Using the Eye Of Falazure, Rook scans around. All around him are pits which glow magically. They are portals leading to deeper levels of the Abyss. Some are small and almost impassable. Some are vast yawning craters with ancient fortress overlooking their depths. But the one that catches Rooks eye is what at first looks like small mountains eroded over eons.
The Fallen Demon
Looking now with the eye of a god, Rook can see that the landforms might have actually been thousands of years ago the form of a fallen titan or vast demon. Its form barely discernible now. The rib cage, long tail and head forming a small mountain range. There seems to be openings at the mouth and opposite end.
But what to do about their newly acquired ship. It would seem that a ship like this, one that can escape the Abyss would be highly sought after for demons wishing to escape in order to spread their chaos across the universe. There is that hoard of demons pursuing them. They are likely miles off but they will arrive sooner than desired.
Lirath had dropped a piece of metal to which he attached his vision. He is keeping track of the approaching and growing mass of demons. They do not have long.
Rook conjures the illusion of a shrine to Bahumat for Smallfang. Smallfang prays for guidance. Smallfang's words may or may not have been heard but he soon has an idea. :Land the ship on the far side of the titan's mountain range and cast an illusion around it to encompass it within the land form.
Escaping The Hoard
As quickly as they can they follow Smallfang's instructions. They land the ship behind the rise of what probably was the titans chest. Rook manipulates the illusion surrounding the ship and makes it look like the ship is within the mountain range. The group then gets Rook to cast the image of the ship in the sky and make it seem like its heading off in another direction, in order to have the hoard of demons leave the area. Lirath informs them that the mass of demons is approaching and Rook casts the image of the ship heading away from them. Soon the thunderous sound of the demon army lessens then disappears.
They then break out the rations, which they have not had to do in a long while. The land they find themselves in does not look amenable to hunting or scavenging for food. After resting they head off towards the "head" of the beast to find the entrance to the portal within. Near the mouth of the head, they find to huge demons toying with, and finally killing, a smaller demon. They are able to sneak past them and into the cave's mouth...only to find it sealed. They quietly grumble as they realize that they have to head back and go through the creature's other end. The anus.
Into The Bowels
Sure enough after traversing the length of the small mountain range, they find themselves at the mouth of a small cave. It smells horribly of sulfur and rot. It is small enough that they have to crawl through. One by one they enter.
Inside they find themselves in a structure very much like a winding tunnel. The sides of the walls are neither flesh nor stone. The forms all around are more organic than constructed. It is dark, humid and the floors are covered in refuse of a form better left to the imagination.
They travel the winding corridors. No doors or side corridors present themselves. Soon they find a small rise which ends in a similar tunnel but heading straight down. The striations which have lined the tunnels so far now form a ladder of sorts descending the tunnel. The tunnel is filled with a cobweb like material which obscures the view all the way down.
Powerword Kill
The group casts down a torch. It falls, making a hole through the layers of webs until it comes to rest about 80 feet below. Smallfang hoists Lirath own his back and crawls along down the tunnel using his ring of spider climb. He has to constantly bush away the webbings. About halfway down as Smallfang brushes yet another webbing out of the way, as he touches the web an arcane symbols lights up with bluish light across the entire width of the tunnel on the webbing.
The light flashes and fills the entire descending tunnel. Smallfang feels the touch of death but it passes as his unnaturally strong physique is able to ward off the killing spell. He looks over his shoulder at Lirath. Luckily Lirath had not been encompassed in the spell and looks at Smallfang with a look in his eyes that says, "I just about died....again!"
Finally all of the group descends not noticing the webbing slowly regrowing back to fill the tunnel once more. When they are all at the bottom of the tunnel it is a tight fit. They all stand within a small space barely able to move. After some careful looking they find a door carved to look like the rest of the intestinal tunnel.
Saved By Constipation
15,000 XP
The door is tall about 15 feet high but another panel of carved rock extends above the door by another 15 feet. This portion of the tunnel is covered in sharp protrusions. Smallfang tells everyone that he is sure it is a door and it is trapped.
Lirath enters his incorporeal form and passes through the door. On the other side he sees a similar tunnel but one that immediately drops straight down. He floats above the drop trying to look down but sees only a collection of refuse. Perhaps a collection of long dead bodies.
On the other side Rook conjures an illusion of a large block of feces which extends across the tunnel effectively holding the upper portion of the carved panel in place as he wills the illusion into reality. Thus braced, they open the door and sure enough the upper portion of the door tries to swing down to crush everyone within the tunnel but it is prevented by the massive piece of feces blocking it.
Moving though to the other side the group carefully descends down this tunnel to the bottom. They find themselves standing in a pile of trash and creatures long dead. Clothes and even weapons crumble and rust.
Smallfang casts detect magic and sure enough a small spot of light glows underneath a pile. As he carefully moves things he finally finds a small white-silverish glowing crystal. It hovers and slowly rotates. Smallfang grabs for it, but not before a hand from below snatches it away first.
The Last Elf Remaining
A frail elf stands up holding the stone closed in both hands to his chest. His clothes are mere rotting rags such that he is half naked. He grins and laughs. He is pleased to see people! The group asks who he is and after some difficulty remembering he tells them that he is Eilif. He was a part of an army who was in pursuit of Venca a few years, a few centuries ago? He cannot remember properly.
The group notices that notches have been carved into the walls probably trying to mark the passage of time. The entire wall is occupied with overlapping markings. Eilif is clearly insane from the years of being isolated. How he has survived is a mystery.
The group doesn't trust him. Rook calmly walks over and places a hand on Eilif. Power shoots out from the hand and Eilif falls to the floor in a puddle of boneless form.
They detect that the tunnel extends further down but is blocked with some sort of tissue. Smallfang takes out his sword and cuts through the fleshy material.
You Are Your Own Worst Enemy
43,200 XP
They walk further along a now horizontal tunnel which winds and turns until they enter a larger chamber. It is roundish and is marked by rotting bodies scattered all over the floor. The group moves in cautiously and looks about. All of the bodies are elves, similar to Eilif. Perhaps more of the same regiment. They are clearly all slain by the weapons scattered around but some of the weapons are being held by the remains of elvin hands....by the blade. One of the elves holds a piece of parchment with the words:Mark upon the stone,
The markings gone.
Let no twin stand as
would a single dragons breath kill them both.
As Smallfang casts detect magic he sees several spots spaced evenly around the room on the walls, those spots begin to emit a horrific sounds which vibrates within their heads. Their weapons vibrate as well until each of the adventurer's weapons fly out of their sheaths and backpacks to hover above them menacingly.
The group stands confused and wary but not for long. Their own weapons begin to hack and beat them. Some of the group fare easily as they do not have many weapons. Rook is able to snatch up his own in a bag of holding. Katya is able to dodge and weave around her weapon's attacks. Hope bearing only a dagger is able to fare well.
Unfortunately for Smallfang, his veritable hoard of weapons turn on him on mass. He takes hit after hit from his weapons as well has his own treasured hazirawn! Beaten, bloody and unable to take much more Smallfang is saved when Rook casts antimagic and approaches each of his comrades until their weapons fall to the ground no longer attacking their own masters.
Collecting up their weapons the group tries to decipher the scroll that had been found in the dead elf's hand. They try to mark sigils, scratches and holy symbols in the magical spots that glowed upon the wall when they first came in. To no effect.
Finally they move on.
Runic Puzzle
10,000 XP
Through more winding tunnels until they come to another round chamber. As they step in the chamber both the opening they walked through and the opening at the other end of the room sphincter shut. The tiles placed into the floor have carefully carved markings.
No it doesn't take long for the group to figure out the scrolls meaning and carve the missing runes.
The doors open and they move on.
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