At the Yawning Portal Tavern over milkshakes, Volothamp Geddarm seeks assurances from the party. “Surely, you’ll find my friend Floon? You must! I believe the poor fellow was taken by kidnappers looking to snatch the Overlord’s son. Raenar Neverember and Floon look remarkably similar!”
Yes, yes, the party promises Volo, they will find Floon. But in reality, our heroes are more interested in just what sort of creature was heard from the bottom of the massive well the tavern is built around. Jakama summons his pseudodragon and sends it down into the well to reconnoiter. Obsidian considers how he might sneak over to ride the crane to the bottom to investigate the mystery for himself. As he studies the mechanism, Obsidian unfortunately realizes this machine requires an operator to lower the platform to the bottom of the deep well. So he contents himself with a particularly large slice of cake brought to him by Bonnie, the tavern’s other employee.
Calista and Lexomel prefer to be a bit more circumspect. They each take turns querying the owner, Durnan, who grimly smiles but refuses to share what he knows. In truth, Durnan only just now has replaced his massive greatsword back behind the bar. What creature could require such a response? The group are desperate to know.
Dramatis Personae
Calista (Reni)
Fenmyar (Freddie)
Galadin (Andrew)
Jakama (Rowan)
Lexomel (Rex)
Obsidian (Jase)
Galadin’s attention is turned towards Bonnie, who is refreshing drinks for his friends. He asks her to tell what she knows of this mystery. Galadin notices Durnan cast a stern look in her direction while placing a finger to his lips. Bonnie pats Galadin’s hand and tells him, “It’ll just give you nightmares.” Frustrated, Galadin notices that there is something about Bonnie that doesn’t seem quite right, but he can’t seem to recognize just what.
Then angry voices and the crash of an overturned chair draws attention to the other side of the tavern. All eyes turn to see an angry half-orc woman standing
over a table of four men. She is dressed in worn leathers and all seven feet of her muscular frame seem to quiver in outrage. “Threaten my friends, will you? You have ME to answer to!” The thugs at the table mock the woman, and one stands to confront her. He is nearly as tall as she is, and heavily armed.
“Yagra,” calls Durnan to the woman, “Sit down before you get hurt. You’re outnumbered and have no blade.” He sends Obaya, a robed figure to smooth things over for the young half-orc, , but she is ignored by Yagra, along with the barman’s warning. Yagra bares her teeth at the heavily armored man as he stands to confront her. Jakama, sensing trouble, moves from the edge of the well to quickly to get between Yagra and this large, threatening fellow. Jakama valiantly attempts a bit of conflict resolution, but unfortunately the two parties have already become combatants as shoving commences.
The large thug roughly pushes Yagra backward and she slips, losing her footing. Jakama makes a grab for her, but Yagra has already tumbled over backward into the well. Yikes! Thankfully, she is able to catch herself at the last moment by one arm. Yagra dangles in the blackness, more than a hundred feet of open air yawn below her dangling feet. She cannot seem to get purchase on the slick, stone sides with either her heavy boots or her other free hand. Curses!
Calista watching this drama unfold, and suggests to Volo that he try to rescue Yagra himself, as resident adventurer. Volo leaps up and rushes over to the edge of the well, but is unable to snag Yagra’s free hand. He does, however, manage to displace one of the fingers she is holding the wall by. Yagra curses as her situation becomes even more precarious. Calista, suspicious of Volo, secretly casts True Strike, allowing him insight into Volo’s defense and skills. Revealed to Calista, Volo is indeed an adventurer to be reckoned with, although it seems he has been more than a bit clumsy in his attempt to aid Yagra this evening. Curses!
Yagra shouts and Lexomel, who has followed Volo to the well’s edge, grasps Yagra’s arm and pulls her to safety. Whew! However, her boots dislodge stones that fall into the well, bouncing down, down, down into the echoing darkness.
Then, in the deepest depths of the well, a low growl begins. It gets louder and louder. As the group assemble, a stench begins to rise up from the well, along with the noises of a large beast climbing towards the surface towards them. Desperate to know what approaches, the troupe leans over the low stone wall, but nothing can be seen. Even Jakama’s pseudodragon is not in range just yet. Clever Obsidian decides to cast a chromatic orb into the depths of the well. The lightning crackles from deep within the well, illuminating what the brave fellows have smelled: another troll! And the troll is surrounded by a cloud of large, angry buzzing insectile creatures. What on earth could they be?
As other patrons of the Yawning Portal flee, Fenmyar approaches Calista, wanting to borrow his broom of flying, or at least ride upon the back as a passenger. His idea is to meet the creature before it rises to the surface. Callista, however, is hesitant to share the word of command for his magical treasure, and he decides to wait with the others at the well’s edge. The stench is now overpowering, as is the fierce roaring and loud whir that rise from the abyss. Durnan reaches behind the bar to unsheath the great sword yet again. Yikes!
Well, this is not the way our heroes had hoped to discover what is at the bottom of the well in the Yawning Portal Tavern. We’ll have to wait to see how this all works out.
Blog for Mondays' 4 PM D&D Game 