Episode 2: Arbeit Macht Frei

[SOUNDTRACK: FFVII Trail of Blood] https://soundcloud.com/final-fantasy-7-ost/36-trail-of-blood

How long you've been unconscious is hard to tell, but as you think back you catch fleeting memories of the sound of rushing water coming and going, flashes of light from fluorescent mushrooms, bumping on the back of a large beast with rough scaly lizard skin against your body, but mostly moving ever downwards into darkness, and... owww... what a headache you have. Best not to try too hard to remember things now.

You open your eyes slowly to see darkness. You are naked and lying on a cold stone floor. Your ankles and wrists are sore, and weighed down by heavy metal shackles. Sitting up you see you are not alone. Sharing your cell are people that look like they may have come from the same town where you were attacked, and others as well. Both men and women share the cell, peoples of various races chained together by metal collars in groups of four, all left with bare skin completely exposed to the cold dampness. The cell reeks of untreated waste, the sour sweatiness of unwashed bodies and fear. You are connected to your companion, as well as a male orc and female dwarf. The orc lies unconscious with bruises on his face and whip lashes across his torso. The dwarf sits silently sobbing with her knees pulled close to her chest.

Aranala stares Vaxraff in her face.

“We all know interspecies romance is weird.”

At first confusion and a sickening sense starting to form in her belly as the stories told to her by her grandparents start to creep in.. Vax looks directly at Aranala and takes in his message. The sickening feeling disappears as she lets out a loud but short laugh.

"Inappropriate but timely... "

Vax feeling a bit better further looks around the room itself to see what entries/exits there are, light sources, as she tries to stand.

"I would like to say we have been in worse situations..."

As a native to the Underdark, your darkvision kicks in. There’s no apparent light sources in the cell, but not far from you is the barred entrance. The barred gate is embedded in the rough stone of a natural opening, and appears to be engraved with obscene runes. You stand, a little wobbly, but you seem to have recovered from the sword wound you took in the town.

Vax turns back to Aran saying

"There is a door, but it's magical, in a very bad way" ....

She begins to inspect the bindings binding them all together while she continues,

"I can see fine... How about you, birdie?"

(Purposely accenting the term "Birdy".. to indicate no real names yet...)

The bindings are made of some kind of metal. As an artificer you would say iron or iron alloy? Both the chains and the bindings themselves look unmagical and, while too much for your strength, poorly enough made that with a stronger person or with enough leverage perhaps they could be bent or even broken.

Aranala blinks in the darkness, and sits still, continuing to face Vaxraff's voice. He uses her words, repeating parts of her sentences in the exact same tone and volume in her voice instead of his usual whimsical speech.

"How about..birdy? See...very bad. Very bad way."

The dwarf beside you Aranala, shudders at your voice, and shuffles, still legs tucked to her chest, a little further into the wall.

In a very instinctual and habitual manner, Aranala uses mimicry to play back a record of the dwarf's sobbing. It's clarity is accurate enough to replay the dwarf and all of the sounds that make up the background...rustling of chains, ramblings and whispers of the other captives, and the atmospheric winds...playing on a 10 second loop. He imits this midi loop a few times, his dark pools for eyes staring ahead into darkness.

He attempts to feel around, whatever is nearby he grabs.

She kicks at your hand and gaining some courage says, “Stay away you. What are you?”

Aranala uses his usual way of talk learned from his first human bond, raised in the alley and sewers alongside a homeless man who went by the name Tim Button.

"I think we are all somewhat screwy, every... Single... One of us..."

He backs off the dwarf, sensing her vitality. And attempts to grab around in another direction.

" that's so weird. We don't talk about that."

Vax watches the exchange with some bemusement recalling her own first encounter with Aran. She faces the dwarf directly directing her voice at her.

"Sorry deary, being kenku it's his way of trying to communicate. Otherwise he is pretty harmless. How is your sight in here? Can you see?"

Vax looks around to see if she can identify anyone else that may also have dark vision.

There are other monstrous humanoids in here that should be able to see in the dark, including the orc also chained to you but still not awake.

“I can see fine. I’m just not sure what I’m seeing. Who are you? I guess you got caught too…”

Vax motions to herself,

"I'm ... Lilly."

She then motions to Aran.

" He's Birdy. A nice birdy to his friends. Not so nice to not-friends."

Biting her lower lip she looks around the cell again and down at the orc.

"It seems we were all caught. What's his story, do you know?"

Aranala continues rambling apparently nonsensical things to anyone who doesn't understand a kenku's way to communicate.

" they sit and stare and stare and sit, until they're hypnotized by it. Oh yes, we know it keeps them still. They don't climb out the window sill... But did you ever stop to think, to wonder just exactly what..."

he keeps searching, feeling out for the supposeddly slumbering orc...

" we'll answer this by asking you, what did the darling ones used to do?"

He turns to face the dwarf pointedly during the last sentence.

Vax turns her head back to Aran, tilting her head and smiles amiably while considering where he heard those lines from.

She shudders and says

“I’m just glad that monster is finally asleep. The drow must have chained us together for sport. He hates dwarves and doesn’t stop hurting me whenever they’re not looking. I’m Eldreth…. Eldreth Feldrun. Did they get you here in the darkness too?”

Vax frowns deeply at the orc... She thinks to herself.. a liability... And then back to the dwarf pensively.. * ..or this one too.*

Aranala hears this about 'that monster' and gathers any chains nearby...

"And treasure aisles, and Distant Shores where Smugglers rode with muffled oars."

...still seeking the lying orc figure in the dark...

She looks to Vax,

“… I’m sorry… I know this is a little sudden but time may be short and there’s no way to tell who I can trust. Please listen carefully. There’s something important… If … If I don’t make it out of here I need you to promise me something… My father needs to know… what we found…”

COMMERCIAL BREAK

“My father is Bruenor Battlehamer of Gauntlgrym. Rumors from the Underdark about something stirring in the darkness had reached us. I accompanied Sir Hammerstone in a party to investigate and find some truth to the rumors. Many days passed of us traveling into darkness. And then we found it… Gibbering insanity… Chaotic demons… Multiple portals connecting the Abyss to this realm… I was the only survivor… … … The world must know if there’s to be any hope of stopping it…”

Vax frowns deeply again thinking back on her past in the Underdark. [Religion roll to learn something about this: 15 (12+3)]

{You know that the Abyss is the home plane of the demons, chaotic fiends that seek only to uncreate the created order. You also know that the drow worship a spider-demon goddess they call Llolth. Her talk of portals and so on… this is news to you.}

Vax's mind shudders at the thought of the demon spider goddess of the drow...so many of her own people disappear frequently in the Underdark. To think that it may be related to Llolth and now demon portals also. She turns away from the dwarf, doing her best to suppress a shudder of fear that races down her spine into the pit of her stomach.

Taking a deep breath Vax rallies her courage, turning back to the dwarf she takes a defiant pose.

"I have escaped the underdark once before, and I aim to do it again. If you have decided to die we will deliver your message, but maybe it's best if you do it yourself."

She waves her hand in the air whispering "hand arcanus" casting a mage hand and balling it up into a fist.

Before the mage hand can form, the runes on the gate flash and your magic fizzles. The orc groans, stretches, scratches and then stands up. He turns to pee on the wall but the angle ensures some splashes on Eldreth, who takes it quietly.

"That's right quiet little log. I pass bigger loaves than you when I fart... what do we have here... new friends..."

He turns to face you, the stream of filth now spraying directly across her and onto Aran's feet.

As soon as the spell Fizzles and the gate flashes he lunges at the orc and aims his beak for the orc’s eye. [Roll with disadvantage 16/19+1 = 17: hit for 1 damage]

INITIATIVE ORDER
Vax 16
Ront 12
Aran 11
Eldreth 8

Vax being only 3 feet tall circles to the orcs side jabbing at his softies, but doesn’t connect.

Ront also swings with disadvantage missing Aran wide and roaring, "I'll make you into a pie!"

Aran strikes for his eye again but misses.

Eldreth punches and connects in the kidney. Ront spits, "that all you got runt!" A light appears outside the cell and starts moving closer.

Vax quickly spits out "a guard. If they come in here we kill it" and jabs at the other kidney. [HIT for 1]

He gnashes his teeth and kicks at you. (8/19) 8. A miss.

Aran attempts to knock him prone using Vax to trip him up but fails.

The footsteps draw closer and light fills the cage from three floating glowing orbs. Eldreth recoils in fear and goes against the wall. The hairy face of a giant blue ape-like creature appears at the door, accompanied by Shoor Vandree walking further back with a fourth glowing orb floating over his shoulder. "Get me some useful flesh this time, dimwit!" A key squeals in the lock, the door thunks open and the quaggoth steps into the entrance.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

The quaggoth grabs the chain near the neck of Ront and pulls the four of you out of the cell. Shoor Vandree sees you and remembers and says, "You there. Finally awake I see. Welcome to Velkynvelve. Let's put that well rested body to work shall we. Here, work will make you free."

Outside the cell you can see now you are on a roughly hewn stone ridge at the top of a bottomless dark pit. The ledge you are on has two other caves besides the one you came from and is linked by bridges to doors into stalagmites in the ceiling of the cave and another nearby ledge. The other ledge has a pool of water fed by a waterfall and a crude crane-like elevator with a platform suspended by ropes leading below. Also around the ceiling of the cave you can see many webs with ominously large forms crawling through them. Shoor leads the way and the quaggoth follows, pulling the chain. Ront and Eldreth allow themselves to be led.

Once outside, you are led past the waterfall. With the noise and some bodies as cover, Shoor and the quaggoth fail to notice Vax casting a spell.

Vax lifts her hand to her face while whispering the incantation for mage hand "hand archanist". The mage hand materializes as a golem's hand. It appears as if it would be made of white stone with gold filigree, gems encrust each knuckle and inset in the palm is a large faintly pulsing Ruby. As the hand moves the pulsing increases with its speed. Once it forms she moves it into the cell as she watches the runes on the gate.

As it passes between the runes they flash and the hand disappears.

In the better light you can see Eldreth and Ront. This is how you imagine they would look if you met under better circumstances.

Vax watches the back of Aran, his head going back and forth scanning the ledge they are walking upon. As she watches Aran her brow creases as she tilts her head slightly, causing her bangs to shift obscuring one eye. She takes hold of the chain connecting them together ana pulls lightly, twice, to try to get his attention, but as she does one of her eye brow shoots up, her sing unobscured eye gleaming with curiosity on what mischief he has in mind.

Aranala, instead, brought out of his eagerness to set the score straight with the orc, keeps an eye out for any recognizeable resources that they can hold, and thinks of what kind of activity this place produces, and any potential ways of getting or sending messages to any individuals or organizations that could help. His dark-feathered head keeps tilting as he strains his senses. But his pace normalizes to follow the chain lead at a calmer pace, rough talons hardened from normal wear and tear of the outdoors and slum life carrying him along.

The quaggoth drags you to a central platform a little wider than the rest of the base. Waiting for you there is a tall proud woman dressed in jet black armor and holding a grotesque spider emblem in one hand and a whip with three tentacles that seem to move on their own in the other. She grins wickedly at Shoor.

"If you've failed me again, you'll taste my whip. Like you did last night. I'm starting to think you fail on purpose."

She cackles, winks and kisses the air at him (Shoor grimaces and nods his head in submission mouthing "milady") and then turns to the quaggoth. Looking at Eldreth, still dripping with Ront's piss, she says,

"Put them to work. I think latrine duty is in order."

The quaggoth starts to pull you towards a nearby cave, through the grate of which you can see several bunks, some occupied by what must be lower ranking grunts.

Vax watches the exchange, noting Shoor's aquiesence. Though the mention of latrine duty sound unpleasant, it can't be bad as cleaning up the pig pens on the farm she worked at during her first excursion to the surface... hopefully. As she is pulled along by the quaggoth, she tilts her head, looking sidelong at Shoor, she tries to put on some brovado as she wonders outloud in undercommon.. loud enough for shoor but not so much for the lady

"Whatever could poor shoor have done to earn the fine ladie's ire?"

She's already gone onto do something else and he also turns to leave you in the hands of the quaggoth. He smiles and stares into the distance for a moment brushing away his hair so you can see the deep bite marks in his ear, neck and the side of his face and says in a low, startstruck voice, "I'm her favorite toy..." before walking away to take care of some other duty.

The quaggoth pulls you into the barracks and then stands at the door and points under the bunks and says "BEDPANS ... DONT SPILL"

Vax shudders at the thought before turning her attention to the barracks. She looks at location of the bedpans then around the room for any other runes, tools, occupants while asking "and where do you want them?"

The quaggoth points to a large wheel barrow that he pulls into the room from standing on the wall outside the door. Ront starts to lead the way towards the bunks. It seems like he’s done this before, and he’s not so tough now as he was when there were no drow around.

The drow in the barracks ignore your arrival. Some resting in meditation, one polishing boots, another doing pushups.

Aranala shifts his clawed hands and taloned feet...the shackles were a nuisance and uncomfortable to walk in. He peers about the room, as he follow suit with the rest of the gang in their forced labor, keeping his eyes peeled for anything he can swipe.

This being a location they allow the slaves to maintain, there are no large obvious weapons laying around. Can you roll investigation for me?

Aranala 11: Aranala... as you reach for a bedpan, you catch sigth of a black cloth bag slightly sticking out from between the frame and the mattress of the bed you are servicing. The drow on the bed is in a meditative sleep. If you want to try to grab it roll sleight of hand.

At the risk of being caught, Aranala simultaneously slides the bag out with one hand as he lifts the bedpan, attempting to conceal it underneath with his hand covering the bottom.

Fortunately, the drow is deep in their meditation and doesn't notice.

Vax 24: Vax, near the bedpost of the bedpan you reach for there is a broken metal bar about 7 inches long with a pointy end.

Vax will attempt to take the shiv along with the bedpan. Don't suppose it is small enough to fit inside the pan?

It will fit inside the pan if you want to hide it in the nightsoil

That's a very kind way to saying dark elf poo.

So you put the shiv in the bedpan. the four of you now head back to where the quaggoth is waiting with the wheelbarrow... this is your third trip through the barracks collecting the waste, and there's already quite a lot in the barrow. This being the last "dump" it's going to be time to take the wheel barrow to "unload"... roll perception.

Aranala 7, Vax 15

Aranala you don't notice whether Eldreth or Ront got any contraband, but Vax thinks there's Ront is moving kind of stiffly... there's a good chance he might have something. Next up to the wheel barrow is Aranala. How do you try to hide the cloth bag before or as you dump the bedpan in the wheelbarrow?

As Aranala approaches the wheelbarrow to pour the bedpan contents in, he makes a face that resembles a rubber chicken saying "Do you know...what...is made of?" He puts the bedpan up to the quaggoth's face to obscure its view as he quickly moves the black pouch into his armpit with one hand. Deception: 24

The quaggoth doesn’t flinch, but he does blink. He doesn’t react as you turn away to make room for Vax to approach the wheelbarrow.

Aranala: "there is something about very cold weather that gives one an enormous appetite."

Thinking now or never, that it might be crucial for his next move... as he walks back, the pouch comes into his hands. He spares a final glance back to see if Vaxraff is walking up to the wheelbarrel, and then looks inside the pouch.

It's a small pouch of cosmetic supplies including a small pair of tweezers, a small nail file, narrow bladed scissors, hair pins... it's not an officially branded theives' toolkit, but it should do the trick. Add Thieves' Tools to your equipment Aranala... and put that away again quickly before someone notices!

Yes! Oh yeah, I quickly close it and put that pouch back under my armpit.

Hmm... 3ft gnome trying to palm/hide something almost 1/3 her size. She dumps the pan in the wheel barrow with the shiv inside.

Okay, so squelch... in goes the last load. "NOW YOU PUSH" Since you were the last to put it in, the quaggoth wants Vax to push the cart sized for an elf. He seems to take cruel enjoyment of watching the undersized gnome struggle with the wheelbarrow and will block any attempts to help from Aranala. He points out of the barracks door and to the right.

Nearby drow laugh cruelly as you pass. The quaggoth directs you towards the waterfall. There's a narrow passage behind that leads to a large heap of filth and two shovels.

"DUMP IT ON THE PILE AND THEN SHOVEL INTO WATER"

Vax hesitates at the pile and looks at the quaggoth. She tilts her head to the side and asks with a glint "are you sure? Dump the poo on the pile and shovels into the water?"

As you stand near the heap and ask your question... the heap starts to move. Two long giant insects with many legs and sharp pincers come out. The quaggoth seems amused. Roll initiative.

INITIATIVE ORDER: Eldreth Aranala Vax Centipedes Ront

Eldreth grabs one of the shovels and gives a swing, but it goes wide.

Aranala groans in detest at the onslaught of the poo worms, but quickly follows suit to protect his gnomish friend. he begins stomping on one of them. A hit for 1 damage.

What’s the wheel barrow made of?

Zurkhwood… a kind of woody underdark fungi that can be made into flour.

That sounds flammable to me. Vax will attempt to tip it onto one of the bugs or close at least. ATHLETICS 1

So you already have trouble pushing it, but as you lift the handles to try and dump it, the wheel barrow falls on its side spilling its contents wide of the centipedes.

Vax moves back away from the wheel barrow.

The first centipede strikes at Eldreth and hits. The fangs dig deep into her side and a pulse of poisonous ichor is pumped into her. She's still up and ready to fight.

The second centipede tries to bite at Aranala but is caught under its foot.

Ront's turn. He laughs and says, "the dung heap is a fitting ending place for my little log." He jabs at Eldreth in the back with an arrowhead. She's hurt really bad now but not completely down.

Top of the turn order, Eldreth turns and swings with the shovel at Ront and connects on his arm with a giant "gong" sound.

Aranala grabs the shiv from the poo and stabs the one he hit before connecting in the mouth. The tail end squirms hard left and right twice and then goes still.

Vax's eyes go wide in horror as she sees Ront's underhanded attack. She curses Luck pouring her anger and hatred on ront with a cry and a bonefire on ront. "burn in the depths of the abyss!!"

Ront dodges the flames and growls, "You're next floater." The centipede lashes out and gets a 3 going wide. Ront swings for Eldreth again, but this time she deflects with the shovel and then she connects on his head. He's starting to look worse for the wear.

Aran blinks at the welcomed presence of firelight and dives at the last centipede, hoping this attack is enough to stop it.

Aranala misses as it coils and turns.

Vax maintains the bonfire. Ront is burnt badly.

The centipede takes a swing at Aranala but Aranala is too swift.

Do a barrel roll

Ront roars and charges Vax: attack roll 13 (9+4). Ront stabs and connects with a deep gash in your chest for 7 piercing damage.

Ouch! Vax is very hurt. She cries out in pain as the arrowhead bites deep.

Oh no he didn't touch my fren!

Eldreth doesn't want to go through the fire after Ront so she swings at the centipede with the shovel but misses.

All of the hate for Ront builds up in that moment as aran looks up from the ground. In a mad dash the kenku leaps at the orc and attempts to grab him with the chain, but the orc is too strong.

Vax takes a step back as she watches the grappling happen. She stretches out her hand imagining the orc as a lump of coal and attempts to ignite him again. "Flames swallow you and your dishonorable ancestors!'

The orc tries to dodge but fails miserably (DEX SAVE 2-2 = 0) 5 points of damage

The orc screams a primal roar... that no one hears because of the waterfall but the few of you in the cave, and drops dead on the ground.

The centipede turns back to Eldreth and lunges at her throat. 14+4 = 18 ... ouch. The pincers close around her neck and squeeze. A sickly spray of crimson pours down her body as she collapses and goes still.

Aranala turns and lunges. WOOOSH… Nothing but air.

Vax steadies herself as Aranala keeps it's attention. Clutching her chest with one hand she grits her teeth against the surge of pain from the effort. "You also, to the abyss you flith. Burn!"

The centipede rolls a dex save vs. DC13 (1+2=3) Roll for roasting flame damage. 7 damage… that kills it.

Aranala swings wide but glint of the shiv keeps the centipedes transfixed on the kenku. As it begins to recoil, tightening it's body to stirke a small spark forms before it's eyes. It hesitates for a moment before a ball of fire explodes out of the spark. The black shell of it's exoskeleton blackamd bubble. It's wounds sputter as the blood in it's head rises to a boil. For a moment it is frozen and the. It's head explodes, the body falling limp upon the refuse pile, flames still licking at its corpse sizzling.

The quaggoth laughs and says. "THANK YOU FOR THE FUN. I'LL LET YOU KEEP YOUR LITTLE BLADE, BEAKY BOY, AND YOUR MAGIC SECRETS ARE SAFE WITH ME TOADSTOOL. AS LONG AS YOU BOTH COME QUIETLY YOU CAN LIVE ANOTHER DAY. NOW NOD AND PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN." He bares his teeth at you in an expression you're not entirely sure is a threat or a sign of peace.

Vax clutches her chest, she staggers to Eldreth and collapses to her knees next to her. Through tears she passes her hand through eldreths hair. "Shoor already knows my magic well. I already burned a drow from the inside out before his eyes." She turns and regards to quaggoth. " Do you honestly think a drow slaver mage doesn't know about your fun trap?"

PERHAPS SO. IT MATTERS NOT.

After seeing you relax from a fighting posture, the quaggoth makes a strange gargling sound.

Out of the pool, a gray slimy film rises, and then in a motion too quick to see easily, an appendage-like column of goo jabs at the chain connecting Aranala to Eldreth. A hiss sounds and the metal melts away. Then a large blob of the gray surface lobs out of the pool like a small wave and washes away shovel, wheelbarrow, centipede corpses, and the bodies of Ront and Eldreth in one quick flooding action before subsiding in the surface of the water.

COME NOW. TIME TO GET YOU BACK. TOMORROW WE CAN WORK AGAIN.

He offers you each a small piece of bread.

Vax takes the bread silently and slowly gets to her feet. "I don't suppose I can see a surgeon to close up this wound before it's back to the filth pit?"

SLEEP WILL HEAL YOU.

The quaggoth takes you back to the cell and chains you to two other prisoners; a deep gnome male and a fish-like humanoid who are already sleeping. As you collapse from exhaustion, you wonder if you will ever escape.

[FADE TO BLACK]

Take a long rest to recover, and then level up to level 2.