Valldel Amakiir - 3rd Level Male Elven Rogue
Akadum Ironbeard - 3rd Level Male Dwarf Fighter
Dolin Stoneflare - 3rd Level Male Dwarf Light Cleric
Kethry - 3rd Level Female Human Wizard
5 June 981, Sunday, Continued
Partly cloudy and warm
They meet Xiximanter, who looks like a skeletal snakeman. He is attended by four fungal goblins, all of whom are called Kevin. Kethry can see him glowing with magic. After getting a glimpse, Jon Fairbrain tells them he will wait outside. Tony is terrified and hides within the folds of Valldel's clothes.
Xiximanter tells them how pleased the Priests have sent them to visit him. He hopes they would like to trade. He makes creations, indicating potions, by using essential salts, oils, and other substances. These are used to extract the "essence" from living creatures which is then transformed by other substances and processes to things of use. For example to create a healing elixir ten fungal goblins, one regular human, or maybe the arm of a magical creature would suffice. Are they interested in tradeing? Kethry would do nicely, or perhaps that little creature with the Elf, or maybe the magical thing that is stuck to the Elf. He could take that off, there would be some discomfort, but the magic would be intact for "extraction".
They are a bit taken aback, but say what they are really interested in is knowledge. Perhaps some of his notes on matters of interest. Xiximanter considers that saying his main interest is in life extension. In fact the fungal goblins are based on his work when he noted that mushrooms and other fungi were essentially immortal able to spawn themselves with spores.
Did Xiximanter create the fungal goblins? Yes, here he pats the head of nearest one who cringes at the touch. They are loveable scamps, telling me they are all called Kevin, but with enough of them he can create many things, and they are self perpetuating with a fungal spawning system that is fueled by their own waste. Unfortunately there are some effects that simply cannot be extracted from creatures as simple as fungal goblins. Thus my need for more complex creatures, especially those of a magical nature. Typically he needs a "seed" and out of which a creature or effect of a similar nature can be created. It is all quite complex and his secrets will not be sold cheaply.
Kethry tells him she is an apprentice of Master Pye, and he tells her that he has had dealings with Pye's minions before. Kethry asks if anything can be done with her animated mummy hand. Xiximanter takes the hand, looks it over, and says this is not a self-sustaining entity. It needs to be regularly renewed and nourished else it will fade. Kethry mentions the orange jelly, and he notes that substance was one of his own creations, would work at sustaining the hand. He also mentioning "deadly water" and blood as being effective.
They agree that Xiximanter can have her summoned familar Dr.Hoot. He goes back into another room which they note is full of boxes and barrels and they can hear him rumaging around. He comes back with a yellow potion which has the shadow of a face in it. He says it is a healing potion and says this simple exchange is a gesture of good faith in future commerce. Come back any time. The priests above are happy to support his efforts.
They ask to be shown out, and he directs one of the Kevins to lead them out.
The fungal goblin leads them back through the Basilisk room, and to the bottom of the pit they first came down to this level. He tells them they are terrified of Xiximanter. There is nothing they can do to hurt him, and he regularly harvests them to fuel his magical experiments. Kevin has seen 100's, maybe 1000's, go into Xiximanter's lab and never return. If the party wants to attack Xiximanter, the Fungal Goblins would help in any way they could. Xiximanter thinks the snakemen priests who built this shrine/tomb countless years ago are still active. He flies into a rage if any one contradicts his belief.
They ask when Xiximanter last left the complex. Kevin thinks and says 100 moons ago, i.e. about 7 years. He only goes out when the new moon coincides with a solstice. Kethry and Valdell realizes that is once every 15 years or so.
At the bottom of the pit, Kevin calls up, and disarms a trap. A rope ladder is thrown down, and they climb up to the next level. There is a squad of Fungal Goblins who Kevin leads the party past as "Master Xiximanter" has ordered them to be escorted to the surface. Kevin leads them to the bottom of the pit that leads up to the top level. Again he disarms the trap and tells them there is nothing on that upper level and they can be safely out.
On the first level they find their donkey waiting for them, and they make their way out. It is growing dark and they decide to make their way to the Spinewith Mansion. On the way they conclude that Xiximanter, likely a Lich, and the Fungal Goblins are not much of a threat. With the Fungal Goblin spawning chamber burned out there is not an infinite army of Kevins, and Xiximanter will be preoccupied with his studies. They will tell Zelda such and suggest she get some sort of militia to defend Drigbolton and patrol the nearby roads. The small number of Fungal Goblins remaining is not much of a threat.
They get to Spinewith Mansion a few hours after sunset and are greeted by the gablin Iux, who tells them the Miss Spinewith is at her telscope, she and Godfred will prepare them a cold meal, and take them up to speak with the Miss. Dolin throws some cures on Valdell and Akadum.
After eating they find Zelda at the telescope. They tell her the threat to Drigbolton by the Clooneys/Fungal Goblins has been neutralized. Their spawning has been stopped and their are only 10 or so left. Xiximanter is absorbed with his creations, and is very reclusive. They do give her the magic items they gathered (healing potion, kris, snake statue, purple mushrooms), and she will work to identify them. She will also make sure Drigbolton is patrolled and defended in the future. They ask her not to bargain with Xiximanter. She says the problems brought on by stuff falling from the sky are much more pressing, and, as they note, Xiximanter can wait.
They would like to turn their attention to the Barrowmaze and travel to Helix. Zelda agrees with their assessment and tells them that Muzzahs the Magnificent is an ally in Helix. He can help them get to the Barrowmaze as he supported her father's expeditions. Most never returned, the one that claimed they had successfully explored the maze produced the fake Tablets of Chaos, and likely never went to the Barrowmaze.
Dolin gathers the golden bowls they found in the Clooney Caves and brings them down to the temporary Temple in Drigbolton and casts Augery appealing to Apollo to offer guidance on an exploration of the Barrowmaze. At first it is good, but then it turns bad. Dolin interprets this as initial success followed by bad things.
Kethry casts Find Familiar to call a new one to replace Dr. Hoot, but, while she thinks the spell went right, a new familiar does not appear.
6 June 981, Monday
Warm and Partly Cloudy
In the morning they are awoken early by the village headman Unwick. He is babbling that the old knight Sir Thomish is dead and his wife Branwenna is claiming they are the famous folk singers Myra and Teper Overstay. They are wanted for treason by the Moran Empire. They were highly satirical bards who still have a broad fan-base among the Empire's youth. Valdell heard their songs still being sung when he was at school. Myra and Teper were songwriters and singers. Their third partner Apul Strayer was captured by the Imperial Police and was reported to have died while attempting to escape custody when he tripped down a flight of stairs, fell out of a window, and impaled himself 69 times on a sword. Tragic. They, as Teper, Apul, and Myra had some big hits, If I Had a Mattock, Fupp the Magic Dragon, Blowin' in the Breeze, Tell It On the Massiff, The Times They Are A Mutating, Leaving On A Fast Stage, but got in trouble with the Moran Imperium for their anti-war anthem Where Have All the Blossoms Gone? This was 20 or so years ago when Emperor Devit was fighting his wars of re-unification. It was rumored they and their friend and song writing partner, they covered many of his songs, Tar Mermen, had fled to the empty, mountainous interior of the Tasprian Penninsula.
They decide to go into the village. Akadum wants to visit the Green Sphere, Zelda wants to talk with Branwenna/Myra, and Kethry wants to talk with Griya to perhaps get some information on the Barrowmoor, as after all Griya is a Bog Witch. Kethry will meet them later as she is spending a day copying a spell she got from Griya, Chameleon, into her spell book.
On the way in they notice the talking animals circulating among the villagers. One of the farmers tells them the villagers have been feeding the animals and in return the animals help to fertilize the fields and help the villagers hunt non-talking animals.
They meet the grieving widow Myra at the King Deer over breakfast. Akadum notes the Bill of Fare now includes lots of game. Branwenna/Myra wants to remain hidden, but thinks something should be done to let their fans know of Teper's death. Zelda points out how awkward this is. How do they let folks know about Teper's death without drawing unwanted Imperial attention to Drigbolton? Talking it out they decide to plant the story that he was in Leechfeld, large town with the White College, and Myra will head west to join Tar Mermen who is hiding out in the mountains to the west and north of Helix. Zelda will handle it using her connections in Leechfeld, as the party is interested in heading to Helix.
They journey to the Shrine of Demeter and see the lush, but not out of control growth apparently facilitated by the Green Sphere. All seems OK there. They head back towards Spinewith manor.
In Drigbolton they find Kethry. She has successfully copied her spell and she and Akadum go to see Griya. Griya is in her hut and seems to be packing with Ponsafine, her apprentice. They tell her they are planning to investigate the Barrowmaze. She tells them that the Barrowmaze is about five miles due south of Helix; it not that hard to find as it is high ground amid the swamp. There are other things in the swamp including the little village of Bogton, there is turn off to the south on the road to Helix, a Frogmen nest south of the Barrowmaze, a tribe of Spiked Goblins even further south, and at the southern end of the Barrowmoor is the village of Woodfall, which she tells them is a center of resistance to the Morans. On their query she tells them that also in the Barrowmoor is the home of the Bog Witches. She and her apprentice are headed there. She admits that she and her sisters cannot compete with Zelda here in Drigbolton.
She tells them in Helix to simply ask after the Bog Witches. Friends will find them. She warns them north of Helix is the Thornwild Forest. Those even more loyal to the Old Ways and The Elder Gods, a group known as the Cult of the Stag, are active there. They are very dangerous.
Plan is to get going tomorrow. Zelda will make sure their items made out of star metal get sent on to them in Helix, and she will work hard over night to ID the magic items they found in the Clooney Caves.
