April 4th & April 11th, 2022
Dramatis Personnae
Galadin (Andrew)
Jakama (Rowan)
Lexomel (Rex)
Calista (Reni)
Fenmyar (Freddie)
High above the tower room of GLOC’s Jolly Food, Calista is perched on his fantastic flying broom. As he circles on high, he can clearly see two rats, panicking on the tower’s parapet. Thinking quickly, he uses the back of the broom to brush the vile creatures into his backpack. One rat twists and skitters off down the wall. His companion, however, drops into the waiting pack. Victorious, Calista jets away to hover about ten feet from the lip of the tower.
The second rat begins to make its way down the masonry of the tower when a pair of attacks from Lexomel, far below, arrive. The Scorching Ray spell caroms harmlessly off the tower stones to the rat’s left, but the steel tipped arrow slices through the air and sinks deep into the mortar. Instantly, the rat transmogrifies into a halfling dangling by his shirt sleeve near the top of the tower. A collective gasp rises from the crowd that is gathering in the streets below.
The halfling looks above him as the sound of pounding steps herald the arrival of Fenmyar, who has left his apprentice Maartin to see how he can assist at the tower’s ramparts. There are no rats in evidence, but Fenmyar has a plan involving Calista’s wondrous broom. He carefully reckons the distance between himself and the shaft of the broom. He can clearly see Calista’s backpack balanced behind him on the brush of the broom. Fenmyar gambles, casting a Misty Step spell that moves him the thirty feet to just behind Calista on the flying broom. Fenmyar settles in, reaching behind Calista astride the handle, and begins to reach behind himself to the backpack when the broom abruptly tumbles from the sky. The extra weight has caused it to plunge to the ground below. Oops!
The friends and the rat pack tumble with the broom, landing painfully on the cobbled street. By now a crowd of Trollskull Alley residents have gathered to watch the excitement. Galiden and Lexomel help their friends up. While a concerned Calista checks his broom for damage, a sheepish Fenmyar rolls off to the side. From high above, the dangling halfling shouts, “Where’s yer lad, wizard?” Startled, Fenmyar bolts back into GLOC’s to check on Maartin.
Meanwhile, the sharp-eyed Galadin spots a wriggling backpack that has tumbled from the sky with the pair of heroes. Galadin strikes it with the flat of his sword and hears a pitiful squeal from within. A blood slowly begins to spread across the canvas. A collective gasp rises from the crowd as a pair of ominously still halfling legs emerge from the stained pack.
From the throng, a shrill cry of “murder,” rises. To a person, the multitude backs away from Galadin. In the distance, the whistling signals the approach of the City Watch, who push their way through to the inert body of the halfling, laying partially inside the backpack. A piercing wail rises above the muttering, and a second halfling, weeping, rushes to hug the still body.
“Brother!! That’s my brother,” the distraught halfling wails. From the north, a pair of uniformed guards push through the crowd. Several fingers point at Galadin, who says, “I didn’t know he was in the bag!” Confused, the guards try to make sense of the multiple tellings of recent events as Galadin sputters his own explanation, and the other friends spin various parts of the tale of the wererats simultaneously.
“Out o’ the way,” rumbles a deep voice, and Emmek Frewn shoves his way to the center of the action. People are knocked over like tenpins to either side of his massive frame as he elbows his way to the sad tableau. Frewn lays one meaty hand on the tiny back of the weeping halfling, and scoops up the limp body of her newly deceased brother in his other. “Dearie, let Emmek do right by yer poor brother! Come with me!”
“See? The halflings are working with him!” Calista, still angry about Fenmyar causing his crash, sputters and points at Emmek who holds the weeping halfling in one arm and the small, limp body of her brother in the other.
“He’s a wererat!! I SWEAR I didn’t know he was in the bag,” exclaims the exasperated Galadin.
“Being a wererat isn’t a crime, but murder is. You can tell your tale to the judge,” the guard says gruffly as he claps iron manacles on Galadin’s wrists. Then the City Watch lead him away. As the heroes make to follow, Fenmyar emerges from GLOC’s and stops them, letting them know that Maartin is nowhere to be found. The friends will follow Galadin to the court later. For now, they need to search tavern top to bottom for the boy.
He is nowhere they look. However, a drop of blood is discovered near Maartin’s bed. This is frightening news. Frantically they make their way to the jail to inform the guards, who are dismissive. Maartin had run away before from the orphanage. No doubt he has done so again. Fenmyar and the rest of the friends are convinced Maartin’s disappearance is related to the incident with the wererats and Emmek Frewn. Grrr!!
But Galadin’s trial tales place that afternoon. Jakama offers to represent him in court, and, from his cell, the accused gratefully accepts.
Lexomel, Fenmyar and Calista take the first bench, each waiting their turn to testify on behalf of their friend, Galadin, and to describe the previous night’s dreadful events.The trail starts under the baleful eye of Judge Frederick Invicta. Across the aisle, the friends can clearly see the surviving halfling wererats, all now in human guise, as well as Emmek Frewn, comforting the sister of the deceased man. Yagra, who is seated behind the heroes, points out a hooded woman who sits with the villains. “That’s Baritha Twang,” Yagra says quietly, “and she’s a nasty piece of business.” The friends look away as Frewn turns their direction and smirks, drawing one finger across his neck in a threatening manner.
The court is intimidating: a pair of bailiffs bring in Galadin, whose wrists and ankles are chained. He is made to sit in a gated enclosure near the defense table, where Jakama sits, shifting through papers. Across the court, the robed figure of Koyer the Lawyer prepares his own materials. A dozen stern-faced people are led into the jury box. One is familiar….Jakama is relieved to see the friendly face of Dandelus Rench, purveyor of the Xoblob Shoppe, has been chosen to hear the case. At least one person on the jury knows that Galadin isn’t the cold-blooded killer he stands accused of being. At last, the bailiff bangs a staff and calls “All rise,” and the trial of Galadin begins.
Jakama argues ably, calling first Fenmyar, then Callista, then Lexomel. All testify about the events of the night before. Over and over, Jakama draws cogent testimony from his friends on behalf of a very nervous Galadin. Frustrated, Koyer the Lawyer is unable to find fault with their descriptions of events. To a man, each links the threats of Emmek Frewn to events with the wererats on the fateful night.
Looking down his nose through incredibly thick glasses, Judge Invicta rumbles “This is all hearsay unless we Mr. Frewn is called to testify. What says the prosecution?” Koyer, nervously stutters, “I call Emmek Frewn!”
Striding self-importantly up the aisle, Frewn places his meaty hand in the air and promises “To tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. After all,” he says smoothly, “I never lie.”
Frewn settles his massive frame in the witness box, and begins a tale quite unlike the carefully described scene presented by Jakama’s witnesses. Frewn tells of bringing an armload of flowers and an invite of tea and welcoming the new tavern owners to Trollskull Alley. Frewn’s quavering voice describes watching Galadin, clearly a ruffian, push around the tiny halfling patrons who had come to drink milkshakes at GLOC’s Jolly Foods. With a wet honk into a handkerchief, Emmick Frewn dabs at his moist eyes.
From their place in the gallery, the friends mutter among themselves. This causes Judge Invicta to look up sharply, glaring around the courtroom as he bangs the gavel for silence. Emmik Frewn peers over his hanky to covertly assess his effect on the jury, and continues to paint a picture of the friends as ruffians and braggarts. Frewn sadly shakes his head and dabs at his eyes. Koyer, his own voice breaking, seats himself and calls to Jakama, “Your witness.”
Jakama stands to cross-examine Frewn and on approaching, discovers him to be perfectly dry-eyed. From behind his twisted handkerchief, only Jakama can see Frewn smirking. At the mention of flowers, Jakama objects, and after the testimony, he calls Joe the rat to provide testimony that Frewn is lying. A court-appointed animal translator questions Joe the rat, who squeaks out a scenario much different than the one presented by Frewn, who sits glowering in the gallery.
Meanwhile, Calista spots Baritha Twang quietly exiting the courtroom. Calista follows covertly at a distance, and ends up in a part of town quite close to the Skewered Dragon. In a rundown alley, Baritha pulls a key from her cloak at the same time that Calista’s foot dislodges an empty bottle. The noise alerts Baritha, who calls to him, “I see you, adventurer! What do you want?”
Calista demands to know Baritha’s connection to the wererats and Emmek Frewn. Baritha sneers, “Everyone in Waterdeep knows Emmek, and the city is full of wererats!” She turns the key and slips inside the ironbound door of the building. It closes solidly behind her, and Calista, frustrated, is left standing amid the trash. Thinking quickly, he drags some crates to allow him to climb up and peek through one of the high, dusty windows. Calista sees and hears two figures in the darkened room: one an adult woman and the other appears to be a boy about the age of Maartin. From his perch, Calista hears:
“You’ll go home when Frewn says it’s time! Make any noise and you’ll REALLY have something to cry about! I’m moving you to another safe house…one of those meddling adventurers followed me here.”
Calista waits. Eventually, he hears a door at the other side of the building open. He stealthily climbs down and surprises Baritha. Startled, she thrusts Maartin at him and squeaks, “Look who I found for you!” She flees back down the alley, and Maartin hugs Calista, happy to be safe once more. The two return to the court in time to see the jury being dismissed for the day. With bail granted, Galiden may spend the evening with his friends at GLOK’s. The case will continue in the morning.
March 26th, 2022
Dramatis Personnae
Fenmyar (Freddie)
Galadin (Andrew)
Jakama (Rowan)
Lexomel (Rex)
Obsidian (Jase)
Calista (Reni)
Suddenly, the tavern’s front doors bang open! A large man sporting an outsized mustache bursts in, surveying the scene with obvious distaste. From behind him, four timid pointy-faced halflings slip past to try unobtrusively to find a booth behind Threestrings, back by the fire. Glaring at all present, the large man
Just as the friends feel that they can lean back and enjoy the fruits of their labors, crisis strikes!
The setting is early evening in the taproom of GLOK’s Jolly Food. It is absolutely packed with customers. Waterdeepers of every type, councilors, merchants, nobles, city watch, are elbow to elbow happily eating, drinking and basking in tunes provided by Threestrings. The friends survey this busy scene and mentally tabulate the gold they will make on such a night. At a corner table under the watchful eyes of Fenmyar and Lexomel, Maartin, the apprentice wizard, studies his loaned tomes with a half-finished strawberry milkshake at his elbow.
Fenmyar asks to see one of the spells Maartin has been studying. The boy grins and casts a Prestidigitation on himself, turning his hair a vibrant shade of purple. Fenmyar is expansive in his praise and sends the boy up to bed. Obediently, Maartin hops down, gathers his books and takes himself off.
strides across the floor, scattering customers in his wake as he stomps towards the packed bar. With one meaty hand, the man removes the woodworker Furney from his barstool to make space for himself. The enormous man’s other hand cartoonishly twirls the curled ends of his outrageously large mustache. Despite a glowing green poltergeist barman, the gargantuan fellow pounds a ham-sized fist on the zinc surface, demanding to service. Tankards and cups jump with the force.
Lief the Poltergeist pours the man a frothy root beer in an icy mug. The large man eyes it suspiciously, holding it up to the light as though examining it critically. He then ostentatiously extracts a large handkerchief from his pocket to rub something from the glass’s surface. Across the room, the friends exchange looks that say, “Here comes trouble.” Calista in particular can tell at a glance the man is only pretending to find fault with the mug. Grrr!
From under lowered brows the man calls loudly, “Where are the owners of this ‘fine’ establishment?!” People in the taproom are beginning to notice the scene the man is causing. The friends move towards him, and he eyes them with distrust. “I’m Emmek Frewn, sole proprietor of Frewn’s Brews, your competition down the street. I suppose I should welcome you to the neighborhood. I can see you’ve got yourselves many of my customers, and then some.” Although it wouldn’t seem possible, the man glowers at them with even more hostility.
Meeting each of them eye to eye, he rumbles, “I have a proposition for you. Let’s call it a friendly wager. Let’s see which establishment earns more by week’s end, yours or mine. May the better tavern win.” Frewn thrusts a heavily tattooed arm out. It hangs in space, an offer that the friends shake this meaty hand to seal his proffered bet.
The heroes, however, are repulsed by this idea. Objecting to a one, they begin to speak simultaneously, but clever Jakama, shaking his head, says, “I don’t think so. We won’t do that.”
Wise Lexomel agrees, “We don’t want to view this as a competition.”
Emmek’s fist pounds down on the bar, scattering flatware and tankards. “But I do!” he roars. “I see most of MY customers here at YOUR tavern!!” He glares around at the now quiet taproom, and seeing that he has everyone’s attention, states, “I considered buying this dump before Volo bought it. But it was filthy and infested with rats!!” Emmek pauses to look meaningfully around the room, then tips his head to delicately sniff the air. “It still smells ratty! So I let Volo buy the place.No doubt he found it too ruined to bring it back as a bar, so he sold it to you people. And you run it to serve food, despite the rat problem!”
Customers exchange looks with one another while the friends object strenuously to the charges GLOK’s is not infested with anything but poltergeist. Suddenly there is a piercing screech, “RATS!!” from the back of the room. A pair of large rats race from in front of
the fireplace, beneath tables legs and customer legs, zigzagging across the taproom to disappear behind some barrels in the back room. This chaos causes a server to topple a tray carrying four tall glasses on a table where two halflings are seated, legs dangling. Milkshake, whipped cream and cherries spatter the two empty chairs. Customers begin to quietly abandon their meals and slip out the front door.
Emmek looks around, hands on his hips, satisfied. “My work here is done.” He strides towards the door, calling over his shoulder “And yer boy, Threestrings, he’ll be giving notice. He’s gonna be playing at MY place, Frewn’s Brews, where the root beer is cold and there’s nary a RAT in sight!” With that, Emmek bangs out the door.
Lexomel protests that Threestrings is loyal to the friends. After a moment Threestrings slides off his stool and stand before the friends, eyes cast down. “I meant to speak with you about this earlier,” murmurs the bard. “Mr. Frewn offered me more gold for my songs.I wasn’t sure how to tell you.”
It is clear that Threestrings feels badly for putting the heroes in this position. Threestrings explains he has an elderly mother and some much younger orphaned siblings that he is supporting. Surely the friends understand the need to earn as much money as he can? A deal is struck, and Threestrings departs with more gold than he’d originally expected, as well as an agreement to return to GLOK’s rather than start work at Emmek Frewn’s establishment. Whew!
Meanwhile, as customers mutter about a rat infestation, the friends turn their attention to finding the rats. Jakama’s eyes narrow at the pair of halflings wiping milkshake from their waistcoats.
“Hey,” says Jakama, confronting them, “weren’t there four of you when your group came in?” Lexomel, staring hard at the pair, notices that each of the halflings have a particularly pointy face, are bucktoothed and have ears set just a wee bit too far and high. In fact, they appear very ratlike, it seems to Lexomel. He points this out to Jakama, who is enraged at the halflings.
Jakama demands to know if the halflings know Emmek. “Well, sure,” say the halflings. “Everyone knows Emmek. We even earn some gold from him on occasion…” Lexomel’s eyes narrow.
The friends reach the conclusion that the halflings must be wererats in the employ of Emmek Frewn.
Jakama picks up one of the halflings in his bony hand, and Lexomel cautions him to be calm, especially when the tavern still has at least a few customers. Jakama moves the squeaking halfling out a side door, his small companion trotting after and shouting, “We wouldn’t eat in a place so infested by rats!” Jakama slams the door behind them, still angry. The balance of the GLOK’s customers toss their napkins on the tables and depart. The friends, worried that their nearly very successful enterprise is dying on the vine, make a plan now that they are aware of their wererat problem.
Fenmyar races upstairs to watch over his apprentice, Maartin, who is sleeping by himself in a building with two wererats loose and looking for mischief. Calista and Galadin go up to warn Paderick and Yagra, who are now in the employ of GLOKs. Jakama and Lexomel
search the now empty taproom and find a fist-sized hole in the wall near the fireplace. Grateful to be a sentient skeleton, Jakama removes his hand and his head and balances his skull on the back of the discorporate hand. The skull spins, grinning at Lexomel and says “See you later!” Jakama’s skeletal parts move, spiderlike, into the rat hole in the baseboard.
Jakama, with his keen darkvision, is able to see drapes of cobweb within the walls, hanging over a clear trail of fresh rat tracks in the dust. He follows them up to the second floor where he pops out a second rat hole near the fireplace in a cozy sitting room. In fact, Jakama can see that two wererat hybrids—a form not fully rat but certainly not fully halfling. They are seated in a pair of cushy armchairs before the fire, hairy clawed feet up on stools. The two speak in rough, squeaky voices.
“Well, if that doesn’t shut this place down, I don’t know what will!” The wererats chuckle evilly.
Unfortunately, Jakama is spotted, and the wererats transform into full rat form and escape onto the porch. Here, they climb the outside walls of the tavern. Jakama pursues, but loses sight of the faster rats. He sends a message to his body down in the taproom.
By now, the rest of the group, along with Paderick and Yagra, have reconvened in the bar. The rising sun them standing near the inert, headless and handless figure of Jakama. They are dejected, having discovered the atrocities committed by the two rats overnight. The damage is terrible to behold. Every egg in the kitchen is broken. Each sack of flour, slab of meat, crate of apples and keg of root beer has been despoiled by ratty teeth and claws. This will take many hours to clean up and much gold to replace. Curses!
Fenmyar sadly hangs a sign on the door of GLOKs simply stating “Closed for repairs until further notice.” Grimly the friends turn back to begin a tremendous amount of work. Sigh.
Suddenly, they notice Jakama’s body, which has begun to move as though trying to convey some sort of message! It seems to be trying to tell them something! Calista runs for his broom of flying, and zips out the front door, rapidly ascending towards the GLOK’s tower. Out in the street, a woman is pointing and shrieking at two rats running up the side of this tower, and she yells out the dreaded words for all in Trollskull Alley to hear: “GLOK’s Jolly Foods is infested with rats!”
March 21st, 2022
The friends have been quite busy since Volo gifted them a haunted tavern. Granted, it’s not much of a gift, but the resident poltergeist, Leif Iveyshoes, whom they have befriended, has been quite generous with his business advise. The friends have rebranded Trollskull Manor to reflect a friendlier presence in the Trollskull Alley neighborhood of Waterdeep. It is now called “GLOC’s Jolly Food.” This new handle incorporates the first letters of the friends’ names: Galadin, Lexomel, Obsidian, Calista, Jakama and Fenmyar.
Dramatis Personnae
Calista (Reni)
Fenmyar (Freddie)
Galadin (Andrew)
Jakama (Rowan)
Lexomel (Rex)
Obsidian (Jase)
Just then, a local woodworker, Furney Chare, arrives with cartloads of items Fenmyar purchased for 300 gold pieces. For this vast sum, nearly all the gold the heroes possessed, they have purchased bedroom decor for Fenmyar, but only a few tables and chairs for the rest of the tavern. As it turns out, Furney was unable to supply an entire tavernful of goods as he’d promised, at least for that price. Instead, the friends will needto pay several hundred gold pieces more for the rest of the new furniture. Shucks!
Afterward, Talley Fellbranch visits. He is a neighbor and welcomes the friends to Trollskull Alley. He is also happy to extend a discount to them for repairs to the tavern, which should amount to more than 300 gp. Ouch!
Next, Broxley Fairkettle arrives as the duly appointed representative of the Waterdeep Fellowship of Innkeepers. This nattily dressed halfling informs the new business partners that a license to operate such an establishment within the city is an expensive proposition. Yikes!!
Then, Hammond Kraddoc of the Beverages Guild arrives. He needs to know their order for the coming month. They choose root beer and milk shakes, but there is fierce debate about whether to serve alcohol. Gold will also be required to secure the paperwork to allow sales of drinks. Oh, my.
Hammond is followed by Justyn Rassk, provisioner of meats and veggies. If the group would like to serve meals at their tavern, Mr. Rassk will need money for the order. Hmmm.
Who knew that running a business was so expensive? With the carpentry added to the rest of the expenses needed to get GLOC’s open, the bill comes to 1,200 gold pieces. Double yikes!!
But our heroes have very little gold in their pockets currently. It is only then that the poltergeist, Leif, reminds them that they will need to pay operating costs above his salary as barkeep. They’ll need a cook, a scullery, at least a waiter or two…the cost! This will likely amount to about 5 gp each day, or 50 gold per tenday. How will the tavern ever make any money?
Well, by making sure that people come to it! Several of the friends begin to come up with ideas about how to draw crowds. Jakama suggests a comedy night. Fenmyar’s idea of an Improv night is met with much approval as well. And they might be able to arrange for Threestrings to perform regularly. This could work.
But…they can’t get anyone to come come to a run-down venue with rickety furniture and no crockery, food or drink. If only the group had 1,200 gold pieces to start the project moving forward. Sigh.
Gently, Leif the poltergeist suggests that they might think of selling some of the loot they have accumulated to come up with the gold. Genius! The group members debate what they might sell. The few things individuals bring around to shops, including an ax and dagger, don’t fetch much gold. They have nothing that will bring anywhere near what is needed to pay for what the tavern requires.
Fenmyar, hunting through his loot, comes up with the as-yet-unused Ring of Water Walking. With great reluctance, he agrees to sell the item to contribute to GLOC’s Jolly Food. The purchasing wizard pays Fenmyar 1,500 gp. Most of this goes to getting the tavern ready for opening night, when Threerings will debut the epic song about the battle of scarecrows at the farm by Jakama, Lexomel and Galadin. Everyone is nervous as Threestrings takes the stage, and begins to sing:
Battle of Asgur’s Farm
Not so long ago old Asgur’s farm
Was stormed by twenty scarecrows,
But three brave lads in gleaming uniform
Fought with blades, and spells, and bows.
Upon their hilltop just when all seemed calm
’gainst our heroes the straw men rose.
Bold Lexomel’s sharp greataxe didst disarm
Ten of the thirty freakish foes.
Next Galiden bravely faced the evil swarm
Of forty, who brought his death so close.
Angered, the wiley Jakama’s bonfire rose
And brought fifty to smoking harm.
Lexomel’s scorching ray made sixty glow,
And Jakama’s glaive caused seventy more alarm.
Down by the hundreds fell those fierce scarecrows
and up came Galadin’s valiant form.
Hail these brave and handsome heroes and know
They have undone this wicked charm!
And so they vanquished 200 crazed scarecrows
And liberated poor Asgur’s farm.
The friends had no reason to be nervous! Customers of this packed audience are on their feet, whistling and cheering.
Jakama exchanges looks with his fellow combatants in this saga. “There were only actually six scarecrows,” says Lexomel. “It felt like more,” says poor Galadin, remembering the pitched battle that nearly killed him. The three grin at the truth, and help the others make arrangements for Threestrings to return regularly to sing the now famous ode, “The Battle of Asgur’s Farm.”
Their tavern, GLOC’s Jolly Food, turns a profit in the first weeks it is open! May their hard work continue to pay off!
February 1st, 2022
Dramatis Personae
Obsidian (Jase)
Calista (Reni)
Fenmyar (Freddie)
Galadin (Andrew)
Jakama (Rowan)
Lexomel (Rex)
Sheepishly, Volo thanks the group for rescuing his dear friend Floom, who sinks, exhausted, into the nearest chair. In a low voice, as if to keep his message secret within their group, Volo whispers, “I wish to extend thanks to your group. But before we go any further, I must tell you that there is good news as well bad news about your reward.”
The group members, stony faced, stare back at the twitching of Volo’s handlebar mustache. Finally, Volo sheepishly says, “My friends, books sales have been….shall we say, less vigorous than expected.” He gestures to the several large piles of unsold copies of Volo’s Guide to Monsters. Closing his eyes as though pained, he shakes his head sadly. “Even the signed copies—collectibles, mind you—have not been selling. Imagine! There’s no market for monsters these days.” Volo issues a very deep sigh before being snapped from his reverie by Jakama.
“You have no gold, do you?” Jakama’s mouth is a compressed line. He tries and fails to hide his frustration.
Volo looks at him, eyes welling with tears, and fishes in his tattered velvet jacket. “You are right, dear boy, I have no gold, no dragons. I do however have this, and I am happy to sign it over to you!” With a flourish, he spreads an official looking scroll of parchment onto the tabletop. “The deed to Trollskull Manor, the focal point of Trollskull Alley. I purchased it with the last of the gold from the royalties of my more popular work, Volo’s Guide to All Things Magical.”
Grabbing his bottle of ink and quill meant for his book signing, Volo inscribe’s each adventurer’s name onto the deed to Trollskull Manor. “I purchased it not long ago for a good price, it needed a bit of work and it has, shall we say, a resident who refuses to leave. A former barman, who haunts the place.”
“Why doesn’t someone just throw him out?” demands Obsidian.
Looking embarrassed, Volo mumbles, “ He’s a poltergeist. I was planning to deal with him after the book sale. I’m sure he isn’t terribly dangerous, although you might refer to my chapter on the Undead in my Monsters book. They have been known, you know, to drain the life from their victims.”
The group, excited at the prospect of owning a mansion, departs for bed, while pThe group, excited at the prospect of owning a mansion, departs for bed, while planning to head over to their new property first thing in the morning with Volo as a tour guide. Looking refreshed and excited, Volo leads them to Waterdeep’s North Ward. A run-down but busy lane, accessible from Saerdoun Street, is opening for a day of business. Volo points out the shops and shopkeepers who will be the neighbors of the friends. “There’s a potion shop, an armorer and an apothecary quite close by. You’ll likely wish to get to know Talley Fellbranch, a carpenter and wood-carver, here at the Bent Nail.” Volo gestures to a low shop that smells strongly of fresh cut boards. Volo pauses at a sewer grate at one end of the lane. “I’m told one might access the sewers, if one had a mind to,” Volo says. The friends exchange looks that seem to say they’ve had more than enough time in the sewers for a while.
Volo pauses before a shop that is one of the taller buildings on the street. Beneath the hanging sign’s scrolled name, “The Book Wyrm’s Treasure,” a window display is stacked with unsold copies of Volo’s guide to monsters. Volo sighs and moves on. He gestures to a storefront with the curious logo of an open eye painted on its door. “This place,” whispers Volo, “is called the Tiger’s Eye. It’s owned by a private detective. Trench is his name. No one seems to know much about him. Very mysterious….ah, here we are!”
Volo has stopped before what is easily the largest and shabbiest building on the block. He gestures grandly, placing a large, ring of rusting keys in Galadin’s hand. “Well,” says Volo, “I must run. Books to sell, you know. Good luck!” And with that, Volo is gone.
Fenmyar casts Invisibility on himself and lights a candle stub from one of the tables. The tiny floating light shows the friends a shabby taproom filled with rickety furniture. Every surface is coated with a thick layer of dust. Filthy glasses and empty bottles cover tables and lay piled in corners. Obsidian points to a particularly dark corner. “What was that?” He moves behind the bar to investigate. He sees a glowing green figure hovering over a trap door. The poltergeist! As he approaches, the pale face stretches to a hideous rictus and shrieks, “Last call!!! The bar is closing,” before sinking through the floor.
Unafraid, Jakama throws open the trapdoor and climbs down the ladder into the darkness. Fortunately, his darkvision give him a clear view of the ancient, cobwebbed cellar. Floating several inches above the packed-earth floor is the poltergeist. His glowing green face is a mask of anger, and his jaw unhinges to his waist as he screams at Jakama, “No patrons allowed!! Employees only!!” He points a see-through green finger at a dusty sign on the trapdoor.
Feeling threatened, Jakama casts Light. In the confined space of the cellar, both the poltergeist and Jakama himself suffer radiant damage from his small but powerful cantrip, and both skeleton and spirit are temporarily blinded.
Lexomel discovers the upper floors of the mansion can only be reached by a set of outside stairs. Lexomel is able to pick the lock, allowing himself, Galadin and Calista explore the second floor of the mansion.
Hearing a noise, Galadin opens a door and discovers a young boy crouching behind some dusty armchairs. His clothes are tattered, and his face is dirty. He shies away from Galadin, who indicates that he means the boy no harm. Galadin discovers the boy’s name is Maartin. He is an orphan, apprenticed to a wizard recently killed by the gangs who occupy Waterdeep. Maartin’s main concern is that he will be evicted. Galadin lets Maartin know that wise Fenmyar might take him on as a student. The boy seems relieved.
Meanwhile, Lexomel and Calista continue to higher stories in the house. Lexomel finds an upper bedroom at the top of the house and claims it for his own. Galadin opens a door to the dusty attic, filled with boxes and crates. Hmmm.
Down in the cellar, Fenmyar sees both the poltergeist and Jakama with their arms over their faces. A light spell brightly illuminates the dusty, low space. The poltergeist is backed up against a wine rack, and gentle Fenmyar asks the spirit who he is. Peering from between ghostly fingers, the poltergeist identifies himself as the tavern’s previous barkeeper, a half-elf named Lif. Maintaining the tavern was his life’s work, and he couldn’t abandon the place in death. Fenmyar reassures the spirit that he will not be forced to leave.
It seems Trollskull Manor already has two residents. The friends will make it their own quite soon.
February 7th, 2022
Dramatis Personae
Obsidian (Jase)
Calista (Reni)
Fenmyar (Freddie)
Galadin (Andrew)
Jakama (Rowan)
Lexomel (Rex)
Sheepishly, Volo thanks the group for rescuing his dear friend Floom, who sinks, exhausted, into the nearest chair. In a low voice, as if to keep his message secret within their group, Volo whispers: “I wish to extend thanks to your group, the compensation I promised you. But before we go any further, I must tell you that there is good news as well bad news about your reward.”
The group, stony faced, stare back at the twitching of Volo’s handlebar mustache. Finally, Volo sheepishly says, “My friends, books sales have been….shall we say, less vigorous than expected.” He gestures to the several large piles of unsold copies of Volo’s Guide to Monsters. Closing his eyes as though in pain, he shakes his head sadly. “Even the signed copies – collectible, mind you – have not been selling. Imagine! There’s no market for monsters these days.” Volo issues a very deep sigh before being snapped from his reverie by Jakama.
“You have no gold, do you?” Jakama’s mouth is a compressed line, as he tries and fails to hide his frustration with the downcast Volo.
Volo looks up at him, eyes welling, and fishes in his tattered velvet jacket. “You are right, dear boy, I have no gold- not one single dragon to reward you with! I do, however, have this and I am happy to sign it over to you!” With a flourish, Volo unfurls an official looking scroll of parchment, spreading it upon the tabletop. “The deed to Trollskull Manor, the focal point of Trollskull Alley. I purchased it with the last of the gold from the royalties from my more popular work, Volo’s Guide to All Things Magical.”
Grabbing his bottle of ink and quill meant for his book signing, Volo inscribes each adventurer’s name onto the deed to Trollskull Manor. “I purchased it not long ago for a good price, as it needed a bit of work. It has, shall we say, a resident who refuses to leave. A former barman, who haunts the place.”
“Why doesn’t someone just throw him out?” demands Obsidian.
Looking embarrassed, Volo mumbles, “ He’s a poltergeist. I was planning on dealing with him after the book sale. I’m sure he isn’t terribly dangerous, although you might refer to my chapter on the Undead in my Monsters book. They have been known, you know, to drain the life from their victims.” The group look at one another, uncertainly. “But,” exclaims Volo, “the place is a mansion and you can run it as a business~a tavern~ and live upstairs if you wish, or rent the rooms as an inn!”
The group, catch Volo’s contagious excitement at the prospect of owning a mansion and business. They depart to bed, planning to head over to their new property first thing in the morning. Volo offers himself as a tour guide.
The next day, refreshed and excited, the group follow Volo to Waterdeep’s North Ward. A rundown but busy lane, accessible from Saerdoun Street is opening for a day of business. Volo points out the shops and shopkeepers, new neighbors of the friends. “There’s a potion shop, an armorer and an apothecary quite close by. You’ll likely wish to get to know Talley Fellbranch, a carpenter and wood carver, here at the Bent Nail.” Volo gestures to a low shop that smells strongly of fresh cut boards. Volo pauses at a sewer grate at one end of the lane. “I’m told one might access the sewers, if one has a mind to,” Volo says. Groan!! The friends exchanged looks that seem to say they’ve had more than enough time in the sewers for a while.
Volo pauses before a shop that is one of the taller buildings on the street. Beneath the hanging sign’s scrolled name, “The Book Wyrm’s Treasure,” a window display is stacked with unsold copies of his guide to monsters. Volo sighs, and moves on. He gestures to a storefront with the curious orange and black logo of an open eye painted on its door. “This place,” whispers Volo, “is called the Tiger’s Eye, owned by a private detective. Trench is his name. No one seems to know much about him. Very mysterious….ah, here we are!”
Volo has stopped before the largest and shabbiest building in the area. He gestures grandly, placing a ring of large, rusting keys in Galadin’s hand. “Well,” says Volo, “I must run. Books to sell, you know. Good luck!” And with that, Volo is gone.
The friends stand in the bright sunshine of a Waterdeep morning, and slowly climb the stairs. Galadin slips one of the keys into the lock and one of the great double doors creaks open. Tentatively, on the lookout for the poltergeist, the party enters slowly.
Cautious Fenmyar casts Invisibility on himself, and then he lights a candle stub from one of the tables. His tiny floating flsme shows the friends a shabby taproom filled with rickety furniture. Every surface is coated thickly with dust. Filthy glasses and empty bottles cover tables and lay piled in corners. Obsidian points to a particularly dark corner: “What was that?” He moves behind the bar to investigate. He sees a glowing figure, hovering over a trap door. The poltergeist! As he approaches, the pale face stretches to a hideous rictus and shrieks “Last call!!! The bar is closing,” before sinking through the floor.
Unafraid, Jakama throws open the trapdoor and descends down the ladder into thedarkness. Fortunately, his darkvision give him a clear view of the ancient, cobwebbed cellar. Floating several inches above the packed earth floor is the poltergeist. His glowing face is a mask of anger, and his jaw unhinges to his waist as he screams at Jakama: “No patrons allowed!! Employees only!!” He points to a see-through finger at a dusty sign on the trapdoor.
Threatened, Jakama casts Light. In the confined space in the cellar, both the poltergeist and Jakama suffer radiant damage from the small but powerful cantrip, and both are temporarily blinded.
Elsewhere in the mansion, Lexomel discovers the upper floors can only be reached using a set of outside stairs. Lexomel is able to pick the lock, allowing himself, Galadin and Calista explore the second floor of the mansion. Hearing a noise, Galadin opens a door a discovers a young boy
crouching behind some dusty armchairs. His clothes are tattered and his face is dirty. He shies away from Galadin, who indicates that he means the boy no harm. Galadin discovers the boy’s name is Maartin. He is an orphan, apprenticed to a wizard recently killed by the gangs who are in Waterdeep. Maartin’s main concern is that he will be evicted and have no oplace to live. Galadin lets Maartin know that wise Fenmyar might take him on as a student. The boy seems relieved and very anxious to meet Fenmyar, hopefully his new master.
Meanwhile, Lexomel and Calista continue to higher stories in the house. Lexomel finds an upper bedroom at the top of the house and he claims the room for his own. Galadin opens a door to the dusty attic, filled with boxes and crates. Hmmm.
Down in the cellar, Fenmyar descends into the cellar, where he sees both the poltergeist and Jakama with their arms over their faces. A light spell brightly illuminates the dusty, low space. The poltergeist is backed up against a wine rack, and gentle Fenmyar asks the spirit who he is. Peering from between ghostly fingers, the poltergeist identifies himself as the tavern’s previous barkeeper, a half-elf named Lif. Maintaining the tavern was his life’s work, and he couldn’t abandon the place in death. Fenmyar reassures the spirit that he will not be forced to leave.
It seems Trollskull Manor already has two residents. The friends will make it their own, quite soon.
January 24th, 2021
We open with our heroes engaged in a pitched battle with a mind flayer and his pet intellect devourer. Each alone is an exceptionally dangerous foe in a combat. Skirmishing against them together, someone may get hurt.
Lexomel casts a pair of well-aimed Firebolt spells, setting fire to the mind flayer’s robes. The flames race up the creature’s back, illuminating the slimy cavern with flickering light. Slowly, the mind flayer rises to his feet and, still afire, lashes out at the closest opponent.
Dramatis Personnae
Lexomel (Rex)
Obsidian (Jase)
Calista (Reni)
Fenmyar (Freddie)
Galadin (Andrew)
Jakama (Rowan)
Sadly, this is Lexomel’s own owl, Big Bob. The slimy tentacles that sprout from the mind flayer’s chin wrap themselves around the unfortunate Bob, whose fearsomely sharp talons slash the tentacles to free himself from a certain unpleasant fate. The bird is free and flees from the enemy, but not without dire injury. Curses!
Up the passage, Jakama receives his own dying owl, Golesmore, from Nuggies, Calista’s golden eagle. Making an impossibly hard decision, Jakama chooses the welfare of the party over personal interests, and with regret but determination, races away from the sinking Golesmore. As he runs towards his companions, Jakama flings a Create Bonfire spell at the mind flayer. Unfortunately at the last second, the sly creature twists away, and the magically summoned flames land between the party and their quarry.
The intellect devourer begins to scuttle down the tunnel towards our heroes, to a range where it can become dangerous. Just then, the door that the mind flayer came through bangs open. A haggard looking young man rushes into the passage, holding a rough chair aloft. He flings it at the tiny, brain-shaped monstrosity, striking it with a wet splat. The rope dangling from thin wrists show where he has cut himself loose to escape his captors. The party recognizes him as the missing Floom, their very quarry, and they are heartened.
Using the light from Jakama’s spell, the newly inspired Calista pulls out his sling. He scoops several pebbles off the rough-hewn floor and sends them toward the mind flayer. Four strike, knocking the mind flayer back on its heels. Yay!
Equally keen, Fenmyar draws out his Wild Magic Dagger. The sharp violet blade glints wickedly in the dancing firelight. He hurls it twice in rapid succession. Recall: the dagger returns to its owner after being thrown. Twin flashes of wild magic light up the tunnel, and the smell of ozone permeates the air.
When all eyes have adjusted, the presence of a fully grown unicorn dominates the tunnel. The enormous silvery creature crowds Fenmyar and Galadin next to the slime covered walls of the passage. This is an interesting development.
The unicorn narrows its eyes and snorts, stamping its golden hooves. The intellect devourer stops in its tracks, terrified of unicorn, who then dips its
pearly horn and charges the mind flayer. And connects! The mind flayer dangles from the great animal’s spiral horn, impaled and unable to respond.
Galadin is the first to react. He throws a Fire Bolt at the now nearly-helpless mind flayer, and the creature writhes with pain as the flames race down its robes. Lexomel inhales deeply and send his fiery breath weapon at the dangling mind flayer and trembling intellect devourer…and misses! Curses! Frustrated, Lexomel carefully aims his poison spray to hit his targets, yet avoid hitting the unicorn…and misses both again! More curses!! Grrr. However, the savagery of Lexomel’s attacks have convinced the mind flayer that it is no longer in his best interest to remain in the Material Plane. The cowardly creature deserts his pet, and flees to another dimension using its Plane Shift spell.
Furious, the abandoned intellect devourer charges at the unburdened unicorn. The devourer rakes claws across the noble steed’s front leg, and attempts to psychically devour the unicorn’s brain. Fortunately, the unicorn is able to resist, but is nonetheless injured in this most savage attack. Yikes!
Up the hall, the concerned Nuggies hops around the dying Golesmore. The eagle attempts the staunch the owl’s wound with his talon, but makes matters worse with his razor sharp talons. Double yikes!! Who will save poor Golesmore?
sergofan2015
Unaware that his devoted bird companion lies so close to the brink of death, Jakama sends out a Mage Hand and hoists the intellect devourer into the air. Calista strikes a glancing blow with a Firebolt, which singes the vile creature. Fenmyar follows up with an Ice Knife spell, and the intellect devourer hangs limply from the Jakama’s Mage Hand until it is dropped to the stone floor with a wet splat.
katalinks
The group comforts Floom, who brings them into his prison. There, a chest is explored and treasure divvied up. Paderick and Yagra are gathered and the group reconvenes on the main floor of the Yawing Portal. Volo and Floom have a tearful reunion, and there are smiles and milkshakes all around.
“I wish to extend thanks to your group,” sniffs Volo, mysteriously. “But before we go any further, I must tell you that there is good news as well bad news about your reward…”
January 10th, 2022
Dramatis Personnae
Jakama (Rowan)
Lexomel (Rex)
Obsidian (Jase)
Calista (Reni)
Fenmyar (Freddie)
Galadin (Andrew)
Throwing the door open that the bandit captain has banged through, Calista recognizes he’ll never catch up with the fleeing villain, though he is gravely injured. Instead, Calista sends his noble eagle, Nuggies. Nuggies easily catches up to the dark dwarf, who cannot fend off the slashing of razor sharp talons. The duergar goes down.
Coming up behind his comrade, clever Fenmyar pauses, Coming up behind his comrade, clever Fenmyar pauses, debating what to do: melee or magic? Calista seems to have the bandit captain situation safely in hand. Fenmyar also casts Thunderwave, a coup de grace to the downed duergar. The wall of force travels outward, south into the smelly room, and strikes three large barrels against the back wall. The staves of two of the three barrels stored there explode outward. Wine fountains out of them and flows down the roughcut steps of the southern exit.
Meanwhile, Lexomel has determined that the disconcerted flumph means him no harm. He asks the creature its name and how it came to be in this place. The flumph, it turns out, is called Blath. He tells Lexomel that Fenmyar’s Wild Magic Dagger summons it. Blath can neither prevent the summons nor knows how to return to his own plane of existence. Flumph,
you see, are native to the Ethereal Plane. Fenmyar’s dagger has called Blath from his home before into the Material Plane. In the past, Blath explains, he has been zapped back within a minute of arrival. Lexomel isn’t sure, but he thinks he detects the creature rolling at least one of its several eyestalks skyward.
Down the narrow hallway, Galadin has been checking beyond the crumpled body of the injured Paderick to see if he is under no immediate threat is safe. While there is no sign that any enemy will ambush the party, Galadin spies a vast quantity of wine flowing down some steps. Climbing them, he enters a room, where he discovers Calista and Fenmyar. He lets them know that he’s returning the way he came to move Paderick to safety.
Brave Galadin recruits Obsidian and Lexomel to drag Paderick back to the relative safety of the site of the now-defeated hobgoblins. After a brief struggle, they leave their unfortunate comrade in a heap near the similarly unconscious Yagra, and hope for the best. They speed up the tunnel toward the sound of weeping.
As Jakama loots the hobgoblin’s body, Jakama’s owl, Golesmore, detects a distant noise. The owl alerts his skeleton friend to the sounds of a man crying out as though in pain. Without hesitation, the owl leaps off Jakama’s shoulder and flies at speed towards the noise. Over his shoulder he calls a warning to the others about someone in distress, and Jakama follows his owl.
Moving noiselessly past slime-coated walls, Jakama’s brave bird soars the twists and turns of the tunnel, closer and closer to the sound of someone in distress. Hovering at an intersection, the owl’s sharp senses detect that wailing has trailed off into whimpering.
Golesmore’s keen eyes spots a wooden door about 30 feet ahead. With no warning, the door pops opens and a tall, robed figure steps out. The being moves into the hallway. Suddenly the unearthly eyes swivel in the owl’s direction. The figure raises one long, lavender talon at Golesmore, and the owl knows no more.
Lexomel, Obsidian and Calista dash towards the distant weeping from the south. Coming from the north, Fenmyar casts Longstrider upon himself and rapidly closes the distance between him and the source of the crying. Arriving first, Fenmyar pauses to catch his breath. He spies what appears to be the lifeless body of a snowy owl lying on the cold stone floor. Gasp!
Moving silently down the hall to approach the friends, the robed, bald figure steps closer. The creature has long, lashing tentacles where its lower jaw should be and its grey-blue skin glistens with slime in the
torchlight. Trailing after the creature is some sort of small animal, about the size of a lapdog, but it appears to be brain-shaped.
Yuck and double yuck!! This is no mere wizard out for a stroll with his pet. Several of the party recognize the pair as a mind flayer and an intellect devourer! Yikes!!
Blasting past Fenmyar, the golden eagle called Nuggies arrives flying a top speed, startling the heroes and the mind flayer. Gently, Nuggies seizes the broken body of Golesmore and withdraws rapidly up the hall. Can someone get to poor Golesmore to render aid while there is still time?
As the mind flayer recovers from the eagle’s sudden appearance and resumes its approach, a low, evil laugh issues from the creature who stretches its talons and tentacles towards Fenmyar…and slips, landing on all fours. How undignified! What on earth will happen?
December 13th, 2021
Big Boy, the owl belonging to Galadin, joins the other birds in attacking the dwarf and the hobgoblin. Each slashes at the enemy before withdrawing with bloody claws. Their targets respond by trying to swat them out of the air with savage looking clubs.
Meanwhile, beneath their feet, Yagra continues to die on the floor. The group is frantic to get to her, but cannot render aid given the ongoing battle. Will she live? A desperate hope from all has them redouble their efforts. Soon they are joined by Lexomel and Fenmyar and their fighting raptors.
Dramatis Personnae
Galadin (Andrew)
Jakama (Rowan)
Lexomel (Rex)
Obsidian (Jase)
Calista (Reni)
Fenmyar (Freddie)
The duergar drops his club as the birds withdraw, and steps over Yagra to approach the group. With his evilly sharp maul, he slashes Galadin twice. Ouch! Galdin responds with a Firebolt cantrip and uses a Catapult to fling more rubbish from the floor at the bandit captain. The birds return to swarm the enemies, slashing savagely. Unfortunately Calista’s Nuggies and Fenmyar’s Jeff the Sandwich each receive a sharp blow from the hobgoblin’s cruelly wielded club.
The duergar drops his club as the birds withdraw, and steps over Yagra to approach the group. With his evilly sharp greatsword, he slashes Galadin twice. Ouch! Galdin responds with a Firebolt cantrip and uses a Catapult to fling more rubbish from the floor at the bandit captain. The birds return to swarm the enemies, slashing savagely. Unfortunately Calista’s Nuggies and Fenmyar’s Jeff the Sandwich each receive a sharp blow from the hobgoblin’s cruelly wielded club.
Jakama’s bonfire beneath one of the hobgoblins is expanded by his Control Flame, and the creature now falls ominously silent. Jakama turns to the duergar and casts an Eldritch Blast, striking the creature critically and causing heavy damage to him, but still the duergar continues to fight!
Calista darts past the bandit captain in an attempt to get to Yagra, but is engaged by the hobgoblin, who knocks him prone. Curses! He rolls and blasts a Poison Spray at him, followed by a strike from Galadin. The hobgoblin goes down and now the duergar is fighting alone against the friends and their birds of prey. Galadin decides that the rest of the party has things well under control, and dashes back to see if Paderick, left in a lower hallway, is safe.
Jakama demands that he surrender. Sneering, the dark dwarf turns and darts through the door he came out of. Calista rises from the floor and follows, then thinks better of it as he spies the dwarf waiting in ambush. He gathers reinforcements, and waits.
December 6th, 2021
Dramatis Personnae
Fenmyar (Freddie)
Galadin (Andrew)
Jakama (Rowan)
Lexomel (Rex)
Obsidian (Jase)
Calista (Reni)
Yagra is under attack from a pair of hobgoblins and their bandit captain, a duegar. She goes down, and the deep slash must be bound before it can take her very life. The party of friends know that no time can be wasted. Jakama has joined the brave animal companions, owls and eagles, who have come to assist. Surveying the grim scene, Jakama casts Create Bonfire, causing said conflagration to land atop an unfortunate hobgoblin, who quickly is engulfed by the flames. Ouch!
Jakama’s owl, Golsmore, Jeff the Sandwich and Nuggies, the eagle belonging to Calista, each slash at the enemies with their razor-sharp talons. Calista, who carries no ranged weapon, begins throwing stones he finds scattered on the rough carved floor. With a sneer, the dwarf draws out a maul- part hammer, part axe- that is nearly as tall as he is. Gulp! However before he can swing this intimidating weapon, Galadin arrives after having dashed up the hall flinging a Thunderclap cantrip at the enemy. Magic booms through the hall, injuring both the duergar and one of the hobgoblins. Galadin follows this up with a Fire Bolt, which sadly misses. Curses!
Meanwhile, at the other end of the hallway, Lexomel eyes the two hobgoblins. With malicious intent, they continue to make progress up the hallway towards he and Fenmyar. They make their way up a western hallway that leads to the site of the battle with a troll several days back. As they approach our heroes, their razor sharp blades glitter in the dim light. As the nearest hobgoblin is about to attack him, Lexomel raises his hand and conjures Poison Spray, letting go a noxious blast that engulfs both of the hobgoblins. There is much coughing and sputtering, but only one of the foes is incapacited.
As the hobgoblin sloshes towards this prize, Fenmyar hurls a Shape Water cantrip down the hallway towards the creature. The filthy water rises up as a wall between it and the javelin! Stymied at first, the hobgoblin reaches through the wall of water with one great taloned hand. This breaches the magic and collapses the vile fluid held in place by the cantrip. With a snarling smile, the hobgoblin turns and heaves the weapon towards Fenmyar, not knowing that that a command word must be uttered to call forth the magical lightning.
The hobgoblin’s disappointment turns to rage as the inexpertly thrown javelin is snatched from the air by Fenmyar and tossed back to Lexomel, its rightful owner. Lexomel catches it masterfully and prepares his next battle move. Fenmyar takes aim and flicks his magical dagger at the hobgoblin.
Missing, the fantastic dagger magically returns to Fenmyar’s hand, but it has already discharged a surge of wild magic in a flash of violet. There is now a second hobgoblin, identical to the javelin thrower. This does not seem like progress to the friends. Simultaneously, the two hobgoblins swivel their heads and brandish their weapons at Fenmyar, who responds by throwing his magical dagger again.
He fumbles it, and in yet another flash of purple light, a fuzzy, feathered creature pops into existence. It lands ungracefully on Lexomel’s head, blinding him. Fenmyar recognizes the being as a flumph, a benevolent denizen of the Underdark and one that is able to communicate through psychic messages. Lexomel and Fenmyar clearly get the thought “Oh, no, not again!” from the distressed creature, who is now draped atop Lexomel’s helm. Lexomel is effectively blinded until the creature is removed. Yikes!
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