Warehouse 49 - The Captured

The Myste-Hass Calender

22/12/2022

The swarms of goblins and orcs have spilled out throughout the lands, as far as the quarry, the abandoned town and near Grenhome.

Lahoto has increased his vigilance, he hires the very capable team of mercenaries to help. The leader of the mercenaries, Margo, chooses twenty of her best. Three healers and potions were distributed throughout the group. Garton is forced to go - a friendly face for the prisoners.

Some of the group dream about a tree telling jokes, making a crowd of people laughing. The other five that were sat around the tree disappear in the night. Those that see this vision are compelled to find this tree.

Urug saw the missing five head east, deeper into the forest. But, he lies and says they went south.

The goblin, Isnix, runs off. Eventually, he has to be held and hog tied to control him.

The group set off south, towards the mountains. Lahoto has informed the group that the ship crashed in this direction, and the debris from the wreckage is this way.

There are mine entrances in the valley to the west, where orcs and goblins come from.

The group continues south, along the shortest route. Scouts are sent ahead, but only some return. One was lost to a bat creature without a head. Another one was lost to a pair of white arms, very similar to the ones that took someone in the night when the group was sleeping in the woods. However, they did see the prow of the ship and a sail. A piece of wood says Pride on it. They also saw a mine entrance. There is a trail of coins.

Grezell, one of the priests, has gone missing in the night.

Whilst moving through trees, vines reach out and grab some of the guys. The groups attack. Then two translucent arms reach from a cave and take another body. The fighting went silent as the Silent Stalkers take the dead.

The tunnel the group enter is perfectly circular, and not natural. It has no signs of working.

Isnix scouts ahead, whilst Margo informs the group that Uzdreg and Castiel must be retrieved. Lazarus and Borog are also of importance.

Isnix finds a more natural chamber with the remnants of a campfire. Then, accidentally falls into a pit trap. The roof then resets. With a little engineering, the party save their surviving comrades and Cinderlin also retrieves the corpses. Then Cinderlin falls himself, and Garton is forced to go down and assist.

Derek is killed. Simon requires some severe work. Margo sends Simon back with the other priest of Bin.

Meanwhile, deep below, Lazarus, Uzdreg, Borog and Castiel suffer from severe exhaustion after being bombarded by physic pain, questioning from Sibris and lack of sleep. During their stay, they have been guided along a long, open corridor, doors along both sides, and then through a cylindrical tunnel, sloping upwards into another long room. The walls inset with small Chambers with glass doors, curious different people and creatures standing behind them. Their faces etched in pain, but seemingly blank eyes, lumps bulging from their necks, with elongated lumps going down their arms.

During their time in the library area.

Lazarus has his mouth sealed shut, his body tortured, and peeled back.

Borog had his eye balls removed from their sockets, his mouth sealed.

Uzdreg and Castiel sees there chest burst open and their ribs cracked open.

Harmony is in the library, performing whilst Usdilt tries to emulate. She is aware of others screaming out in other rooms. The illithid, one of the nine, is performing very well today.

Back above, the group reaches a dim purple-lit corridor. Its been getting deeper and deeper for a long length of time. There are a couple of large figures standing ahead. Isnix scouts ahead, noting that they are ogres. One is looking over a pit, the other into a small room. Neither are looking the way the group is approaching.

Isnix dashes forward, catching a glimpse into the small acorn-shaped room, its walls marked with geometric shapes.

Garton starts crying out, claiming he can hear words in his head. He moves away, then stuffs his ears with handkerchiefs.

Worried their presence is now known, the group sneak up as far as they can and then attack. They take the ogres out quickly, but they call for assistance. An enormous, disembodied brain rises from the pit. It has a beak on its front and tentacles hanging below. It grasps at adventurers, restraining them. Then, when killed, slips into the hole.

Reinforcements come, those incarcerated hear movement outside, people moving along on mass.

Everyone hears, in their heads, "Now the games begin - get them!"

When Cinderlin casts spirit guardians, the tiny creatures that arise are very similar to the Silent Stalkers.

Isnix dashes up the corridor to a very large chamber. There are shelves lined with alchemical items and other objects. Magical circles highlight huge areas of the ground. In the centre of the room, there is a pedestal with a half orb in it.

Meanwhile, Harmony leaps up and steals a finely-crafted flute from the wall. It tingles with magical energy.Usdilt begins floating down a long corridor. She packs her back, then sneaks after the creature along the 200ft corridor, carrying the magical flue and illithids lute.

Uzdreg and his escaped fellows, find a room that is decorated with nine alcoves, with matching geometric shapes. There is a dais with a half circle in the centre. Castiel shepherds them right.

Another voice is heard within the heads of everyone in the complex. "Now to send the real threat in."

Harmony meets with Uzdreg and co.

After the orcs, brains and goblins are killed, they call out for Uzdreg and Castiel.

"They're coming" is heard in everyone's minds.

The mercenary band sees a figure gliding down the corridor.

19/01/2023

Harmony is moving faster than her exhausted companions, scouting a room ahead. She can hear voices up ahead, but it's a struggle to determine which way it's coming from.

Elsewhere, Margo's crew try to work out where to go. Isnix scouts ahead, and hears a mind flayer in his head. They end up talking about the tree, and the people. Then the creature comes into view, wearing a white robe with a silver-lined hood.

Meanwhile, Feynar sees orbs off in the distance.

Usdilt casts a spell that incapacitates most of the group, but Harmony spots him from behind and insults him. Margot does a bunch of damage to him, and the creature disappears via some magical means.

More illithids close in, whilst a giant brain reduces Feynar's intelligence to nothing and tries to suck his brain. The brain enters Feynar, and Feynar then begins attacking his allies.

Cranium rats appear, chasing after Borog and Castiel. But, Borog's wild magic goes off, allowing him to misty step away.

One of the illithids enters Garton's mind, suppressing his consciousness.

Feynar takes Borog down, but Harmony heals him before the rats can arrive. Cinderlin comes back around and heals everyone a little more, whilst Lazarus and Uzdreg desperately try to cast aside the swarming rats.

The two illithids use their mental abilities, outright killing Garton and Borog.

Atagal and Margot fight one of the mind flayers, as the other try to back around, chased by more cranium rats and the brain that has crawled out of Feynar.

After taking a fair chunk of damage, the illithid in front of Atagall and Margot teleports away.

Atagall's intelligence is reduced to nothing, and he flies into a frenzy, killing the brain before him. He then races in killing rats, but he doesn't know friend from foe.

Meanwhile, the rats take down Castiel and Urug. Uzdreg is swarmed. Through strained ingenuity, the group manages to get health potions into Castiel's mouth and wake him. Urug does not make it.

The mind flayer removes Atagall's mind.

A rogue arrow from Cinderlin hits Castiel taking him down again. Cinderlin casts spare the dying on Castiel and the group runs.

The group are not pursued, but they hear - "Next time, play harder. That was a test. I know who you are and I know where to find you. See you soon."

The party heads back through the forest. The orcs are closer on the way back. The group returns to Urruhan, where Lahoto gives the group eighteen thousand for their successes.