D&D 5E [CAMPAIGN] Out of the Abyss – New GM [SPOILERS]

[Boendal2]

21st session:

Only three regular players were able to make it, so during battle Muumas was controlled by me. But another friend joined us again as "Cy".

Day 240
The party went to the library of the future and used the Stonespeaker Crystal to ask the following question: "How to kill/banish powerful demons?". Cy received a vision about Vizeran DeVir reading to the party from a huge book. Then the party was in a cave, placing a dark glowing item on the ground and running for cover. Afterwards the party went to the library of the past, where Tyus tried to find books with true demon names in it. He succeeded and found 5 minor demon names (which will allow him to control them better when summoned). Cy used the Stonespeaker Crystal to ask "How were demon lords killed before?". He received a vision about Demogorgon fighting Fraz-Urb'luu in the Abyss as well as Lolth fighting Jubilex.

In the evening the PCs had dinner together. Vanya decided to invite Vizeran and Kleve (against Athut's wish). Vizeran had a little chat with the party, shed a bit of light on his relation to Menzoberranzan and explained again the importance of Gromph Baenre (as well as his hatred for him). He was surprised to hear of a vision involving Lolth and left the party soon after. Vanya snuck out of the quarters at night to ask Ustova about visions of her uncle (there were none). Ustova told her the future is blurry at the moment but most of her visions about the party seem to involve great challenges and deadly risks from historical importance to all of Toril.

Day 241
Vizeran met the party in their quarters and they went together to the library of the past. Vizeran used the Stonespeaker Crystal to get more information about Gromph Baenre and his involvement in the demonic incursion. After his vision he started swearing and cussing about "the idiot fool Gromph". The PCs stocked up on rations and left Gravenhollow.

Day 242-260 (skipped)
Vanya talked a bit with her troops and increased their moral slightly. Vizeran kept his promise and accompanied the party for 10 days. Then he teleported to Araj. The following 8 days the party went deeper underground, always following Vizerans map. After a long day of travelling they heard loud noises from ahead. Vanya and her dwarven scouts rode ahead to scout. Vanya failed her stealth check as she entered a cave where 4 vrocks and 5 shadow demons were fighting over a lava pit. Part of the demons attacked her and the scouts. A long fight ensued, but after the whole party (including 16 troops) arrived at the cave, the demons were fought off easily. Tyus summoned another shadow demon, which turned against the players at round 2 of combat. During combat lava erupted from the battleground. Athut dealt the killing blow to 3 vrocks while screaming and encouraging his fellow Zhentarim troops.


GM notes:
I don't know if the players understood, that the vision of demon lords fighting was set in the Abyss. I tried to set the scene as grotesque as possible and wanted to explain (by vision) that there were no records of fighting a demon lord on Toril, but demon lords still can be defeated (by other powerful beings)... anyway, the players now think they might have to let the demon lords fight each other... which is basically Vizeran's plan.

The last charge of the Stonespeaker Crystal was used by Muumas for a personal question. This was decided out of game. As the player of Muumas couldn't join, we will do this out of game until next time.

Oh my! 4 vrocks and 6 shadow demons were merely a nuisance to this party. Granted: the demons had some unlucky rolls, but I actually had a plan B in mind to avoid a complete TPK. But not one player was reduced to 0 HP. With this 16 additional fighters balancing is quite broken. I guess I just have to throw bigger and scarier demons at them... At the moment I am not even sure if a demon lord would suffice, which is crazy at level 7... but we will find out.

 

[Boendal2]

22nd session:

Only two regular players were able to make it, so during battle Vanya and Athut were controlled by me.

Day 261-270 (skipped)
The party travelled to Araj, fighting some monsters (random encounters, narrated not fought) in the tunnels and debating the visions they received in Gravenhollow.

Day 271-272
For the last two days the tunnel system grew in size. These tunnels were familiar to Muumas, who spent some years in a wizard's tower in the Wormwrithings. As they found the magically sealed entrance to Araj they had to leave the scouts on their giant lizard behind. After some initial hesitation they knocked on the door to Vizeran's tower, where they were greeted by Kleve, now in form of a drow servant. Vizeran told Muumas and Tyus about his plans to destroy the demon lords. He blamed Gromph and eventually Lolth for the demon intrusion. His apprentice Grin Ousstyl told the party about Demogorgons appearance in Menzoberranzan and the destruction he caused.

After the party agreed to help Vizeran, he gave them each a piwafwi and an amulet of protection from fiends (1 use). He also revealed which items were necessary to perform a ritual to lure the demon lords in and let them fight each other (in Menzoberranzan, as this is where Demogorgon came to Toril):

• the egg of a purple worm (representing physical power)
• the central eye of a beholder (representing magical power)
• six feathers from different celestial beings (to transcend the plane of existence)
• a few drops of demon lord blood (to connect with the demon lords)
• 13 timmasks, growing out of the footprints of a demon, best: demon lord (to lure them in)
• Gromph Baenre's grimoire and notes for the ritual (to link the two rituals)

Muumas talked to Vizeran in private, asking him for help with a ritual to bring her companion, which is imprisoned in her amulet, back to life (or alternatively let his soul rest). Vizeran was already aware of the presence in her amulet and told her a ritual like this would need 5 items connected to the deceased (1 for each sense) and a powerful otherworldly magic item - a demon lord's heart for example. Muumas thinks of another celestial feather. After a while Muumas told Vizeran the name of the wizard who killed her companion and that she stayed in his tower for the last years. Vizeran started laughing and told her it was an old friend, whose tower is in fact an instant fortress. An identify spell would suffice to learn its command word. Vizeran is very eager to learn the location of this tower. He asked Muumas to tell him the location or better bring the instant fortress to him. Muumas agreed only on the terms that he will bring her companion back to life. A task that, according to Vizeran, only Muumas can accomplish. The party left Araj, knowing they can come back any time to replenish rations and rest.

Day 273-283 (skipped)
After travelling for days through the tunnels made by purple worms the party encountered a troglodyte lair. They saw the troglodytes arguing, screaming and hissing at each other. Waiting for a few minutes they discovered a secret tunnel next to the entry to the cave. The PCs snuck through it, overwhelmed the troglodyte guards, did not free any prisoners and killed a roper. As they heard troglodytes fighting in the cave the party got their troops and left through the tunnel at the opposite end. The guards on their giant lizards waited until the fight in the cave was over and snuck through the cave a bit later.


GM notes:
I combined the Wormwrithings and the Labyrinth. The purple worms dug a "maze" of tunnels throughout this part of the Underdark. Also some dwarven civilization mined a "labyrinth" at the same part of the Underdark. The party is travelling through a tunnel system of purple worm pathways, dwarven mineshafts and occasionally natural caves. This set up makes more sense to me than two separated tunnel systems. All in all it should feel like an ant hill with multiple and different paths leading in various directions.

No insight check was made at Vizeran. Still, Muumas suspects already, that it is not 100% necessary to perform the ritual in Menzoberranzan. As Araj is now a "safe haven" for the party, maybe there will be some more interaction with Vizeran or Grin.

I left the heart of the goristo out of the ingredients as I was already expecting Muumas to ask Vizeran for help with reviving her companion. A demon (lords) heart seemed fitting for the task.

Also I let Vizeran help with the search for ingredients. He would get 1-2 items for the characters if needed, but as a drow wizard with some contacts in Menzoberranzan he volunteered to get Gromph's grimoire. I feel, that 6 ingredients are still a lot to get, and on top of that Muumas has to collect 6 more items (one of them connected to the demons).