SouthSpire Underdark
We leave and continue down the steps. At the bottom, we arrive at the station and a smaller settlement around the station. This is a lot more official and way less lawless than Delver’s Rest.
The lower settlement is by a great salt river. The train station is across the river. There are boats allowing a way across a river. The river is so salty that it is almost toxic, the creatures in the water have adapted to it.
The settlement has a number of stores, and an Inn. The Inn is called “the Abyss”.
They use wood down here, which is from the great mushroom trees in the underdark - the great tower caps from the fungal forests.
The Abyss has a dwarven proprietor, a heavily scarred dwarf. Kurdew Brightmaster. He tells us that Codex’ mother was here a long time ago, stayed in the bed that Codex will be resting in.
He has a Drow cook named Sarode, who is marked as a Drow outcast by a brand on her face and a slash through it indicating she is kill on sight by other Drow in the underdark.
There is a tavern down the street called the Wet Hell.
We enjoy some braised, fresh caught underdark fish and bread from strange grains. Called a “demon fish” they are aggressive fish that are quite large and can sink boats. A gnome named Athiss offers to those that want to hunt demon fish an apparatus that they can get in to hunt the large creatures.
Berdyn goes to fish and is strapped into the apparatus. He tries to catch a massive demon fish and succeeds! It is a huge fish, a bit taller than Berdyn.
Head to the Provisioners, and speak to the mountain dwarf in here. He is mute, had his throat deliberately cut. His name is Verdinar. We ask about the svirfniblin settlement, and he identifies it – Chrysoprase. He tells us the settlement is two days away downriver from the Settlement, along the River or the Roads. Be sure to take the LEFT side stream when going down river.
We are told that Captain Bottlehelm may know about settlement locations, and the gemcutter is a svirfniblin that may tell us more about Chrysoprase.
He warns us about Hook Horrors, and how they tap the rocks in a specific, non natural pattern. They are giant and ravenous and dangerous.
We speak to the gemcutter – realize that svirfneblin have a natural non-detection ability, they dampen detection methods, both arcane and otherwise. This gemcutter recognizes Bale and when he asks about Jacquette Elynbrigge – Morely, he says “she looks like you”. The gemcutter is named Gulfignorran. He agrees to send his wife to the colony and let them know that we are coming.
It makes sense that Jaquette was difficult to find. The Svirfniblin’s nondetection ability makes it impossible to detect her.
BUT THAT MEANS THE RATTLE IS BULLSHIT. But the rattle does use divination magics, so does it listen in when Jacquette’s name is spoken? We have to keep it in the magical bag, and decide how we can use our new knowledge to throw off those that are using the rattle to listen in.
Sarode is shy but loves Kraken the ooze dog. She seems lovely, and so Bale leaves Kraken with her to look after until we return from the dragon slaying.
We go to the Wet Hell and see that it is owned by a Black Dragonborn! I meet Kamirth, the black dragonborn. He is very friendly! He speaks of a Green Dragonborn colony to the west of Thanehold. In the tunnels, there’s an underground (not underdark) freshwater lake.
The white dragonborn are north, north of NorthSpire
The black dragonborn are far south, far past the kingdom of the Tiger.
The red dragonborn are east to the other mountain range, a clutch is there, a large one.
The others are south in Kingstowne.
Kamirth is… very racist towards other races, but very warm and welcoming to Codex.
We head to bed!