Campaign Chronicles-21-Into the Underground Tunnel

View the previous chapter of the chronicles: Campaign Chronicles-20-Retreat!

Chapter 21. Into the Underground Tunnel

Session DM'd by Steven I

After a bit of discussion, the group decided to lay a trap for the creatures. After a short hunt, Sabi brought a squirrel for bait, and placed it in front of the tunnel. The group continued to discuss their attack, though, even after the trap was laid. Without waiting for them to decide, a winged slither swooped down from a tree and grabbed the squirrel, quickly flying back up to it's hiding place in the branches. Dorina, who was hiding in the tree, formed an improvised lasso and threw it at the slither. The rope caught the eating slither, and through a complex use of rope techniques not fully understood by the rest of the group (or the slithers), Dorina slid to the ground with the captive creature. On the way down, two other slithers swooped down to help their friend, screaming for help from inside the cave.

The battle began, and reinforcements poured out of the cave, but the party quickly subdued the creatures, killing or rendering them unconscious. Remembering the Alchemist's instructions, they returned to Silva Domus with the captive creatures. After delivering their prisoners to the Alchemist, the party returned to the Redwood inn, taking a rest after the events. After recovering, the alchemist met them and delivered a plan- using a potion he had extracted from the creatures, the party was to go into their lair and set explosives, blowing it up and destroying the hive. The group agreed (after some debate) and accepted the explosives and potions. The alchemist had also discovered a partially dissolved coin, which bore a symbol familiar to Dorina.

Ignoring the coin for the time being, the group returned to the lair of the slithers. After drinking the potion, it became obvious that the slithers took no further interest in them, so the group traveled through the caverns. Slithers of all sorts lived in the cave, but after journeying far enough into the cave, more intelligent slithers blocked the party's way. Seeing through the potion's effects, these slithers attacked the party, recognizing them as intruders who didn't belong. Unfortunately, the potion worked better than even the alchemist suspected, and some of the slithers saw only a slither attacking one of their own kind. The fire slithers and drone slithers soon responded, attacking the other slithers and defending the party. In this manner the party battled through the slither den, slaying those who attacked them and passing the others safely by. Eventually, though, the skirmish came to the queen's lair. Seeing what was happening immediately, the queen ordered everything out of the room with a slither command. The slithers all retreated outside, trapping the group inside with the queen and slither larva.

A fierce, brutal fight ensued, but the party fought well, having become familiar with battle and each other. Though the queen was very strong, and her children defended her with their lives, in the end the party defeated her without a single casualty or victim. Once the queen and her defenders were dead, Ortis and Aiden recovered some of the eggs, while the rest of the party planted the alchemist's explosives. With a dramatic exit (and less than precise timing), the party destroyed the slither lair, leaving only a smoking crater... and a new tunnel, leading off into the darkness.

Continue on to the next chapter of the chronicles: Campaign Chronicles-22-The Ancient Dragonborn Palace