Dark Squad in the Secrets of Saltmarsh
Session #161: Goblins! Goblins! Goblins! Strange Goblins!
Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).
Daktari/Dak (played by Haggis) Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 9
Fellowyn Silverstream (played by George) Male Eladrin Wizard Bladesinger Lvl 9
New Tricks/Newt (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 9
Ramshambo/Ram (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue/Fighter Lvl 7/2
Vincenzo/Vinnie (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 9
DEAD PCs
NPCs
Ub-Pam (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 3
*Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors.
Servants/Familiars
Gerald (Bat/Giant Bat) servant/mount of New Tricks
Owly (Owl) Vinnie’s familiar
Archimedes (very scruffy & old, Owl) Fellowyn’s familiar.
The Dark Squad’s to-do list-
- Find the other four Symbols of Ub, one was left in Deepbridge (Duergar fortress in the Underdark). The others need to be found, they belonged to- Rambles 'Shambles' Bowspirit (halfling killer from Lowhill), Antonio De La Crane (posh kid druid alchemist) & Giggles (crazy wood elf). All these folk lived in the Saltmarsh region, the Dark Squad have found the De La Crane Manse (in the Dreadwood) and the De La Crane Crypt (in Saltmarsh Cemetery).
- Nightshade is in the Deep Dreadwood- except she's not there anymore, but a big red dragon is?
- Blackedge and the Goblin Stair?
- To join the Pact of the Wild Flame prepare the Witch's Tor for the coming of the starfall, the Witch's Tor is in the Drowned Forest, in the Mere of the Dead Men.
- To join the Pact of the Wild Flame track down the last member of the Pact, a wild elf adventurer called Giggles- and finally put her spirit to rest and recover her maze button. Location unknown. SEE 2. ABOVE.
From last time-
But then this strange thing comes creeping up the stairs, at which point all three cave goblins (including Ram’s new friend) chirrup loudly and move away from the approaching goblin.
The goblin climbing the stairs seems to be unnaturally old and wrinkled and has fungi growing out its eye cavities- no eyes, just mushrooms.
That doesn’t look right.
Which is probably why Daktari, having just descended to this level- rushes over and decapitates the strange looking creature.
“I am here to save day!”
The Sky Pony barbarian declares just prior to the decapitation.
The strange goblin explodes; it’s body bursting like a too taut balloon, leaving in its wake a twenty-foot shimmering cloud of featherweight fragments of dried skin and bone.
Newt and Daktari, soon after, are choking- having both spent IPs to fail their Constitution (DC 15) saving throws twice each. Nice.
The pair are infected, but they’re not aware of this yet, although- they have more than an inkling.
Oh, look. There’s another of the weird looking fungi goblins coming up the stairs.
And the fungi goblins keep exploding (when killed)- Ub-Pam is safe from harm, but the rest of the PCs are doing their best to get out of the poisonous/infected skin clouds.
Oh, but what’s this…
Fellowyn arrives (from above) just in time to make the acquaintance of another half-a-dozen fungi goblins who are now starting to rush up the stairs.
They seem to be drawn to the fracas, or else the spore clouds.
But here’s the thing- every time one of these things explodes (they have about thirty or so hit points each) saves need to be made by all PCs. The players, therefore, are having a little bit of a panic atm.
The fungi goblins within the toxic skin clouds are also being driven into a frenzy, making all their (three) attacks with advantage, although they’re not great fighters (only +2 to hit, and not a lot of damage). They hit a lot however, and this further increases the Dark Squads fretting.
Also, the fungi goblins are circling and ganging up on Fellowyn- vomiting their desiccated internal organs at the drow wizard, this in order to generate further saves. Fellowyn you see is not infected… yet.
It goes on and take note of the number of blue circles here- each of these delineates an exploded fungi goblin’s desiccated toxic skin cloud.
The Dark Squad (except for Fellowyn) are in retreat. Note the alien circle within the mass, that’s Newt working out exactly where to drop his Synaptic Static. The “I can see what you are doin newt!” is Fellowyn thinking aloud.
We’re not quite at the screaming stage but we’re getting there.
Note, at this point all the PCs except for Fellowyn are infected. Newt and Daktari have both had to make further saves (same DC) as the toxin is still attacking their brains/being.
Note, infected individuals can hear a susurrus white noise- all the while- it’s low level but annoying.
The big guns are coming out- the Moonboar conjures a Wall of Fire, which incinerates- and thereby explodes- yet more fungi goblins.
This encounter has been rumbling on for well over an hour now.
But then there comes yet another wave of fungi goblins, and in the rush the Moonboar starts taking hits (for tiny bits of damage) and soon after he fails his third Concentration check with a ‘1’, and everyone is out of IPs atm.
The Wall of Fire lasts for six seconds.
Newt fails another Constitution save and the tabaxi warlock is… broken. His ears, and brain are filled with the thoughts of all of the goblins around him. The thoughts of the normal looking cave goblins, like the one befriended a little while ago by Ram, are panicked- but sustainable. The scrambled thoughts of the fungi goblins are huge black and red spiky balls of screaming agony. Note, Newt cannot perceive words- only waves of mostly coruscating emotions. He is effectively deaf and has disadvantage on any and all checks/attacks/anything that he cares to make.
Newt is reduced to screaming terror and fury.
Although that’s actually not much different from his everyday demeanor.
It’s also at this point that the Moonboar figures out (after various Monster Knowledge checks- the PCs muct be desperate if they’re making these) that the fungi goblins are in effect braindead- unaffected (in every way) by mental commands, charms, etc. Anything that requires a Wis, Int or Cha save is… useless against them.
Newt puts his Synaptic Static away. Foiled. It’s like the DM has been paying attention.
The fungi goblins keep on coming. In truth there were, I think- from memory, seventeen of them in total.
Note Fellowyn has still not failed his save. He’s still not infected. Hence he’s still surrounded and being vomited upon by all of his assailants.
The rest of the PCs are just terrified and not sure what to do for the best.
Newt summons Colin Um Accounts (Summon Demon) the less than friendly (to Newt) Tanarukk (Orc-like Demon). Just to say Newt and Colin are not the best of friends, Newt is either haranguing and criticising Colin, or else (when the tables get turned) he’s placating the Tanarukk with his honeyed words and (empty) promises. Newt is just being Newt of course, if he has the upper hand in any relationship he’s a tyrant, as soon as it looks like he’s overmatched (or else he wants something) then he’s a simpering lickspittle- “Yessss, Master.”
Further note Colin Um Accounts and Daktari bonded previously over their love of hair products.
Midway through the ongoing fracas Colin shouts over to Daktari.
“What thoughts have you Daktari about hair bobble. Could I, I mean… could I make it work?”
Daktari is, as always, very positive. That’s all it takes with Colin, a lesson Newt has learned and then swiftly forgotten many times over.
Then… well, Jim playing the Moonboar played a trick on himself, read on-
The Moonboar fails his Constitution save and he too, like Newt, is a quivering mess- listening to the screaming terror in his head. The staggering were-ursine therefore grabs out an Elixir of Health and swigs it down, and mere seconds later the madness (and infection) is entirely absent. He is born again- the Moonboar roars his joy and tears into the fungi goblins before him with renewed vigor.
Killing one of them.
It explodes, as per, and the toxic skin flakes fly.
The Moonboar fails his save and is infected.
Again.
I laughed for ages. It sounded oddly very loud in the engulfing silence.
To extend the joke.
Next turn the Moonboar fails the save again and is back to a world of screaming agony- again.
At which point there are three PCs who are living/existing in a world of fungi goblin pain- Ram failed his save at the start of the next turn.
This has all gone on long enough. About ninety minutes so far.
Fellowyn takes a lot of opportunity attacks- no hits, he’s bladesinging, scurries back a way and then drops a good old Fireball.
The resulting inferno destroys all five of the fungi goblins that were attacking Fellowyn, alas the spore cloud produced also infects the wizard. That’s ‘em all.
Note, at this point I’d stopped drawing the spore clouds- I couldn’t keep up.
But, and at last, there are no more fungi goblins rushing up the stairs.
Note, Daktari is swinging and hitting hard- see above.
But here’s a thing.
A very strange thing happens.
To Newt.
The tabaxi makes his Constitution saving throw (this turn) and… Newt tunes out all the screaming (fungi goblins) in his head, instead he can now just hear the thoughts (or else emotional patterns) of the ‘normal’ cave goblins down here.
They- the ‘normal’ cave goblins- seem to be waiting for him to speak, to communicate with them.
Newt gets to the above understanding instinctively, or else his ego takes charge, he broadcasts the following-
“Flee this place my people, flee this terror. I, your God, will come back to save you.”
Or something very similar.
Newt’s accompanying Deception check is a ‘20’. The ‘normal’ cave goblins, there are about half-a-dozen of them down on this level- all but one of them (Ram’s friend) are in hiding atm, well- they reveal themselves and then flee back up the stairs and then out of the tower.
Like Newt told them to do.
But, at last, the fight is winding down, and soon after the last of the toxic goblins is killed.
The Dark Squad flee the concentrated toxic skin clouds and duck into a northern chamber; there they swig down potions and take a moment to remove as much of the infection as they can.
By which I mean some of them are still infected.
Note, Vinnie is only in the above picture because it’s useful to have his token on screen when the Moonboar is using his spells etc.
And then, after very little in the way of a discussion about recent events, we go on… by which I mean- down some more.
Ram descends another level, and keep in mind the PCs were following the river down the stairs here, but that’s gone, all that’s left is a floodplain of mud.
No enemies here, and the tower and its contents are better preserved, the goblins- or else fewer of them- have been down here.
And more stairs down.
Fellowyn discovers a few semi-intact books in what was once, obviously, a very pleasant lounge/reading room. The books are written in the ancient elven tongue the PCs have been finding and translating for a while now. The texts themselves are all racy/saucy adventure stories. The wizard surreptitiously grabs a few (as many as he can) for later bedtime reading.
And then down again.
And remember the river has gone- just a trail of mud leading to a cavernous hole, to the side of the old river’s path are a variety of spikes, ropes and steps carved into the sides of the hole- which the PCs soon discover descends a good fifty feet straight down into another cavern, which contains a vast pool of water.
Newt, on his broom, is happy to explore ahead.
But Ram and Fellowyn have found a locked door, and soon after the rogue has the thing open, and the barred cell-like door (also locked) within the newly discovered chamber.
In the cell-like enclosure is one small wooden box and a large standing bird cage.
The latter is looks to be made entirely of gold.
The contents of the smaller box is an elaborate and well stocked writing set, with multiple layers of tools and devices, for use not just for writing but for draughtsmanship, for navigation and for a variety of other learned and/or intellectual pursuits.
The very large golden bird’s cage has a name written upon it, in the same ancient elven beautifully etched it reads-
“Archimedes”
Which, of course, is the name of Fellowyn’s familiar, a very scruff and truly ancient owl.
In the bottom tray of the writing/multi-tool set is a number of scribbled pages of vellum, amidst the magical and mathematical doodles it says (all in ancient elven).
"Fellowyn Silverstream Loves Sehanine Moonbow 4 Eva"
So, this stuff belongs to Fellowyn, which means… this is his tower?
Maybe.
Many PCs have questions, chief amongst them is Fellowyn himself.
The good stuff (the gold bird cage) is dismantled, handily it comes apart for transportation, and put into a bag of holding. The multi-tool set is also snaffled, by Fellowyn.
The Dark Squad go on- descending the great cavernous hole here, into a chamber with a great lake (no map) and then a short tunnel that leads the PCs to here.
Which is the top of the Goblin Stair, at last- the adventure can begin.
But that’s also the end of the session, we’ll be back next week.
That said, I’ve got another write up on the go, it can be found here-
[D&D 5e] Not KotS 5a Dragon Castle. (Enc#6) | EN World D&D & Tabletop RPG News & Reviews
It’s a 5e version (sorta) of Keep on the Shadowfell, and lots of fun. I think the write up is on session #9 or #10, although we've played a few more than that- I'm still trying to catch up with this one.
Stay safe and well.
Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.
