D&D 5E [IC] Uller's Out of the Abyss

Observing the newcomers from a safe distance, Surana says nothing, but smirks to herself as she hears the little gray gnome attempt to fleece the new prisoner. In prison full of slaves, little care is taken to assure the captives' comfort. Of course the gruel is always cold.

She makes it a point to get it out of the kitchens hot that day.

1) While In captivity I will try to steal tools to make a Holy Symbol. (OOC, this is not a spell focus, but rather something to comfort me).
2) I am often caught praying to Moradin and the Drow try to make me regret it, but I stay true to my faith.
3) Though I do tend to keep to my self, I will try to get some of the slaves together for prayer.

Making a History check for Orsik

[roll0]

Jimjar eagerly shakes Klep's hand sealing the bet. He then goes on to explain "The drow have an insati...insatia..insas...unsatisifiable need for slaves. Their entire way of life is built on it. Without slaves to do their work for them their wicked cities would fall apart. Besides, their goddess demands it. The Demon-Queen of Spiders favors those dark elves who are most cruel. It's sad, yes. But the world doesn't care about sad, my friend."

As they are talking, a work detail is taken from the pens to clean up the kitchen and make a meal for the slaves...Surana among them. She gives Klep a wink....Not long afterwards, a dwarf slave comes to the pen with a pot and cups. The broth is piping hot. Jimjar is astonished. He looks about..."Well I'll be son of a goblin! Maybe you're good luck, Klep." He reaches under his rags and produces a gold coin and hands it over...it's not like one Klep has ever seen...it has strange writing on it and half a face..."It's from Blingdenstone...oh don't worry...I've got others hidden about. That's old King Guliver...he was never able to sit still long enough to get his face drawn...so they only put half his face on the coin."

Several hours later Klep finds himself on a work detail along with Derendil and Orsik. You are taken to the bottom of the cavern and told to pile rocks near the tunnel entrances to the south and west (Orsik is able to determine the direction). It seems a strange task and you aren't sure if it's just making work for the sake of it or if it has a purpose, but they seem very interested in arranging the rocks around the tunnels. Two other quaggoths are there helping. Klep gets his opportunity to "pick a fight" with a one. He accidentally/on-purpose drops a large stone on its foot. Enraged the quaggoth slams Klep against the wall. Klep struggles, kicks out from underneath the creature and smashes it in the face. Now the creature becomes wild. Klep begins to think this might not have been the best plan...the creature grabs Klep's chains and hurls him 10' across the stoney floor. It begins stalking toward him when out of nowhere a second quaggoth blindsides this one and slams it to the ground and begins furiously biting and ripping at it. Blood is everywhere. All of the sudden Klep and Orsik feel a familliar sting...hand crossbow bolts from the guards...sleep overtakes them both.

They awaken back in the pen. Derendil is not there. The guards seem to think the quaggoth Klep tangled with started the fight. Both it and Derendil were lead away in chains and none of the slaves know what became of either. You all learn that normally troublesome slaves are thrown to the spiders. Quaggoths are immune to poison. They are too valuable to kill...so they'll likely be back after Ilvara is done with whatever fun she has in store for them.

Both Orsik and Klep then settle down into the routine (ooc: Orsik is very good at not being noticed...that 8 CHA isn't low enough to make people outright not like him but it is low enough that people just don't notice him in a crowd. It's why Jimjar made the bet with Klep instead of Orsik).

Orsik is caught several times praying to Moradin. Every time he is dragged before Ilvara and punished to the point of unconsciousness. On one occasion when he is brought there, Jorlan is with her and as usual she is mocking him, teasing him about his scars and telling him how Shoor clearly has the favor of Lolth and he does not. Orsik begins to realize this is the source of the tension...The favor of Lolth is of utmost important to the drow, particularly the priestesses. Jorlan must have been Ilvara's consort at some point but now it is Shoor. Asha and Shoor are of the same house (perhaps siblings). So Asha is very pleased to see her brother raised to a higher position than an older more accomplished rival (Jorlan seems older and more experienced). Being second to Ilvara means Asha's consort must be Jorlan and she is probably very resentful of this. Most female drow are very ambitious and rising in position is impossible if your consort does not have the favor of the goddess.

You both look for material to make your flute and holy symbol. You notice that nothing here is made from wood. Tables, chairs, tool handles, etc are all made from a substance similar to wood in density and hardness. But it has no grain like wood. At first you think it might be some sort of stone. You each find a piece and secret it back to the slave pen. Other slaves tell you it is zurkhwood. It is from a type of mushroom that grows in the underdark, sometimes as tall as 15 or 20'. It's caps are edible but more importantly it's stalks are hard and useful for building. Zurkhwood groves are a great economic resource to underdark cities.

It is also not too hard to smuggle small tools. The guards occasionally search you or your area in the pen but they rarely seem interested in doing a good job.

Klep, it will take you a long time to craft a playable flute in these conditions. So you will have to be patient. Orsik is able to fashion a holy symbol...not one that can be used as a spell focus but one that he can at least use for prayer. But shortly after making it, you go to get it from it's hiding place to find it is gone. In it's place is a spider! It is about the size of your palm. You're initial instinct is to smash it. But then you catch a flash of light in it's eyes...(it has about 20). They are arranged on it's face like in a shape that is the unmistakable shape of Moradin's symbol. It seems completely unafraid of you and crawls back into it's hiding place.

Several days pass, or so you would guess. You have long lost track of night and day and time. How many days have you been here, you are not quite sure? You sleep in short naps, you are awake for training or labor and then you sleep some more...always hungry, often thirsty, always filthy. You are losing your sense of yourself too. The training is beginning to convince you that you are indeed, just a slave but you resist it. You are becoming numb to the cruelty the drow show toward others.

Your sleep is always disturbed by dreams. They are very vague...the light of the full moon is shining upon you but you cannot see anything around (or even the moon). Then a shadow blots out the light. You cannot breath. You are underwater. You awaken with a start. In another you feel something wrap around your leg. It is coated in slime, very very strong and wherever it touches you it leaves a searing pain, like it is coated with hundreds of barbs. You feel it tighten then it is dragging you, then you wake...the pain and constricting sensations remain. In yet another you are wandering a maze. You know something is stalking you but it is always just out of sight or hidden by shadow, you sometimes see it's eyes blazing with hatred. Again the moon is bright and moving...just as the light is about the reveal your predator, you wake. Each time you awaken from these dreams, you have trouble remembering where you are for several moments. Then you remember...and you wish you hadn't.

(ooc: All the other PCs are en route to Velkenvelve at this point and you have these dreams as well...the further you go, the more intense they become.

ooc: Almost forgot Topsy, Truvy and Drum!

Topsy and Turvy mostly keep to themselves and as far away from Jimjar as they can. They're behavior is strange. They seem to be in the habit of collecting whatever they can, piling it up and sleeping on it (you get the feeling that they would sleep under it if they could).

Drum huddle near Surana and Derendil most of the time. The drow tend to ignore it. When they do pay attention to it, it is to be cruel to it. Drum is willing to "make friends" with Klep and Orsik if they want so they can talk to it too.

When the rest of Derendil's work detail returned without him, Surana began to pace the small, fetid cell. Having lost her tribe above, she had come to think of Derendil and Drum as her little tribe in this otherwise lonely pit. And now, as before, she couldn't protect them.

She snarled in frustration at the thought, punching the wall with all her weight behind it. The pain tore through her hand and up her arm, and she slumped against the wall, staring numbly at her bloody fist. She hoped that whatever the drow did to Derendil, their greed kept him alive. He was valuable, and they knew it. She tried not to think about what they might be doing.

She had to get them all out of this place. And she had to do it soon.

As she stood flexing her hand, assessing the damage, she heard the other slaves in the cell begin to murmur rumors of the fight. The orc had started it; no, the quaggoth started it; no, a guard started it, just for fun. Whoever started it, the orc who'd arrived yesterday was involved. She looked the towering creature up and down--he could definitely be useful in a fight.

She strode across to him, looking him in the eye. "Hey, orc. I hear you like to fight." She considered showing him her makeshift dagger, but thought better of it. She kept her voice low. "I do too, and I'm fighting my way out of this hell soon. When the time comes, do you want to spill some drow blood, too?"

"Wat?" Klep furrows his brow, not in anger, but rather frustration. Klep already told you people - de furball started it! Why won't anyone believe in Klep...?" His frustrations transformed into something rather hollow and miserable. He is quite unaware of the aftermath of his dispute.
He sniffles whistle slightly as he wipes his running nose with a scarred, but very hairy arm. "Klep not a great warrior in tribe, nor is Klep a born killer. Why was Klep captured by stupid Drow-folk anyway?" Klep squints and spits at the ground of his corner in the wretched pen. When he realized no guards were checking up on him, he continued to carve out his would-be flute.
"Klep would not normally do dis for a human, but Klep is in your service if it means Klep will be free, and de Drow-folk will get wat dey Deserve". you might notice the orc speaks rather civil (or at least tries to sound so) for a self-proclaimed tribesman.

Surprised by the orc's sniffles, Surana patted him on the arm, trying to avoid the snot. "It's alright, Klep. It doesn't matter who started the fight." She knew there was no way to sort out the truth right now, and it wasn't her main priority anyway--escape was. For that, she would need what few prisoners might be useful. Klep was one of them. "Don't worry about it. For now, just keep working on your..." She looked at the piece of zurkhwood in his great paw of a hand, unclear on what he was doing. "...thing."

As she walked back toward Drum, she looked over her shoulder. "I'm Surana, by the way. And this," she said, gesturing toward Drum, "is Drum. He's friendly."

She sat for a while, looking around the cell, trying to decide who else might be more help than hindrance in an escape. She eyed the two gray gnomes huddled with their trash, and thought of the other, who seemed too interested in gambling. They all seemed a bit mad to her. Of course they're mad, she thought. To live always below the earth, never seeing the great open sky...who would be sane? She discounted them for now.

Looking around, Surana thought with dismay that this place was mostly full of the broken. Broken bodies, broken minds, broken spirits. She was beginning to lose hope of finding any more prospects when her gaze fell on the dwarf near the back of the cell. She was always forgetting he was there. She didn't know much about him, but she did know he prayed a lot--and no one who prayed that much was broken. He still had hope, maybe even determination. Even if they made it out of this prison alive, they would still be in the Underdark. Hope and determination would be crucial.

She waited until he finished his prayers, then stood to cross to him, giving Drum a pat on the head as she left. When she reached him, she sat down next to him, looking straight ahead rather than into his eyes. "You pray a lot, dwarf." She gestured to the various prisoners slumped dejectedly here and there. "You have more hope than most in this place." She nodded toward Klep. "The orc and I do, too, and when we get a chance, we're escaping this pit." She turned to look him in the eyes. "Do you want to act on that hope of yours?"

Klep calmed down soon enough "Tank you. Dey took Klep's dulcimer. Klep cook for gnome family six monts -six monts to pay for it. Klep emphasized how hard he worked to get it. It made sense though, everything is overpriced in Gnomish regions. "If Klep no get Dulcimer back, Klep will play 'is fluit until Klep can buy a new one." Klep whittles and carves away at the Zurkhwood shaft in his hand. Not having any idea if it would even sound like a normal flute or not. Or if there are health risks involved.Klep is lost widout a song in 'is soul.
He looks down at the walking mushroom. His mind wanders and wonders if that is what they put in his broth every day. "Drum is nice name, sound like Dwarvish." He says as he looks at the little guy."Do you play?"

As Klep, Surana and Orsik are talking, the cell door opens. Jorlan, two drow soldiers and two quaggoth's enter. The quaggoths are dragging the limp form of Prince Derendil. One of the drow soldiers follows with what looks like a grungy sack over his shoulder. He droppes it with a thud. The sack moans. The other drow leads in two othe prisoners about as different as can be. One you can't miss...a large muscular orc (named Ront), the other a young female dwarf (Eldeth Feldrun). Both are still very groggy from the effects of drow poison, but able to move.

Jorlan gives the three of you a smile...maybe more of a smirk...as the others exit. He pulls the cell door shut, locks it and leaves without a word.

Derendil is hardly recognizable. His face is swollen, his fur and even some of his flesh is torn away in several places. One of his hands is broken and his other arm is dislocated. He's breathing though. But he is not conscious.

As Eldeth and Ront begin to gain their senses Eldeth looks over at him and says in dwarvish "You fool. We would have made it if you weren't so damn noisy." The orc opens one eye and mutters in orcish "You ran from Iceshield. You ran from shadows. You ran from dark sissy elves! All you do is run. Your stubby legs can't even out run a slug!" Eldeth comes back with more insults and Ront still more until they are both shouting at each other in their own languages. Then another voice comes out of the the darkness..."shhhhhh....brother, sister...you cannot win here. Peace!". A figure that has been keeping to himself in the shadows for the last several days comes forward. The drow have mostly left him alone, which seems odd. He appears to be a humanoid of sorts, but his features are very...fishlike. His name is Shuushar and he is a koa-toa. He is able to calm down Ront and Eldeth in a surprisingly short time. Ront goes off to find a corner to sulk and Eldeth, glancing at him angrily moves to the sack and opens it up...A roughly handled (though not too badly damaged) halfling emerges. After looking around at all the strange faces around him he smiles grimly and says...(ooc: [MENTION=36150]Herobizkit[/MENTION]...what do you say? You (as well as the drow) heard Surana rallying her friends to join together to escape...so you can include that in whatever you say). As he steps out of the sack, he subconsciously picks up the length of rope that was used to tie it shut (add 5' lentgh of silk rope to Bertrem's inventory).

Shuushar is very strange to all of you. He is from a town called Sloobludop (SLOO-bloo-dop) which is near a place called Darklake. He abandoned his people and sought a life of solitude in the Darklake, which is more like a maze of pools, streams and wells than a single lake. The drow captured him weeks ago but he didn't resists. He just accepts whatever life sends at him. He never blinks, which is disconcerting. And whenever he is talking, he wanders about aimlessly...like a fish in a pond.

Ront and Eldeth were captured by the drow after a battle between their people. Eldeth was part of a scouting party from a place called Gauntlgrim that was ambushed by the Iceshield orcs. In the ensuing chaos both fell down a deep deep hole. In the darkness, injured and lost they at first kept their distance from one another. But when a strange worm creature attacked the orc, the dwarf helped the orc fight it off. They realized then that they had to work together to escape. The climbed up and up for many hours and as they finaly returned to where they had fallen from...the drow were there and they were both taken captive. The drow had already captured the halfling so they don't know where he came from.

Klep, when you speak to Drum, it "sneezes" musically at you. A few moments later you hear it in your thoughts...At first it is very strange. But once it does, you are able to also understand others that are "friends" with it, even when they speak to you in languages you don't understand.
------


The long dark road is all you have known for days, perhaps weeks. There were more of captives like you, but most didn't make it. All that is left is are the three of you from the surface and a fourth that was picked up along the way. He reminds you of a dwarf, particularly of the tales you've heard of gray dwarves (ones that live deep underground) but he insists he is not a dwarf at all but a 'derro' and a sort of manifestation of a god in the living world. He calls himself Buppido.

You came upon him in the middle of a good sized cave. He was just sitting there and acted as if he expected the drow patrol. He gave no resistance..."all part of my plan" he assures you when you have moments to talk to him. The drow patrol is lead by one named Sarith Kzekarit. A junior sort of officer as far as you can tell. There is also a young mage named Nildus Mizzrym that seems to be out to prove himself to his leaders. There are no females in the group, which from your knowledge is strange. Male drow tend to be looked down upon and not typically allowed to do much without a female directing him.

Erevan is able to partially understand the drow when they are speaking. He can't understand everything. But over time you are able to piece together three things: You've been captured as part of an effort by a noble house to secure favor with their demon god. Captives such as yourselves are particularly useful for sacrifices. Others are intended to be sold as slaves...but none of the others survived. You are going to some outpost where you will wait until another patrol will take you to their city. But members of the patrol are looking forward to a chance to return to the city and be replaced. Third, Sarith (along with another drow that is not present...one named Jorlan) has lost favor with their god. Nildus seems to derive great pleasure from this and constantly mocks him and reminds him he better succeed in returning with prisoners that are pleasing to the Queen of Spiders.

As you go along, your dreams become worse and more intense. It is clear Nildus and Sarith experience them as well as Buppido. Buppido seems absolutely unpreturbed by them, though ("all part of the plan" he assures you).

The patrol is within a few hours march from the outpost when you stop to rest. You are kept constantly drugged so thoughts of escape are impossible and your memories are groggy of events but from what you can recall, the four of you (Erevan, Evandur, Ezraen and Buppido) are sitting among some rocks. You can hear the drow talking. Things get quiet for a while...which is not uncommon, the drow typically want to remain silent. But as you were sitting there this time, after about 20 minutes suddenly there is an outcry of alarm from the drow. You vaguele recall Bupiddo rejoining you...but you don't remember him leaving...The blue/violet fire lights the area. You stand and shuffle to get a look and you see Sarith, covered in blood, standing over Nildus's body. His face has been completely flayed from his skull. Another drow patrol appears to have just arrived to see this scene...bols from several handcrossbows fly into Sarith and you...darkness...You awaken later to find a new prisoner among you...Sarith.