After our bruising encounter with the gauntlet, we regrouped and decided to be more strategic about our portal exploration. Rather than blindly rushing through purple portals, we agreed to scout ahead more carefully.
Using Find Familiar, I summon a spider to scout the portals for us. The first portal turns out to be fairly safe, leading to a library with a single Emerald Eye within. So far so good. I send it Eastward into the next room, which is similarly filled with scrolls. Unfortunately, I can’t tell if they’re spell scrolls or not. To the south, I can see the giant snake that I’d encountered before. Glork’s notes call him Thirseekeesz, and claim that he only asks you to leave, politely yet firmly. I’d still rather avoid dealing with him if I can.
As we wait for the spider to return, Tittlin remarks that we should skip the library to avoid the snake.
- Continue on, find cafeteria
- Debate where to go next
- Can’t skip library!
- Spider comes back
With the spider back, I send it on through another portal. Even after reconnecting once, I’m not able to find anything interesting in the rooms it observes.
As I loose connection for the second time, Tittlin loses his patience and heads to the uncleared room to the south, pulling giant badgers out of his bag and spoiling for a fight. As Titlin disappears from sight, Spesof, Lute Pluck and I gather at the door and wait for the fight to start. Upon hearing Tittlin yelp in surprise, Spesof charges straight to the other end of the room to help him while Lute Pluck and I get bogged down by an Earth Myrmidon. Strangely enough, I can actually see Titlin.
As we start whittling down the Earth Myrmidon, the clink of a thrown crystal interrupts us. We dodge out of the way as it emits a glowing swirl of air. The whirlwind lasts for a mere moment before it’s sucked back into the crystal, pulling in the Myrmidon and causing all three to disappear in a pop. From Titlin’s laughter and taunting, it seems like the Air Myrmidon had aimed it for us.
By the time I turn around, Titlin and Spesof have finished off the other Myrmidons. I take a moment to drink a healing potion before gathering up the Earth Myrmidon core in the empty bottle. We manage to collect several cores from this engagement.
- Reconnect to spider
- In guantlet room
- Get spider back
- Tit starts shooting at another eye
- Momen in other room
- Eye charms spesof
- Finish off eye before I get there
- Lute pluck un-charms spesof
- Back to library
- Hold out hand and spider rapels down into portal
- Just the two emerald eyes
- Decide to bag of holding the eye
- Do it
- Snake knows
- Slithers over
- Can see Titlin
- Starts talking, telling him that he should leave
- Friendly enough
- Snake allows guest if we leave after
- Tit asks if we can scan him.
- Smirk, no. You’re awfully clever for a monster killer.
- Teleport in, try reading through books
- Cannot read any of them
- Note to self: investigate a photocopier spell
- Two distinct scripts, one unknown and one celestial.
- Not much more luck with the scrolls, but I do find two that appear to be spell scrolls
- Tit returns to main room
- Back to books
- Find most important
- Try to transcribe as much as I can, as well as a sheet of book titles
- Snake slides up
- Asks what I’m hoping to accomplish
- Given that I don’t speak Celestial, just trying to find anything that looks important.
- Asks if looking for secrets to break open the dungeon
- No, hoping to find more on the history of the place and why it was constructed
- Turns, pulls out the ornate book from before
- History book
- Places on top of head, sniffs, can smell magic?
- Finds another gives a significantly more worn book about the construction of the teleporters
- Thank you
- Hold out hand
- Pulls back book
- If you never set foot in this dungeon again
- Debate the value of the knowledge here versus the other knowledge in the dungeon
- Converse telepathically with others
- Ask to go down to 4th floor as we still have business with Qyldryt ― The Patient
- Deal
- As accept book, pain in arm. Twin fan marks oozing green
- That’s unpleasent
- Can feel the curse
- Tit asks if he can get loot for being cursed
- No, all the magic items would be on the bodies of adventurers
- Only two adventurers had made it past the snake
- A queen with a beaten up sword who left after being unable to find anything worthwhile on the lower levels.
- Cannot keep snake dead
- Chatting, attempting to befriend
- Goodbye, leave
- Spesof ready to leave
We decided to clear out the remaining myrmidons to the south first. Tittlin went invisible and engaged them with his conjured giant badgers providing chaotic support. The fight was relatively straightforward - we’ve gotten quite efficient at dealing with these elemental creatures. I managed to collect air and earth elemental cores in glass containers, as we’ve been gathering these components for some unknown future purpose.
During the combat, one of the emerald eyes attempted to charm Spesof, compelling him to walk into a red portal. Fortunately, Lute Pluck was prepared with a Counter-Charm spell and broke the enchantment before any real harm was done. This confirmed our suspicions about these eyes being more than mere surveillance - they’re actively hostile when threatened.
Following our scout’s path, we made our way to the library. Upon entering, I encountered the dungeon’s guardian - a massive snake with a human face who called himself Thurseekis. Rather than the hostile reception I expected, he proved surprisingly reasonable. He explained that his role was to prevent adventurers from delving deeper into the dungeon, where something dangerous was sealed away.
Thurseekis allowed me to browse the library’s contents, though I was frustrated to discover that most texts were written in scripts I couldn’t read - primarily Celestial, with some other unknown language. However, I did manage to identify and copy two spell scrolls: Compulsion and Wall of Force. These additions to my repertoire should prove useful in future encounters.
The guardian offered me a deal that I found impossible to refuse. In exchange for never returning to the dungeon’s fifth floor or below, he would give me two exceptionally valuable tomes: one detailing the dungeon’s construction and history, and another explaining the mechanics of the teleportation network. As a scholar, this knowledge was worth any personal restriction.
I accepted his bargain, knowing full well the magical enforcement that would follow. Thurseekis bit my arm, leaving fang marks that oozed with green venom - a curse that would activate should I violate our agreement. The pain was temporary, but I could feel the magical binding take hold. Still, the knowledge contained in those books will be invaluable for understanding this place.
Tittlin, ever the social creature, spent considerable time chatting with Thurseekis and even managed to establish something resembling a friendship. The guardian seemed amused by his persistence and openness, a stark contrast to the typical treasure-seeking adventurers he usually encounters.
We learned some fascinating details about the dungeon’s history. A queen with a beaten sword had once killed Thurseekis and ransacked the lower levels before departing empty-handed. More recently, that goblin Glere had somehow managed to sneak past - explaining how he obtained the detailed notes about the dungeon’s layout that proved so useful to us.
With our business concluded and my familiar dismissed, we finally emerged from the teleportation dungeon after two days underground. The stagnant air of the graveyard town felt refreshing compared to the oppressive atmosphere below.
We returned to the fief with our three barrels of valuable goop, and Tittlin paid Loot Pluck his well-earned fee of 200 gold pieces for two days of service plus hazard pay. The bird person had more than earned his compensation with his timely healing and crowd control spells.
Now I need to find someone who can help me translate these Celestial texts. The knowledge contained within could unlock secrets about magical construction and planar mechanics that few scholars have ever accessed. Despite being barred from returning to the deeper levels, I consider this expedition a remarkable success from an academic standpoint.