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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(contact)" data-source="post: 648030" data-attributes="member: 41">Chapter 58 . . . smells like teen spirit.58—If you siege it, they will come.Of course, a dragon’s lair is one of the safest places in the Underdark to sleep, provided you are sure that the dragon itself will not interrupt you; most creatures of any intelligence will shun the place, and all the native predators are likely dead by the dragon’s claw and fang.In this case, Taran suggests that once he takes the thing’s head completely off, they can be pretty sure that it won’t be giving them any more trouble.-----The next morning, the group takes stock of the dragon’s treasure, searches the lair of its spawn and allies for good measure, and dumps the loot unceremoniously into the portable hole.  Kyreel is able to call upon Ishlok to renew the group’s life force, and throw off the effects of the dragon’s breath weapon.  After Taran takes one more longing look at the remains of his most recent and greatest dragon fight, the group continues their airborne journey through the Underdark.“You know what,” Taran says.  “I feel rich.  Do you think we’re rich yet, Thel?”“I think if we are not now, we soon will be,” Thelbar replies.  “All we have to do is survive.”-----Kyreel’s find the path leads the group unerringly through the maze of passages and caverns, and after several hours journey, they arrive at the gates to Maermydra.  They are within a long passageway, at the end of which lie the twisted ruin of the city’s gates.  The curious stench of burning fungi and cooking meat can be detected, and Taran says, “That’s not barbecue you smell.”“What’s barbecue?” Kyreel asks, but before Taran can reply, she grabs his arm.   “There, just beyond the gate—you cannot see them yet, but I make them out.  There are four giants.  They wear the device of Kurgoth Hellspawn.  They must be guards.”Taran creeps forward silently, abandoning his flight to better utilize his stealth.  He notes the disposition and attention of the four giants, and satisfies himself that there are no ready reinforcements lurking just beyond the gates.After receiving Taran’s briefing, the party spends the time to fully prepare themselves for battle, showering themselves in spells.  Stoneskin, mass haste, improved invisibility, divine might, mirror image, magic circle from evil, displacement, righteous wrath  and more are cast, but they are all trumped when Thelbar flies into sight of the creatures and rips through them with a cone of cold followed by chain lighting.Apparently the gods heard his earlier complaints about spell resistance, because the giants absorb nearly all of the eldritch energies, and before anyone else can even move forward, all four giants are dead.“Damn, Thel,” Taran says, sheathing his suddenly superfluous weapons.  “I didn’t know you could do that.  I mean I knew you could do that, but not like that.”The group picks through the giant’s tattered bags, and liberates the obligatory pair of moldy cheeses, then moves through the gates into Maermydra itself.The drow city occupies the ground of a massive cavern, fully one whole mile in length, and nearly half that in width.  At this moment, Maermydra is lit by numerous fires burning throughout its sprawl, along with patches of multi-hued luminescent fungus.  The air above the city is filled by roiling clouds of smoke from the many camp-fires and burning buildings.  The whole of the place is further illuminated by patches of luminescent fungus that shed multi-hued radiation throughout the cavern.  Along either side of the cavern, wide ledges run the length of the place, and are occupied by larger buildings of alien architecture, most of them damaged or destroyed.  The smell of cooking meat, strong in the passage is nearly overwhelming inside the cavern, and the party is forced to cover their mouths and noses, lest they choke and gag.“How do you take your dead elf?” Taran jokes, to no one in particular.  The group moves stealthily into the ruined and burned drow city, allowing the occasional scuttling drow survivor to pass by unmolested.  They investigate the nearest large fire, and discover that it is a camp site, containing several score of goblins, bugbears and ogres, who fight amongst themselves and torment drow prisoners.  Several dark elves are staked to shabbily-built crucifixes, left to slowly die for the amusement of the invading army.  Among this general chaos, several giants laugh and joke with one another, including a trio of blue-skinned ogres who conduct themselves with an unusually civilized air. Taran counts the campfires he can see, and projects a total number of well over one hundred giants in Maermydra, along with ten times that many goblinoids and other camp-rabble.“Now how the hell do we deal with this,” he wonders aloud.After leaving the camp, the party ventures deeper into the ruined structures comprising the city’s most dense quarter—no doubt the homes of the poor, and an unlikely place to find looting invaders.  There, they spot a young drow boy, scavenging for food amongst the ruined shell of his former home, its walls kicked in by a giant’s boot.“You there,” Thelbar says to the boy in Undercommon.  “Don’t be afraid, we mean you no harm.  We have come to set ourselves against the creatures who have done this.  Tell me what happened here.”The boy looks for a moment like he intends to flee, but after gazing into Taran’s hard, cold face, thinks better of his reaction.  “Who are you?” he asks.“Shut up and answer his question,” Taran growls in common.  His words are not understood, but his meaning is clear.The boy is silent for a moment, then says, “There was a struggle between the noble houses—one house took the castle, and within a week the gates were shattered and giants sacked the city.”Thelbar continues, “Where is Irae T’ssarion?”The boy looks perplexed.  “House T’ssarion was destroyed years ago.”“And the followers of Kiransalee?” Thelbar asks.“They are trapped in the castle, and the giants siege them there.  But Kiransalee’s touch is upon them yet, for the giants fear what is inside.  The giants fear us now as well, for the drow they have slain rise to haunt them.”When Thelbar translates this last part, Taran shudders.The boy says, “I can help you fight these giants.  There is a man you must speak with, one who can bring you knowledge of the Hidden.”The party agrees to wait for this man, although they caution the boy that any treachery will be severely rewarded.  After an hour passes, the party hears a drowish voice from a shadowed corner of the ruined home.  “What do surface beings want with the Hidden in Maermydra?”If they are surprised by the unnoticed presence of an unseen drow, the party gives no notice.  Thelbar moves toward the voice.  “We are friends of the drow here in Maermydra.  The followers of Kurgoth Hellspawn have made enemies of us, and we would know more of what has transpired here.”“I am aware of certain concerned citizens of Maermydra that want to see the city taken back into the hands of true drow.  They could assist you if you could provide assurances.”“You see that we wear these pendants of the Spider Queen,”“I do.”“You are a follower of Lolth?”“I am.”“Then these pendants compel you to assist us,”“That . . . remains to be seen,” the voice drawls.  “Our Queen’s charms and trinkets are as silent to us as the goddess herself .”Thelbar suppresses a smile.  “We are here to break this siege, and remove Irae T’ssarion from power.  You are either with us, or underfoot.”“Your words are confident,” the drow says with an air of disbelief.  “A habit,” Thelbar says to the unseen drow.  “One that as yet has not proven problematic.”  Thelbar gestures widely and continues.  “We have already wiped out the White Death in Szith Morcane, and punished them for planning to attack the surface.  We will collapse the tunnels leading to the surface when we have finished here, and those drow will have no further contact with our people, for good or ill.  You can either join us here and now, or pass your days wondering whether we consider you a threat or an inconsequence.”The drow pauses, considering Thelbar’s declaration, then says, “There is a fiend in the air.  It is pain, and fire; it is Kurgoth’s creature.  Destroy it, and I will believe that you are capable of what you claim to be about.  Then, I will take you to the Hidden.”Thelbar frowns, and says, “No.  We are here to help you, not to serve your bidding.  If you don’t wish to participate in the retaking of the city, then we will proceed without you.  Perhaps your goddess will be merciful for your failure.”  He turns to his companions, and in common says, “We go.  Prepare your things.”The drow speaks quickly, “We are in a dangerous position, and we must be sure that those we grant aid to are worthy of the challenge.  If you cannot defeat the fire demon, then you will not survive what is in the castle.”“Very well,” Thelbar says.  “The demon must die, that much is sure.  We will kill it, but we do not serve your bidding.  May you live long enough to repent your lack of faith in your goddess’ chosen emissaries.”</blockquote>

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