Episode 22: The Runaway Runaways

"'The rambunctious rejects run through rigorous runways right into ridiculous ramifications.'"

Episode Events
The party is traveling deep inside of the maze of tunnels that reach throughout the land of Ingris. Velrisa takes notice of Hilltree's increased intelligence since the beginning of the campaign.

Brambleshank is attacked suddenly by a long, leathery like limb with piercing needles grabs him, pulling him into a nearby side tunnel. It is a smaller, malformed humanoid, black skin, large rotted teeth, with the limbs having 5 large tentacle like fingers. These tentacles are 10 feet long. It has webbed feet that suction to the ceiling, and it is hanging upside down. Combat ensues.

Brambleshank stabs it with a rapier, and Taxi swings at it but misses. Another of the same creature appears, it grabs at Taxi. Br'aad fires an Eldritch Blast, his first hits Brambleshank instead, his second landing on the enemy creature. Mountain fires his crossbow, but misses. Br'aad is grabbed by another creature. A fourth creature attacks Ugarth, missing. Mountain gets attacked, hit by a tentacle. Hilltree goes for the limb attacking Br'aad. Ugarth fires a dart at the limb closest to him. Brambleshank fires an arrow from his shortbow towards the run that ran away, hitting him and killing him. Taxi casts poison sprite, killing one of the creatures. Velrisa casts Sacred Flame, but fails to harm the creature. Mountain attempts to pull the creature off the ceiling, succeeding. Br'aad hexes the creature, then fires an Eldritch Blast at it, killing it. He moves the hex to the creature in front of mountain, and fires a second Eldritch Blast, missing. The creature attacks Mountain once more, missing. The creature near Ugarth retreats, and the creature near Mountain is grappled by him. As Mountain goes to stomp him, the creature hits him hard, grappling him. Velrisa casts Inflict Wounds, but misses. Hilltree runs up attempting to stab the creature, missing. Ugarth grapples the creature, releasing Mountain, and Mountain punches the creature, killing it. Combat ends.

They head to the nearby settlement to rest. They approach, seeing massive wooden doors, which appear to be made of varying leftover woods. As the party approaches, they see someone guarding the gate from roughly 20 feet above. He is a half-elf, in flamboyant clothing, whose name is Lander. Br'aad convinces Lander to open the gate. Lander floats down on a cloud he summons via snapping his finger. They enter the settlement of Beavertail, with Br'aad staying behind to talk with Lander. The party short rests.

The short rest is interrupted by Hilltree's scream. Hilltree attempted to steal gemstones from a dwarven settler, angering him. Mountain intervenes, and begins to fight the dwarf. Mountain drives his pike directly into the dwarf. Lander notices, coming over on a large stone elemental. The elemental grabs Mountain, lifting him up to Lander's height. Br'aad tries to convince Lander to let them leave, but does not do so. Lander pickpockets Mountain, taking away his flask that he obtained from Olgaurt. Br'aad tries to offer up his elven pipe weed in place of the flask, and after some convincing, Lander accepts. He then immediately banishes the party, excluding Br'aad, from the town, slamming the doors behind them.

They carry on through the sewers, walking for a few hours more. Their travels are uninterrupted until they hear a large commotion from a side tunnel. There are lots of people talking and murmuring, and walking in a group. They wait for them to pass, watching as a large crowd of people, over 30 individuals, traveling. The party recognizes the people as citizens of the Great King's Wharf. They appear to be in a hurried worry.

One of the citizens in the crowd tell the party how King Rigmund has seemingly gone mad, killing innocent people, raving and ranting about people double crossing him. No one is allowed to enter the Great King's Wharf, and the guards are stationed everywhere in the town.

Learning this, Br'aad sends a message to King Rigmund using Sending. He tells the King that the party are no longer in the Great King's Wharf, in hopes to stop him from killing civilians. This backfires, as Br'aad hears Rigmund command his troops to search the underground. The party decides to detour a few days out of the way to avoid to guards.