Into the Tyrant's Lair
 |
| Davian struggles with inner demons |
Davian
“The way I see it, you are the equivalent of Mr. Muffins. Isn’t the staff the same as the stick Mr. Muffins sits on?” My self-satisfaction lasted all of about 2 seconds before…
“In this scenario, that makes you Flutterfoot Zipswiggle. That’s an apt comparison.”
Through the mental equivalent of gritted teeth, I did my best to ignore him, but he knew he had gotten the better of me, and I could feel the smugness radiate from a corner of my mind.
“You aren’t helping. Xanathar knows we’re here now, and we don’t know what else we’ll encounter in this hideout. I don’t need to be distracted at a time like this.”
“Ha, I’m glad you can admit to being a lesser being. Lack of true planning, lack of information on this…place…, lack of intelligence to know that you lack the basics for survival. It can all be summed up by one word: lacking. Now, if you had only gained your magical abilities not through some unnatural means but through study, like a wizard…”
“YES! WIZARDS! I KNOW! BLAH BLAH BLAH, SO AMAZING, BLAH BLAH. OH WE WIZARDS ARE THE GREATEST, NOT SCUM LIKE SORCERERS!”
He continued, completely ignoring my outburst “…you would have learned the value in spending sufficient time looking for information on this place, or you would have scouted ahead with a familiar.”
Though Keilier had been talking this way since we first met, he still found new ways to open up holes in the mental wall I was building. My father had used a phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” After dealing with Keilier for this long, I’m not sure it’s an accurate saying. Much like being poked by a finger, a few times in the same spot doesn’t hurt. After thousands of times, it can be excruciating.
I had been thinking about my father while Keilier blathered on in the background, and I could feel his presence reappear. I know it’s just memories, and how I think he would guide me, but he has felt more and more real in recent months, probably my mind countering Keilier’s incessant ranting. As my father appeared, Keilier diminished in volume until I could no longer hear him.
“Ignore Keilier, he’s a moron dressed in the garb of an intellectual. Your team is doing well, YOU are doing well. Poisoning the soup to kill everyone in the basement was a great idea. Continue tearing Xanathar’s guild apart so we can get out from under Manshoon’s compulsion.”
“We?” I asked. This was the first time his memories spoke personally.
“Yes, we. I’m with you son, I’ve never left. I swore I wouldn’t leave you.”
With that, I teared up a bit, remembering the day he was taken from me. Torn away, after more than 25 years together, apart from the world. My father, my traveling partner, my protector. And I killed him!
“Shh, it’s okay son, you didn’t know. Your powers are a gift, you must always remember this. If I had to die so you could share your gift and make a difference in this world, it was worth it. Remember, I’ll always be here. I am here to be your guide, as I was for all those years.” His voice trailed off at this, and with it a calming sensation took its place.
After a moment, Keilier’s voice returned. It was the first time I’ve heard his voice in a somber tone. “You must be careful, not all is as it seems.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, not in a harsh way, but genuinely puzzled. The group had been venturing further into the compound, but we didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger.
“Keilier?” Silence.
 |
| Quinn's new haircut |
It was time to get back on track with our task of acquiring
the remaining keys as well as working to satisfy the vows my companions had
taken in service to Manshoon. Satisfaction of the vows would come in the form
of Xanathar’s death. No small feat as I’ve been told repeatedly.
We requested Renaer to join us to gain more information
about Xanathar and his lair. He came over and we began to discuss just that.
Renaer informed us that Xanathar had not been seen in some time. He is no
push-over either. His gaze petrifies, nullifies magics, and even disintegrates.
A chill was sent down my spine. The lair is under magical surveillance all
times of the day. One small bit that might help is the presence of a Harper
agent in the lair. Thorvin Twinbeard had infiltrated the organization and might
be able to help us in our efforts. The last bit Renaer could offer is the fact
that Xanathar loves Sylgar, his goldfish.
As we absorbed the facts laid out, a message came to us from
our bartender. A visitor was in the bar below and had requested an audience.
I’m growing somewhat weary given the frequency of unannounced company.
We entered the bar and took immediate note of the one making
the request. Urstul Floxin sat in a seat at the best table. His face was smooth
as opposed to the scars when we last saw him.
“That face must have set someone back a lot of coin,” I
quipped. “Last we saw it, it was covered with blood, cuts and bruises.”
Floxin smiled broadly, showing his teeth.
“I’m here to remind you all of your commitment to the
cause,” Floxin said.
“You would come here to question our word?” countered Yasuo.
“This is merely a courtesy call,” responded Floxin. “We
wouldn’t want anything to happen to your livelihoods now.”
“We are well aware of the arrangements made,” said Thia
through gritted teeth.
 |
| Urstil Floxin |
“Is that all?” I said with raised eyebrows.
“No,” stated Floxin flatly. “While you are performing your
agreed upon tasks, you will free Samara Strongbones. She was captured by
Xanathar and is held captive in his lair. She is a halfling.”
Floxin stood up. He stared me directly in the eyes and
poured a bottle out on the table.
“Our business is now done,” said Floxin.
“Then get out.” I said.
Floxin slinked his way over to the door and exited with
his bodyguard contingent. I was so angry as to have to deal with that slime
once again. I kicked myself for not making a run for it with Floxin’s head when
we had the chance.
“Lif, that ‘gentleman’ is not welcome here,” I said to our
ghostly bartender.
A piece of chalk rose up and wrote out “banned” on the chalkboard.
I smiled and nodded, confirming the notion. Unfortunately, we had little choice
but to continue carrying out Manshoon’s wishes. We got ready for the day and
made an appointment to meet with Davil Starsong of the Zhentarim Faction to
glean more information for our incursion.
Davil was again found at The Yawning Portal. We sat and
enjoyed a drink with him. He confirmed our information as supplied by Renaer.
When asked about Samara Strongbones, Davil had two words. “Kill her.” We
inquired as to why and Davil simply stated that she was a snake and couldn’t be
trusted in the least. Seeing her die would be a service to everyone.
“Kill her,” Davil repeated.
We thanked Davil for his time and payed him to cast the nondetection spell one each of us. We stood up and exited the
tavern. A bit of further preparation would be needed in terms of supplies and
then we’d be off to deal with Xanathar. Each of us went out and procured enough
potions and scrolls to help us in our quest. Healing potions would be useful in
addition to some more specialized magic. We acquired animal friendship, water
breathing and invisibility scrolls.
Feeling as ready as we could, we went back to suit up. Yagra
was at the inn and was ready to go. She had already agreed to take us in the
back way to Xanathar’s lair. We set out and made our way through the city.
Yagra led us to one dark warehouse. On our way down the alley to the warehouse,
I noted a pair of elves. They stepped out with their hands empty.
“We would like to have a quick word with you,” stated one of
the dark elves. “We know you are heading into Xanathar’s lair and would ask a
favor on behalf of our lord Zardoz Zord.”
“Go on,” Yasuo stated plainly with his hand close to his
weapons. Gearbox quietly informed Yasuo that his truesight allowed him to see through the magical disguises of the elves and that they were actually dark elves, or drow.
“Our master asks that you kill Gnarl Zimbrindas. He stole a
bag of holding. For this crime, his head is the price.”
“I see,” I said. “We aren’t assassins.”
“Having Lord Zord’s favor is not a trivial reward for this
task,” stated the other drow. “Think over the offer. We hope you choose
wisely.”
They disappeared down the alley in utter silence. This felt
like a bad omen, being met in the alley. Who else knows our agenda? Hopefully
there isn’t a welcoming party waiting for us. Yagra continued to the warehouse.
She entered and began navigating her way through the crates scattered about. She
came to one crate which looked no different from the hundreds of others here. A
quick push revealed a hatch in the floor.
Yagra gave it a tug and opened the hatch. This was the
moment of no return. We’d come this far and might as well see it through. Each
of us followed Yagra down a long spiral staircase. It came to an end in a small
room with a single door.
We cracked the door a bit. The next room contained painted
eyes all over the walls. It was a bit unsettling when trying to be unnoticed. I
noted a magical eye stalk descend into the room. It looked about and then
retracted, unable to see us through our veils of nondetection. We stepped in cautiously. I noted a hidden door on the wall opposite
the door we came through. This seemed a good way to continue to sneak around.
We all entered and closed the door behind us.
So far, so good. The room we entered was filled with
lifelike statues. Too lifelike, recalling the petrification gaze of Xanathar. This
must be a holding room for his frozen enemies. We maneuvered into the room and
saw it make a turn. Around the turn we heard a little squeaky voice. I snuck up
to the corner and peered around. A little gnome dressed as a jester was talking
to a small puppet. The gnome’s sanity seemed to have left long ago as he sat in
the hallway talking to the puppet. I learned the puppet’s name was Mr. Muffins
and the gnome feared that he’d be next to suffer Xanathar’s anger.
I quickly slunk back and reported to the group. We decided
this unhinged gnome could be a major problem to our sneaking about. I snuck
back up and mimicked the gnome’s voice. The gnome got really quiet and perked
up. He slowly began to come up the hallway towards me. I waited until he went
past me and then I struck out. My rapier scored a hit. The gnome yelped out and
turned to run. Before he was able to get anywhere, I hit him again bringing him
down.
We quickly tied him up and searched him. Mr. Muffins was a
dart gun in disguise. We located several poison darts in a pouch and quickly
took them. The gnome looked at us in fear. He told us that his name was
Flutterfoot Zipswiggle and he was Xanathar’s jester. After we answered a riddle, he agreed to cooperate with us and informed us
about the doors in the hallway and who resided in each room behind the doors.
None of the rooms felt particularly inviting save the one at the end of the
hall which appeared to contain Thorvin. Feeling pity for the gnome, we knocked
him out and put him in a corner behind one of the statues. Hopefully that decision
will not come back to haunt us.
The Stone of Galorr began to become much more animated.
Yasuo took it out and we found it jerking towards the door at the end of the
hallway and also towards a descending staircase. It appeared two keys were
here. Hopefully this meant our fortune was turning in our favor.
We crept down the hall and cracked the door open on
Thorvin’s room. It was incredibly noisy as a large pulverizing tool was turning
the statues to dust. Thorvin was in the room but his back was to us. Plus,
there was an albino gazer hovering over his shoulder and one of those magical
eyestalks was in the room. This might have to wait until a better time. We
decided to leave the room and explore more.
A quick notion struck me. Anyone can be a Xanathar agent.
The identifying mark was the eye tattoo. We found some inks and made the eye
symbols on our heads. At least somewhat looking the part, we continued on with
our explorations.
We chose a hallway off the one we currently occupied. It
contained another secret passage. We opened it up and made our way to the other
side. It led into a large circular room which contained the largest fish bowl
I’d ever seen. A strange little guy (seems par for the course at this point)
was feeding the fish and chatting to it in some insane manner. The source of
insanity appeared to be all the purple flakes floating around in the room. It
was identical to the strange shop by The Skewered Dragon which we encountered
hunting down Renaer and Floon months ago. The most disturbing however, was
Xanathar himself was here.
The purple flakes began to affect our minds. Yasuo activated
his breathing mask on his suit. That was a bit sudden seeing the mask clamp
down hard and obscure Yasuo’s face. We retreated and figured we didn’t have
much of a chance to win any battles under those conditions. Plus, knowing
reinforcements would be moments away didn’t make anything easier.
 |
| Noska Ur'Gray |
We left the secret passageway and found descending stairs to
the lower levels. At the bottom of the stairs we encountered a large, raucous
party. It appeared that all Xanathar’s troops were celebrating something loudly
while consuming vast amounts of food and drink. All at once, the noise stopped
as all eyes turned our way. A burly dwarf who sat opposite the room stood and
demanded to know who we were and what business we had. I stammered a bit,
looking for the right line. Yasuo, being more versed in military discipline
stepped up. He yelled back for them to make way as we were on special
assignment for Xanathar. The dwarf thought about it and let us through albeit
begrudgingly. We wound our way through the mess hall and exited the other side.
After we cleared the room, the party
went back into full swing.
The passage we chose took us to a kitchen. Some poor
halfling chef was in a panic. He scurried all over the kitchen tossing this and
that into a stew pot. He saw us and thanked whichever god he worshipped and
told us to take over while he went to get more ingredients. Davian had a clever
idea. He took the poison darts and emptied the contents into the stew. That
should even the odds as I’m not certain we can make our way back should the
need arise.
There was another door out the back of the kitchen. We
quickly took it. It led into a dark, dank and dusty passage. We crept down and found
a room. The Stone of Galorr continued to point excitedly into the room. We
opened it up and found a study. There was a desk and a few chairs. A quick
examination of the room resulted in a bag of holding. We deduced that the bag
may be the stolen property the two drow had told us about in the alleyway.
Taking a moment to check further, we found yet another secret passage off this
room. It led down a short hallway into a room with twenty kegs of black powder.
These must be the second key.
Fortunately, the kegs fit nicely into the bag. Once we had
them all in the bag, we began to strategize for our next part. Then it
happened.
The air began to turn. It developed an odor and began to
burn. Thia announced a spell had been cast, cloudkill, and we should get out before it
reaches full strength. That is all I needed to hear. I turned and sped out the
passageway before it could take too much of an effect on me. In the study stood
a drow mage and a large floating brain with a beak and tendrils hanging down
below it. I was instantly repulsed at its appearance.
Yasuo came speeding out of the passageway with his mask
down. He took one glance at the floating brain creature and charged it. I
decided stopping the mage would be in our best interest to get my friends out.
Fortunately, Thia, Davian, Yagra and Primara came charging out and joined the
battle. The brain creature wrapped up Yasuo and tried to devour him. The armor
protected him as we sent our attacks into each of our opponents. We poured our
attacks into the brain creature until it sunk to the floor lifeless.
The drow mage then appeared to want to surrender. Thia had
none of it and sent a barrage of magic missiles into him. His body slunk to the
floor, joining the dead brain creature. Deciding someone had to have heard the
fight, we retraced our steps quickly back to the kitchen. There the stewpot was
empty as the haggard halfling attempted to keep up the breakneck pace. I made
mention for him not to lick the stewpot as we exited out to the dining area.
Yasuo stepped into the dining area and narrowly avoided a
crossbow bolt. Looking into the room, the once festive mood was replaced with a
scene of misery as the soldiers laid about moaning. Only the dwarf was
unaffected and had taken up position behind a table. He scowled at us and
reloaded his crossbow. I ran into the room and flipped down the table. Without
his cover, he fell quickly as we assaulted him with all our attacks.
That was certainly bound to be noticed. We stormed up the
stairs. The gnome had told us of a room containing five dwarves who acted at
the surveillance force for the lair. We had to get to them quickly.
Fortunately, they were located behind the last door in the hallway. Opening the
door, one of the dwarves was shouting an alarm to someone else in another room.
We swept in and took out the dwarves. I mimicked the voice of the dwarf.
“Everything under control. Situation normal,” I stated to
whoever was on the other end.
“What happened? What is going on?” demanded the voice.
“We had some intruders but they were dealt with.
Unfortunately the troops fell ill in the dining area,” I answered.
The voice was silent for a moment. Then it came back.
“Alright. Thanks for taking care of the intrusion.”
I signed off and brushed off my brow. It seemed a good time
to see if Thorvin would be of any assistance. We went to the end of the hall
and opened the door. Thorvin was still there with the watcher. We crept in and
got Thorvin’s attention. He looked alarmed. I quickly and quietly spat out that
we were with Mirt and the Harpers.
Thorvin began to panic a bit. He quickly sent off the
watcher and scolded me.
“Keep your voice down!” hissed Thorvin. “That watcher over
there will rat us out in no time. Plus are the magical eye stalks.”
“Not any more,” I told Thorvin. “We took them out.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” said Thorvin. “I wanted to spare
them.”
We quickly brought Thorvin up to speed on our goals and the
current situation. He thought about it a
 |
| Ott the Fishminder |
We went back down the secret passage. Our plan was to roll
in two of the black powder kegs and then clean up whatever was left. We lit the
kegs and rolled them in. After what seemed an eternity, one of them went off
with a small bang. It seemed like there should have been a bigger boom.
Fortunately it did seem to clear the air.
Quickly each of us flew into the room to take on Xanathar.
The insane fish keeper was still in the room but we didn’t see Xanathar. He
must have left. We’d have to sort that out later. First, this fight would need
to be won. After a brief exchange of spells and swordplay, the fish keeper was done.
Thia carefully took Sylgar into a smaller portable fishbowl and we placed that
into a pocket in my armor. He’d be safe there for
the time being.
Now the question was what to do once Xanathar found out what
we’d done and that we were the ones responsible…
