Lair of the Illithid

8th to the 19th Day of Fireseek, CY 592

Verbobonc
We spent about ten days in the viscounty getting to know our new companions and selling off the hoard we recovered from the dragon. Some of us had our magic items upgraded as well. Delvanos gave a few performances at the Rook’s Cove, and they were well received. We learned that King Belvor of Furyondy has died, and there is a lot of tension regarding who will be named regent in place of the missing crown prince. We also learned that there was a large industrial fire in the Caronis, capital of the Reach. Apparently there is an investigation underway, but it seemed clear to us that there may be demonic involvement. Why else would the major producer of cold iron in Furyondy be targeted for destruction?

The Tapestries
We teleported back to the temple of Moradin, and the next day we entered the Outer Fane. We decided to follow the path where the ogres came from. There was a large chamber with purple and white tapestries along the east and west walls and a table with foodstuffs, a keg and other various items in the center of the room. The tapestries depicted various scenes of demons ripping the hearts out of humans, and then taking their prizes off to a large mountain in the distance. Upon closer inspection, we found questions embroidered into the tapestries.

In order they are:

1. Who are you?


2. What do you bring before me?


3. Where are you now?


4. Why have you come here?


5. When shall I be free?


6. Who am I?

The Illithid
We took the eastern staircase which lead to a black stone door with a demon head over the lintel. The eyes of the demon were glowing red, and the door had no handle. Creden was preparing to bash the door in, when Vannay ordered the demon to open the door. The demon tried to overcome Vannay’s will, but was unable to. The door slowly slid open.
The room was quite large with a pit dominating the eastern side of the chamber. Thurlkosij moved to investigate the contents of the pit when a mental blast struck the party. Vannay, Creden, and Delvanos were stunned by the blast. Levitating out of the pit was a humanoid creature in a black form-fitting suit with an obex displayed prominently on it. It had greenish-purple skin that seemed to glisten. The defining feature of the thing was four tentacles extending from its head.

Safadin attempted to disintegrate the creature, but the creature’s innate resistance prevented it from working. Victor cast mass resurgence and everyone but Delvanos was freed from the stunning blast. The creature then crushed Uthgar’s mind dropping him to the floor dying. It followed up with an attack on Vannay attempting to rob him of his breath, but Vannay resisted. Vannay cast fly on Creden, but before Creden could close with the creature he healed Uthgar. The dwarf drank his potion of flying and Victor cast righteous might. Safadin attempted to turn the creature into stone, but once again its resistance protected it.

The creature, who was identified as an illithid by Vannay, then gave Victor an urge to kill himself, but Victor resisted the power. Vannay was not so lucky with the next attack. He disappeared in a shimmer of silver energy. Safadin correctly deduced that Vannay had been sent forward in time. Safadin targeted the creature with an orb of electricity, which damaged and sickened it. Creden cast recitation to help our attacks and bolster our ability to resist its attacks.

The illithid was able to cloud Uthgar’s mind, so that he could not see the creature, and then attempted to charm Victor, but was not successful. Vannay was able to stop his passage in time and reappeared, and he began summoning an air elemental. Victor and Creden closed with the creature. Safadin was very successful with a targeted dispel. The creature lost both of its protective auras and levitation ability, so dropped to the bottom of the pit.

The illithid then attempted to stun both Credin and Victor, and he followed that up with an attempt to charm Creden. None of it was successful. The creature knew that its time was drawing to a close as both priests descended into the pit to engage it in melee. Safadin hit it with five magic missiles. The elemental appeared and slammed the creature. Victor began a grapple and dealt severe damage to it, and Creden crushed its tentacled skull with his maul.

We collected ourselves and began searching the pit area. It was larger at the bottom, and it was clearly the mind flayer’s living quarters. Along the walls of the chamber were areas that gave strange visions of illithids and vast subterranean cities. Vannay identified these things as psychic statuary. He surmised that the illithid used these visions as a form of meditation. The table in the center of the chamber had bits of bone and other tools of divination. Vannay found a secret door on the east wall. Creden was not able to force the door open, but Uthgar easily opened it.

Uthgar entered the room and immediately found himself bound in ropes in the middle of six illithids. Two of them were moving in to consume his brains, and the other four were watching and clapping. Uthgar resisted the illusory effect. On the east wall of the smaller room was an ebony table with a silver ewer. There was magical dust in the ewer that radiated a moderate conjuration aura.

We then began making our plans on where to go next.