Saralas: Session 40

• We have found a chasm filled with lava and two "lava monsters" in the chasm. There is a rickety bridge.
• Karthos suggests becoming a giant spider and using his web to reinforce the bridge
• Korag suggests he could jump while carrying people, or jump and then use a rope to haul people across
• As we talk I notice what appear to be eyes on the other side of the chasm, but as I watch they disappear.
• Karthos turns into a giant spider
• As soon as Pearl casts fog the "lava monsters" start climbing up
• I tie a rope into a harness and try to jump. I trip but the bridge holds and I make my way across.
• Resda misty steps across
• We go right, getting out of there as fast as we can as we see the monsters start to reach the cliff. The path gets very narrow, and we have to squeeze through to get through.
• Korag squeezes through and I follow through
• Karthos is last through and he is burned. The monster starts squeezing through the hole.
• We move on and manage to get away, heading somewhat blindly through the caverns until we feel confident the elementals are not following us.
• We are somewhat lost, but Saralas manages to get us back on track, and we come to the intersection of the two paths. It's not clear whether the other way would have been any safer.
• We travel for some time in darkness, and we see a glowing light in the caverns ahead. The light is kind of an orangey-blue color. Resda can see the light, it is visible light.
• We cautiously approach, and find ourselves in a cavern filled with large glowing mushrooms the size of trees
• Karthos seems excited and draws the mushrooms in his little book. There are small fish in the clear water surrounding the mushrooms.
• We keep moving and eventually make our way to another cavern. It smells of water, like a lake or pond. Smells wet.
• We explore a bit, and find ourselves on the shore of the lake, which must be the lake depicted on Wodna's map. The cavern is so high as to be completely invisible, and from our vantage point we can't see the other side. It's all just water.
• To the west, along the shore, we can see a blue light coming out from a crack.
• There is a path along the shore to the west, but we can only see to about where the blue light is.
• We travel along the shore for a ways. We come to the blue light, which is in a cliffside. There is a passageway here that has been blocked by rubble. Not too far past that point we see that the cliff and water meet and the shoreline disappears.
• This path is not too far from the entrance, this probably isn't the route we need.
• We spend some time clearing rubble away, it doesn't look like anyone has come through here in a long, long time.
• When we clear the passageway, we find that it leads into a cave which is lit naturally with glowing mushrooms.
• There's a large building atop a plateau in the middle of the cavern, a wagon loaded with crates, a stone chapel, and a small stream flowing through the cave.
• There is also a large raised stone platform by the wagon, which is lit by a couple of crystals
• Inside the building, which has not been occupied in some time, there are quite a few supplies, and a bedroom area in one of the caves to the northeast.
• There are crates of rations (50) and a couple of sacks of grain. The rations seem OK. It looks like things have been abandoned for some years, but not decades.
• Karthos recognizes this as belonging to the Drow. It would seem this was a small keep, probably for a female pastor
• It appears to have been left in an orderly fashion, things are fairly tidy. There are a number of tables inside of the structure that contain food items, maps of the area, and other information.
• I review the maps. They confirm the local area that is presented on Wodna's map, including the second major cavern. They provide additional detail about other caves in the area as well.
• The next cavern appears to be some miles away, maybe 1/4 day travel by water
• The party begins to feel tired.
• In the bedroom is a somewhat luxurious and opulent bed, with black silk bedding with spider iconography. There is also a wardrobe with some clothing and other knicknacks.
• The altar in the chapel contains symbols written in dried blood, and a large ornate spider figure in stone with jeweled eyes
• Resda is pretty sure she's seen this type of stone platform before, a magical amplification device that increased potency of spells cast while the caster is on the platform.
• Resda is concerned that this is a Drow 'lair' and that the tired feeling may not be natural.
• On the way back into the cavern Saralas notices large doors in the cavern walls that can be closed. They look quite stout.
• Korag suggests we long rest here, then try to tackle the dark lake.
• We secure the doors and Pearl casts alarm on the door.
• Korag doesn't want to use a boat because he doesn't want to disturb the surface of the water.
• We noticed at the short of the lake there were waves, and there is a gentle breeze across the lake
• The deep lake is not one lake, it is a huge network of lakes that are interconnected and navigable. It is freshwater, distinguished from the huge underground seas which are also present.
• There are ferry owners who can carry people on the lakes, though it can lead to loss of life... or slavery.
• The most dangerous creatures in the deep lakes are telepathic and will sense your minds.
• Karthos thinks we should make mushroom boats.
• While we debate on if the wagon is water-worthy, pearl pulls an oar out of the wagon.
• We unload the wagon and wheel it out of the cavern. It appears the wagon was meant to be a boat as well. It's a rowboat.
• While we are having this discussion, Resda starts coughing, endlessly, until she coughs up three tiny little mushrooms.
• She seems to want to eat them, but pearl knocks them away and crushes them.
• We go to the boat and load up and put in. Resda ties herself to Pearl
• We set out, rowing towards the other passageway.
• We travel for some time, then Korag feels something is wrong. He can't say for certain what is wrong. Now Pearl feels like something is wrong. Karthos exhorts us to go faster.
• Resda tries to throw Pearl out of the boat. Pearl fights her off and tries to tie her down.
• Karthos summons 4 seahorses to pull the boat. We start moving, but before too long something eats the seahorses
• Pearl manages to subdue Resda
• We start rowing again, progress is slow.
• I feel an aboleth trying to charm me, and it's probably "Stan". It's a terrifying telepathic water monster
• Karthos summons two giant eagles, which he and I lasso, and they begin to pull the boat at a substantial pace. Resda is frantic.
• We make good time but it appears we're only about halfway to our goal.
• The boat is bumped again and comes dangerously close to capsizing
• We make our way along for about an hour, and there no longer appear to be signs of the Aboleth. Resda appears to be feeling normal again.
• Resda wild magics chromatic orb to try to blow up the boat. She wasn't back to normal at all.
• Resda blows a hole in the bottom of the wagon, which begins to sink.
• Korag casts water walk on everyone but Resda, then swings an oar at her. He knocks her out and we start hustling.
• Karthos summons his eagles and they carry us, flying, over the water. We travel for about an hour and come to the passage located on the map.