Belowdown Ep. 13

The Belowdowners descended to the fourteenth floor, where they encountered a wary camp of drow led by Ezekiel. After a tense but peaceful negotiation, which included selling the drow a mysterious poison flask, the party learned of a secluded, glowing staircase leading to a blocked-off section of the floor above. Before investigating, they explored their current level, discovering a chamber filled with dangerous goo-covered skeletons and the corpses of two of Ezekiel’s scouts. Deciding to avoid that threat, they informed the drow of their fallen comrades and returned to the strange staircase.

The stairs led to a rubble-filled cave where glinting gems lay amongst shadowy boulders. As they approached, a massive Black Ooze ambushed them. The battle was a difficult one; the creature was resistant to all forms of conventional damage, and its acidic touch sizzled weapons and flesh alike. Mantis and Fen were both struck down, but Junie’s quick thinking and potent alchemy kept the party in the fight. Using a combination of freezing oils to immobilize the ooze and a powerful alchemical flask that was its only weakness, she managed to keep her friends alive long enough for them to secure a victory.

After dissolving the ooze, they claimed their reward: a handful of precious gems and a strange, brass-bladed longsword covered in Elvish glyphs. Upon picking it up, Mantis began hearing incessant, quiet muttering in his mind. With the immediate threat handled, they continued their descent and arrived on a new floor dominated by a massive cavern. The walls and ceiling were covered in hundreds of starfish-like creatures that fired deadly darts at anyone who drew near. Finding the main path impassable, they used a grappling hook to scale a forty-foot ledge to find another way around.

Atop the ledge, they found a large, petrified stone covered in Sylvan symbols. As they examined it, a portal ripped open and two monstrous, 12-foot-tall bird-like fiends with bone hooks for hands emerged. The creatures were brutally efficient, immediately downing Mantis and cornering Fen and Junie. Despite a valiant effort to blind the fiends and fight back, the party was on a precarious cliffside with nowhere to run. The hook horrors proved too powerful, and one by one, the Belowdowners fell, their adventure coming to a sudden, tragic end.

OUTLINE:

Encounter with the Drow

The party descended to the 14th floor and met a cautious drow encampment led by Ezekiel.
They established a peaceful truce and sold an unidentified ‘poison’ flask to the drow for 10 gold.
Ezekiel informed them of a glowing staircase leading to a potentially valuable, but dangerous, isolated area.

The Acidic Ambush

The party explored the staircase and was ambushed by a Black Ooze hiding among boulders.
The battle was fierce, with the ooze being immune to physical and magical attacks.
Junie’s alchemy was the key to victory, using freezing oils to control the creature and a powerful ‘Alka Life Flask’ to inflict damage.
After a difficult fight, the party defeated the ooze and collected loot, including gems and a whispering brass longsword.

Descent and the Starfish Gauntlet

The party descended to the 15th floor, finding a cavern covered in hundreds of dart-shooting starfish.
They discovered the creatures fired on proximity, making the direct path a deathtrap.
Using a grappling hook and rope, they decided to scale a 40-foot cliff to bypass the trap.

The Hook and the Horror

Atop the ledge, the party discovered a petrified stone with Sylvan symbols.
The stone opened a portal, releasing two 12-foot-tall Hook Horror fiends.
The party was immediately attacked and trapped on the high ledge.

Total Party Kill

The Hook Horrors proved too powerful, quickly downing Mantis and overwhelming the others.
Despite Junie blinding them and Fen attempting to escape, the party could not survive the onslaught.
The fiends killed Mantis, Junie, and Fen, resulting in a TPK and the end of their journey.

NPCs:

Black Ooze: A large, amorphous creature made of black, acidic sludge. It was highly resistant to physical and magical damage, only vulnerable to a specific alchemical substance. It ambushed the party from a pile of boulders.
Ezekiel: The leader of a small, pragmatic drow encampment on the 14th floor. He is not overtly hostile, prioritizing the survival of his group above all else. He was willing to trade information with the party.
Hook Horrors: A pair of 12-foot-tall, black-feathered, malevolent fiends with eyeless beaked faces and giant bone hooks for hands. They emerged from a portal and relentlessly attacked the party, leading to their demise.

ITEMS:

Alka Life Flask: A potent alchemical creation by Junie. It is especially effective against oozes and slimes, dealing triple damage.
Bat Guano: The excrement of bats found in a high cavern. The party noted its potential as a key ingredient for making explosives.
Brass-Bladed Longsword: A magical longsword made from a single piece of brass, covered in whirling Elvish glyphs. It constantly whispers in Elvish into the mind of its wielder.
Quick Freeze Oil: An alchemical oil crafted by Junie that can encase a target in thick ice, temporarily freezing it in place.
Sapphires and Emeralds: A small cache of valuable gems (3 sapphires, 10 emeralds) found in the Black Ooze’s lair.

LOCATIONS:

Dryadic Stone Ledge: A 40-foot high ledge overlooking the Starfish Cavern. It holds a petrified wood monument that acted as a portal for the Hook Horrors, becoming the party’s final battleground.
The Belowdown (14th Floor): A level in the dungeon featuring a drow camp, a grand hall with shattered duergar statues, and dangerous chambers.
The Ooze’s Lair: A sealed-off, rubble-strewn cave on the 13th floor where the party was ambushed by a Black Ooze.
The Starfish Cavern (15th Floor): A large cavern whose walls and ceiling are covered with hundreds of starfish-like creatures that fire deadly darts at anything that moves.

FACTIONS:

Drow Encampment: A small, neutral faction of drow led by Ezekiel, focused solely on surviving within the dangerous Belowdown dungeon.

QUESTS:

Find Zordak’s Treasure: The party’s primary motivation for descending into the Belowdown was to find the legendary treasure of a powerful lich named Zordak.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

Fen: A gung-ho monk who fights with a staff and throwing rings. He is quick to act and prefers a direct approach to problems. Fen possesses the ability to channel his focus into magical unarmed strikes, though he learned the hard way that not all foes are susceptible to them.
Junie: A resourceful and pragmatic alchemist, seemingly of a wooden race. Junie is the party’s strategic mind and primary support, using her knowledge of alchemy to create a variety of potent concoctions, from freezing oils to powerful anti-ooze flasks. She is motivated by profit, hoping to one day earn enough to fund her own ‘Home Depot chain’.
Mantis: A cautious Tiefling ‘weirdling’ with the uncanny ability to compress his body and squeeze through impossibly narrow cracks. He is the party’s scout, often the first to sense danger. Mantis speaks the Sylvan language and is now the reluctant wielder of a strange, whispering sword.