session 27

Descent Into the Dark¶

Kyzith and Vrakiss escorted us to the stables, a cave perched on the outskirts of the scale, looking down on a series of plateaus and arroyos. They instructed us to wait at the entrance to avoid s pooking the Steeders. We listened to hissing sounds followed by soothing talk in the Sil language before silence settled in. Out of the gloom emerged two enormous creatures, something between a crab and a spider, with Kyzith and Vrakiss astride each of them. They told us that before we could leave at least two of us needed to take riding lessons. Ryalith turned out to be fairly adept with her steeder, but Gwen had significant issues. Gloopwing was brave enough to ride with her, but we sensed there might be issues with Gwen’s ridership going forwards.

We descended into the underdesert, each mounted in pairs on an enormous Steeder. The anticipation and anxiety were palpable, particularly as Gwen’s excitement for heroism contrasted sharply with our shared focus on survival.
Our journey began with three passageways presenting themselves. Opting for the rightmost path first, we soon regretted it as we encountered an infestation of brown mold. The air grew progressively colder until Stigs dismounted to investigate. As he approached the mold, a pulse of freezing cold radiated from it, forcing us to retreat hastily without a means to combat it.

Choosing the leftmost passage next, we found ourselves in a vast underground cavern. Gwen and Gloopwing ascended the cavern walls on their Steeder to investigate its extent. The ride was precarious, and Gwen struggled with steering the mount. At one point, she fell from her harness, seemingly doomed to crash to the ground far below, but she managed to warp space and return to her seat just in time.

Our exploration was cut short as ropers ambushed us, their rock-like bodies perfectly camouflaged against the cavern walls. Their long, tentacle-like appendages lashed out, separating us from each other. Gloopwing became a central target, fending off multiple grapples while Gwen moved out of reach and launched an explosive fireball at the nearest roper, causing it significant harm.

Ryalith, showing a natural affinity for riding her Steeder, managed to maneuver skillfully amidst the chaos. Meanwhile, Gwen’s difficulties persisted, and she had to invoke magic several times to keep us from falling to our deaths. The ropers’ assault was relentless, but with quick thinking and coordinated efforts, we began to regroup and push back against the monstrous predators. The battle with the ropers raged on.