The Shattered Obelisk, session 19

Monday, March 4, 2024.

We began this session in the middle of Chapter 7. The heroes were in the mind flayer stronghold of Illithinoch, having dealt with a few cult fanatics and actually peacefully interacting with other inhabitants.

Their next explorations took them to an old, deserted lecture hall and beyond – into a large room with a diseased Elder Brain.

Syzoth did not react well to the Elder Brain, and commanded its destruction. The rest of the party agreed with his assessment, and the resulting combat lasted a single round. The Elder Brain got off a single wave of psychic blast (40 psychic damage and stunning for a minute), which everyone saved against thanks to the paladin’s protective aura. It didn’t get another chance to act.

Continuing onwards, they came to a ritual room, with a lot of carvings in Undercommon, as well as imagery sacred to Ilvaash, a deity that the mind flayers served. Syzoth realised that the carvings allowed a portal to open when fed the right sort of energy – a portal into Ilvaash’s realm – and it was likely those responsible for the kidnappings (and the big plot) had entered it.

The question was how to follow them! The portal lay quiescent for now, and need to be powered in some fashion. Syzoth realised that the power sources had to be in the rifts they’d discovered elsewhere in the complex.

As there were still rooms to explore, they went exploring. The mad mind flayer that attacked them shortly thereafter was certainly not interested in helping them, instead focused on ending the lives of those who threatened its masters’ plans. It lasted a couple of rounds, no more. However, once dead, there were scripts that explained a little more of the enemies’ goals, including the origins of Ilvaash.

They also found the cells the townsfolk from Phandalin had been kept in, and a few scrawled messages to those they loved. But all the townsfolk had been taken through the portal.

However, another mind flayer, Ahooshathan, lurked nearby with two nothic minions. He saw the heroes as more fodder for his experiments (one does not want to know what happened to the townsfolk here under his ministrations!) He was cowardly and planned to flee if given the chance. The heroes did not give him the chance, and cut him down.

Not all the mind flayers were so foolish. Apparently being dead also gives wisdom, and the alhoon Oshundo had a lot of it, preferring to talk rather than fight. And our heroes, upon encountering him, were willing to talk!

And Oshundo had a lot to say about the three mind flayer fanatics who had started all of this, not much of it complimentary. He accepted the party’s gift of the mind crystals they’d discovered, and in return told them of the portal to Ilvaash and where to find the rifts. Apparently upstart youngsters who wanted to cause trouble did not impress this elder mind flayer!

There were three rifts to explore, and a node in each that had to be harvested. The party, now having explored all of the old stronghold, were ready for the rifts.

The first rift they entered led to the Labyrinth of Eyes, a demiplane split off or infected with Far Realm energy. It was once the lair of a beholder named Golcuus, but the energies had not been kind to him, mutating and transforming him into a new aberration – an oculorb. A tangle of negative emotions given form, it lay at the end of the labyrinth, which had a central rotating section that my party solved very easily (and was very enjoyable to use).

The most notable event in the Labyrinth was Syzoth peering through a viewing device and gaining a glimpse of the Briny Pool, the gateway to Ilvaash’s realm. Mortal minds were not meant to view its expanse, but Syzoth managed to resist the potential madness and come away with insight. The other characters were not game to try – wisely so. (A failed saving throw would result in feeblemindness, which none wanted!)

The party found the node before Golcuus found them, and discovered it was a “cute” ball of fur and claws, something Killin immediately adopted. The others were happy to leave it in the paladin’s care. Golcuus was a small threat on the way out, but it took around three rounds for it to be dispatched – ending the mutated beholder’s cursed existence.

That was all we had time for this session; the other two rifts would be the focus of the next session.

DM Notes

The action in Illithinoch (a name I have great trouble pronouncing) was fine without being particularly special, but the Labyrinth of Eyes felt a lot better. It’s not big, and the focus on getting the “gnawble” helps a lot – and the rotating central section felt good. Certainly much better than the hidden part of the Talhundereth Crypt, which didn’t feel necessary at all.

Our last session ran on April 8th, so there are only a few session reports to go. Let’s see if I can get them all finished at last!

Characters