Session C07 — Underdark Depths

Summary

The party flees drow pursuit to the Long Chasm, where an ancient bridge tests their will with Charisma saves before they are pulled into the Abyss — falling through layers of demonic horror until crashing into Layer 66 (the Demon Web Pits). There, Arashni — the imprisoned true form of Lolth — saves them from abyssal spiders and driders, grants them shelter, and delivers personal prophecies to each party member. Her core warning: Othorion must never claim the Blade of Prophecy, a cursed weapon that appears as salvation but will doom his people. The party returns to the material plane with Arashni's blessings, discovers that a magical feather in Othorion's hat was a tracking device, and destroys it — only to receive threatening Sending messages from Valera Vandree, who doesn't realize she's been hunting her own brother under two identities.

Key Events

The Long Chasm Bridge — Test of Will

The party reached the Long Chasm — a bridge that the drow warriors of Velkynvelve refuse to cross. The bridge's rules: walk only, no magic, speak with purpose.

Charisma saves determined who resisted the bridge's whispered manipulation:

• Succeeded (gained advantage on next d20): Cass, Roland, Kefkas, Kavu
• Failed (gained disadvantage on next d20): Haldak, Selene

The Fall into the Abyss

The party was pulled off the bridge and fell through layers of the Abyss:

• Layer 4 (The Grand Abyss)
• Layer 6 (Realm of a Million Eyes) — one massive eye followed them as they fell
• Layer 13 (The Blood Tor) — "realm of betrayal, fate, and twisted memory"

"The Abyss doesn't test skill. It tests the will that you carry."

They crashed into Layer 66 — the Demon Web Pits: "Webs catch your limbs, pulling taut until your body is bound like prey." Giant spiders, driders in obsidian armor, and building-sized abyssal horrors emerged. No saves were called. "No attack, spell, or escape can change the outcome. This is inevitability."

Arashni — The Prisoner Queen

A figure of soft silver light dissolved the webs:

"Not the Spider Queen that you expected, but a motherly figure of lost memory. Her aura alone is enough to unmake the bindings of the Abyss, and where she steps, horror falters."

She identified herself: "I am Arashni, once the Weaver of Fate, now the Prisoner Queen. You might know me as Lolth."

She raised her hand; silk coiled into a protective dome of silver light. "In time, I will return you to your world, whole and unharmed."

Only Kavu succeeded on the DC 18 Religion check (using his advantage from the bridge) to understand her true nature before she spoke.

The Blade of Prophecy — Arashni's Warning

Arashni's core request to the party:

"There'll come a time when the one you call Othorion seeks a blade. It will shine like salvation. But it is only a curse. I beg of you. Stop him. Hide it from him. In this you will protect him. And his people."

Arashni's Personal Counsel

To Roland: "You carry two souls. The one you have never met. Your father, Eddard Bladewood, is mine to watch." Roland's father fought against Sybarix and is trapped in the Fae Realm. "You're more than the sum of his abstinence."

To Kavu: "I see the flame upon you, beloved of Kossuth. But beware. A false lord rises among your people, cloaked in fire not his own. He will consume what he pretends to protect." Kavu is "a key to saving your people" and "one of my favorites."

To Kefkas: Arashni knew Kefkas' master Hasablatra, calling her "my triumph. Proof that even cursed children could feel empathy." Hasablatra still lives in the Underdark. About Lireal: "She searches for you as you do for her. She moves, roves, she doesn't stay in one place very long."

To Haldak: Arashni knelt before him like a mother: "Child of Netheril, your empire was a wonder. I remember its gleam before the fall. In you, some fragment of that greatness lives on." Then, more practically: "But seriously, stop drinking. It's bad for your health. And your choice in women is suspect. At best."

To Selene: "The burn of betrayal. The weight of change. Hardship does not break us. It makes us unbreakable." Selene responded: "I spent ten years in a jail in cold that was harder than the Rhine. I will not be broken."

To Cass: Softly, privately: "Your brother lives. He waits for you where you were. You just missed him." Cass was skeptical: "That is a cruel trick to pull on me at this moment, if what you say is anything less than the truth."

Return to Material Plane — Abyss Aftershocks

Arashni transported the party to the far side of the chasm. Those who failed Charisma saves on the bridge needed Wisdom saves against lingering Abyss influence:

• Lireal failed — attacked Selene with her moon-touched scimitar
• Roland failed — smited Selene in blind rage

Both immediately came to their senses, horrified. Roland: "I'm so sorry, Selene. I don't know. It was that place. It was not intentional." Kavu healed Selene.

Stool appeared on the far side: "Good to see you. How the shit did you get here?"

The Blade — Conflicting Prophecies

The party compared notes on what Arashni told each of them about the Blade of Prophecy:

• To the party: Stop Othorion; the blade is a curse; hide it from him
• To Othorion: The blade is not his destiny but Lireal's; he should hide it so she claims it instead
• To Lireal: "The blade does not curse the wielder; it curses the people. Every hand that holds it becomes the last hope of the drow... But to use it is to destroy her children."

Cass confronted Othorion directly: "Do not fucking touch it. I haven't heard you say 'I'm not going to pick it up' the entire time we've been talking about the sword."

Othorion committed: "I will not pick up the blade. I will not use the blade."

The Tracking Feather

Kavu cast Detect Magic and inspected every item on Othorion's person (who stripped naked in the Underdark for the examination). The culprit: a magical feather (abjuration + divination) in Othorion's gaudy golden-feathered hat — a tracking device. He couldn't remember who gave it to him.

Selene shot it into the Abyss on the second attempt (first arrow was magically returned by a blinking eye in the darkness). Pursuit level reduced.

Valera Vandree's Sending Messages

Othorion sent a Sending to his sister Valera: "Are you okay?" She responded: "Yes, I am fine."

Immediately after, Valera sent a second message — addressed to Zavon Baenre (Othorion's alias), not realizing it was the same person:

"Zavon Baenre, your attempt on Othorion has failed. The deed has doomed you, however. Your end will be swift and agonizing. Mark my words."

Valera had been using Othorion (as Zavon) as an unwitting agent to carry out an assassination — on himself.

NPCs Encountered

Loot / Discoveries

Combat & Encounters

Encounter 1 — The Long Chasm Bridge (Skill Challenge)

• Charisma saves to resist whispered manipulation
• Succeeded: Cass, Roland, Kefkas, Kavu (advantage on next d20)
• Failed: Haldak, Selene (disadvantage on next d20)

Encounter 2 — Abyss Aftershock (Involuntary Combat)

• Lireal (failed Wisdom save) attacked Selene with moon-touched scimitar
• Roland (failed Wisdom save) smited Selene
• Kavu healed Selene with Roland's Lay on Hands assist
• Framed as residual Abyss predatory instinct, not true initiative combat

Party Notes

• Roland: Learned his father Eddard Bladewood is trapped in the Fae Realm; involuntarily attacked Selene post-Abyss; immediately remorseful; committed to finding his father
• Kavu: Only one to succeed DC 18 Religion check on Arashni's nature; learned a false lord rises among his people; declared "one of my favorites" by Arashni; performed meticulous magical inspection of Othorion's items
• Othorion: Received contradictory blade prophecy; committed verbally to never touching the blade; stripped naked for item inspection; dual identity as Zavon Baenre revealed through Valera's confused Sending messages
• Haldak Tencloak: Failed Charisma and Wisdom saves; received counsel about rebuilding Netheril's glory and warnings about drinking; irreverent throughout
• Kefkas: Learned master Hasablatra is alive in the Underdark; provided Bardic Inspiration for Selene's feather shot
• Selene: Failed Charisma save; stabbed twice by allies post-Abyss; told by Arashni she is "unbreakable"; shot the tracking feather into the Abyss
• Cass: Learned her brother is alive; confronted Othorion about the blade; forced him to verbally commit to not touching it
• Lireal: Failed Wisdom save; attacked Selene involuntarily; immediately remorseful; received blade information about the drow's fate

Threads Opened / Advanced

• Blade of Prophecy (OPENED): Cursed weapon will be offered to Othorion; three different versions of the prophecy told to different people; party committed to preventing Othorion from claiming it
• Arashni/Lolth (OPENED): Imprisoned in the Abyss; merciful goddess cast down by other deities; her words are twisted by mortals; party uncertain whether to trust her fully
• Roland's Father (OPENED): Eddard Bladewood trapped in Fae Realm; fought against Sybarix; Arashni watches over him
• The False Lord (ADVANCED): Rising among Kavu's people with stolen divine flame; Kavu is key to stopping him; connects to Volcathar/Arc D
• Hasablatra (OPENED): Kefkas' master still alive in the Underdark; was Arashni's pupil
• Othorion/Zavon Baenre (ADVANCED): Valera's confused Sending reveals she was using "Zavon" as an assassination agent against Othorion — not knowing they're the same person
• Tracking Eliminated: Feather destroyed; pursuit level reduced; but Valera Vandree is determined and may have other methods
• Cass' Brother: Alive, waiting where she was; Arashni's claim unverified
• Selene/Roland Romance: Stool's telepathic spore incident revealed Selene's feelings for Roland (determined by GM coin flip)