The Sunless Six

The Spider Hatchery
4th day of Marpenoth

Golto offers the group a rest from the spidery dungeon. He pulls out his rod and magically teleports the group to his homeland. An island named Aerenal in another realm. The group rest in a dim lit quiet forest of tall trees.
Once rested the group decide to head back in search of the Promenade.
Grisduin pushes ahead to find 4 troglodytes in chains, mining the walls of an adjacent chamber. As he enters a giant spider falls on him. The group kill the spider and try to talk to the troglodytes, but they cannot convey their message and the prisoners attack.
Once the troglodytes are taken down, the group notice a well built door adorned with a bronze relief of a bejeweled long sword. The door is locked, but Quin figures out how to pick it.
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Grisduin peers into the room to see a drow priestess, presumably T’rissa Auvryndar, presiding over a half dozen drow.
Grisduin then unabashedly enters the room playing his war drum. T’rissa orders her followers to attack the intruders. Taken by surprise by Ash’s agility and quickness, the priestess is stunned and unable to assault the group and they cut through the drow and the giant spiders from the hatchery. Panicked, T’rissa’s mage throws any and all magic she has available in an attempt to save herself. This proves to be her downfall as Anakis thornwhips and pulls the drow mage through her magical summoning, killing her. The group then take a breath to look around. They believe this is the main temple of the Promenade of the Dark Maiden, desecrated by the Lolthian Drow and tranformed into a vile hatchery for the Spider Queen.

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The Tortured Drow
3rd day of Marpenoth

The group find their path blocked by a raving drider, whom seems greatly bothered by the howls of the wind coming down the tunnel. Grisduin decides to talk to the mad drider. He calms the drider enough for Ash to pass by and cast ‘Silence’ up the tunnel. The howling moans of the wind stop and a great relief washes over the drider’s face. Grisduin tells the drider of Eilistraee and he is grateful for the repose that she has given to his tortured mind. The drider tells the group of what is ahead, and Xanath recognizes the name of the priestess, T’riss Auvryndar, a drow he was to be a concubine to earlier in his life.
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The group then pass and travel further up the tunnels until they reach a room with 4 drow in it. Tortured screams seem to be coming from adjacent chambers that the drow seem very pleased to hear. Grisduin, unable to contain his anger, charges at the drow taken 2 down, the rest of the group quickly follow clearing the room and checking the other chambers. They do battle with the torturers and question the victims, only to find, that they are not so much victims… they were enjoying the sick, sadistic torture!
The Sunless Six decide to leave this horror behind and find a group of six Grimlocks tormenting some prisoners. the group do away to the Grimlocks and question the prisoners.
Quin releases a Waterdavian named Geldax Breer whom was capturer by the drow. Three other cells contain malnourished drow that are competing to be concubine to the priestess. An old wiry gnome exposes himself from underneath the rotten corpse of a grell in on cell. He is enthusiastic that Quin pick his lock and free him. Unsure of the strange gnome, Quin decides to pick the lock. Once free, the naked grimy gnome sprints away gleefully.
The group move on and enter a door secured from the outside. Within the room is a grey skinned elf with dark black hair and pale, but lively eyes. He tells the group to enter and tells them his name is Iarhana Goltorah, but you can call him Golto.

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Ferrying the Sargauth River
3rd day of Marpenoth

The Sunless Six start questioning the captured Kuo-Toa. They inquire about a temple, and the Kuo-Toa archpriest replies that there is only one god, the god of his people named Blipdoolpoolp. The shrine lies deep in the river and cannot be found. Ash decides that this fishman has no information and releases him from his manacles. Upon release, the Kuo Toa unleashes the spirit of his god, but as he tries to flee into the river, he is stuck dead by Anakis’ giant wasp.

The group then proceed to venture down another cramped tunnel. They send Quin ahead. After a long creeping walk, she finally finds a change in the tunnel. The stone of the walls and floors are more worked and sculpted. As the rest of the group catch up, they discover a door. They push the door open to reveal a small chamber. In the chamber there is a large stone that seemingly has crushed a goblin. The group deduces that the room was trapped and set off by the goblin. At the end of the chamber is a heavy stone door. Grisduin reads the elvish script on the door and pushes the door open with ease. Beyond the door is a large room with marble pillars and a few sculptures of female elves dancing naked, holding a sword. xorn.jpgIn the center of the room lies a silent earth elemental. Xanath decides he will awaken the Big Xorn by attacking it with his flying broom. His plan works, but the Xorn quickly attacks the broom, crushing it into splinters in it’s giant jaws. The group then enter to do battle with the elemental. Xanath gets revenge on the Xorn for destroying his broom by disintegrating it into dust with a lightning bolt.

The adventurers investigate the room, finding nothing of value, but deduce this must have been a sculptor’s workshop. They proceed out a door on the other side of the room. Beyond the door, a short tunnel leads back to the Sargauth River. At the edge of the river is a gondola manned by a teifling skeleton.
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The group pay the ferryman who proceeds to take them up the river. Upon leaving the shore, Quin notices an intense man with white hair and long beard staring at her with piercing eyes. She points this out to the group, who claim they cannot see the old man.
As Quin looks back, the man dissipates into smoke. After investigating the shorelines, the group decide to search down the creepiest, spider web filled howling tunnel. Not far down the tunnel the group encounter a drider seemingly pacing frantically around a narrow chamber.

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Below Skullport
2nd day of Marpenoth

The Sunless Six, along with their 2 new companions, find themselves trapped in a narrow tunnel that supposedly leads to .
After hours of moving rubble, the group finally find an opening on the other side of the collapse. The tunnel continues on, but is blocked again by more rubble.
Anakis decides to use magic to more the rubble and gains good ground before she mentally exhausts herself. Grisduin and Quin then proceed to clear more rubble and break through to the other end of the tunnel. Quin scouts ahead as the tunnel tightens, but finally leads upwards.
Quin finds a trap door that enters into the cellar of what looks to be a tavern. The group move up to the tavern to find the proprieter, a teifling names Quietude. They bribe the teifling to turn his eyes on the fact that he saw them emerge from the tunnel.
Samara Strongbones then leads the group through Skullport to the hideout of the Zhentarim. They are pleased with the part that the Sunless Six have played in toppling the Xanathar’s Lair and offer respite from Undermountain within their hideout in Skullport anytime the group may need it.
The group enquire about the Promenade of the Dark Maiden. They gain knowledge that the drow followers of Eilistraee have been run out of the temple long ago and is now taken over by more drow. Samara agrees to bring the group to the Sargauth River and direct them towards the temple.
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Shortly after Samara parts ways, the group is confronted by a group of Kuo-toa demanding toll for travelling up the shores of the river. The encounter quickly turns hostile and the group do combat with the Kuo-toa. They know 2 of the strange fish people unconscious and grapple another one for questioning.

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Blood and Glory
30th day of Elient

The Sunless Six find themselves surrounded with no other option but to surrender to the Xanathar’s Guild. They are taken captive and put into holding cells.
Sharing the cells with the group are 2 other captives, a halfling named Samara and a half-elf named Richard. The two relay a plan to the group to escape and take down the lair in the process. The group reluctantly agree.
Anakis wildshapes into a rat and scouts the area. In scouting she retrives Quin’s thieve’s tools, to aid in their escape.
Members of the guild return and take Grisduin to have audience with the Guild Master. Upon his arrival, Grisduin is greeted by his former slave master, Baron Von Straedler. The Baron tells Grisduin that he owns him and that he will be fighting for him in the tournament.
The next day the group are escorted to the fitting pits. The crowd is rowdy and blood thirsty.
The matches are set and Grisduin faces off against an Orog. The Orog comes on strong, but is no match for the Dancing Devil’s prowess with the sword.
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The next fight matches Richard with the returning champion, a Minotaur. Richard then proceeds to shift his form into a hulking barbarian. The Minotaur charges “Dick” with intent to gore. Dick sidesteps the assault and proceeds to relentlessly beat the Minotaur to a bloody pulp with a warhammer.
Now Grisduin must face the changeling. To everyone’s surprise, Dick throws the fight as an attempt to distract and enrage the crowd. Just then, Aesino appears from the darkness and enters the ring to appease the crowd. He challenges Grisduin to a fight!
Aesino tries to cast a spell, but to no avail. He did not realize the fitting pit is surrounded in an anti-magic field. Quin goats her father, as a look of panic washes over his face. Grisduin charges in. Aesino, not used to fighting with his magic is taken aback, as Grisduin has him on the ground for a final blow! The crowd is errupting, as a shot flies through the air as Samara tries to take down a pillar. The shot misses wildly. Seeing this, Xanath breaks through the crowd and unleashes his fire breath in the direction of the pillar. The flames hit a hidden stash of smokepowder and the column collapse. The crowd panics, and the group escape through a side door. As they run through the center chamber, Grisduin launches magic missiles at more smokepowder hidden throughout the chamber. They escape into a room as the great hall begins to collapse. Covering their tracks they blow more powder hidden in a doorway. They then reach the final room with the plant beholders, acting fast, Xanath launches a firebolt into the room and the group takes cover as the contents of the room explodes!
The group then dash through the room and into a tunnel that Richard confirmed as the way out. As they sprint down the narrow tunnel the rooms behind them collapse and they are chased by smoke, they continue to run, but find the head of the tunnel has also collapsed in on itself. They are now trapped.

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Into the Liar of the Xanathar
28th day of Elient

Ash and Stubbs track the mother’s coin to a run down part in the Dock Ward. Ash investigates a small dwelling he feels might be harboring Aesino. Upon entering and investigating, he finds the body of Bastella lying on a bed in a back room. Aesino’s sword is sticking from her stomach and Ash finds 2 coins on the dead woman’s eyes. Both look like his mother’s coin. He covers the body and takes both coins and the sword.
On the street, David’s cat messenger finds Ash and tells him that his colleagues are at Phaulkonmere Manor. Stubbs decides to head back to his newly purchases tavern.
As Ash finds his group in the manor, he breaks the news of Bastella’s death to Quin and gives her Aesino’s sword. Quin seems unconcerned. Ash, feeling guilty fesses up to David about Kevin’s death. David does not seem to take the information well and leaves the group.
Jeryth Phaulkon then approaches the group, telling them that her awakened rats have found a short cut into Skullport via the sewers and through the Xanathar’s layer.
A rat guides the group through the city and into the sewers to a spiral stairway that descends deep into the dark. xanathar.jpgThe group push through a doorway and into a chamber containing a magical surveillance eye. Ash uses a darkness spell to obstruct eye as the group venture to a hallway at the back of the room. The group then encounter a room full of what looks to be beholders. They ascertain that the beholders are all decoy plants save for the one in the center of the room, which seems to not notice them.
Not wanting to take their chances fighting a beholder, the group decide to head though another set of doors on the other side of the initial chamber. As Gruisduin enters the large chamber, he hear heavy footfalls. He hides and sees a dwarf approaching. As this is happening Xanath tries to ‘take out’ the surveillance eye with his warhammer. He fails miserably nearly hitting Quin in the process and creating a loud thud on the stone floor. Hearing this the dwarf stops, and yells out who goes there! Grisduin answers that it “The Dancing Devil”!!!! The dwarf does not know the name and goats the drow. As Grisduin is set to charge, Anakis tries to quell the situation by putting up a wall of thorns between Gris and dwarf. Realizing that he is now outnumbered, the dwarf decides to flee. The group pursues, and with his feline grace and agility Ashes catches up to the dwarf, who turns on the Tabaxi and knocks his unconscious with 3 quick blows of his great axe. The dwarf then proceeds to flee. Quin then catches up to the tabaxi and brings Ash back to consciousness.

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A Meeting at Phaulkonmere
27th day of Eleint

As Ash and Stubbs begin tracking Aesino using the mother’s coin, Xanath and Quin return to meet with Anakis and Grisduin who are cleaning up after the street fight. They are confronted by the City Watch whom question the group as to the circumstances of the tussle.
Captain Staget arrives on the scene and questions the 4 individually. He deems them to be trustworthy. He explains that he’s been dealing with a lot of violence between the members of the Zhentarim and Xanathar’ s Guild, and is happy that their are now less thugs off the streets for him to deal with.
Xanath tries to then glean some information from Captain Staget about Skullport, but the captain claims he doesn’t have time to talk as he is now dealing with creatures from the Undermountain coming up to terrorize the Dock Ward. The captain conveys that finding the entrance to Skullport would be very difficult, if it even still exists.
The group then continue their search. Grisduin notices a small white cat that has been following them for a while now. The cat relays a message to Anakis that a high ranking member of the Enclave would like to meet her in Phaulkonmere, a manor near them in the South Ward.
The group decide to investigate this and head to Phaulkonmere. They are greeted by a familair face, David the Bugbear, who is know working for Jeryth Phaulkon, who he explains to the group is Emerald Enclave adjacent.
tarokka.jpgJeryth welcomes the group to her garden, where she offers to reads the groups futures from her Tarokka cards. After she reads Grisduin’s cards, she asks him his house name and what he is looking for. She reveals that the Promenade of the Dark Maiden, which Grisduin is seeking, has been destroyed by the Xanathar Guild and the evil drow that lurk near Skullport. She tells him that she believes the moonspring still exists within the ruins of the temples. She then asks Grisduin his house name, and is not surprised. Jeryth then proceeds to fashion a small moonspring with the help of Grisduin’s drow magic. Although he cannot travel through the portal, he is able to look in. He sees a small community of people living under the shade of the canopy of a high forest. He sees his sons practicing their sword work with skill and the grace of dancers. He sees his daughter talking, teaching others around her, her beauty unmatched but for the beauty of the Dark Maiden herself.
Anakis then accepts Jeryth’s offer. Jeryth informs the group that a Grell has taken a woman in the Dock Ward. She believes that Xanathar has been releasing creature from the Undermountain into Waterdeep as a distraction for something. She would like Anakis to investigate this and hopefully rescue the woman is their is anything to rescue.
The group begin tracking the Grell and quickly come upon it near an old dock by the seaside. They notice a second Grell and a panicked scream from a woman and quickly engage the two aberrations. The group eventually take down the pair, but then notice another beast rising to the shore. An Otyugh rises from the sea and attacks the groups.
The group does battle with the beast and eventually kills the aberration leaving its body lapping in the shallow sea waves. 520px-Otyugh_1.jpg
Bloodied and beaten, the group returns to Phaulkonmere. She shows the group gratitude and gifts each member with a charm of heroism. David prepares a meal for the group and Jeryth offers accommodations for the night at Phaulkonmere.

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Rooftop Chase
26th day of Elient

The group make for the rooftops to try and catch the assassin that killed their last attacker. Ash, Quin, and Xanath begin the pursuit as Anakis and Grisduin stay back to investigate the remains of the street fight with the thugs.
Curiously, Stubbs, while out on errands regarding his new business in Waterdeep, heard a commotion. He decided to investigate, and as the luck of a halfling, wouldn’t you know it, he runs into his friends from Woopedu. Grisduin explains the rest of the group have started to pursue an assassin on the rooftops, and Stubbs send Innis to catch up with them.
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Partway through the chase the voice in Quin’s head tells her to stop pursuing and investigate an open door in the alley below. Quin follows the voice, which no longer seems to be in her head, but coming from a dwelling behind the open door. Quin enters and finds a human woman woman dressed in dark robes speaking to her.
Meanwhile, Ash and Innis follow their quarry in to a building, which proves to be a theater.
As they enter, they a greeted by Aesino Silenta, standing center stage.
He questions Ash on where his loyalty lies, when the Tabaxi conveys it’s not with him, Aesino attacks.
The woman speaking to Quin reveals herself as Bastella. She tells Quin that she has done her a great wrong and wants to clear her conscience. She says that she had on many occasions stole Quin’s memory and controlled her mind. She offers to give Quin back all she has taken from her, if Quin lets her go free. As Quin begins to contemplate this, Xanath enters and tries to put the mage to sleep. Bastella showing her strength as a wizard quickly counters the spell.
Quin then accepts the mage’s ultimatum, and Bastella places her hand on Quin’s forehead. The memories reignite in Quin’s mind and she learns much from her past and the injustice her parents imposed on her. The rush of thoughts leaves Quin exhausted and she falls unconscious.
Ash, with the help of Innis, do battle with Aesino in the theater. Aesino’s strength and fighting skills seem to be too much for Ashes, but the fight turns as Stubbs finally catches up to Innis and lends aid to his tabaxi comrade.
Xanath revives Quin with a healing potion, and Quin starts making her way for the assassin, concurring that he must have been Aesino. They follow a path of destruction caused by Stubbs’ Thunder Step and find the halfling and tabaxi doing battle with the assassin.
Seeing his odds of making it out very low, Aesino tries to escape, but is stopped. Quin demands answers, and Aesino tries to deceive his way out of the situation. The group eventually catch onto Aesino’s ploy and demand he put on manacles. He refuses and attempts to flee.
Hasted the assassin makes it out onto the streets, but Ash manages to slip the mother’s coin onto the assassin before he finally gets away. Ash can now track Aesino’s location.

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The Yawning Portal

Anakis reports back to the Emerald Enclave after defeating the necromancer in the City of the Dead. The high druids are impressed by Anakis, and promote her to the Circle of Alluvium. Anakis is now a sworn protector of the wilderness of Faerun.
The group then decide to seek out information on a possible church of Eilistraee in Waterdeep. Xanath explains the best place to find information is at Yawning Portal.
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At the portal, Ash talks to the proprietor, Durnan. Durnan explains to him if he wants information, there is no better man to talk to than Volo. Durnan points out Volo, who is in conversation with Xanath.
Volo ends up selling 2 of his books to Ash, Volo’s Guide to the Churches and Shines of Faerun and Volo’s Waterdeep Enchiridion.
Grisduin sees a well dressed Drow and decides to start up a conversation. The Drow seems to think that Gris is looking for membership into the Bregan D’aerthe. He introduces himself as Fel’rekt Lafeen. Fel’rekt tells Grisduin to find Zardoz Zord, captain of the Eyecatcher, docked in the harbor.
The group then take a room at the Yawning Portal for the night.
The group meet the following morning in the tavern. A fight breaks out between a half-orc and a few thugs. Grisduin attempts to enter the fray to help the outnumbered half-orc, but soon realizes that she has already handled the thugs. Durnan breaks up the fight and throws out the aggressors.
As the crowd begins to dissipate, suddenly a loud snarling noise crashes from the portal. A half dozen stirges fly out from the portal followed by a troll. Grisduin and Ash rush to attack the Troll as the others fight off the stirges. Ash kills the troll, sending it back down the well from which it came.
The group then decide to head to the docks to find an entrance to Skullport, where the Promenade of the Dark Maiden, a central temple to Eilistraee lies.
Once they reach the dock Ash asks a young fish monger to the location of Skullport. The point them in a direction down the shoreline. The group venture out, but the shore is still quite wet and muddy, so they decide to walk in the streets for a bit.
As they walk, Quin notices 2 ragged fellows huddled by a fire, but eyes a very nicely polished rapier under the dirty cloak. The men attack the group, and are flanked by another individual with a spiked chain. A fight ensues, and the group is able to take down 2 attackers. Seeing his odds of survival fall drastically, the last man standing tries to flee, but is put down by a pair of darts. Anakis notices a dark figure on the roof that the darts originated from and alerts the group. Ashes moves to pursue.

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A Task from the Enclave

After another day for shopping and seeing the town, the adventurers decide to treat themselves and head to the more upscale North End of Waterdeep to wine and dine. At the tavern Ash is approached by an old comrade from the monastery, and told to meet him later that night for a secret rendez vu.
Aesino Silenta meets with Ash in a quiet part of town. Ash senses the magic from Bastella, Aesino’s companion and mage of the monastery. The meeting becomes tense, as Ash seems reluctant to heed to Aesino’s advice on what to do about Grisduin’s bounty. They part way on not the best terms.
The next morning the group accompany Anakis to the City of Dead to meet with the Emerald Enclave, a group of nature worshippers that strive to protect the natural balance in Faerun.
Anakis meets with 3 high members and they discuss her actions in thwarting Belak the mad druid. The Enclave then task Anakis with investigating a problem arising with undead within the City of Dead. She is also encouraged to take a new initiate with her, a bugbear named David.
Upon returning to the group, David quickly recognises Ash. David reveals to the rest of the group that he was part of the Starry Eyed Monastery. He also conveys that he sensed a problem when his animal companion has not returned to him. He went back to the monastery to find answers, but found the place in ruins, with no survivors to be found.
David then explained that he was lost, but a member of the Enclave picked him up and brought him here.
David then brings to group to where he discovered undead activity occuring, and the group find 3 Dread Warriors roaming about a grave yard. The group dispose of the undead.
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Quin then scouts ahead and notices more Dread Warriors and a Necromancer performing a ritual. She relays the information to Anakis, who deduces that this Necromancer must be causing the increase of undead within the city. The group sneak up and attack the Necromancer and his thralls, quickly taking care of the threat.

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