Trip to Blingdenstone (Recap from 6-30-23)

Trip to Blingdenstone (Recap from 6-30-23)

(Yulisen the 13th of Horisal) The first day of travel, Flink Thunderboink being extremely excited about escorting the party to Blingdenstone showed up very early and was waiting for the party outside of Rystia’s yurt. She is visibly excited and talks a lot about how honored she was to be going on this great adventure with the party on such an important mission. Although secretly she is maybe a little afraid. The trek went smoothly until mid-morning when eight Barlgura Demons tried to ambush the party. They failed to gain surprise, but the battle was very heated. Flink forgot her training during the combat and engaged with her dagger, instead of using the magic she had been studying. She secretly hoped the party had not noticed and was very relieved that the battle was over. After the battle the group looted and harvested the demons gaining:

12x Barlgura Fangs, worth 100 gp each.

12x Barlgura Knucklebones, worth 200 gp each.

12x Barlgura Bile (vials), worth 400 gp each.

Coins: 519 cp, 2844 sp, 3141 gp, 156 pp

Gems: 150 gems worth 50 gp each [10 Sardonyx, 30 Moonstone, 20 Quartz, 10 Carnelian, 20 Star rose quartz, 20 Bloodstone, 10 Chalcedony, 10 Jasper, 10 Citrine, 10 Onyx]

Magic Items (1): [+2 Greatsword with ornate zherkwood cap leather scabbard]

The group under the guidance of Flink continued throughout the afternoon through the oppressive darkness of the underdark. Soon Flink indicated the group should stop for a long rest; she pointed out a secluded side passage and the mages made two tiny huts that would resemble boulders. The group crawled in the huts for a long rest. That night just before 4rth watch Mallik heard faint noises in the distant caverns that sounded like combat. The group safe in their tiny huts had no hostile encounters.

(Da’Leysen the 14th of Horisal) The next morning the group started trekking to Blingdenstone again, arriving at the deep gnome underground city around evening of the second day. Flink vouched for the party, (the two Drows in the party caused some concern amongst the deep gnomes) and arranged for them to enter the city. They made their way to “The Foaming Mug Inn”. The Foaming Mug was built as an inn to house foreign guests visiting Blingdenstone.There are no other guests currently, so party members who stay here have the inn to themselves.  That night, safe in the comfortable beds of the Foaming Mug, the group had a satisfying long rest.

(Miresen the 15th of Horisal) After the group's long rest they met in the tap room and had a delightful breakfast with some good conversations with the proprietress Tappy Foamstrap, a bored deep gnome, runs the inn. The adventurers were able to learn the following rumors.

• Blingdenstone's ghost problem was getting worse, and there were even spirits haunting the catacombs.

• There was a crazy svirfneblin back in the first days of reclamation of the city who disappeared. Some of the scouts claimed to have seen him, skulking around the unrecovered areas of the settlement. 

• The Stoneheart Enclave was closing in on a solution to the threat of Ogrémoch's Bane. 

• The gnomes called a large unclaimed area in the northeast of the settlement "Rockblight," as earth elementals went mad whenever they went near it.

• People were divided as to what to do about the wererats living in the southwest caverns. Some wanted them out, while others proposed an alliance of mutual defense.

• A merchant from Gracklstugh said there's an influx of surface-world coins there, but nobody knew where they came from. 

• A svirfneblin caravan returning from Whiteshell Mines encountered a parade of dancing myconids. Through their rapport spores, the myconids told the gnomes about a "wedding celebration," which was strange considering that myconids don't celebrate or have weddings. 

After receiving this information the group told the innkeeper stories of their adventures in the underdark. Then they set out to help Flink deliver the remains of Pelek. Peleck’s severed hand was all that remained after his heroic (foolhardy) charge attacking the red dragon, allowing the rest of his group to escape. The recovered remains were to be interred in the Catacombs so Pelek can at last rest in peace with the other deep gnome heroes.

Here the group met a Ghost, Burrow Warden Jadger, who died during the battle a hundred years ago when the Drow invaded and sacked the city. He asked the party if they could do him a couple favors, in return he could answer questions about Blingdenstone and the underdark.

• Destroy Vazuk, a deep gnome spirit who was mad with grief and a threat to the other residents of Blingdenstone. His specter could be found haunting his old home.

• Recover the remains of a deep gnome named Udhask, who died somewhere in Rockblight, the northeast section of Blingdenstone, and bring them to the catacombs so he could be put to rest. 

The group defeated Vazuk and found his remains which they collected and returned to the catacombs. Under the bed was a small zurkhwood chest 500 gp holding eight tiny rubies worth 5000 gp each. The group then went to the Traders' Grotto to give Kazook Pickshine the sack of spell gems from Mantol-Derith. This gained the party the promised zircon worth 5000gp. At this point alarms went off and guards were running and shouting as four gelatinous cube’s attacked the trader’s grotto engulfing one of the guards right off. The trapped Svirfneblin was named Mev Flintknapper, who Grok pulled from the cube alive (though hurt pretty badly). The party jumped into action and defeated the cubes.

As the cubes dissolved, the party looted:

Coins: 1200 gp 

Magic Items (1): +2 shortsword of drow manufacture

After the fight the party made their way back to the Inn where they met the de facto King and Queen of Blingdenstone, Dorbo and Senni Diggermattock. They asked the party if they would help with a couple problems:

• “Operation: Ooze There” There was a rising problem with the oozes, and jellies plaguing Blingdenstone. If the party returned with information about the Pudding Court and the threat lurking therein, the Diggermattocks would pay them with an empty spell gem of the highest spell level a spellcaster in the party can cast.

• “Operation: Exterminate” Find a way to eliminate the wererats of the Goldwhisker clan, which were a point of contention among the Diggermattocks. Dorbo wanted them out of the warrens to free up living space for hard-working Svirfneblin. He also wants to recover the House Center he believed was still in the wererats' grasp. Senni argued that the wererats were descendants of Blingdenstone citizens and deserved to stay and rejoin their community. Senni asked the characters to venture into the warrens and talk with whomever is in charge. The characters' report will determine whether the Svirfneblin step up their efforts to eliminate the wererats, or work toward an agreement. For this she would give them each a 1000 gp gem of their choice.

Upon spending some time with the party and agreeing to pay all the party's expenses while they help with these tasks, the royal couple left the party to relax for the evening with a fine dinner and good Darklake Ale. The party slept well,  Jane asked Corin if she could share his room because she didn't want to be alone, which he agreed to. They headed off to Corin's room where they talked in private. Jane and Corin both shared their traumatic experiences as captive playthings of the Drow, comparing their scars both physical and emotional. They related the horrifying tales of their captivity and found some comfort before falling asleep in each other's arms.

Total gold for the session: 61390 gp divided evenly amongst the 12 party members 5116 gp each, Flink talked with Albert Sládek the Cobalt Soul Expositor and Chardalyn Priestess of Den Hythenos, who both felt like they were being paid by their prospective organisations and all ways had declined a share of the loot but after the talk with Flink they decided to take a share of the loot. Because, after all, they could always donate it to their prospective organizations for the greater good, right? The party thought this was a fair arrangement.

NPC Albert Sládek of the Cobalt Soul and NPC Chardalyn of Den Hythenos

Kobold Mining Profits: For the previous week during which the Kobolds mining efforts yielded 1600gp platinum ingots.  (Subtracting the mine expenses for the week, 536 gp, so each party member gets 177 gp each once they get back to the Hucksters Lair in Hupperdook.(8 new pups were hatched and  8 new eggs were laid back in the lair).