Session 8 — Deeper into the Mire¶
The Leech Saint¶
A friendly man sat in the swamp, covered head to foot in leeches. He offered the party the chance to experience them for themselves.
After a certain amount of hesitation, they reluctantly agreed.
Worth it, apparently
The leeches drew out some of the swamp's ill effects and left the party with temporary hit points.
He also passed along advice on navigating the swamp.
The thunder-root hogs¶
Further on, the party ran into a pack of wild hogs with stomachs distended from eating thunder roots.
They lobbed a thunder-root bomb into a cluster of three, then hunted the remaining three down with eldritch blast.
Pig meat was harvested from what was left.
The Belly of the Bog¶
Inside they found a large brass valve, with instructions attached:
Do not touch. Property of Auntie Bloat.
Arthas poked around the ground and set off a gas explosion.
Fenro, more cautiously, reached out with mage hand and turned the valve from a safe distance — sealing it remotely.
The fog is thinner now
Closing the valve reduced Auntie Bloat's fog inside her own lair.
The Surveyor's Sepulcher¶
The swamp stopped abruptly, giving way to sand. The party examined the ground around the entrance, but it was the Pale Bullywug who proved to be the key to opening the door.
Inside: shelves upon shelves of tablets, sorted and filed by small constructs going about their work.
In the third room they spoke with a surveyor, who gave them tablets describing two places they have not yet been.
The Hydra Lair¶
Walking the boardwalk, the party drew the hydra out and fought it in the open.
It went for Krunk, who absorbed everything it had without much trouble. Gerald put everything he had into a single shot and landed a massive critical hit that turned the fight.
They finished it by luring the hydra into a pocket of flammable gas and setting it off.
Vashkultha¶
The party encountered the dragon Vash, and a deal was struck.
The dragon's price
Vash wants the Crooked Molar, recovered from Auntie Bloat.
In return: a chest of 6,000 gold and some magic items.
The party accepted. Reluctantly.
The Frog Choir¶
The choir's leader recognized the Pale Bullywug immediately — he had been a member, before he was corrected.
He can no longer sing.
Since they were friends, the lead frog gave the party magical beads of protection, along with a message:
"Find out whoever did this to Pale Bullywug and let them know that we will be singing for him until he gets his voice back."
The runoff pipe¶
The party found the runoff pipe — the secret entrance to Auntie Bloat's lair — and something was waiting in it.
A venom elemental, three shadows, and a shambling mound.
The venom elemental's damage resistance caused early frustration and cost the party tempo, which let the shambling mound close to melee before anyone could react.
The fight got ugly. The mound engulfed Fenro and Gerald. Fenro escaped with misty step. Gerald went unconscious.
Krunk saved it with Hew, which deals maximum damage to plant creatures.
Back to Chuk¶
With parts harvested from both the hydra and the shambling mound, the party returned to Chuk and commissioned work.
He delivered: a Hydra-Tooth Sword and Hydra Scale armor.
Then Fenro stole back the money Chuk had charged for the service.
Chuk is done
That was the second time his till came up short after dealing with this party. He noticed.
Chuk will no longer craft for them.
The session ended with the party entering Auntie Bloat's lair through the runoff pipe, bypassing the main entrance entirely.
What changed¶
- Temporary HP and swamp navigation advice from the Leech Saint.
- Six thunder-root hogs killed, meat harvested.
- The brass valve sealed — Auntie Bloat's lair fog is reduced.
- Emberdale and Fetchford named for the first time.
- The hydra is dead.
- Deal struck with Vash: the Crooked Molar for 6,000gp and magic items.
- Magical beads of protection from the Frog Choir.
- Hydra-Tooth Sword and Hydra Scale armor crafted.
- Chuk has cut the party off permanently.
- The party is inside Auntie Bloat's lair, through the back door.
Loose ends¶
- The Crooked Molar is owed to a dragon. Nobody has established what it does, or whether the party will need it themselves.
- The Frog Choir is waiting for an answer about who took the Pale Bullywug's voice.
- Chuk is the second crafter relationship this party has burned. There may not be a third.
- The main entrance was never opened. Whatever was set up there is still set up.