Session 12

The Juices completed their rest and re-entered Web’s Edge via the front door.

The wide entry chamber and chapel inside were exactly as they left it. Brabara stood for a moment and turned her head from side to side, before moving toward the set of double doors the group hadn’t yet explored.

“What are you doing?” Ebyn hissed.

Brabara pointed at the wide metal doors. “Going this way.”

“I see that,” he said. “The question is why? We don’t know what’s through there.”

Brabara nodded. “And that’s exactly why we should use them. The newcomers would surely have found the bodies after our fight and would know that someone attacked the place. But they might be unaware that we know of their arrival.”

Xalen chuckled. “I think I see where you are going. It would be logical for us to go in the same way as before. Since the occupants there are dead it should be clear.”

“Exactly,” Brabara said. “So, if I were the newcomers, I’d set up there and wait for our return.”

Ebyn sucked his lower lip. “I see. Yes, that is a good point.”

“So, we go the other way instead,” Xalen said.

Brabara beamed. “Indeed. We become unpredictable.”

The group approached the new set of metal doors and waited for Xalen to examine them. Like the ones that led to the summoning chamber, these doors were free of traps and locked. A noise from behind the door caught his ear and he placed his head against the cool metal. The sound of something large moving beyond the door came to him.

He padded back to the others. “The door is locked, but there is something or someone in the next chamber.”

“If we open the door a crack, can you send the eye thing in to look around?” Brabara asked.

Ebyn nodded. “I could, but it’s a powerful spell, and I’d prefer to keep my options open for our encounter with the spider dragon.”

“I guess we just do it the old-fashioned way,” Xalen said. “Open it and peek in.”

Xalen moved back and started to work on the lock with his tools. It took a little longer than last time, but he finally managed to coax the lock open. Once done, he took a few breaths to compose himself then pushed the door open a crack.

Through the narrow strip of space, he spotted the source of the sound. A corpulent mockery of ape and boar standing twice Xalen’s height with a comically small set of feathered wings sprouting from its back. The beast circled the room, stomping its hooved feet and muttering as it paced.

Xalen activated the power of his helmet, and the muttering changed from guttural sounds into words.

“Stupid elves with stupid guard duty,” the beast said. “Maaltok strong, can help with the fighting, but no, stuck here watching food.”

Xalen listened for a little longer and while the specific words changed, the theme remained the same. Whatever this creature was, it wasn’t happy with the job it had been given. Xalen pulled the door closed and returned to the others explaining what he’d seen.

“Sounds like a demon,” Ebyn said. “These Lolth worshippers seem to have an affinity for such fiends.”

Xalen nodded. “It’s big. I doubt it’d go down easy in a fight.”

“I can be big too,” said Brabara.

Ebyn chuckled at that. “That’s true, but if it is a demon we might not have to fight it at all. I have a spell that should send it back to the Abyss for good.”

Seknafret smiled. “A banishment spell. Difficult to land if the fiend is unwilling.”

“Quite right,” Ebyn said. “It will work best if it accepts the spell willingly. From what you heard, the demon is not pleased with its situation. It might choose to let us send it home.”

Xalen shrugged. “Worth a shot.”

Brabara dug the symbol of Lolth out from under her clothes and placed it prominently. “You two wait out here in case the fiend attacks immediately. Xalen, make sure your symbol is visible too. You and I will go in.”

Xalen adjusted his symbol and approached the door, pushing it wide to stride confidently into the chamber.

The demon, Maaltok, looked over as he and Brabara entered, Brabara making sure to leave the door open a little so Ebyn and Seknafret could see what was going on.

“Maaltok,” Xalen said. “I see you are still forced to toil here in pointless drudgery.”

The demon’s black eyes narrowed as it regarded the pair of them. The creature’s heavily tusked face twisting alarmingly as its mouth worked to form words.

“What know you of my struggle?” it said in the language of demons.

Xalen’s helm allowed him to understand the creature’s words, but even without the magic of the helmet, the demon’s words carried meaning. He looked around and saw that Brabara had also understood the fiend.

“I know enough,” Xalen said. “I know you’d prefer to be anywhere but here.”

Maaltok sniffed the air and peered into the darkness beyond the door. “Who is out there? Skulking in the shadows.”

Xalen ignored the question. “Just say the word, and I can send you home. To the abyss where your talents will not be wasted watching the food.”

The demon stiffened and rose to its full, impressive height, beady eyes fixed on Xalen. “You threaten me with punishment and frame it as a reward. The abyss holds nothing but death for me. Here, I am safe. Lolth gives me protection. I ask only to be spared from guard duty.”

Brabara puffed her own chest and came up beside Xalen. “Maybe we can help you,” she said.

The demon cocked its head as if listening. “You come with claims of help, yet some of you are too afraid to enter the room. I need no help, I need protection. In truth I have no wish to be here, but few have the strength to protect me from Graz’zt, and Lolth is one.”

Out in the entry chamber, the box at Ebyn’s side clicked open. A new secret scrawled on another slip of paper within. Ebyn took it out and read the new secret. "Maaltok does not really want to work for Lolth."

Maaltok looked past Brabara’s shoulder. "Come inside, little beings. I can feel your thoughts. My future protectors should have no fear to face me."

Seknafret and Ebyn took a few tentative steps into the room, Ebyn still holding the newly acquired secret in his fingers. The demon looked them up and down, it was impossible to read anything in that abomination of a face, but it did not attack.

"You wear the symbols of the cult,” it said finally. “So why offer to help me?"

Before Brabara could answer, a female drow, wearing a breastplate beneath her long black cloak, and a pair of metal rods hanging from a sheath at her waist, entered the room. "Yes," she said in a cold but musical voice. "Why indeed?"

Brabara gasped, caught off guard by the woman's silent entrance. "We were testing it," she stammered. "Turns out it doesn't really want to be here at all."

As soon as Maaltok's secret was shared, the folded paper in Ebyn's hand evaporated and the very fabric of the universe changed. The four of them stood dumbstruck as time itself unwound. They saw the newcomer’s mouth twisting oddly, forming words in reverse, before walking strangely backward out of the room and into the passage beyond.

The group had a few moments to process what happened.

Revealing a secret changed the past - only for a short time perhaps, but they’d only spent a single secret. How far back could they go with two, with a dozen, with a hundred? The implications struck Ebyn immediately. Vecna had billions, perhaps many billions of secrets extracted by his cults across the multiverse. If just one secret could do this, the combined power of all those multitude secrets would be infinite. Suddenly the theoretical possibility of what Vecna was attempting became a cold reality that sat like ice in Ebyn’s gut.

Brabara recovered quickly from the shock of the time reset, and faced the demon, a confident set to her bulky frame as she waited for the demon to finish his sentence.

".. future protectors should have no fear to face me," the demon said.

"It’s not fear that keeps them there,” Brabara said, her mind racing. “It’s prudence. Allow me to give you a demonstration of our power.”

Maaltok’s eyes narrowed. “How?”

“In exactly 10 seconds, a female drow will enter the room from the corridor behind me. Her first words will be ‘Yes, why indeed.’ We will kill this woman as a show of our strength to prove we can keep you safe."

The demon stared at Brabara. "Why would you want to help me?"

Right on cue, the female drow entered the room exactly as before and the demon took a surprised step back. "Yes," she said in a cold but musical voice. "Why indeed?"

Brabara reacted instantly.

She ran straight to the woman and wrapped one brawny arm around the elf's slender waist, holding her tight while punching twice with the other hand. The drow tried vainly to dodge the blows, but she was held fast, and the fight was joined.

Seknafret entered the room, so she and Xalen directed their attacks toward the woman. Ebyn hung back a little, using his portents to guide Xalen's arrows true.

Their opponent, however, would not go down so easily. Though bleeding from several injuries, she survived the initial onslaught. She snagged one of the steel rods at her side and spoke an arcane word to cause a glowing black blade to spring from it.

“Help me, you fool,” she spat.

The demon stood there, black eyes wide in obvious confusion.

The woman cursed then thrust the magical blade deep into Brabara's body. Once, twice, three times. Brabara almost collapsed from the pain of it, each blow seeming to suck the life from the brawny fighter.

More drow joined the combat.

A male swordsman who added his own blade to Brabara’s woes and another woman whose hand crossbow bolts found gaps in Brabara’s armour. Brabara released her hold on the woman and backed away, blood flowing freely from numerous cuts.

The demon watched as Brabara slunk off and its eyes narrowed. “You cannot protect me, worm. You are nothing.”

The tall fiend stepped forward, massive fists clenched.

Ebyn saw the beast coming for Brabara. He touched the weave, incantations spoken while dripping holy water into his palm.

The demon froze, and its eyes snapped to Ebyn. It growled as magic rippled across its body for a heartbeat before it vanished with a loud pop. Ebyn smiled but he knew he had to keep his focus for a time to make the banishment stick, so he slunk back through the door.

The woman with the black sword pointed at the male drow. “Kill the spell caster and get me my demon back.”

The male nodded and moved around Brabara to find Ebyn.

The female warrior struck Brabara again with that terrible weapon. Its black blade, trailing a foul darkness, biting deep with each strike. The wounds alone were terrible, but the crippling effect of the weapon proved too much and Brabara fell, unmoving, to the ground.

The drow made to finish the job, but Seknafret’s eldritch blasts hit her and forced her back and away from her fallen companion. Seknafret darted forward to pour a healing potion into Brabara’s mouth.

Xalen and the one with the crossbow traded missiles to little effect. Both stuck behind cover which made missile fire ineffective. As much as he hated the idea, Xalen knew he’d have to close and use a blade to bring the nimble drow down. He timed his run between shots and caught the woman off guard. With a dagger in one hand and his rapier in the other, Xalen stabbed both blades into the leather-clad woman’s flesh.

Brabara’s eyes snapped open, and she sat up with a gasp. Seknafret stood over her with a second potion held out. Brabara took it and drank. “Was I out long?”

Seknafret shook her head. “Ebyn’s through there. He needs help.”

Brabara clambered to her feet, feeling a little better from the healing magic. “What about her?”

Seknafret looked over at the black bladed drow woman who stalked toward them with a murderous anger. “I’ll keep her busy. Help Ebyn. If that demon comes back, we’re all done for.”

Brabara nodded and moved out through the door. She spotted Ebyn a short distance away with the male drow closing in. “Fight me, you bastard!”

The drow warrior didn’t even glance her way and continued his advance on Ebyn. He reached the mage and struck twice with the sword, each cut drawing blood. The wounds wrenched a pained gurgle from the shadar-kai, but he managed to keep his focus on the banishment.

Ebyn looked over to Brabara standing by the door and he vanished in a cloud of black feathers to appear a moment later beside her. He turned and sent a firebolt at the drow warrior that struck the swordsman in the chest and earned him a pained yelp. “Take that!”

The drow archer dropped the crossbow and drew the sword at her side. Fortunately for Xalen, she was less skilled at this type of combat than he, and he soon got the better of her, bringing her down with an obvious thrust that a skilled swordsman would have easily turned aside. With her down, he returned to where he’d dropped his bow and took the familiar weapon up again.

The female drow attacked Seknafret with that nasty black blade. She missed on the first strike, but her second and third struck home. Seknafret reeled back as the necromantic power of the blade ate at her flesh and pointed at the woman with a hellish rebuke.

Flames surrounded the drow for a moment, and she screamed as flesh seared in the intense heat. The strong stench of sulphur filled the air as the drow staggered back, barely able to stand.

Xalen knocked an arrow and aimed. The woman hadn’t seen him, so he had time to make this shaft count. He loosed the bowstring and the arrow flew true to bury itself at the base of the woman’s skull. Her body spun around with the force of the blow, black blade winking out, and she flopped like a rag doll to the floor.

In the entry chamber, Brabara and Ebyn made short work of the remaining swordsman, and the complex fell to silence once more.

“Seknafret, do you mind?” Brabara said clutching an injured arm to her chest.

Seknafret placed a hand on the wound and breathed deeply. Her body was infused with a brief glow, and when she removed her hand Brabara’s arm was whole again. “So much for being unpredictable, eh?”

“I’m more interested in what happened when you shared that secret?” Ebyn interjected.

Brabara’s eyes widened. “You all saw what happened? I thought it was only me.”

“We did,” confirmed Xalen. “A neat trick. How did you do it?”

“Beats me,” said Brabara. “This is more book boy’s department.”

Ebyn gave Brabara a long look. “Book boy? Really?”

“Don’t be like that. It’s a compliment.”

“Hmm. Anyway,” Ebyn went on. “If nothing else, what happened supports Tasha’s theory that we are somehow connected to Vecna.”

Xalen scoffed. “How’s that?”

“Alustriel said that Vecna’s cults have been collecting secrets from their hapless victims all across the multiverse,” Ebyn said. “We’ve seen as much ourselves. We did interrupt two such rituals and on both occasions were in the middle of the ritual area when it happened. It seems that we have somehow gained the ability to harvest and use secrets ourselves.”

Seknafret whistled. “We need to be careful with this power.”

“I agree,” said Ebyn. “It could be useful to have a store of secrets on hand for emergencies.”

Brabara pushed her way past the others. “Bah! Enough of this. Let’s just get that rod piece and get out of here.”

“Are you forgetting the spider dragon?” Xalen said as she walked through the door.

Brabara froze. “I am. Maybe we should scout the area a bit more.”

The group entered back through the doors to check out the room the demon had been pacing around. Apart from the passage leading deeper into the complex where the three drow had emerged, several heavily barred doors lined the walls of the chamber.

“A prison of some kind, perhaps,” Seknafret mused as Xalen moved to the nearest one.

The young rogue tested the handle. “Locked. I reckon the demon had the keys.”

“If he did, we shan’t be getting them back,” Ebyn said. “Can you pick the locks?”

Xalen took out his tools and started working. The lock was simpler than those he’d picked open to gain entry to the place and he soon had it open. He pulled at the door to reveal a small ten-by-ten-foot chamber. A figure lay on a straw pallet at the rear of the room, with a small wooden bucket on the floor nearby.

“Oh, that stinks,” Xalen said, holding his arm up to cover his nose and mouth. “Whoever that was, they’ve been dead for some time.”

They checked the remaining cells and found corpses in two of them with the other three empty.

“I guess caring for the prisoners wasn’t one of the demon’s strengths,” Xalen said.

Brabara sighed. “Shame we couldn’t have gotten here sooner. We might have been able to save them.”

Seknafret shook her head. “I’d estimate that these unfortunates have been dead for well over a week. There was nothing we could have done.”

They continued along the passage. It ended about twenty paces away at another set of double doors. A narrower tunnel went to the right about halfway along.

“The rod piece should be through those doors,” Ebyn said pointing.

Brabara nodded. “We should check out this side passage first though. Don’t want any more surprises coming up behind us.”

They explored the short side tunnel that ended in a chamber set up as some kind of barracks. Wooden beds lined the walls, each with a small coffer at the foot of the bed. A search of the room yielded some gold plus another healing potion which Brabara immediately downed.

“Are you good?” Seknafret asked as the effects of the potion worked on Brabara’s injuries.

Brabara grinned. “I am now. Let’s go kill a dragon.”

“Spider dragon,” Xalen corrected.

Brabara turned to leave when Ebyn stepped in front of her, hands raised. “Wait,” he said. “Do we have a plan for this?”

Brabara thought for a moment. “Open the doors, walk in, kill the monster, take the rod. How’s that for a plan?”

Ebyn blinked. “Well, what it lacks in detail it makes up for in clarity. But I wonder if we might benefit from something a little more … fleshed out.”

“So, what do you think we should do?” Brabara asked.

Ebyn thought for a moment. “You know what? This time, I think, we can afford to take the direct path.”

Brabara smiled. “Excellent.”

She led the group to the double doors where she and Xalen had to work together to lift a heavy wooden bar clear before they could open them. That done she took hold of her weapon and yanked the door open.

The large web-filled chamber beyond was almost completely dark. Only the soft green glow of the rod piece hanging amid a tangle of thick web about thirty feet away pierced the inky black. Of the spider dragon there was no sign.

Xalen came up beside Brabara and tore the remaining globes from his necklace of fireballs and tossed them toward the glowing rod piece. The beads exploded in a massive conflagration that set the webs alight and caused the rod piece to fall to the ground.

The sudden flash also revealed the spider dragon scuttling along the ceiling toward them, its mouth wide as it sucked a deep breath. Brabara stepped forward to intercept the beast and just as she had her glaive at the ready, a cloud of stinging spiderlings spewed from the spider dragon’s open maw to engulf them all. Thousands of tiny biting creatures swarmed over them, their fangs bit into flesh leaving blood and poison in their wake.

Brabara, with her strong constitution, managed to shake off the worst of the effects. Not so the others.

Seknafret reeled back, slapping ineffectively at her flesh to kill the myriad tiny spiders. In the end she was forced to immolate herself in radiant fire to clear the painful swarm and stepped back from the doorway and out of sight of the dragon.

Xalen gritted his teeth and tried his best to ignore the sickening feel of the tiny spiders as they crawled over his flesh. He brought up his bow to send a couple of arrows into the beast. The shafts sunk deep but it was hard to know how effective they were.

Ebyn, whose position behind the doors allowed him to avoid some of the spider dragon’s breath attack moved up behind Brabara and sent a firebolt at the huge creature. The flames struck the spider in the chest, and it reared up in pain.

Brabara used the opportunity to bring her glaive up and strike the spider dragon’s body. Scoring deep cuts with each strike.

“What the hell is that?” Xalen said, pointing to a pillar of yellow slime standing to the right of the spider dragon. A single malevolent eye stared from the centre of the pillar and tentacles wriggled from the sides.

Brabara turned to look at the strange beast. Its singular eye consumed her entire focus. Her thoughts clouded, and she shook her head and blinked to try and shake off whatever the beast was doing. Crude tendrils pushed their way into her mind, forcing her limbs to move, and she suddenly found herself striking Xalen with her glaive.

Fortunately for Xalen, he managed to get his magical shield up in time to avoid the first blow and tumbled away out of range for the others.

The spider dragon came at him then, teeth and claws raking his flesh even as he struggled to get away.

Seknafret moved so she could see the yellow tentacle creature and pointed. Radiant flames surrounded the beast for an instant to sear its sickly-looking yellow flesh. The creature dissolved into a noxious mist that started floating off into the darkness and out of sight.

Ebyn could see the glow of the rod piece on the ground behind the spider dragon. He had intended to attack the slimy monster but now that Seknafret’s attack had freed Brabara from its grasp he decided instead to make a run at the artifact. He vanished in a cloud of black feathers and appeared in the cavern beside the glowing shard of crystal.

The spider dragon must have spotted him there because it swung its tail around and spewed a gob of thick web over him. The sticky strands covered him, and Ebyn found that he was stuck fast. Luckily, he could still move his arms enough to grab the glowing rod piece and tuck it into his belt.

Brabara and Xalen fought the spider dragon while Seknafret peered into the darkness with her devil’s sight for any sign of the slimy yellow tentacled monster, spells ready in case it showed itself.

Ebyn checked that the rod was secure and then teleported free of the web to appear behind the others as they fought.

“I have the rod piece!” Ebyn said. “Let’s get out of here.”

“We’re kinda busy here,” Brabara grunted between attacks.

Ebyn rolled his eyes. “Step back from the door on my signal and I will block the area.”

Ebyn took a pinch of fine powdered crystal from his component pouch and steadied himself. “Now! Step back,” he said. The others did so and Ebyn plucked the weave, creating an invisible wall of magical force across the opening between them and their opponents.

The spider dragon lunged after them but roared in frustration as its massive bulk crashed into the invisible barrier.

Ebyn started moving back along the tunnel. “Hurry. It will only last ten minutes.”

---

Once outside the complex, they started moving swiftly through the Underdark back to the portal. It soon became clear that there was no pursuit, so they took a moment to heal themselves before resuming.

The hour-long journey proved uneventful, and they arrived at the out of the way cavern where the open portal awaited them.

Tasha was in the sanctum chamber when they stepped through. The tall raven-haired spellcaster rose to greet them as they arrived, dark circles still evident around her eyes.

“Welcome back,” she said once the four of them had crossed the threshold. She looked them up and down and her eyes narrowed. “Looks like you’ve seen some action. Is anyone injured?”

Brabara shook her head. “We’re good. Hungry though. Is there any food?”

Tasha smiled. “A healthy appetite is always a good sign. I am sure we can wrangle something for you to eat.”

Alustriel and Mordenkainen arrived then.

“Do you have it?” the bald wizard said.

Alustriel glanced at her companion and frowned, then looked at the others. “Is anyone hurt?”

Brabara chuckled. “Nothing a bath and a good night’s sleep won’t fix.” She looked down at the blood and gore that covered her clothes. “You should see the other guy,” she finished with a wink.

Alustriel laughed. “I see. Very good.”

Mordenkainen glanced between them. “The rod piece? You managed to retrieve it I hope.”

Ebyn took the faintly glowing artifact from beneath his robes and held it out for Mordenkainen to take. “Here it is.”

The archmage reached out and took the first piece of the Rod of Seven Parts and turned the object over in his hands. “Excellent. With this I should be able to determine the location of the second piece.”

“I’d like to help you with that?” Ebyn offered.

Mordenkainen looked at him. “Of course, but as your companion said you’re no doubt exhausted from your exploits. Good work by the way. Go get some rest, I imagine there’ll be plenty for you to do in the morning.”

With that the wizard turned and left the room.

“I’m out too,” Xalen said and followed him through the opening.

The others all filed out of the chamber until only Brabara and Alustriel remained.

“Is there something you wish to ask me, Brabara?” Alustriel said.

Brabara shifted uncomfortably. “Was it that obvious?”

Alustriel chuckled. “Only to someone paying attention. What is it you wish to know?”

“I was wondering if you can use your magic to bring my husband, Tiny, here like you did the four of us?” Brabara said.

“I’m afraid I can’t,” Alustriel said. “The magic we used to bring you here, while powerful, is not something I can use to bring your husband here. Indeed, we are still not fully recovered from its casting so my use of magic in any form is limited for the moment.”

Brabara’s head fell. “Oh.”

“But,” Alustriel continued. “I can send Malaina down to Neverwinter to collect him and bring him here.”

“You’d do that?” Brabara said.

Alustriel nodded. “Of course.”

Brabara considered that. If she had her days right, the messenger sent to arrange Tiny’s release would still not have reached Helms Hold. And once there, it would be another three or four days for him to make it back to Neverwinter. The idea that a total stranger might be there to greet him didn’t sit well with her, and despite this apparent kindness, Brabara wasn’t quite ready to trust these wizards.

“No,” she said finally. “It’s ok. Thanks for the offer though.”

“You’re sure,” Alustriel said.

Brabara nodded.

Alustriel smiled again. “We’ll the offer is always out there if you change your mind.”

---

“I have located the second piece,” Mordenkainen announced as he entered the dining room where the group, along with Tasha, Alustriel, and Malaina shared breakfast.

Ebyn appeared crestfallen. “So quickly?”

“It is located in the Astral Plane,” Mordenkainen said, ignoring Ebyn’s obvious disappointment. “Specifically in a region known as the Astral Sea. I believe I have locked down the coordinates sufficiently for the portal to be targeted.”

“I thought I was going to help you?” Ebyn said.

Mordenkainen glanced over to the shadar-kai. “There will be time enough for that, my boy. We have six more pieces to locate, after all.”

Ebyn nodded. “Yes, we do.”

“Plus,” Mordenkainen added. “You may wish to do some research regarding the Astral Sea while we wait for Alustriel to configure the portal. It can be a dangerous place for the unprepared.”

“I can show you the relevant section of the library if you like?” Malaina offered.

Ebyn rose. “No need,” he said, snagging a pastry from the table before heading for the door. “I know my way around a library.”

“What was that about?” Xalen asked once Ebyn exited.

Brabara shrugged. “Who knows. You’d think he’d be happy to be given homework.”