Session 19: The Pool of Radiance

Scene 1: Into the Underdark

Our heroes have recovered two of the Hearts of the Primoridals which will allow them access to the prison of Sopias, now they begin the hunt for the third, the Heart of Ashura. They have held this stone once before, when they looted it from Ashura’s tomb in the City of Kings. It was stolen from them by Kallista, Artemis’s sister and was in turn stolen from her by the Sorceress Althea. Althea delivered it to her master the Vampire Lord Hu’Maa and he has sent it deep into the depths of the Underdark to his one time ally Talisha, the Queen of Darkness.

Our heroes, lead by Artemis, have penetrated into the depths of the underdark arriving in a vast phosphorescent mushroom cave. Giant insects scurry across slimy rocks and hunting bats flit through the air. A forest of mushrooms bars their path and Morn takes the lead levering away the huge fallen stalks which block the trail. Artemis leads them through a web choked lair of giant spiders while Assamber navigates a seeping mass of mobile mushrooms. As they near the heart of the cave a wrong turn leaves them face to face with a giant lizard. Azhanti steps forward head crest flaring and stares the creature down. As it crashes off into the forest its sounds draw a hunting party lead by a Cyclops Shaman.

The group tries diplomacy at first, or at least Chiniko tries to intimidate his way past but the Shaman is having none of it. He wants their valuables and their food and he considers the humans food. Chiniko strikes first and traps the Shaman with a vision of gold and Morn promptly locks him down. As the guards press forward and start dropping people into the fast flowing underground river Artemis takes his usual position to the rear. Thinking himself safe he is nearly devoured by an enormous hunting spider attracted by the commotion.

The battle rages through the cave and spells and steel are unleashed. Chiniko demonstrates the pure mobility only a feypact Warlock can show and the Shaman is consistently unable to get past Morn. The guards are brought to their knees and the spider succumbs to its wounds. At the last Azhanti is nearly drowned and swept away by the river but for a last minute lunge. A quick search leaves Assamber with yet more alchemical components harvested from the spider and the remnants of an ornate hunting saddle, although with no evidence of a rider.

Heading further into the darkness the group begins to find signs of civilization. A community of strange plant like people dwell in the heart of the forest and they seem welcoming to strangers. They have no speech but soon their telepathic spores imbed themselves in peoples lungs (although not without some trepidation). The creatures are curious about the humans, particularly when mention is made of Ashura. They explain that once they were spirits dwelling amongst the stars. They ventured too close to the Primordials as they forged creation and found themselves trapped here in fleshy form. Since ages past they have watched the world and tended to the Pool of Radiance, the first place touched by Ashura in his act of bringing forth life. Now the Pool has been corrupted, the Guardian Spirit, once an ally of theirs, has been poisoned by Shraal, an entity of the void. Without access to the pool they cannot spawn the next generation. While they possess a racial memory when the last living member of their community is gone then so will it. Ashura once promised to release them from their cycle of life and rebirth by sending his Champion to them but they have waited a very long time. They are keen to know if Artemis will be the one who returns the Heart to the Pool so that they can finally be released. The group are naturally a little evasive on this point as they require the Heart for their own purposes and cannot really afford to leave it lying around here for the next hundred years or so.

Whatever might happen with these strange people the group knows that the Heart has somehow passed through the Pool and into the hands of Shraal. They decide to get rid of the corrupted Guardian and pursue the Heart. As they head towards the Pool they make another discovery, Alias Windstorm, one time ally of Artemis, member of the Order of Transcendental Inquiry and traitor to the Lokarnos is here. Artemis and he are naturally wary of one another, Alias claims to be here to learn from the plant people whose memory goes back to the beginning of time and feigns indifference on the issue of the Heart. Leaving him to his studies the group press on but not before contacting Iridalla, former daughter of Mael, Lich and one time Lokarnos City Ship ruler who dearly desires to get her hands on Alias.

Scene 2: the Eye of Terror

The Pool is not far and it quickly becomes apparent that things will not be easy. It is a murky, muck covered morass of stinking mud and sludge, waist deep or deeper. Out of the mire rises a fleshy mass covered in slime and weeds. A huge central eye opens and a mass of tentacles extend from its body. As the group press closer its mouth opens and it demands to know who they are and what they want. Insults and threats are exchanged and then blows are struck.

As they move in the tentacles writhe and an eye appears on the end of each, a Beholder! The creature is careful to keep itself over the deep water where it is harder to reach and Morn finds himself completely locked down. Artemis unleashes a mass of damage which barely seems to phase the creature which seems able both to absorb spells and deliver terrible punishment at long range. Death and Disintegration, Sleep and Confusion rays are flung with wild abandon and things begin to look particularly dangerous. The creature is immensely resilient and seems capable of taking tremendous punishment as it blasts out in a frenzy of eye beams. Several of the group are marked for death and then Azhanti collapses. Levitating him into its toothy maw the heavily damaged monstrosity demands the groups surrender. They decline and Chiniko performs the “Chiniko Special”, normally reserved for getting Morn into hard to reach places. He steps through the dreaming, switching places with Azhanti and placing himself in the Beholders mouth. Before it can end his life he teleports himself out again and quickly revives Azhanti with a blessing from the realm of Dreams. Morn, finally close enough to the creature to get in to the battle finds himself out of luck as Artemis takes it down with a lucky shot straight through the central eye.

As the aberration dies the pool seems to clear. Much of the muck and slime burns away and what is left is a simple underground pool but with a passage further into the darkness revealed.

The group head further underground travelling for what seems like miles. As they go the stairs gradually level off and they begin to pass various side tunnels although the place seems abandoned. Even deeper in they reach a balcony carved into the rock overlooking a second huge cave. In the centre floats an alabaster fortress carved in the shape of a teardrop. Covering the floor is a mass of twisted tentacle creatures, things from outside of existence itself. They have carved chambers in the rock and entombed in them are pale skinned Kireshi, the followers of Talisha the Queen of Darkness now turned into experimental toys for these monsters.

In the air float many black stone skiffs circling the fortress in stately arcs. Before the group is a crystalline pillar with a three fingered hand print. Deciding to take the initiative Azhanti places his hand on the pillar. Lights flare all around the balcony and a skiff begins to make its way towards them. However, activating the platform seems to have drawn attention from below and monstrous cries alert the guards to intruders in their base….

*to be continued*

*cut scene*

In the central chamber of the Fortress of Solitude Shral, Lord of Shadow contemplates the Heart of Ashura. All of his will is bent on destroying the accursed stone when his focus is broken by footsteps behind him. “Intruders have entered the cave my lord, they come seeking the Heart.” “It matters not, they are too late. Dispatch the guards to destroy them and make the necessary preparations. It is time for us to ascend.”