Gracklstugh, the City of Blades Part 1:
The Pursuit of Droki
The Pursuit of Droki
Dramatis Personae:
Aura, the Air Genasi Storm Sorceress who injures the party almost as much as the enemies
Orvald Abershaw, the Mousefolk Barbarian
Fidget Stonegear, the Deep Gnome Inventor
Zarrus, the Tiefling Favored Soul Sorcerer of Mephisto
Miarielle, the Lythari Priestess of Corellon
Lythana Belmyr, the Half-Drow Blood Hunter of Eilistraee who has another presence in her head
Topsy and Turvy, the Deep Gnome Wererat Rogue Twins
Zenit 'Dracon, the Drow Fighter and Orvald's wife
Thimblepwent Battlehammer, the Dwarven Battlerager Barbarian
Stool, the Myconid Child
Glabbagool, the Gelatinous Cube
Hemeth, the Duergar Arms Dealer
Contacts in Gracklstugh:
Ylsa Henstak, duergar merchant
Errde Blackskull, the captain of the Stone Guard
Gartokkar Xundorn, the leader of the Keepers of the Flame
Themberchaud the Wyrmsmith, the adult red dragon who keeps the forges burning
Contacts in Gracklstugh:
Ylsa Henstak, duergar merchant
Errde Blackskull, the captain of the Stone Guard
Gartokkar Xundorn, the leader of the Keepers of the Flame
Themberchaud the Wyrmsmith, the adult red dragon who keeps the forges burning
Comrades we have lost:
Ront, the Orc Fighter- turned into hamburger by Pwent
Buppido, the Derro- left with duergar merchants
Eldeth Feldrun, the Shield Dwarf- killed during escape
Hera Adaar, the Abyssal Tiefling Wild Sorceress- swept away
Luna Trelawny, the Human Divination Wizard- skull caved in by rock thrown by Fidget, then finished off by black pudding
Sarith Zekarit, the Drow Scout- drowned
Phillip Johnson, the Human Cleric- in a seemingly irreversible coma
Jim Jar, the Deep Gnome- eaten by grell
Prince Derendil, the Quaggoth- killed by sea troll
Shuushar, the "Awakened" Kuo-toa- turned into shuushi by sea troll
Friendly Fire: 30
Party members killed: 8
Overall party members lost: 10
NOTE: Things will be mostly from Lythana's perspective, anything with italics is from a third party, since the hunter can't be everywhere at once.
***** Kythorn 7, 1489 DR (The Year of the Warrior Princess)
We had to sneak into the city by stopping the ship at one of the more secluded docks, since we knew there was no way we could just walk in. As we moved closer we began to see "an orange glow in the distance,"* which was shortly followed by the echoes of metal, as if the ghost of a forge was near us. The glow slowly grew to "illuminate massive columns with structures built around their bases."* We began to feel the air warm as piers came into view, "jutting out along the edge of the huge cavern."* The docks to the east seemed to be the least crowded, making them the easiest for us to sneak into.
As we stepped into Gracklstugh, Zarrus vanished in a puff of smoke and brimstone. It was as if the land itself repelled his presence and banished him- and it looked really cool.
We found ourselves in the Darklake District, the only part of Gracklstugh that outsiders were permitted to be in. While the district seems open, with streets wide enough for merchant wagons, the city itself feels unwelcoming. "A wave of heat"* smashed into us as that damned acrid smog attempted to choke the air from our lungs. This is really the kind of city that belongs on the surface, where there's actually airflow, so people won't risk choking to death because they happen to live there. I'd been here once before, and fucking hated it- it still sucks. Hopefully we won't be here too long, this place has always given me the creeps; I have more trouble feeling Eilistraee's light here than anywhere else I've been in the Underdark.
Peering through the smoky haze that wafts through the City of Blades, we saw two duergar appear and begin stabbing a merchant to death with glowing swords. Of course Orvald had to get involved, and once he approached, one of the assassins told him to stay out of this- which meant the mouse needed to stab him. The assassin died instantly, and before the other one could react, the barbarian had killed that one too- he then quickly dumped the bodies in the lake. The merchant vanished while Orvald was taking out his attackers. Aura had moved up to join the fight, and Orvald reprimanded her for it, then slapped the twit across the face- it was kind of funny.
After that odd encounter, we decided to head to the Blade Bazaar to try to get some shopping done. One of the first stalls we came up to had a merchant who kept changing the price of items every time we asked how much they were- and insisted that we were the ones changing the terms. Haggling isn't permitted in Gracklstugh, so that made the merchant even weirder.
Bewildered, we left the Bazaar and went to Ghohlbrorn's Lair, the only inn in the city that allowed outsiders. Orvald asked for the best room they had for himself and Zenit, which I don't think there is any difference in the rooms here, but there's really no arguing with that insane little mouse. Fidget got a room with Topsy and Turvy, and Elle and I bunked with Pwent and Stool; Aura decided to sleep in the stables for some fucking reason. Once we had our rooms squared away, we decided to head to the Shattered Spire for a meal. Elle decided to stay in our room with Stool and Pwent- who was angrier than normal because he was surrounded by duergar. The spider kisser and the twins also stayed at the inn, the bitch probably because of what she is, and who knows why with the twins.
When we reached the Shattered Spire we learned that no weapons or magic were allowed in the establishment- fighting was fine, just so long as it was done with fists. There was only one table in the tavern that appeared defensible, and a lone duergar sat at it. Orvald approached and asked if we could join him, and the ass said the table was reserved- at which point a couple of guards came to sit at the table. Fidget asked them if they could give us directions to Blingdenstone, and they told us to speak to a woman named Ylsa Henstak, who ran caravans there sometimes.
A couple of tables over a fight broke out between two duergar, but no one moved to break it up, since they were only using fists; it was probably a good thing we left our seething ball of dwarven rage back at the inn, Pwent would have been all over this fight. Orvald began placing bets on who the winner would be, but the guards broke the fight up before a winner could be declared. Neither of the fighters could recall why they came to blows, and were really confused about what had just happened- they had probably had too much ale.
Once the fight was over, Orvald challenged the entire bar to an arm wrestling competition, and the duergar who was sitting at the table we wanted took him up on it. That was the most intense arm wrestling match I've ever seen. Both were struggling madly, and every time one would start to gain advantage, the other would push him away. Eventually Orvald won, no surprise there, but that was an interesting match to watch.
After the wrestling match we were allowed to sit at that table with the dwarf, and Fidget ordered a bottle of the best for us- that shit was strong, I passed out quickly. The duergar also passed out from the liquor, and Fidget was so drunk he was wobbling. Somehow Aura was completely fine, as was Orvald- though the mousefolk did start talking to the unconscious duergar as if he were awake. Eventually they gathered an unconscious Lythana and helped the stumbling svirfneblin back to the inn for the night.
***** Kythorn 8
The next morning I was awoken with a pounding headache to the sound of Elle coughing- that damned smog had gotten to her. Zenit was also affected by Grackle-Lung, the illness that anyone who spends too much time in the city can get. We all gathered in the dining hall for a quick breakfast, and decided to head to the Blade Bazaar to look for Ylsa.
Upon our arrival in the Bazaar, we saw two guards mercilessly beating a merchant, shouting accusations of heresy. They took something off the merchant and tossed it aside; Topsy found it, it was a gold pin. Adornments for the sake of adornments are not permitted in duergar society, but that was a major overreaction to a small pin if you ask me. Orvald decided to raid the poor merchant's stall since he was unconscious- big fucking mistake. One of the guards spotted him and beckoned him closer. The jackass threatened to send us all to the slave area, and told the mouse he had to buy our freedom- he wanted Orvald's dagger. Of course the barbarian said no, and somehow managed to persuade the douche to accept a crossbow instead- but we had to take it to a middle man, he couldn't just give it to the guard for some fucking reason.
We finally found Ylsa, and after asking about a caravan heading to Blingdenstone or the Neverlight Grove, she invited us into her well-guarded office. On her desk sat a pile of coins and jewelry from the surface, which Ylsa said were coming from the derro as payments for food. She said that while she didn't have any caravans leaving for a while, if we found out how the derro were getting these surface items, she'd give us directions to Blingdenstone. Since it was the only lead we had for the moment, we agreed to help her; then Fidget arranged storage for his stupid apparatus thingy.
After we left Ylsa's office, we spotted a small figure that was darting between stalls; he was dressed in rags that were styled to resemble a fancy coat, with a hat that had two displacer beast tentacles sewn to it. He had a large satchel with him, and was muttering to himself. Topsy split off from the rest of us to follow him, but she quickly lost him in the crowd. We spotted him again shortly after that, and followed him west, where we lost him again, and this time his trail was cold. Orvald was bored after that, so he decided to head back to the tavern.
Fidget decided to ask around the market for information on that derro, but none would tell him anything- not even other svirfneblin. The merchants had passed around a drawing of the inventor, saying he consorted with drow, making him a persona non gratis among his kind.
Orvald stopped and payed some guards for information on the derro. The mousefolk discovered that the derro was from the West Cleft District, which was the home of all derro, dating back to when they were still the duergar's slaves. The party could not enter West Cleft to pursue the derro, since outsiders weren't allowed outside of the Darklake District. The guard suggested Orvald ask around the docks for more information. He looked around the docks for Hemeth, but his ship was nowhere to be seen- he didn't know that Hemeth's ship folded up into a box, so he assumed Hemeth had left.
We began to notice guards in the Bazaar talking to some of the merchants Fidget had approached; apparently we had drawn attention to ourselves, which wasn't good. We decided we needed to lay low for the rest of the night and headed back to Ghohlbrorn's Lair to rest.
***** Kythorn 9
The next morning I awoke to Pwent hacking up a lung, which Elle fixed straight away. As soon as we walked met up with the others, we saw Orvald was coughing too, and Elle had to fix him; the mouse is no good to us if he's too ill to fight. Over breakfast in Ghohlbrorn's Lair, the serving girl told us about the Council of Savants, a group of derro who acted as a government for their people; enjoying luxuries that came with their titles while the rest of the derro lived in squalor. There were thirty-six members of that council, and a the entrance of a new member usually followed the demise of another. They had their filthy little fingers in control of members of several duergar clans through their use of magic, and seemed hungry to gain more power and control. She also told us that the derro inhabited both the East and West Cleft Districts, which was kind of surprising to me- you wouldn't think the duergar would let the derro be so spread out.
After breakfast we headed to the Eastern Docks to look for more information. On our way we heard a fearsome roar that shook the entire cavern. A flame streaked across the ceiling, and a red dragon followed it; the dragon was just flying around as if this was perfectly normal. Of course our damned mouse wanted to go slay the beast- but no one around us seemed to be concerned or even care about the dragon's presence. We asked some passersby and were told that was Themberchaud the Wyrmsmith, the dragon who kept their forges burning. This was definitely a dragon we didn't want to mess with- the entire city would come down on us if we actually managed to slay him. Orvald still wanted to go after him, and shouted "dragon" at the guards- who completely ignored him.
When we finally got Orvald to leave the damned dragon alone, Fidget went to look for Glabbagool to check in. He told the cube that there were other oozes who acted as street cleaners, who came out once a tenday, on Seconday, so it would be safe for him to come out and be social then. The svirfneblin then went to look for secret entrances into the other districts. Some guards took notice and were confused as to why he was looking, since the rules about outsiders leaving Darklake were clear.
Since we were laying low, we decided to spend the day fishing on the pier- that seemed like a safe thing to do. Aura wandered off while the party fished, and found a large pipe in the water- which she didn't tell anyone about. The pipe the genasi found was actually an entrance into the Gray Ghost's secret cavern system that was underneath the city. We heard a commotion coming from behind us, and turned to see Topsy rolling an empty copper keg toward us. Shortly after that a group of guards started walking toward us. They accused us of causing disturbances, specifically inciting a riot toward them, interfering with an investigation, there were complaints of harassment, and two missing people. They said they were taking us to the Overlake Hold and bringing us before Captain Errde Blackskull, the captain of the Stone Guard, to discuss the charges. Fuck. That didn't bode well for us- and I don't think we had anything to do with any of that shit.
We agreed to go peacefully, since we didn't really have any other choice in the matter if we wanted to save our necks. Good thing we left Pwent in the inn, this would have gotten ugly fast if he'd been with us. Our darling airhead attempted to stay behind, but they wouldn't let her- I don't know why she thought she could avoid arrest. As they put us in a formation, two guards with lances flanked us, another duergar named Gartokkar intervened, saying we were to go to Themberchaud first. Great, now the fucking dragon wanted to see us. We're so dead.
Up ahead a group of six drow and some quaggoths were approaching, and I noticed some derro that seemed to be following our group. The drow told Gartokkar that we were escaped slaves from their prison camp, and that we had to go with them; they began arguing over who could take us, them for an audience with Themberchaud, or the drow to recover their slaves. Great. This just kept getting worse. We're totally fucked. Apparently the Wyrmsmith took priority over the guard, and certainly over the drow. We were instructed to report to the Overlake Hold as soon as we were done with whatever Themberchaud wanted; the drow bitch was not pleased.
Before going to meet the dragon, we had to go back to the inn to gather the rest of our merry little group- apparently he wanted all of us to come, even Stool. I wasn't keen on the idea of letting Pwent out of our room, but we didn't have much choice. The Keepers of the Flame paid for our rooms for another two nights, but there was a contingency- shocking. It had to be better than the drow though; I could tell none of them would choose the Light.
We were greeted at Themberchaud's Cavern by Gartokkar, the leader of the Keepers of the Flame. Gartokkar led us into a large building that was carved from the stone, when "the ground tremble[d] slightly, and a thunderous voice echoe[d] against every wall. 'Gartokkar,' the voice call[ed] as the reptilian behemoth [came] into view, its scales the color of lava, its bright yellow eyes glowing in the shadows of the cave before coming into the light. 'You didn't say I was having surfacers for dinner tonight.' The dragon chuckle[d] at his own wit."* I certainly hoped he was joking. "His massive body gave the distinct impressions that he was overweight, indicating eating habits that didn't bode well.
'Foreigners,' the duergar priest said with great reverence, 'meet the Father of Flame, the Everburning, and the Foundry's Heart- Themberchaud, the Wyrmsmith of Gracklstugh.'"* The dragon was lazing on a massive pile of gold, and after our introduction, he shooed everyone from the room to speak to us alone. I really hoped he was joking about eating us. Once alone he demanded to know why we were in his city, and Orvald began giving him a long, drawn out story. That mouse should have been a bard. Themberchaud wasn't patient enough to listen to the barbarian's tale, and interrupted him to tell him he had an offer for us.
The Wyrmsmith told us that he has been aware that the Keepers have been withholding information from him for a long time, but he decided to wait and observe them instead of demanding to know what they were hiding. He explained that the Keepers seemed to think they were the ones calling the shots, but he was clearly supposed to be the one in charge. It has been hard for him to try to talk to people to find out what the fuck is happening in the city, so he has taken the Keepers' interest in us as an opportunity to get agents of his own in the city.
Orvald told him that the majority of us were his slaves, which we had been trying to ignore, and the damned dragon bought our "contracts" from the mouse. I'm not sure which is worse really. Once our contracts were purchased, Themberchaud told us that our first mission was to do whatever the Keepers asked of us, but to report to him before them. He assigned Gartokkar to be our liaison, and ordered badges for us, which would allow us to access other parts of the city.
It was no surprise when we exited the chamber that Gartokkar demanded to know what the dragon had wanted of us. We said he wanted to know why we were in Gracklstugh, and that we should do whatever the Keepers required. I'm not sure if he believed all of it, but I don't fucking care. Honestly, I just want to go home. I miss the sun, and Eilistraee's Light. Gartokkar told us he sensed a disturbance in the Underdark, like a hole was being torn through the world. He said the Gray Ghosts were a group of outcasts causing trouble and we needed to stop it. He believed that they were the ones responsible for this tear, and that we needed to confirm their involvement and bring him whatever powerful magic they were using.
The derro we had tried to follow yesterday was an agent of the Gray Ghosts named Droki. Gartokkar knew that Droki carried messages and supplies for the Ghosts, and used the West Cleft to contact them. We were told to locate this derro and follow him to the Gray Ghosts. Once we agreed, we were each given a holy symbol of Laduguer and a gold pin with Themberchaud's profile. Gartokkar told us that these would allow us to leave Darklake, and while our movements would still be somewhat limited, we should be able to get around the city fairly well with them. Before we left, Aura asked permission to electrocute people, apparently the twit thought if she got permission from him, we couldn't be pissed if she accidentally zotted us.
***** Kythorn 10
The next morning Grackle-Lung had once again grasped Orvald, but this time he refused Elle's healing. There was a letter waiting for us in the inn when we got up and moving that contained a writ to get us basic equipment that would be billed to the Keepers. I could finally get new scimitars! It had been way too long since I'd lost my last pair. The little shortsword and dagger I had were sad replacements, and my belt felt uncomfortably light. Needless to say, we spent the bulk of the day in the Blade Bazaar, instead of coming up with a plan to catch Droki.
When we finally finished our shopping, we decided we would just stake out the West Cleft gates for Droki, since we knew he'd pass through there. At the gates were two empty guard houses, so we split up and prepared to ambush the derro as he passed through the gates.
After about three boring hours of waiting, the twins went to the market to attempt to flush Droki out. About an hour later, we saw an odd dashing movements from below- it was Droki. Fidget shot a net bomb at him and missed horribly, spooking Droki and making him bolt. Other derro saw the shot and shouted, rushing the towers we were in. As I charged down the stairs, I saw one stab poor Fidget, so I cleaved him in half- the derro, not Fidget.
Orvald leapt out of the window of the tower, landing on ones head and cleaving him in half, the deranged mouse proceeded to lick the blood off the dagger. Another derro dove behind a pile of rocks for cover.
I hacked two more down on my way out. Aura levitated out of the window, and hit one with a frost bolt, killing it instantly.
It seemed the chase was on, though I was so fucking slow thanks to that stupid troll, that I didn't think I'd be able to catch up. I dashed past a couple of giant rats, not bothering to slow and kill them. A blind beggar stepped in Orvald's way, the barbarian flicked a coin into the derro's cup and kept moving. A crowd appeared in front of me, so I shouted "move or die" at them- I was a little testy today- alright fine, I'm always a little testy. They moved... I was hoping to cut some of them down. Just ahead of me I saw Pwent running into a brawl- his battle cry roared and he began mashing them into jam. When I caught up I yelled at Pwent to dodge, and dropped a flask of oil and a lit match at my feet. I blew up all 18 of the fuckers.
The rest of the party was much farther ahead of Lythana and Pwent, pursuing Droki. The beggar appeared in different places a few more times, as if traveling by magic. Aura hit him with frost a couple of times from a distance to slow him, and she eventually lost sight of him. The genasi decided to land to survey the landscape, and slipped on the derro's frozen corpse.
Pwent and I ran into another brawl and had some fun smashing the fuckers. By the time we caught up to the group, a ring of derro was forming around them and the popsicle formerly known as Droki. Great, the twit killed our lead. Fidget showed the derro his badge, thinking it would make them back off- they moved closer. Orvald scared the assholes away before Pwent and I could kill anymore of them, much to our disappointment.
We nabbed the beggar who kept getting in our way, and convinced him to take us to the Gray Ghosts. He called himself Ol' Sparky. Sparky led us to a small fissure that was just big enough for someone my size to slip through, with wisps of an eerie fog seeping out of it. We needed to go rest before we went into whatever was waiting on the other side of the fissure. Sparky said he'd wait at the entrance for us if we paid him, and if he got to screw Aura. The twit told him she might, if he bathed first. Eew. I knew she was lacking in wits, but I didn't think she was that stupid. We agreed to pay him, and began heading back to the inn for the night. On the way we grabbed Droki's body and delivered it to the Keepers of the Flame.
***** Quests in Gracklstugh:
Find out how the derro are getting surface coin and jewelry for Ylsa in exchange for directions to Blingdenstone.
Meet with Errde as soon as business with the Keepers of the Flame is concluded.
Comply with whatever the Keepers of the Flame ask, but report everything to Themberchaud first.
Follow Droki to the Gray Ghosts, confirm their involvement in the disturbance, and bring their magic to Gartokkar.
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| Photo from Out of the Abyss Adventure Module by Wizards of the Coast |
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