S12: Where in the Nine Hells is Nom?

It’s the same old chestnut. Nom is missing, giant insects abound, and our party is lost underground. Glug’s illusory cantrip helps to keep one of the baddies occupied while Mokon takes a walloping as does he wallop, Fey sneaks around with Alejandro in tow, and Alora tests her underwater battle skills disemboweling the insect from below. Glug puts the final nail in its coffin by testing his new force-powered staff. After successfully taking the insect's poison sack the crew continues on to “points of interest” with Alejandra seemingly leading them forward. 

Soon after, they find a ramshackle cabin owned by a gentle elderly man (known lovingly by the crew as “shit” farmer) who seems legitimately scared to move forward in the northern tunnel -- for no reason whatsoever I’m sure. Glug takes the old man’s kind heart as an offer to pillage from his limited belongings but finds nothing but E-coli. 

Taking limited precautions our party continues on exiting the tunnels into a quaint, beautiful, blue-skied, but odd, town complete with overly interested-in-the-party’s-life townsfolk including past acquaintances such as Gruddy, Cleet, and Gravy. Many questions are asked, most of which are “answered”. Gruddy is adamant that the group tells their story on stage as is the tradition of this fine unnamed town. The group isn’t feeling the request, but Mokon agrees and begins a sermon -- of sorts. It goes great -- just great as Mokon keeps forgetting why he is here. Fey follows Alie’s (we all call Alejandro that now -- fact) lead, as well as an eerily familiar voice, to one particular wall that is not all that it seems. 

The group’s “this-ain’t-right” feeling comes to fruition as the town fade and is replaced by what appears to be an underground mining area. Nom stares back at Fey, through a fading wall, within a closed-cell while the voices of a weak Gruddy and others come from across the room. From behind a bloody alter a polite albeit strange man asks the group to follow suit, releasing Nom and gesturing toward a nearby cell. His request is met with a stern “screw you” and a battle begins. Thin pink threads are soon noticed to be attached to each of the townfolk which are soon exploited -- quickly dispatching each foe. The polite man becomes less polite as he morphs into an amorphous red blob charming all except a now unconscious Alora into a nearby cell.