After last session's tough fight against the vampires, the adventurers collected all their loot and travelled back to Waterdeep to sell their treasures and upgrade their gear. While they did not find all the magic items they were looking for[1], the frontline fighters got armor and shields, better weapons and so on. With some time spent on the surface while the armorers fitted their gear, I finally had the occasion to throw some sidequests and roleplay at them.
Groin tried to sell some poison he got from the vampire den; a perfect occasion to reintroduce the factions into the story. A shady meeting with a Harper agent was all he needed.
At the same time, both the Harpers and the Lords' Alliance approached the party to announce their adventures to Lady Wylynd Moonstar, and cajole her into owning a favor to the respective faction. Instead of arguing, the party decided on taking the Harpers' side. Lady Moonstar was quite happy that the adventurers had slain the shadow dragon and thus ridded her family of a lasting blemish after the turning of Varnrak Moonstar to the shadow. Not only did she agree to help the Harpers in need, but she promised various favors to the adventurers as well. Nothing immediate, but future expedition, contact with trainers, etc. This immediately had both Harper affiliated characters jump up a rank.
Finally, Volo introduced a friend called Jalester, who wished for the adventurers to bring him a fragment of the Runestone from the Undermountain. With no further details to offer, the party negotiated for a reward, and Jalester promised them a luck blade.
Having finished their shopping and quest dialogues, the adventurers descended back into the dungeon. The vampire level was all clear - no monsters present. So the party went even deeper, back to the slime level, to meet their mud mephit friend. The creature promised to guide them to Jaruk, the earth genie, but for that, they had to pass near The Ship.
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The following session, the party approached a giant squid-like ship.[2] They brought a torch to guide Szivem, and were immediately assaulted by ballista bolts. Brienne flew up on her trusty steed, Gasus, while Groin climbed the ship's walls, and Szivem and Ireth fired spells from below. The orcs manning the ballistas turned out to be shapeshifting frog men, who responded with fireballs.
While the frog men were highly resistant to magic, Brienne's sun blade made short work of two of them. The other two, out of fireballs, decided to turn invisible and run.
The adventurers descended into the bowels of the ship, looting their way through the cargo hold and the captain's state room. Finally, they reached the bridge. Brienne barged in, and she was greeted by a Davy Jones-esque pirate mind flayer and his two surviving frog henchmen. The mind flayer tried to isolate Brienne with a wall of force, and had the frogs restrain her, presumably for brain sucking purposes. Brienne shrugged off all attacks and teleported behind the captain, giving him a good whack. Szivem disintegrate spell accidentally took down the wall of force, allowing Groin and Ireth a close range assault. With Brienne passing her save for the mind blast stun effect, the mind flayer surrendered.
The adventurers questioned him on his being in the dungeon, and he answered to everything but wasn't really useful. He was made to promise not to eat anybody sent by the party. Anyone else is free game, though.
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For our final session on the slime level, the adventurers first visited the earth genie, Jaruk. (Or, as they interpreted, Ja-Rock.) I rapped his intro song, and everybody agreed he seemed better off (and more likely to reward them) than his water-themed counterpart. I did indicate he had a large golden watch as a pendant, golden jewels, tattoos, and background dancers.
The party also conquered the biggest obstacle available: crossing a slime river. Two pegasi were summoned, and Ireth transformed into a flying snake.
After this lovely chat, with the mud mephit gone[3], the adventurers wandered off in search of the exit downwards. Seeing 3 beholders huddling in a cavern, they went the other way, right into an ambush by black puddings falling off the ceiling. The room also contained an altar and a strange statue. The altar obviously contained a secret treasure compartment, and the statue obviously attacked.
By the time the copper coins falling out of the altar were finally swept up, a giant gray ooze was attracted by the sound of battle. Snake-Ireth finished it off with a beak attack. Yuck.
Finally, the adventurers entered a chamber containing two crystal columns containing slumbering demons. A pegasus was sent in to knock on the crystal with its hooves, awakening the creatures inside.
The demons bit and slashed their way towards the backline of casters, but they were swiftly overcome.
Behind the now un-openable magic gate, the exit to level 21 awaited. But first: shopping!
[1] Szivem keeps bitching about the lack of darkvision goggles.
[2] Much like the one in Baldur's Gate. You know what I'm talking about.
[3] Probably bored, or gone to pee.
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