the Kuo-Toa and a fearsome looking dwarf with a horned helmet. Across the room they saw a familiar looking older drow male- Nar’l Xibrindas, the Overseer’s lead advisor. Next to Nar’l was a horrific creature that looked like a massive floating brain from which a beak and tentacles protruded (a Grell)
Lining the perimeter of the room were lifelike stone statues of humanoids in odd stances. Bartholomew quickly identified that these were people who had been petrified, turned to stone by magic. He remembered from his arcane studies that it is possible to return such victims to life with powerful magic.
Bruce recognized one of the statues, a man he knew from his time living in the seaside kingdoms along the shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars. His name was Lin Tung and was a member of the Nine Golden Swords, an organization Bruce had worked for. Lin had been one of the few members of the organization who treated Bruce with respect, and had helped him master his skill with the Shou Long Dao. Bruce felt a pang of sadness, and a tear welled up in his eye.
The party saw the floating lights twinkle and pulse as they heard the same disembodied voice they had heard in the prisoner cell begin to speak:
“Well, well, well, if it isn't the so-called “Lost and Found” crew.
And I, of course, am the Overseer. Welcome to my Lair.
I must say, I'm impressed, you've given some of my best agents a run for their money. But it remains to be seen if it was skill, or just dumb luck?
What was your plan today exactly? Infiltrate my lair in disguise, sneak past the guards, and catch me asleep, is that right? (Dismissive laughter)
You really think that the one time of year I welcome outsiders into my home, that I wouldn't take certain precautions? You aren't the first fools to think this would be some golden opportunity to strike at me.
Look, I'm sure your Zhentarim allies and others have made me out to be some boogie man, a great evil threatening Waterdeep. But I'm just a humble merchant who gives back to my community. Do you know who provides housing to the poor and disabled that have nowhere else to go? I do. Who helps import medicines and goods that only nobles could otherwise obtain? I do. Who helps keep order in the slums when the city guard can't be bothered? I do.
Do you even know who you are working for in the first place? After all, it was the Zhents that helped embezzle millions of gold from the working class of Waterdeep. It was the Zhents that helped brutally enforce the law, the law that only protects the rich and powerful. It was the Zhentarim that stole the Stone of Golorr from me and started this war, and have been burning down whole neighborhoods in the process. You might be surprised to learn that Urstul is not even the head of the snake. You should know, I have eyes everywhere and my sources tell me the Black Lord Manshoon has arrived in Waterdeep to personally oversee things. Are you aspiring to deliver a mysterious stone of untold power to a man who dreams of conquering all of Faerun?
I think our interests are more aligned than you might think. Despite everything that's happened I'm still willing to cut a deal with you. You see, I want your help. I'm simply interested in securing the gold and giving it back to the underclass who it was stolen from in the first place. If you get me the gold, you can keep the stone and do with it what you will. Think of all the people we can help, together.
What do you say?”
Fearonuh saw a beam of light shoot at her from the cloud of floating motes and was able to resist some type of magical force that had attempted to interact with her
The party asked The Overseer what would happen if they refused his offer
It responded with a chuckle: “Well, I guess you don't have much of a choice, do you?” But it added: “Look, I have guests from all over Faerun here for the show tonight, and I hope you won’t disappoint them. If you take care of business in the arena, I promise to let you go and order my people to leave you alone moving forward. We will also aid you in battle should you need it as you seek the other eyes of the stone.”
After some whispered deliberation, the party said they agreed to the Overseer’s terms, having already grown increasingly suspicious of Urstuland the Zhentarim
The Overseer then asked: “I hear the stone was stolen from Urstul after the distillery battle. Why don't you tell me what you know about the stone's current whereabouts? How about you, Bruce?”
Bruce saw a ray of light shoot at him, but like Fearonuh, was able to resist some sort of magical force
Bruce began speaking in a rambling manner, but was interrupted by Metatronia, who took over and delivered a tactful response
She confirmed that they had created a forgery of the stone and that the forgery was what was stolen from Urstul by a group of Drow. She said the real stone was safely in their possession, inside an extra dimensional pocket. All of what she said was true, but she left out certain information that helped protect the party as well as their new Drow ally Jarlaxle.
The Overseer appeared to believe Metatronia was telling the truth, but made Vonna confirm the information by swearing on her god that this was all true. She did, honoring Tyr
The Overseer said he was looking forward to working with them before he ordered the guards to take them back to their cell and to make preparations for the arena battle
The Party left the chamber still unsure what the Overseer really was, if he was real at all
Nar’l’s Pep Talk
Shortly after they returned to the prisoner block, Nar’l Xibrindas approached their cell and stood silently staring at Metatronia, seeking her eye contact
When Metatronia finally made eye contact, he directed her with his eyes to his waist where he was subtly making the Drow sign language sign for “danger”. He then quickly signed “watched”
He then began speaking, and signed a series of other signs, that seemed to be timed with specific things he said verbally
He said: “You know, is the Overseers birthday and he’s had a hard few months. I hope you’ll help make it a special night for him. He loves a spectacle, so please, take center stage and captivate him with the performance of a lifetime. Good luck out there!”
When he said center stage he used the sign for “dig”, and then when he said the word performance he signed “sing" then signed “on my signal”. Finally, he ended by signing “shoot” and then “eye”
Metatronia was a bit wary of trusting Nar’l and potentially taking actions against the Overseer, but resolved to see how things played out and keep watch for his signal
Fight Night Intro
While being escorted to the arena, Pyper noticed an arcane looking stone design on a pillar with a depression in the center that looked like it could hold a sphere. She recognized it immediately: it matched the one they had seen in Session 2 in the Sewer Hideout. The Mind Flayer Nihiloor had placed a sphere into it to open a portal to escape. Pyper had recovered the sphere from Nihiloor’s corpse and it was in her pack back in the prisoner block.
The party was brought into another massive round domed chamber nearly 60 feet from one side to the other. Most of the chamber was ringed by a tiered stone bleachers currently hosting with all manner humanoid and non-humanoid onlookers. Most were races common in the Underdark, but it also included humans and other surface dwellers. They were drinking ale and talking uproariously in many different strange languages, but began to quiet when the party entered.
The same cloud of floating lights appeared in the center of the room and they heard the Overseer speak:
“Welcome one and all, to the kickoff of this year's arena series. I am your gracious, host the Overseer. I'd like to extend a special welcome to Qrr'zarq, our new Illithid emissary. I'd also like to welcome our Duergar allies from Gracklstugh, and the Hobgoblins of the Deaths Head Phalanx. Of course I'm joined by my advisors Nar'l and Ahrmeago, and so many of my other loyal agents.
Tonight you will enjoy a classic team tournament. Four teams, 3 fights, and lots of action. So get your coins ready, there will be plenty to wager on.
For the combatants- the rules are simple, no magic other than cantrips. Your collars will see to that. Don’t try to escape, and don’t hurt the spectators. Otherwise no rules. The last team standing wins.
For our first match, I have a real treat for you. I have captured the infamous Lost and Found Crew. Yes, the feared Zhentarim squad that has recently taken out many of our friends including Noska and Nihiloor. Let's give them a warm Theives Guild welcome! (JEERS AND BOOS ERUPT FROM THE AUDIENCE) Oh come now, don’t be rude. I for one am quite looking forward to seeing how they fare against our fearsome Lizardfolk friends, the Cruel Claws.”
Round One- The Cruel Claws
The party was placed into the arena and were unshackled while a faint transparent force field emerged, trapping them in the arena. The magic collars remained in place, and they each had chosen two weapons to bring them.
They faced off against the Cruel Claws, a group of seven massive Lizardfolk fighters each wielding a crude shield and a club or spear. The focus in their primal eyes showed no hint of mercy.
Bruce was first to move and immediately killed two of the brutes with impressive swordword and strength to match. The rest of the Lizardfolk were immediately outnumbered and ended up being easy work for the party. After the last one was hacked to pieces by Fearonuh, they saw that only Bart had sustain an injury, and a minor one at that.
Meanwhile, Metatronia was able to use her feet to covertly confirm there was something buried in the sand in the center of the arena
After the battle the guards brought them back to their cell
Round Two- The Zhentarim
After about an hour they were brought back to the arena and found, to their dismay, that they were about to fight a group of their Zhentarim allies. Across the area they recognized:
Ziraj the Hunter, the seven foot tall orc assassin who had aided them in the distillery battle
Vevette Blackwater, one of Urstul’s executive council members the party had recently met
5 other Zhent thugs
They heard the Overseer announce:
“Wow those first two rounds were bloody fun eh? Well, get ready for more drama, with a Zhentarim on Zhentarim grudge match. We were delivered another group of Zhents gift-wrapped from. Thank you to whoever got me such a thoughtful birthday present, I’m really tickled. This time we will have an Orc on Orc spotlight match right by the front row, Ziraj the Hunter vs Fearonuh the Spinster. I hear this old crone packs quite the punch! Remember, Wager’s are being taken in the back.
Competitors, the grudge match will be separated from the other battle taking place simultaneously. Once either battle is won, the wall will be removed and the survivors can aid their ally in finishing off their remaining foes.”
Vevette yelled:
“What the fuck Vonna, before we woke up down here, the last thing I remember is we met you in an abandoned building. You had said you had some intel to share.”
Vonna was confused, as what Vevette was describing was not something that had occurred. Vonna relayed to Vevette that they must have been tricked by someone magically disguised to look like her. She warned the Zhents that it looked like they in a kill or be killed situation and that the Lost and Found crew wasn’t going to hold back.
The battle kicked off and the two sides began tearing into one another. The party smartly divided their enemies into three separate groups, with Vonna, Bruce, and Pyper each taking on two or three Zhents in melee combat.
Pyper attempted to use her powers and accidentally triggered a wild magic surge. Her collar instantly corroded, rusting to the point that it fell right off of her neck. Her spells were no longer limited to cantrips.
Similarly, Metatronia helped Bartholomew remove his collar using her thieves tools, and Vonna ripped her collar off using sheer strength and good leverage.
About twelve seconds into the battle Metatronia saw Nar’l give her another covert hand signal. She placed herself in the center of the arena and began to sing the song that she had learned during her resurrection. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for a moment and everyone turned to look at her, captivated. Then the whole chamber began to reverberate, dust falling from the ceiling, and even the floor began to violently shake as if it was an earthquake.
The Overseer said: “How are you doing this!? Stop this instant!” and everyone saw a huge disembodied eye appear floating about 20 feet off of the ground. It was fixated on Metatronia.
At the same time Bartholomew and Pyper noticed that large secions of the forcefield had dissipated. It seemed that anything in the field of vision of the eye was disrupted. Bart clocked that there was likely an anti-magic field at work and relayed this to his allies. He and Pyper repositioned themselves at the outside edge of the arena in order to ensure they could use their magic.
Then, the 5-foot wide maw of a massive tunneling wurm burst through the arena floor, erupting up into the chamber. Seventy feet in length, the wurm was covered with iridescent purple scales.
It was followed by three scantily clad drow women wielding longswords. Metatronia immediately recognized them as worshipers of the Dark Maiden Eiliestraee who had aided in her resurrection just two days ago. Among them was Trelasarra Zuind, their leader. She had heard tales of these Sword Dancers, but even she was captivated watching them. They moved with an otherworldly, deadly efficiency, as they tumbled, jumped, and whirled about the chamber. Their swords hummed an odd low tone as they glided through the air. One of them immediately slew a guard with a single strike, confirming her elite fighting prowess. While the wurm may have helped the drow get into the chamber, it no longer seemed to be under control of the drow, swiping at one with its tail stinger
The emergence of the wurm caused most of the arena crowd to run for the exits. During the commotion, three other dark shapes sprinted out of the hole in the floor towards one of the doors. These were male drow, and those watching very carefully might have recognized Jarlaxle, the party's newly acquired ally. They saw one of these drow draw a pistol and shoot the giant ruby gem that appeared to be generating the arena forcefield, shattering it, and eliminating any remnants of the force field.
Ahmaergo, the Overseer’s fearsome-looking dwarf lieutenant, lept into battle, demonstrating his own well honed fighting skills with his magical looking greataxe. He nearly killed one of the Sword Maidens with two blows. However, the Purple Wurm swallowed him hole within the next few seconds.
As the fighting continued, Metatronia reached down into the sand and pulled up three odd looking arrows that had been hidden there by Nar'l. She took aim with the Crescent Moonbow and fired a shot at the eye. Her aim was true, and the Overseer howled in pain, the eye blinking rapidly. The power of the anti-magic field appeared to have been interrupted.
Finally, the Overseer had had enough and revealed his true form. He deactivated his invisibility magic and everyone saw a nightmarish creature appear around the floating eye, still about 15 feet above the ground. It was roughly the shape of a sphere, 6 feet in diameter, and appeared somewhat like a disembodied head with one large central eye. It also had ten tentacles with smaller eyes at the end of each one. Its skin was a strange blue and yellow hue. Its oversized mouth was filled with knife-like teeth, and it was drooling some foul liquid down onto the ground. The Overseer had revealed himself to be a Beholder, one of the most intelligent, paranoid, and downright dangerous creatures on the planet.
Enraged, the Overseer began to shoot beams of magic from the smaller eyes on its tentacles, targeting Bart and Vonna with its first three shots. Thankfully, they were both able to dodge the beams, avoiding what could have been a swift death.
In a feat of incredible athletic prowess and bravery, Bruce sprinted up the back of the Purple Worm like a ramp and lept at the Overseer, slashing at it three times while in mid-air 15 feet off the ground. His Shau Lung Dao landed one particularly savage blow, lopping off one of the Overseer’s ten tentacles.
Since the Wurm’s emergence, Nar’l had been laying on the ground pretending to be gravely wounded. Now that the Overseer’s anti-magic field had been disrupted, he took the opportunity to cast a spell that formed a massive cloud of yellow-green fog in the air around the floating Beholder. The Overseer began to cough and retch violently, clearly in pain.
Fearonuh and Ziraj Spotlight
Meanwhile, Fearonuh charged at Ziraj at the beginning of the fight, putting on an exciting show of strength for the crowd by dragging the massive orc around the arena by the scruff of his tunic. Ziraj teased Fearonuh about her age, saying: “Not bad, grandma…” before slashing her with his glaive
They continued to exchange blows, but soon after the Purple Wurm emerged, the floor of the arena began to crack and the section beneath Fearonuh and Ziraj proceeded to buckle and collapse. They fell down into another chamber some 25 feet below. They hit the ground hard and were struck with rubble, both losing their weapons in the fall. Ziraj ended up pinned by rubble, unable to escape.
The lower dungeon chamber was very dark and dominated by several large glass vats filled with glowing green liquid. Inside were the preserved corpses of dead Beholders. Ancient relics and magic items adorned the walls, placed in ornate stands and wall mounts.
From the wall, Fearonuh grabbed the broken handle of an ancient looking axe, and with a new sense of fury, moved to strike a killing blow on Ziraj. She nearly did, but saw the fear of a small child in his eyes, eyes that suddenly felt familiar. They reminded her of an orc child she had spared long ago, in a very pivotal moment in her life. She hesitated, and told Ziraj she would help release him from the rubble as long as he agreed to a truce.
He feigned agreement, but as she drew closer, Fearonuh saw a look of madness take over his eyes. Ziraj grabbed another piece of the ancient broken axe that lay on the floor, slashing at her. She parried his swing with her own piece of the weapon, and as the two pieces collided, they sparked a violent magical explosion. It helped free Ziraj from the rubble that had been pinning him while Fearnouh was thrown against the opposite wall with immense force. By the time she had collected herself, Ziraj had already slipped away into the darkness. The vats had been shattered by the explosion, and the bloated corpses of the dead beholders had rolled out onto the floor nearby.
Instead of following Ziraj, Fearonuh opted to climb back up to the main arena chamber and rejoin her allies
NEXT TIME ON: WHISPERS OF WATERDEEP
It looks like the Overseer might be on the ropes, can the party finish him off?
What exactly is Jarlaxle and his squad up to? Why didn’t he help the party more in battle?
Was bringing a massive Purple Wurm to the party really the best idea?
Even if they do kill the Overseer, how the heck will our valiant team get out of this dungeon alive?
TO BE CONTINUED…