Undercity Adventurers
Adventurers? Maybe more like Looters
Zelda’s mission was to investigate a monolith, which forms an entrance to an infernal dungeon, dangerously close to the Hellgate. As she descended through the levels of the sewers, through the elven ruins, past the holy dwarf ruins, to the Hellgate layer, Zelda has a growing sense of unease and a sense of evil in the air. Her destination shows a large upright monolith, so broad that in its base is a gated entryway to a dark passageway, identifiable as a dungeon, lined with cell doors. The entrance is festooned with loops and hanging curves of chain. At the entrance monolith, a Chain Devil guards the gate from behind a podium.
She sneaks by using a distraction to the guard. Inside the dungeon, she encounters a jailbreak in progress. She realizes four people trying to escape may alert the guards, who will tighten security.
Perspectives differ on what happened next: The four prisoners had gotten out of their cell and were working their way down the hall, stealthing to not alert the Chain Devil.
Zelda, crouched in hiding, tried to quietly signal the escapees as they darted from hiding place to hiding place, leapfrogging their way down the hall with all possible stealth. Seeing a gesture, they very much don’t trust her “miraculous” help: they have experience with the devils offering false hope, only to be sadistically betrayed. **Waro Bullfall **the Goblin from Downtown, seems to be willing to take the risk of accepting the help. However Melted Sugar, a Tabaxi of the Shorthair Tabby Clan, objected. In strenuous, strained, stage whispers. The two Lizardfolk, Mirhto Karht—and their companion-mate Sal’Bah Mirim—shrugged, and signaled that the group should try to continue, regardless.
She sneaks by using a distraction to the guard. Inside the dungeon, she encounters a jailbreak in progress. She realizes four people trying to escape may alert the guards, who will tighten security. She tries to help them.
Something went wrong after that. Was it Melted Sugar’s mewling? Was it some misplaced step echoing a bit too much? Was it just the vibration of 5 souls outside of cells? Hard to say. But the result was clear: On the walls, disembodied eyes swivelled to follow the groups progress. Then a sphere of blackness surged down the hall, impenetrable to darkvision. Inside the blackness, metal clinked and rattled like a basket of chains. The escapees fled. In the front, Waro and Zelda sprint out of the entrance, behind them (then suddenly passing them) comes Melted Sugar. Near the door, blackness catches the lizardfolk. Grunts. Thuds. Rasping groans. From the darkness, blood spatters the lintel and posts of the door. The tattooed arm of Sal’Bah Mirim thuds to the ground at the threshold. Silence fell.
The survivors hid, gasping with exertion. Melted Sugar says, coldly, “We’d all have made it, if it weren’t for you. Your interference cost those two their souls.” Waro, too, looks suspiciously at you. He says, “If we ever see you again, you’d better put steel in your hand. I swear, I’ll kill you.”
Zelda has made enemies of the adventurers, Melted Sugar and Waro Bullfall.