Another fun week of D&D with Brian, Cody, David, Dylan (who has returned), Glenn, Henry, and Taylor!

Recap

This week at Alakazam Comics in Irvine, CA, the Game show continues the slaughter of an evil drow cult. We capture the kitchen, find a secret door in the cabinet (while looking for snacks for the pet owlbear), find the librarian’s office, some drow slacking in the reading room, and then enter the main library where we negotiate with the Henlifel brothers.

Summary

Since that attack, various bandits and monsters have squatted in the abandoned temple. Sometime after the mind flayers’ reign, aspiring lore-seekers brought one piece of the shattered obelisk into Talhundereth’s chapel and another into its crypt, hoping that studying the pieces in close proximity might reveal more about the obelisk’s previous powers. That group was twisted by the psychic magic resonating in the crypt. The lore-seekers lost all interest in scholarship and abandoned the fragments.

Cult of the Obelisk

The most recent faction to enter Talhundereth is a gang that calls itself the Cult of the Obelisk. These cultists were drawn to the broken obelisk, responding to a psychic call to serve a greater force. Once Humanoids—such as humans, dwarves, and elves—the cultists embraced the power of the Far Realm and transformed into Humanoid mutates. They believe the obelisk provides them a conduit to an entity from the Far Realm.

A malevolent Aberration called an encephalon cluster never leaves the obelisk’s side. The encephalon cluster occasionally gouts bizarre offspring called gemmules, which the cult members view as progeny of the alien intelligence they worship (and which they treat like vicious pets).

The cultists capture any unsuspecting individuals they find in Talhundereth and feed them to the encephalon cluster as sacrifices to their strange god—if the gemmules don’t eat the captives first.

The Cult of the Obelisk is led by Ontharyx Henlifel. Ontharyx abandoned his family to follow the malign whispers that led him to the obelisk. Ontharyx‘s sons have come with a few retainers to see whether they can talk some sense into their father. These drow are in Talhundereth’s reading room (area T14) and might parlay with the characters.

We have started a reading group! Our First book is the first volume of the Dragon of Deceit Dragon Lance series.

If you would like to join us as we figure this out please see GoodReads.

Recap

The Game Show enters Talhundereth and just kills everything! A fun, fast, combat-heavy week!

Talhundereth is a subterranean temple to Dumathoin, the dwarven god of buried secrets. Millennia ago, Talhundereth was a vibrant and populous temple visited by many worshipers of Dumathoin. Talhundereth was built above the sacred Crypt of the Talhund, where the most ardent priests of Dumathoin were entombed.

Talhundereth was as busy as the Crypt of the Talhund was peaceful: miners, merchants, and priests alike came to Talhundereth seeking wisdom, political alliances, secret martial training, and hints at where to find wealth. Eventually, however, the passages to Talhundereth grew dangerous and the temple saw fewer visitors.

A few centuries ago, Talhundereth was abandoned by all but a few vigilant defenders. Mind flayers took advantage of Talhundereth’s depleted state to attack; during this invasion, a collapse rocked the temple and crypt alike. Both the mind flayer invaders and the temple guardians gave up Talhundereth as lost, though the mind flayers’ psychic stain remained.

Since that attack, various bandits and monsters have squatted in the abandoned temple. Sometime after the mind flayers’ reign, aspiring lore-seekers brought one piece of the shattered obelisk into Talhundereth’s chapel and another into its crypt, hoping that studying the pieces in close proximity might reveal more about the obelisk’s previous powers. That group was twisted by the psychic magic resonating in the crypt. The lore-seekers lost all interest in scholarship and abandoned the fragments.

Characters

Cody – Zachtos the Wizard/Cleric
David – Garner – Gnome Bard (lexicographer and logographer)
Glenn – Tiefling Warlock
Henry – Elf scum
Mike – Half-Orc Stork Paladin
Taylor – Mushroom Fighter riding an Owl Bear

Recap

The game show rushes to Gibbet Crossing in search of more shards. We battle in puddles.

Characters

Brian – Calypso – Fairy Druid/Barbarian
Cody – Zachtos the Wizard/Cleric
David – Garner – Gnome Bard (lexicographer and logographer)
Glenn – Tiefling Warlock
Henry – Elf scum
Mike – Half-Orc Stork Paladin

RIP

Brian – Artemons Linktorious Lantimourous

Helpful URLS

Adventure

Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk – 5etools

Magic

Unclaimed items are in the bag of holding.
Access bag Shattered on extradimension.alh
pass
O6Lisk

Treasure

Summary

Gibbet Crossing is a forlorn place. It was once a crossroads of the Underdark where drow, duergar, and svirfneblin communities lived in uneasy peace. The duergar had a lucrative business making collapsible cages (their well-crafted hanging cages gave the crossroads its name), and the duergar came to rely on mithral that the svirfneblin supplied. The drow provided the duergar with security in exchange for inclusion in svirfneblin trade contracts, while the drow simultaneously negotiated fair prices for duergar goods. Tensions between the three groups were always present. When mind flayers attacked the area long ago, the groups didn’t fight alongside one another and were individually annihilated.

Only monsters live in the crossroads region today. Humanoids rarely travel through the area, as cave-ins and flooding have made it inconvenient as a thoroughfare.

A group of thieves who recently obtained an obelisk fragment came to plunder an abandoned vault in Gibbet Crossing. The obelisk’s magic activated a nearby forgotten magic item, trapping the thieves. They died with their treasures.

Recently, the mind flayer fanatics sent one of their most powerful agents, a mind flayer warlock named Qunbraxel, to secure the obelisk fragments. Qunbraxel knows that one of the fragments is hidden somewhere in Gibbet Crossing, and the mind flayer has grimlock minions searching for it.

Reaching Gibbet Crossing is normally a daunting affair, as Underdark dangers deter most travelers. Qunbraxel has killed or driven away the dangerous creatures that normally lurk in the area so the grimlocks can come and go with ease. The dangers of Gibbet Crossing itself have proven harder to uproot, but Qunbraxel has an idea where the obelisk fragment is located, so the mind flayer hasn’t needed to clear the old crossroads.

When the characters travel to Gibbet Crossing, it’s up to you whether they face any random Underdark monsters or threats. Narrating the daunting journey to this subterranean area could be just as effective as running random encounters.