First thing in the morning, I get Smig awake (barely) and drag him over to near safira’s body. I do some rituals for an hour and suddenly sparkles and lights appear and a spectral panther appears and then solidifies into a real looking panther. Safira!! She roars very loudly to announce her arrival. SMIG looks at her with dead eyes “only I can see my special friend”
Safira wakes up everyone.
Jeth and Ivy have some chats
Ivy gives Jeth SUCH love and compliments. Jeth and Ivy have a moment.
Ivy is happy that Safira is alive. gives her pets. Ivy Is super kind and worries about Khashana and the loss she just had and offers to talk with her and be there for her. Khashana smiles and laughes and asks Votig what she thinks of this. Ivy is confused. Votig pops out of nowhere. Khashana thanks Ivy for her kindness but says that everything is fine, she is still connected to votig and her family is all here now. A little weird but together again. Pets Safira.
Valon opens up a map of the shadowfell and gives us a rough idea of where we need to go and where the Phandelver party is going.
Elf ravenqueen followers. became a group of elves called the shadowkai.
place of darkness, dim light,
WE get ready for the portal. Votig relights the runes on the wall and opens the void portal
Ivy just jumps through. The honunculus is terrified to go through. Has to trick it through with snacks.
everyone goes through the portal. I’m last.
So many emotions everywhere. Smig is not doing well. I broke him.
I ask Votig if I can still take to her on the other side. She isn’t sure.
I tell her I will come back for her. I will always visit.
we walk through. We feel pushed and pulled and stretched. Everything seems grayscale and quiet. Some distant thunder and wind. rarely ravens or crows.
Dorbin offers to enchant something with light but I still have some torchs.
Paws tells me that light is not really a good idea but notices in my cat fan in my bag and is excited about it. I get so excited, I drop the torch and let it go out and chat with Paws about my fan. I give it to her for friendship! Paws takes it and learns how to use it and fans Kas and Safira. Friendship!!
I can speak to Votig but it’s very faint.
Valon takes the lead. Ivy notices interesting humanoid footprints. Ivy calls me over and we look at the footprints. It’s about recent of a week or so.
10-15 individuals. Notice some giant dog-like pawprints as big as a human hand. Unsure how many. Something was dragged? Wasn’t always visible but suddenly is now.
I ask Votig if she knows of any doglike creatures in the Shadowfell. No more answers! I’ll come back for you Votig!!!
Valon says it’s time to part ways. WE see a thin dark tower in the distance. The tower of memories. We have some cute little connenctions and hope to see them agian.
No time in the shadowfell but we feel tired.
Safira purrs and pops out of existence for a bit. Right now, it’s all boring so I will not resummon her at this time.
There isn’t very much green in this area. UGH.
Lots of dust. Some potential foothills nearby.
Khashana tries to commune with nature to see if she can understand anything about this area. She is looking. for a safe place to stay. pervenlant people. and powerful creatures.
There is a large rock formation in the direction we are going. Perhaps safe to shelter. about 3 miles
i get intermittnent pings of undead energies flowing in and out of my perception. within 3 miles
I get a lingering sense of humanoids and people. same direction.
Ivy gets excited about undead and tries to look for some but nothing in 60ft.
Together with Ivy, we lead the group to the rock formation for shelter. WE are NOT stealthy. Ivy notices the footprints again with the dragging device is a cart that is heading in the same direction as us.
WE zig zag to each rock. Ivy wonders if something we want is on that cart?
Iconic eye carvings on the rocks nearby. Crude drawn eyes just marking the area. no older than 100 years. Seems like wayfinding.
On the ground, we see a fine leather gloves with some dust. maybe a couple days?
every little bit, we see a coin or somethign here and there.
the big rock formation. Has a little pathways inside. More eyeball shapes
As the eye continues forward into the rock system, it finds people gathered and sheltering in side. The eye ends then.
We decide to continue on. We head over with expert Khashana survival skills.
There are two more rocks looming out and we can finally see the the rock formation.
More painted rocks with colorful eyes.
“Beware the eyes of Z. They are always watching” (SMIG doesn’t tell us but not on purpose)
I’m watching Smig because I’m guilty.
He has a face staring at the rock then sudden clarity, fear/dread and he disappears.
He wont’ answer us. we are confused. He isn’t moving away.
Smig says in hushed tones “only I can see my special friends but they can see us.”
He pops out of invisisblilty and crouchs down. "reapeating “the bholders are watching” terrified.
I don’t get it. I don’t really know these. Everyone else does.
Beholders are drawn to places with unique things. specials artifacts, power hungrier, magical. Jeth knows that they have been known to gather support from lesser beings and conscript them into their service.
Jeth is worried that the people in the cave are potientially with the beholder.
Dorbin and Jeth explain. Khashana gets interested in it but realizes everyone is terrified
WE are going to stealth now. As the group debates, another eye on the rocks appears out of nowhere. The sands shift and a piece of cutlery appears in the sand.
Detext magic does nothing.
This is terrifying.
Smig runs back the way we came from
I try to mind link him. All i hear is him freaked out breathing.
I direwolf and Sprint after him. I grab him by the back of the neck clothes and wrap around him telling him that it’s okay, we are all here.
Smig responds “what are we foing here”
I ask smig about his mission to rid the world of evil. If there is terrifying evil here, shouldn’t we do something?
He stops squirming and gathers his breath a bit.
“What should we do?” says Smig.
I ask him what we wants to do. It’s his mission and I’m along for the ride.
Smig is upset about not having guidance. Khashana tries to convince smig that he doesn’t need guidance from anyone. He has always done his own thing. We are all here . the only guidance you need is us. we are together. Shall we go back to the group?
Smig accepts. (Smig suddenly gets a coin into his hand and hears in his head “I have not forgotten you. Trust yourself”)
Smig falls tot eh ground crying. I snuggle.
Smig flips the coin. The unicorn horn on the coin points to the group.
Smig with renewed confidence returns to the group.
Dorbin packs his honuculus and I pick up poor gloop from the sand I dropped him in when I trsnformed. Smig and gloop has a moment.
WE try to sleath. barely making it by
Jeth notices that some of the rocks have been shaped into rough wolflike shapes.
smig says “in a connection between planes”
More things randomly show up here and there. Wolf Khas picks some up in her mouth here and there.
We get to the entrance of the cave and see a fire light.
Jeth wants to get our story straight before going anywhere. We could get in trouble. Lots of unsavory people here.
Smig and Ivy decide they want to be honest and kill whatever is evil and in our way.
Jeth is worreid.
Smig heads closer to the fire. He steps into a pile of slime and falls out of cover.
He feeels all these eyes on him and then realizes that there is no one there. it’s emtpy.
the fire is alone.
There are some stairs heading down from an archway that decends into a black dark cavern.
Dorbin’s arm is now coated in the same black slime that got onto Smig.
It’s not a familiar goo.
Dorbin understands that it’s a side effect from sleeping beholders. When they sleep, they manifest random changes in the world. something slime.
If this is the liar of the beholder, all of the weird changes could be from it sleeping.
Teh tracks lead from the fire into the new chasm
Smig makes the bonfire into the shape of the unicorn horn and feels the coin in his pocket recognize him.
We debate sleeping. Khashana yawns and loses all the shiny items she picked up over the course of the walk.
The groups wishes to go forward. Khashana keeps yawning but follows them.
WE head to the chasm.
When beholders set up their lairs, they often set up in an area that has special past/power. They make use of an old preexisting building and cavern and carve things to fit their wants.
More cravings of eyeballs.
The eyes of Z
It’s darkvision and I have none. Smig gives me his shiny rock and I hold it in my mouth with the light shinning through my teeth. I can shut my mouth to hide the light!
The rock in my mouth shines and I see a quick mist that immediately disappates.
I randomly comment to smig. Huh it’s misty in here!
Smig is worried. I don’t get it.
Jeth looks for traps!
OOF! Almost got into a trap. this place is dangerous!!
S swirling shadow engulfs Jeth’s foot and he feels two stabbing sensation. a shadowy form pops up, stabs jeth, and disappears.
Ouch Jeth!!!
A shadowy form shows up in my light.
(Khashana Goal: Live with Votig!) with a plant portal to leilon