← Previous Session: Session 027: Mo Suffers Not a Drow to Speak

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14 Mirtul, (Day 50) 

Wave Echo Cave

Mid-Morning

The session resumes immediately where the Party left off.

• Rae's Silence spell is still covering the entrance to the chamber.
  • Orthanc and Mo are standing inside the silenced area.
• The drow wizard the Party encountered at the end of the previous session is inside the room with 2 bugbear guards.
• The bugbears are wearing leather armor and carrying 2 handaxes each.
• The drow already knows there are more people outside the room than he can currently see.
• Mo backs out of the Silence spell so that he can cast.
• The drow watches Mo begin casting and tells the Party that he assumed violence was inevitable.
  • He says that he would have preferred to get information from his victims before killing them.
  • He demands to know who sent the Party.
  • He specifically questions whether it was:
    • His mother.
    • His family.
    • Members of his extended family who discovered what he was doing in Wave Echo Cave.
• Mo casts Summon Beast using his golden acorn.
  • The bestial spirit takes the form of Baby Wolf Friend.
  • Baby Wolf Friend appears directly behind the drow.
• Mo tells the Party not to kill the drow, at least not immediately.
  • Vala agrees that getting information from him would be useful.

START COMBAT

• Rig moves into the chamber through the Silence field to get a better look at the enemies.
  • She still has her bullseye lantern for light.
  • She confirms that there are 2 bugbears standing on either side of the entrance with paired handaxes.
  • Rig then moves back out of the Silence field and reports what she saw to the others.
  • Orthanc, who is still standing inside Silence, does not hear any of this.
• The Black Spider realizes the rest of the Party is probably clustered in the hallway outside the room.
• He smiles and says: “Let’s make this a little more interesting for my invaders.”
• The Black Spider casts Faerie Fire over the Party.
  • Everyone makes Dexterity saves.
  • Most of the Party avoids the spell.
  • Rae fails.
  • Purple magical light erupts around Rae, outlining him and causing him to glow faintly.
  • The Black Spider maintains concentration on the effect.
• Rae and Vala hear movement somewhere deeper in the adjoining passages.
  • They cannot determine exactly how far away it is.
  • Something else is moving toward the fight.
• One of the larger bugbear guards charges Orthanc.
  • The bugbear screams directly into Orthanc’s face, whipping himself into a battle frenzy.
  • He attacks twice with his handaxes.
  • The first attack hits Orthanc for 12 slashing damage.
  • The second misses.
• Vala moves forward but deliberately remains outside the Silence field so that she can cast.
• Vala casts Chromatic Orb at the Black Spider.
  • She rolls a 19 to hit.
  • The Black Spider raises one arm.
  • He is carrying a long black obsidian cane or staff capped with an obsidian spider.
  • A magical Shield appears and deflects the Chromatic Orb away.
  • She suddenly understands why everyone hates wizards.
  • She also immediately decides that she wants his staff.
• Vala moves back toward Rae.
  • Her intention is to stand between Rae and anything that comes charging down the hallway.
  • Vala points out that they are both glass cannons, but she is currently slightly less glass.
• The second large bugbear guard moves onto Orthanc.
  • He also screams in Orthanc’s face before attacking.
  • One handaxe hits for another 12 slashing damage.
  • His second attack misses.
• More movement can be heard approaching through the darkness.
• Mo squeezes through the doorway toward the Black Spider.
  • Leaving the bugbear’s reach provokes an opportunity attack.
  • Mo is hit for 11 slashing damage.
  • His armor absorbs part of the blow.
• Mo Wild Shapes into a Brown Bear.
• Bear-Mo dashes across the chamber toward the Black Spider.
  • He maintains concentration on Summon Beast.
• Baby Wolf Friend attacks the Black Spider.
  • Because of Mo’s previous burnout effect, the spirit makes the attack with disadvantage.
  • The attack misses.
  • Mo remains directly engaged with the Black Spider and orders Baby Wolf Friend: “Get him. Get the wizard.”
• 2 additional bugbears appear from the lower passage.
  • These are smaller than the 2 handaxe-wielding guards.
  • They carry clubs and wear lighter leather armor.
• Verna fires her crossbow at one of the large bugbears attacking Orthanc.
  • She hits for 23 piercing damage.
  • The bolt penetrates the bugbear’s armor.
  • Instead of dropping, the bugbear screams, tears the bolt out, and throws it away.
  • The attack does substantially less damage than Verna expected.
• The Party realizes that the large bugbears are in some kind of frenzy.
  • They are still completely alive.
  • Their screaming and mutual aggression appear to be helping them shrug off damage.
• Orthanc enters a rage and attacks one of the bugbears.
  • His first attack misses.
• Rae begins trying to improve the Party’s visibility inside the room.
• Vala resolves the burnout from her failed Chromatic Orb.
• Vala is already down to a dangerously small burnout die.
  • Her burnout result is unusually beneficial.
    • The unstable Weave surges back into her rather than draining her further.
  • Vala regains 1 burnout die and refuses to learn from her mistakes.
• Rig confirms through her medical knowledge that the bugbears are not undead or otherwise preserved corpses.
  • They are alive.
  • They are simply extremely worked up.
• Rig moves into melee with one of the frenzied bugbears.
  • She stabs it twice.
  • Both attacks penetrate, but the bugbear again appears to take less damage than expected.
  • It grabs at Rig’s hands, throws them away from itself, screams directly in her face, and spits blood.
• The Black Spider continues talking even while Bear-Mo and Baby Wolf Friend surround him.
  • He again asks who sent the Party.
  • He asks whether it was his mother.
  • He names Matron Zorlaran.
  • He asks whether it was his cousins.
  • He appears convinced that someone within his own family must have discovered what he is doing in Wave Echo Cave.
  • He suggests that there is a significant source of power somewhere within the forge that his family would want.
• The Black Spider casts magical Darkness.
• A sphere of absolute blackness fills part of the chamber.
  • Normal darkvision cannot penetrate it.
  • Any ordinary magical light overlapping the Darkness is suppressed.
  • The Black Spider disappears from view inside it.
• Mo can still detect the Black Spider’s position through Tremorsense.
  • He cannot actually see him.
• As the Black Spider moves, Mo attempts to stop him.
  • The DM allows Mo an opportunity attack with disadvantage because
  • Tremorsense tells him where the Black Spider is moving.
  • Bear-Mo tries to grapple him.
    • He misses.
• The Black Spider retreats through the Darkness.
• He tells the Party that he knew they would be dangerous after they defeated King Grol and his other minions.
• The Black Spider calls: “Let’s bring in the rest of my pretties.”
• 4 giant spiders descend from the pillars around the chamber.
• The Darkness leaves Orthanc effectively blind.
  • He is also still inside Rae’s Silence spell and therefore cannot hear.
  • Orthanc is now fighting by instinct while blind and deaf.
• One of the large bugbears attacks Orthanc in the Darkness.
  • It declares, “Now you’re mine.”
  • The bugbear rolls a natural 20 and buries a handaxe into Orthanc’s chest.
  • The critical hit deals 15 slashing damage before Orthanc’s rage reduces it to 7.
  • Orthanc succeeds on a Constitution save and avoids the Bleeding condition.
  • Orthanc is now bloodied.
  • The bugbear’s second axe misses.
• The smaller bugbears move toward Rig.
• One of the giant spiders drops down near Rig and attempts to bite her.
• It misses.
  • Rig cannot see the spider but now knows there is one extremely close to her.
• Vala still cannot see into the magical Darkness.
• Vala uses one of her Cat’s Eye potions.
  • She pours the thick potion directly into her eyes.
  • The viscous liquid burns intensely and seems to slurp around her eyeballs.
  • Vala gains 30 ft of darkvision for 1 hour.
• Vala can now make out:
  • 3 bugbears.
  • A giant spider.
  • The immediate area around Rae.
  • She still cannot see through the Black Spider’s magical Darkness.
• Vala uses True Strike and fires her crossbow at the giant spider threatening Rig.
  • The attack misses.
• Vala hears additional movement.
  • This time it distinctly sounds like large, many-legged creatures moving through the tunnels.
• Vala moves beside Rae so that anything charging down the hallway will reach her first.
• Bear-Mo uses Tremorsense to locate the Black Spider inside the Darkness and attacks him.
  • Mo attacks with disadvantage because he cannot see.
  • His claw attack would normally hit.
  • The Black Spider casts Shield again.
  • The attack is deflected.
  • Mo attempts to bite him.
  • The second attack also misses against the Shield.
• Baby Wolf Friend attacks.
  • The spirit rolls a natural 1.
  • Baby Wolf Friend bites empty air hard enough to chip a spectral tooth.
• Another giant spider attacks Bear-Mo from behind but misses.
• One of the smaller bugbears reaches the stairway Verna is covering.
• Verna uses Steady Aim and fires her crossbow.
  • The bolt goes directly through the bugbear’s head.
  • It drops dead.
  • Verna immediately produces a recognizable murder cackle from the darkness.
• Orthanc tries to determine the location of the enemies around him by the attacks he can feel.
• Orthanc uses Reckless Attack.
  • The advantage from Reckless Attack cancels the disadvantage from being unable to see.
  • Orthanc swings his maul blindly into the Darkness.
• Orthanc connects & the blow deals 18 total damage.
  • Orthanc crushes the head of the large bugbear directly in front of him.
  • The maul continues through into one of the smaller bugbears beside it.
  • Orthanc crushes that bugbear’s head as well.
  • Both bugbears die in a single swing.
  • The maneuver is christened “Orthanc’s Smashburgers.” Vala adds it to her Kill Tally next to the Hamburger and Hotdog counts.
• More enemies can still be heard approaching.
• One of the giant spiders fires a mass of webbing into the Party’s position near Rae.
  • Vala, Rig, and Rae make Dexterity saves.
  • Rae fails.
  • Rae becomes Restrained in thick spider webbing.
  • The webbed area also becomes difficult terrain.
• Rae decides the Silence spell is now doing the Party more harm than good.
• Rae drops concentration on Silence.
  • Sound abruptly returns to the entire area.
  • Orthanc can finally hear again.
• Rae takes out one of the ball bearings the Party bought in Phandalin.
• Rae casts Light on the ball bearing.
  • It produces 20 ft of bright light and an additional 20 ft of dim light.
• Rae then casts Spiritual Weapon.
  • The weapon appears as his spectral morningstar.
  • Rae does not burn out.
• Rae immediately attacks one of the giant spiders with Spiritual Weapon.
  • The morningstar deals 12 force damage.
  • It smashes into the spider’s carapace, cracking a large section of it.
  • The spider is left close to bloodied.
• Rig attacks the giant spider beside her twice.
  • Orthanc’s enlarged body is close enough to the spider that Rig can benefit from Sneak Attack.
  • Rig deals roughly 21 damage between the 2 attacks.
  • Black ichor pours from the spider.
  • The badly wounded creature falls from the wall onto its back and begins writhing.
• Rig decides stabbing it is insufficient.
• Rig climbs onto the giant spider.
  • She uses its thrashing legs like stepping stones.
  • She reaches the center of its exposed body.
  • Rig jumps into the air and drives both heels down into the spider.
  • Its body splits open beneath her.
  • The giant spider dies.
  • Rig earns Inspiration for the kill.
• The Black Spider attempts to reposition.
• Bear-Mo uses Tremorsense to make another opportunity attack.
  • The attack would hit.
  • The Black Spider casts Shield again and deflects it.
• The Black Spider activates another magical effect.
  • Mo hears words of activation from somewhere inside the Darkness.
  • A mass of webbing erupts around Bear-Mo and Baby Wolf Friend.
  • Mo succeeds on his save.
  • Baby Wolf Friend becomes Restrained.
• The magical Darkness remains.
  • The Party determines that the Darkness is being produced by an item rather than a concentration spell.
• The remaining large bugbear attacks Orthanc twice.
  • Both attacks miss.
• The smaller bugbears attack Rig.
  • One manages to hit her, though the damage is minimal.
• Vala targets another giant spider using True Strike and the Glassstaff.
  • Her attack misses as the radiant energy bounces off the spider’s carapace.
• Vala burns out.
  • The unstable magic reflects back into Vala’s face.
  • She loses 4 HP.
  • Vala compares the unexpected radiant facial burn to microdermabrasion and assumes she will look excellent tomorrow.
• More spider-like movement can still be heard approaching.
• Bear-Mo pushes through the web-covered difficult terrain and escapes the Darkness.
• Mo reaches the Black Spider again.
  • The Black Spider still has Shield active.
• Bear-Mo attacks with his claws.
  • He rolls a 23 and hits.
  • The attack deals 4 slashing damage.
  • Mo’s attack also knocks the Black Spider prone.
• Mo immediately tries to bite him.
  • The Black Spider’s Shield blocks the bite.
• Baby Wolf Friend tears through the webbing restraining it.
  • The spirit breaks free and begins moving toward Mo again.
• Another giant spider comes up behind Bear-Mo.
• The spider bites Mo directly in the bear butt.
  • Mo takes 11 piercing damage.
  • He succeeds on the save to avoid Bleeding.
  • The spider’s venom deals additional poison damage.
  • Mo’s resistance reduces the poison damage.
  • His bear butt begins to feel numb and tingly.
  • Mo maintains concentration on Summon Beast.
• Verna uses Steady Aim and fires at another bugbear.
  • She deals 19 piercing damage.
  • The bolt goes directly through its head.
  • The bugbear dies.
• Orthanc attacks one of the enemies with his maul.
• Orthanc rolls a natural 1.
  • His maul slams directly into the stone architecture rather than the enemy.
  • The impact damages the weapon.
  • Several of the spikes on the maul break off.
  • The weapon receives 1 damage notch.
  • Until it can be repaired, the maul loses its additional piercing damage.
• A giant spider attacks Rae.
• Rae uses Warding Flare to impose disadvantage.
  • The spider still barely manages to hit him.
  • Rae takes 7 piercing damage and 8 poison damage.
  • Rae loses concentration on Spiritual Weapon despite using Inspiration.
• Rae responds by raising his holy symbol and using Radiance of Dawn.
• A burst of divine sunlight explodes outward from Rae in a 30 ft radius.
  • The giant spider succeeds on its Constitution save and takes 6 radiant damage.
  • 2 of the smaller bugbears fail their saves and take 13 radiant damage each.
  • The light sears both bugbears badly enough to kill them.
  • Another enemy is left heavily burned.
• Rae rolls his glowing ball bearing into the chamber.
  • He deliberately aims it into a corner where the light can illuminate the room without entering the sphere of magical Darkness and being extinguished.
  • The ball bearing settles near one of the pillars and lights part of the southwestern side of the chamber.
• Rig slips underneath Orthanc’s enlarged body to get behind the remaining large bugbear.
  • Orthanc raises one leg to let her through.
• Rig attacks from behind.
  • Her strike goes upward into the junction between the bugbear’s spine and skull.
  • The bugbear collapses and dies.
• Rig then moves back toward the giant spider near Rae.
  • She drives a blade up underneath the spider’s abdomen.
  • The spider falls from the wall spilling black ichor.
  • It dies.
• Most of the Black Spider’s allies in the main chamber have now been destroyed.
• The Black Spider rises from the floor.
  • His arrogance finally appears shaken.
  • He reaches into his component pouch, speaks an incantation, and gestures.
• The Black Spider casts Invisibility.
  • He disappears.
• Mo can still determine approximately where he is using Tremorsense.
• Mo attempts another opportunity attack as the invisible Black Spider moves.
  • The attack is made with disadvantage.
  • Mo misses.
  • Baby Wolf Friend cannot make an opportunity attack because it cannot perceive the invisible target.
• Vala moves into the chamber to help track him.
• Vala has her Cat’s Eye darkvision active.
• Miss Tra is perched on Vala’s shoulder.
  • Miss Tra has 60 ft of darkvision.
  • Miss Tra can also perceive invisible creatures as faint, ethereal outlines.
• Vala dashes farther into the room and uses Miss Tra’s senses to search.
• Miss Tra spots the Black Spider.
  • He is standing near the top of another set of stairs.
  • He is looking back toward the Party.
• Vala looks directly toward his invisible position while holding the Glass Staff.
• The Black Spider recognizes the weapon.
  • He insults Vala using a Drow slur for non-drow which he treats as roughly equivalent to “meat trash.”
  • He is visibly offended that someone he considers beneath him managed to defeat Iarno Albrek.
• Another giant spider crawls along the wall near Verna and fires webbing at her.
  • Verna succeeds on her Dexterity save and avoids being Restrained.
  • The area around her still becomes covered in webs and difficult terrain.
  • The spider then closes in for melee.
• A second male drow appears from deeper in the tunnels.
• He wears studded leather armor.
  • He carries a ranged weapon.
  • A multi-headed scourge hangs at his waist.
  • His equipment suggests that he has been acting as a slave driver or overseer for the bugbears.
• The second drow fires at Verna from the bottom of the stairs.
  • Because Verna is approximately 10 ft above him, she receives significant cover.
  • The shot misses.
• The drow hisses an insult at Verna specifically for being a surface elf.
  • Verna understands the insult and the cultural hatred behind it.
  • The hostility is extremely mutual.
• Bear-Mo leaves the spider threatening him and charges after the invisible Black Spider.
• Mo attacks the Black Spider with disadvantage.
  • His first attack rolls an 18.
  • The Black Spider casts Shield again.
  • Casting Shield breaks his Invisibility.
• The Black Spider becomes visible.
• Bear-Mo immediately bites him.
  • The attack hits for the maximum 11 piercing damage.
  • Mo tears a hole into the Black Spider’s leg.
  • The Black Spider succeeds on his Constitution save and does not begin Bleeding.
• Baby Wolf Friend dashes around the Black Spider to help box him in.
• The Black Spider continues trying to determine who sent the Party.
  • He asks Mo whether his brother Ravel Xorlarrin sent them.
  • He says Ravel was always jealous of him.
  • He references their childhood in Menzoberranzan.
  • His repeated assumption remains that this attack must be part of a Drow family rivalry rather than something the Party undertook independently.
• A giant spider comes up behind Vala and attempts to bite her.
• Vala activates Shield through the Glassstaff.
  • Her AC increases enough to block the attack.
• Verna draws her rapier and uses Steady Aim against the giant spider attacking her.
  • She deals 19 piercing damage.
  • The rapier punches through the carapace.
  • The spider is left barely alive.
• Orthanc closes on the same spider.
• Orthanc attacks with his damaged maul.
  • He deals 16 bludgeoning damage.
  • The blow smashes several of the giant spider’s legs.
• Orthanc uses Topple.
  • The spider fails its Constitution save.
  • It crashes to the ground prone.
• Rae draws the Wand of Magic Missiles recovered earlier in Wave Echo Cave.
• Rae spends 3 charges from the wand against the spider.
  • A rapid volley of magical bolts slams repeatedly into the creature.
  • Rae deals 22 force damage.
  • The repeated impacts split the spider’s carapace open.
  • The giant spider dies.
• Rig moves toward the Black Spider.
• Rig fires an arrow at him.
  • She rolls a natural 20.
  • The attack deals 23 piercing damage.
  • The arrow enters the Black Spider’s chest and punches through his back.
  • Blood sprays behind him.
  • The Black Spider is left barely conscious.
• Rig considers simply finishing him.
• The Party reminds her that Mo specifically asked them not to kill him because they need information.
• Rig agrees.
  • She does not particularly enjoy killing for its own sake.
  • She simply believes that if someone must be killed, it should be done efficiently.
• Rig uses Action Surge.
• Rig moves into melee range and reverses her dagger so that she can strike with the blunt end.
• Rig hits the Black Spider underneath the jaw.
  • The blow smashes several of his teeth together.
  • It deals enough damage to drop him.
  • Rig deliberately makes the attack nonlethal.
• The Black Spider falls unconscious.
• Vala turns back toward the prone giant spider behind her.
• Vala casts True Strike through the Glassstaff and attacks.
  • She deals 9 radiant damage.
  • The staff smashes through the spider’s carapace.
  • The creature splits open and dies.
• Vala immediately runs back toward Rae.
• Rae is still trapped in the spider webbing.
• Vala helps free him.
  • Rather than tearing wildly at the web, Vala finds several key strands and carefully pulls.
  • The mass of webbing begins unraveling around Rae.
  • Rae is freed.
• Rig begins securing the unconscious Black Spider.
  • She wraps him in her net.
  • She adds rope.
  • She stuffs ribbons into his mouth as a gag.
  • Rig sits directly on top of him.
  • She keeps her daggers pressed close enough to vulnerable parts of his body that she can react immediately if he wakes.
• The Party briefly discusses breaking the Black Spider’s fingers so that he cannot cast spells.
  • No fingers are actually broken during the session.
  • The Party intends to interrogate him first.
• Meanwhile, Verna is still fighting the second drow away from the others.
• The second drow attempts some kind of magical or supernatural effect against Verna.
• Verna makes a Wisdom save.
  • She succeeds.
• The drow’s face seems to melt away.
  • Its features collapse into a black, hollow visage with empty eyes and a screaming expression.
  • Verna has seen this transformation before.
  • She shakes off the effect.
  • Verna informs the creature that its normal face was worse.
• The disguised creature appears surprised that the effect failed.
• It attacks Verna with the multi-headed scourge.
  • The attack hits.
  • Verna’s armor absorbs the physical damage completely.
  • However, Verna fails the accompanying Constitution save.
  • She gains the Bleeding condition.
• Verna begins taking additional damage from the ongoing bleeding.
• Bear-Mo starts circling toward Verna and the disguised drow.
• As Mo moves through this section of the cavern, the Party gets a better look at the surrounding area.
• A large portion of the floor has collapsed into a sinkhole.
  • The collapse appears relatively recent compared with the ancient mine.
  • Rubble fills much of the lower area.
  • The old channel from the water wheel likely once continued through here before the collapse changed the path of the water.
  • Newer mining equipment is scattered throughout the rubble.
  • Someone has been actively excavating this part of the mine recently.
  • The Party assumes the Black Spider’s bugbears have been searching for something here.
• Bear-Mo and Baby Wolf Friend continue moving around the sinkhole toward Verna.
• Verna attacks the disguised drow with her rapier.
  • She lands a strong strike.
  • Blood pours from the wound.
  • Verna continues taking Bleeding damage herself.
• The disguised drow attempts to invade Verna’s mind.
• Verna makes another mental save and succeeds.
• As the creature presses against Verna’s mind, Vala’s portent divining manifests within Verna’s thoughts.
  • Verna suddenly sees an image of Savras.
    • An elderly, wise figure appears in robes covered with depictions of eyes.
    • The image gives Verna something solid to focus on.
    • Verna uses it to force the invading presence out of her mind.
• The psychic resistance appears to rebound against the creature.
  • It hisses in anger.
• The creature lashes out at Verna again with the scourge.
  • Verna avoids the attack.
• Verna thanks her lady for the help.
• Bear-Mo reaches the fight and attacks the disguised drow.
  • His claw misses.
  • Mo rolls a natural 1 with his bite.
  • He spends Inspiration to reroll.
  • The replacement attack also misses.
• Baby Wolf Friend dashes into position on the other side of the drow to help flank it.
  • Verna attacks again with her rapier.
  • She deals 19 piercing damage.
  • Her rapier drives through the drow’s abdomen.
• The creature begins coughing and spitting blood.
• Verna disengages and backs away.
• Orthanc begins dashing toward the fight.
• Rae picks up one of the Party’s lanterns as he moves.
• Rae approaches with both the lantern and the Wand of Magic Missiles.
  • He points the lantern toward the enemy.
  • He fires another volley from the wand.
  • Multiple Magic Missiles strike the disguised drow.
  • The creature is left coughing up blood and barely holding itself together.
• Rig remains behind with the unconscious Black Spider.
  • She stays seated on him and keeps him restrained rather than abandoning the prisoner.
• The disguised drow begins to convulse.
• Its arms twist unnaturally.
  • Bones begin breaking.
  • Its skin starts sloughing away.
• A small goblin abruptly tears its way out of the drow-shaped body.
  • The skin of the drow is left behind like a discarded cocoon.
  • The transformation is deeply unpleasant to watch.
  • The Party recognizes that they are dealing with another shapechanger/doppelganger.
• The goblin-form creature runs directly underneath Bear-Mo and flees.
• It does not provoke an opportunity attack during the transformation and escape.
• The creature dashes through the water and disappears into the darkness.
• Mo can still feel its movement with Tremorsense.
  • His Tremorsense has a 60 ft range.
• Mo chases it.
  • He moves to the edge of the water and then dashes after the fleeing creature.
    • Mo calls back: “Doppelganger on the loose, come help!”
• Baby Wolf Friend follows Mo.
  • The difficult terrain slows the spirit, but it continues the pursuit.
• Verna is still Bleeding but follows as well.
  • She takes additional Bleeding damage.
• Verna dashes until she can get a shot at the fleeing goblin.
• Verna fires her light crossbow.
  • She rolls a 23 to hit.
  • The bolt deals 17 piercing damage.
  • It goes completely through the goblin’s back.
  • The creature collapses dead.
• The goblin corpse immediately begins changing again.
  • Its limbs twist and break.
  • The body swells and deforms.
  • A tall, nearly featureless gray humanoid form tears out of the goblin body.
  • The true form convulses briefly and collapses.
• The doppelganger is dead.

END COMBAT

• The Party has survived the extended battle against:
  • The Black Spider.
  • His frenzied bugbear guards.
  • Several additional bugbears.
  • 4 giant spiders.
  • A doppelganger disguised as a male drow.
• No members of the Party are dead.
• The Black Spider is still alive.
  • He is unconscious.
  • Rig has him tightly bound in a net and rope.
  • His mouth is stuffed with ribbons.
  • Rig is physically sitting on him to make sure he cannot escape.
• Vala immediately reminds the Party that they need to interrogate him.
• Vala plans to use Detect Thoughts during the interrogation.
• The goal is to determine whether he is lying rather than relying exclusively on persuasion or intimidation.
• The Party discovers that they are collectively not especially charismatic.
• Rae appears to have the highest Charisma bonus among them.
• Orthanc proposes simply putting one enormous foot on the Black Spider’s chest while somebody else asks the questions.
• The Party receives 475 XP each for the encounter.
• Party totals are approximately 5,735 XP depending on each character’s previous individual XP.
• The Party has won the fight in the Black Spider’s occupied section of Wave Echo Cave.
• The Black Spider is alive, unconscious, gagged, bound, and under guard.
• He repeatedly assumed that the Party had been sent by members of his Drow family.
• He specifically mentioned his mother/Matron Zorlaran, his cousins, and his brother Ravel.
• He claimed that Ravel had always been jealous of him since their childhood in Menzoberranzan.
• He also implied that there is a significant source of power somewhere within the Forge.
• A second apparent drow was revealed to be a doppelganger.
• It shifted from drow to goblin while fleeing.
• After Verna killed the goblin form, its gray humanoid true form emerged and died.
• The Party has discovered evidence of relatively recent excavation around the collapsed sinkhole deeper in the mine.
• Verna is still suffering from the Bleeding condition at the end of the fight.
• Orthanc’s maul has 1 damage notch.
• Several of its spikes were broken when Orthanc struck the stone architecture on a natural 1.
• It no longer deals its additional piercing damage until repaired.
• Rae has spent multiple charges from the Wand of Magic Missiles during the encounter.
• The next session is positioned to begin with the Party securing the area and interrogating the captured Black Spider.

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Next Session → Session 029: The Fate of the Lost Brothers Rockseeker