The Strike Team Alpha of the Hellfish Club

June 4 1006, 4pm for them as if 12 hours later, June 5th, 1006
The Strike Team Alpha of the Hellfish Club has been assembled. From the reaches of the Upper Underdark, these will fight with their lives to defend the River of Ooze barring the Nexus Stump.

Name
Class/Level
Barace Eilsghym (24)
12th P - 12th A
Tarril Arabrae (25)
10th P - 12th A
Barwae'Yrd Teken'Iryn (26)
8th P - 10th A
Dirzroos Teken'rret (27)
6th P - 8th A
Dursab Godet'tarsek (35)
6th P - 5th M - 7th A
Larstalyn Hunghym (29)
10th P - 5th M - 10th W
Laelzyrtyrr Aleanval (30)
7th P - 5th M - 7th W
Talabzen Hlavalghym (4)
9th W - 9th P
Micarzaer Teken'ghym (1)
15th Mage
Nullvenorvir Arkenval (7)
12th Mage 7th Priest
Ryldfryn Eilsani (11)
8th Mage 7th Priest
Seldshara Hun'Balafin (14)
8th W - 8th M - 9th R
Omaryln Aletyluque (18)
8th W - 8th M - 9th A
Jss'Ulviiragh Noqurahel (21)
10th W - 10th M - 7th P

20 rounds of preparation are taken before the descent. The preparation required 30 amiable charges of the daily alottment from the Staff of Ki Trencha Ukang, now 31 remain. Trueseeing is to be indefinitiely maintained by Paraswarn, using the staff for continuance. Only Tarl and Helm are not covered by dust of disappearance, and only Helm is not mindblanked by item or scrolled spell. Helm is to be the key link to the Uzrivoy and indirectly the Hammerhead. It is worth to note here that most of this voyage has been chronicled by the Ebony Rose monastery. The party takes formation any proceeds down the darkways. Seven more charges for scrolls to infravision, count 24, mostly to the humans in the party. Entire party is flying, with Raven and Hawk using their trap perceptive abilities, and detect invisible and detect magic thanks to Damien.
Raven also has the Nightwater sword and Paraswarn’s true seeing to 60 ft, and Tarl has a dragon sense to 60 yards underground.

A series of caves moving downwards that would normally have to be spelunked thru are easily passed by the flying party. Death spells are cast with every life detection per Tarl’s instruction. Several caves are ‘sniffed’ of for the fungal effects , not effecting undead, lycanthropes and outer-planar creatures.

Sinar guides the party in the beginning. After 5 rounds travel in descent, the passage becomes blocked with web spells. Detections hint the webs were created by drow spell, laced with twists of Lolth. Sinar has been in company until this point. He gives a warning, “The possible outcomes of fate have been minimized in the regions beyond. You at least stand a chance, although the extremes have been neutralized, nothing will directly penalize you. Many powers are a work. Follow Helm for the pathway ahead.” (The way appears in Helm mind.)

“My presence is required elsewhere. Or more likely, I’m about to get my ass kicked again. Oh no, here it comes…..” (zoink!) and Sinar disappears. Raven casts buring hands to clear the first web barrier. A second web barrier is found. Paraswarn burns out the second webbed passage. A third web barrier is quickly encountered, although by this time only one turn off has been encountered along Sinar’s mentally prescribed route. This was death spelled for safety measure. Ardon burning hands the third web barrier. As each web is destroyed, the drow caster is aware of its destruction, tracking our inevitable progress. But then soming strange occurs, as the party reaches the dead end of the passage. But Helm is sure this is the right way. The blockage radiates a slight magic, perhaps as if created. Tarl steps up to the wall with his hammer of penetration extended. With a girdle of storm giant strength, 5 rounds of mining makes quick work of the rockwalled barrier. The access tunnel is somewhat narrow, averaging 5 ft in diameter, about a 15-foot passage in length.

Shadows lurkers are detected in the cave ahead, and a death spell is used in combination with an item fireball by Paraswarm to scare off (it not affected by death spell). The next encounter holds a strige nest a hundred depth. Two death spell clear the nest. The total death spell count is now at three.

Four Greater mimic feeder traps, MCAv2 p. 87 in the caves are detected ahead and somewhat below. The drow would often send a slave ahead to feed the mimics, then pass freely thru the cave. The greater mimic cave is required to pass thru the darkway beyond. Paraswarn begins the roast with 10d6 fireball off the Egg of the Phoenix. Damien tosses a firesider into the cave floor mouth, now with a large psedopod extends out of the floor and a high-pitched screech echoing out of the fireblast roar. Magic missles unleash Ardon, Raven, Zachary to slay the giant room mimic.

Web passages encountered again in the existing the lower cave. Zachary burning hands thru the webs. The next ceiling descent into another cave is layered with piercers. A death spell finishes the cave as the ceiling suddenly begins raining piercer bodies. Web passages encountered, cleared by Paraswarn with burning hands.

Finally a circlular caves in encountered with a wooden flor serving as a cap. Four dials inscribed with drow text pose a riddle, with the answer to be dialed in. The riddle is solved and the floor opens to a shaft below that decends to another circlular room with a drow glow post in its center. Glow posts mark the way from here. You sense you are at the Nexus depth, and most forward traversing will not travel deeper until the River of Ooze. Only two glow posts further, the party enters the River of Ooze outer cave network. The party enters from the 18th entrance into the river of Ooze. They approach what appears to be an archway with the interior completely filled by a turbid wall of water. The current seems to swirl across the archway portal with some strength and depth. It cannot be peered thru with normal vision. The water is somewhat stank with the sediment from above and cold in temperature. Its dimesions are quite large, 10 ft wide and 15 ft in height. The room contains 4 kayaks complete with paddles. The paddles are wide at one end with a shepard’s hook at the other, and are about 8ft in length. Ardon casts a part water spell from scroll to expose the huge sewer corridor of the river of ooze. The 100 ft diameter tube swirls with a central gravity, and a large wave rotating at a 40 ft crest. The river sewer is immense, and roars woth a rhythmic crash ahead and behind. The low point of the access is still 4 ft water depth. Flying against the current, the party enters the River of Ooze at roughly 11o’clock, and moves via fly spell clockwise toward Port Stump, N2. (3 o’clock).

Globes of invulnerability cast from spell book for Raven, and scroll for Paraswarn. Haste spell cast by Raven in Tarl’s presence at 16th level casting, and all party is affected. Bigby’s clenched fist & Bigby’s grasping hand are cast by Raven, Zachary, Ardon, Paraswarn and Skell. The two embodied fists ride on either side of the mages.
Helm casts a prayer spell for the group as they enter battle.