S68: Far Below

A battle rages between the Saviors of Grimshackle and an unnamed insectoid foe. The group does not know why they were attacked or why there are sounds of infants crying in the bowels of this cavernous lair, they only feel this evil must stop. Blow after blow Krom and Mokon carve into their enemy. Thick dark green liquid spurts from its wounds. A short distance away Dorus tends to Sweets who is lying on the floor unconscious. It is only a bump to the head. With words of power he heals her wounds and puts himself between the small gnome and danger. Alora blasts the insect with five magic missiles (of very specific colors) sending the creature into a rage. Nom turns invisible and strategically flies behind their foe. Sensing its eminent demise, wings sprout from under the monster's dark cloak allowing it to hover just overhead. A purple magical orb flies toward Krom racking her brain in pain and strange insectoid images. Mokon returns the favor with a radiant response sending a similar orb back at the creature blasting it against the wall. It falls to the ground in defeat. 

A disembodied voice screams. “Do not kill me. If you do, the children will all die.”

Krom’s mouth turns upward in a smirk. She thrusts forward. Black and green ooze pulses waves of small insects from a deep open wound in the sternum of their foe as Krom removes her sword. A grotesque lifeless husk lies still.

A baby cries in the distance. 

Alora begins to question Sweets. “I don’t remember how I got here or where here is. I was playing with Kutea and now I’m here. I’m OK, but I need to find her! She is somewhere here I know it.” Sweets runs off into the cave. Alora follows. Nom, sensing great value begins to consume the colorful glowing crystals that are small enough to ingest. Dorus and Krom help Nom by breaking a few of the larger crystals into bite size chunks.

Alora stops, hearing another infant cry from deep within the main cavern of the cave. She must find out why. Mokon agrees to help tying off a rope to descend into the cavern. Dorus and Krom head for the town, splitting the party once more. Nom feeds.

Alora makes her way downward until she is face to face with a group of small watermelon sized cocoons. She watches it move and writhe. A muffled noise comes from within. She tears the cocoon slightly. Purple bile pours from the hole. Inside, Alora sees a small face of a human baby -- a very small human baby. She frantically opens the cocoon further revealing a premature baby complete with insectoid mandibles, a thorax, and four long thin legs. The creature bites in Alora’s direction. What is this? Alora is unsure if it is more human or insect. Mokon lowers himself to Alora. Alora is torn on how to proceed. How many of these creatures are there? She pans the cavern to see hundreds of small cocoons littering the walls. Alora refocuses. She must find and protect sweets. She hands the abomination to Mokon and ascends the rope. Mokon looks at it with disgust. And with a gentle squeeze pops the creature like a ripe tomato. One down.

Alora follows the sound of Sweets. “Kutea… where are you? Kuteaaaaa.” As she walks along a narrow path she notices the spore filled air and specifically the concentration of spores around the colorful red mushrooms in the cavern. Since the group entered the cavern they had noticed a mild but strange dizzy feeling. Could this be the spores in the air? She shouts her thoughts to the group as she moves closer to Kutea. Mokon looks around. Makes a judgment about the cocoons and the creatures within. Looks around again… then begins. Thirty three popped cocoons later he takes to reassess his choice. He likes it… and continues.

The tunnel to the cave was long and winding. Krom and Dorus reach its end, ascend the ladder and enter Pilliwinks once more. They hear low thumps and moans coming from the buildings where the entranced villagers once stood. Krom opens a door with caution. The villagers that were once standing and gentry wobbling in place were now on the ground. Dorus notices the villagers are not hurt, but deeply malnourished. Dorus, thinking on his feet, magically drenches Krom. The villagers begin to suckle on various parts of Krom and his clothing. Krom instinctively begins to shake (as cats do when they get wet). The gaunt villagers are drenched with blood, sweat, and water. Krom then remembers a certain gift she was given by the merchant and practical joker, Robin. She finds a trough and drags it to a group of villagers. She then wrangles a small box from her pack, whispers a few words, and opens it. Water blasts from the box filling the trough with fresh water. The villagers eagerly drink. Dorus and Krom look around. A lone cow grazes in the distance. Steak is on the menu tonight. Dorus reignites a large fire in the middle of town and begins to roast. The villagers drool in anticipation. 

Meanwhile, Alora catches up with Sweets. She has found Kutea who is trapped in a large cage. And beside the cage the self-proclaimed elder of the town Syrus lays dead. His throat torn open -- Kutea has clearly had a meal recently herself. Alora bashes the lock with the hilt of her sword releasing Kutea and reuniting Sweets and her dragon once more.

Nom continues to feast on delicious blue crystals. Mokon continues to play “Pop Goes the Cocoon”. Alora notices natural light intruding into the dank cave. Upon closer inspection she sees an entrance to a cave and a strange totem. She asks Mokon to change primary quests and help her move some rocks. Mokon sighs, stomps one more egg sack, and approaches the boulders blocking the path. With ease, he creates a route of egress. 

Alora yells to Nom letting her know they are leaving. Nom is still eating, certain Krom and Dorus will return. Mokon and Alora exit the cave. They notice a pillar of smoke in the distance toward town. They follow the smoke where they find Krom and Dorus tending to some very thin townsfolk.

The group (minus Nom) begin to question the villagers about the happenings that had led to this sorry state. An elderly man stands, almost falling under his own weight. “I am the village elder Jerrod.” The group is confused as they had met the village elder earlier… the man Syrus. “He is nothing more than a thief and liar. It makes sense he would try to align himself with the winning side.” The elder continues on (and villagers concur) that they have no memory of what took place. Alora, Dorus, and Krom explain the situation with the unborn children and their cocooned state. The villagers have no memory of this either. Merine, a young woman who Alora had met earlier speaks up. “They took some of our pregnant women. They would go in with child and come back in that semi-unconscious state. After a while they began to start taking non-child bearing women randomly for short periods of time -- I know not why.”

Jerrod speaks up with concern. “I do not understand where all their crops have gone and why there are none in their storage building. I am also very concerned about how we will survive the winter with no food, no livestock, and in such a weak state.” Krom has an idea of a great pre-packaged food source. And Dorus has ideas of his own. Alora does not agree believing these creatures may be worth saving. The rest of the party considers the creatures abominations and nothing more. 

Dorus and Krom make their way back to the cavern -- the villagers can decide their next move. 

Krom and Dorus retrieve three cocoons recruiting Nom in the process. Upon return Krom presents his cocoon to the village. With flair, Krom rips the fibers apart. He plunges his hand into the sac producing a large ant-like creature with human eyes. Sighs, gasps, and a few muffled screams break the silence. The creature snaps at Krom who is too busy being showboating to notice.

Krom tosses the creature onto the bonfire. It screams only for a few seconds. The sweet smell of roasting lobster with a hint of grilled chicken waft over the crowd. Everyone watches the sweet meat cook with anticipation. Krom reaches in pulling off a single succulent leg. Mokon, worried for Krom’s health, stealthily and magically removes any toxins the creature may hold. Krom bites into the leg. IT IS DELICIOUS. Maybe one of the most delicious meats he has ever eaten. 

Jerrod speaks. “We will have a town meeting to decide where to go from here. You have done more than enough for our small village. We are in your debt. Thank you for all you’ve done. To the Saviors of Pilliwinks!”

There is little more the group could do for this small town. They also have a whole world to save. Sweets looks toward Alora, “I should probably go back to my home to let Redd, Smalls, and the rest know Kutea and I are alright.” Dorus and Alora then explain that they would really like her to meet their friend Milbin. Alora also lets Sweets know she can send a quick message to Redd to let him know she is OK. “Well, I have never ridden in a big balloon like this before. OK! Let’s go!” The SOP heads back to their balloon.  With a little help from Dorus. Sweets and Kutea are boosted into the basket of the gas balloon for their trek to Milbin’s.

Flying high over Grimshackle Sweets quickly falls asleep with the help of Mokon. After a bit of time they notice Sweet’s body rise just slightly off the floor of the gondola. Her eyes begin to flutter back and forth under her eyelids. A light purple glow begins to emanate from her body. A few moments later it stops.

As cool night air blows past the gas balloon, the group begins to discuss the who's who in Adeline Gummnibler fragments. There is still much disagreement in who should be trusted. Some lean toward Jebediah Crumm as evil, others believe it to be Malaak. During the discussion Nom grows bored. As she watches venom drop from her tail she begins to smell the sweet scent of gold. Realizing she is close to the dragon's roost she slips away flying eagerly toward her next meal. The group does not notice her exit.

Nom lands once more just outside the cave entrance. The medium sized red dragon once again emerges. It looks left then right, then lets out a blood curdling roar. After a few seconds it repeats. Nom, currently in rat form, begins to notice a pattern. Is that a flicker? She is undeterred, sneaks past the scaled beast and enters the cave. The sweet smell of gold is coming from a path to the right. A path the group had not explored on their last visit to this cave when Huther was its owner. Nom notices the foot of a small person, perhaps a dwarf, behind a large boulder. Turning into a small spider she climbs the wall to a better vantage point. A small dwarf lay dead. He too has something delicious, but it is “dwarfed” by a much stronger smell. As Nom’s spider eyes rise she sees mounds and mounds and mounds of delicious gold coins. She stares in disbelief only for a second before scurrying to its center. 

Nom reverts back to her impish form and begins to eat. Coin after coin after coin. She never seems to fill, she only knows hunger. As Nom gorges herself on treasure she feels searing heat on her back. She spins to see an obese red devil flop into the pile of gold behind her. Two small horns jut out from its rotund head. Four chins waddle as it laughs. Slick golden oil drips from its pores as a large tongue licks seductively at its chapped lips. “Nom, you have done well for me. Eat. Eeeeeaaaaattttttt. Yessssss.” Nom continues to eat as she carefully watches Mammon as he stares directly back at her. He watches Nom’s every move.