Shubgottia, the Endless Maze (Fourth Session: September 7th, 2009)

Garrick the Mad and Ottian leave early to go to Shadowmarsh Cliffs, investigating rumors that Lord Shadowmarsh is assembling a large mercenary army. They wish to discern his intentions and see if he is planning to attack any of his neighbors. Veszafein the Drow left quietly the night before, heading toward Summerspring for reasons unknown.

Ilmak, Garret, and Whosis depart early the next morning. Kodrus is still sleeping off a night of drinking so they throw him into a cart and take him along with them. On the road to lighthedge point, they encounter the same clan of bugbears they fought with in session I. Their clan is called the Bloodmanes and they're bent on revenge for the party slaughtering their kin. They ambush them as they approach the silent vale.

Ilmak is the first to fall, followed by Whosis. The first wave is subdued and a second wave attacks. The clan leader has two bears that charge Garret and Kodrus. All of the bugbears are slain, but in the final battle between the savage bears, Garret goes down bloody and Kodrus and the last bear take each other out simultaneously, collapsing on the dirt road by their wagon and horses. As Kodrus loses consciousness he sees Lady Xyrlynn approaching on the road.

When they awaken, their wounds have been tended and they are all beaten but otherwise in good health. Ilmak awakens first and finds a letter pinned to his cloak. The letter contains a black amulet and is from Xyrlynn addressed to the party. It explains that per their discussion last year, she is taking the Hand of Storath from them since they failed to meet her at the designated time and place a year ago. It also says that in return she is giving them the valuable amulet of the plans as payment. Unfortunately, it also notes that they will not be able to use the amulet on the plane they are presently trapped on (text below)

"Noble Adventurers,

I regret that you were unable to attend the meeting we had scheduled last year at the crossroads. I employed this fine troop of bugbears to find you for the modest sum of 50,000 gold. Unfortunately, I was low on currency to pay them their fee, so I hope you'll forgive me for paying them with your residuum and what few coins you had on your person.

As I agreed I would pay you 50,000 gold for the hand, which I now have in my possession, that means I now owe you a total of around 100,000 gold. I have left you this amulet of the planes, worth about 120,000 gold as payment. It will take the wearer and anyone joining hands with them to anywhere on any plane they wish to go. You may pay me back the 20,000 gold you owe me at your convenience.

Darkest Regards,
Lady Xyrlynn

P.S. Unfortunately the amulet of the planes does not work on the 600th layer of the abyss. Welcome to Shubgottia the Endless Maze; birthplace of the Tanar'ri. My sincerest apologies for any trouble this may cause you."

Xyrlynn deposited the party on Shubgottia, the 600th plane of the abyss, also known as the endless maze. The walls of the labyrinth were 1000 feet high sheer obsidian and greyish mist snakes along the ceiling of the passageways. Red and orange light poured from magical lanterns 50 feet up and spaced evenly along the corridors. The maze intersection was populated by Xorn who were in the process of consuming the party's metallic objects when they awoke and chased them off.

Gaining their bearings, they decided to head off in one of the four possible directions. After 6 hours of travel they came upon a party of dark dwarves lead by a powerful warlord named Ghostouch. He is known to the party because he is the notorious captain of the secret police in the town of Ironview where they used to work. He demands that they follow him and when they refuse he and his goons attack.

The party subdues Ghostouch and they question him and a prisoner he has with him in chains. The prisoner advises that he and others like him were brought along on this expedition and over the past several weeks his comrades were traded away or eaten by the dark dwarves when they ran low on provisions. They had been wandering in circles for some time.

Ghostouch is resistant to provide information until Kodrus the Minotaur bites off part of his arm to intimidate him. He reveals under duress that he was trying to infiltrate the priesthood of the dark six as part of an assignment from the Archmage Council in Ironview. He hired Alusys Goldweaver and Thoven Diamondeath, two members of the rival good party to find an artifact known as the Astralgate, which was a portal to other worlds.

Lady Xyrlynn arranged a meeting with the dark six priests and Ghostouch, so he arrived with miners to excavate the site in the ruins that Alusys and Thoven found, then arrrested them and had them locked in chains while he presented the Astralgate as a trophy for the dark six. The priests seemed impressed by the demonstration when he cast Alyusys and Thoven into the other worlds, but he didn't expect them to turn on him. Xyrlynn had mercenary bugbears and gnolls with her. They drove Ghostouch and his dwarves through the gate, trapping them in the abyss.

The party's path eventually led them back after 12 hours of travel to the same crossroads they started from (arriving maddeningly from the same passage they left from). This time they encountered two Mezzoloth demons and a small pack of abyssal skulkers. They were mercenaries come to Shubgottia seeking employment with Baphomet. The party is mistaken for servants of Baphomet because they have a minotaur in their party and the Mezzoloth's assume they are evil. The party does nothing to dissuade them of this inclination.

They tell the Mezzoloth that they know the way to Baphomet's lair and lead them down one of the other three passages out of the cursed intersection. After another long stretch of travel in the maze they encounter a pack of gnolls camped out with a bunch of hyenas. They are eating something cooking over the fire. They begin cursing at the party when they approach calling them servants of Baphomet. The Mezzoloth offer to take out the gnolls if the party will pay them. At the suggestion of Ghostouch they offer payment of 10,000 gold to the Mezzoloth.

The Mezzoloth emit a poisonous cloud of gas that kills most of the gnolls and they impale the remaining humanoids and their beasts on their tridents and pincers. The gnolls die cursing the party, Baphomet (who is the enemy of their own demon god), and Lady Xyrlynn for casting them into the abyss. It is later revealed by Ghostouch that he and his dwarves had encountered and traded with the gnolls before and that they were once servants of Xyrlynn, but she betrayed them as well and cast them into the abyss when they refused to follow one of her commands.

Their path eventually leads them back to the curse insection. This time, waiting for them is a Ghour (a hairless demonic minotaur) and a band off powerful ogres. They are true servants of Baphomet and doubt the party's assertion that they are servants of Baphomet as well. The Mezzoloth appear confused and they surround the party with their abyssal skulkers and ask to follow the newfound followers of Baphoment back to the Tower of Science called Lyktion where Baphoment dwells at the heart of the maze.

Baphomet's followers lead the motley band down the passageways. Along they way they encounter an army of shadow knights that refuses to allow them passage. The ogres, mezzoloths, and skulkers attack the shadow army while the ghour orders the party into battle. They refuse and attack the ghour. He deals several stunning blows to Whosis, Ilmak, and Kodrus, but eventually they fell him. The ogres and skulkers fall to the shadow army and the mercenary Mezzoloth retreat.

The shadow army's leader addresses them. It is Quotomal Gladomain. He explains that he was wearing the crown of commanding in his tomb below the ruined keep to guard it from the drow. The crown's power allowed him to control the Kruthik, which he used to keep the drow from surfacing. He fought to protect the crown from the party when they sought it in the second session because he did not want its curse to reach the surface and cause a second civil war in Mistmeadow.

They also encounter Lord Shadowmarsh. He explains that he was betrayed by Xyrlynn in his bed. She cast his dying body through the Astralgate into the abyss. All beings with souls who die in Shubgottia are doomed to march eternally with the shadow army. Though they are lost in this corner of the endless maze, they seek vengeance on all evil creatures who they encounter. Lord Shadowmarsh tossed his signate ring to Garret and advises that it will open his treasure vault in Shadowmarsh. He says that all his wealth is theirs if they will avenge his death by killing Lady Xyrlynn.

The loremaster also explains that the dark six seek to destroy the world tree, hidden somewhere in the world, so they can destory Gladomain and use a powerful magical ritual to start a new second Blood War between the abyss and baator, the nine hells. If someone does not prevent the abyss from cutting down the world tree, the world as they know it will be destoyed unless it can be replanted. If the tree is cut down, the only world tree source that can be used to replant it is on the plane of Ysgard. The magical tree Yggdrasil there has world ash cones that can be planted to renew the earth before it dies completely. Thus far the abyss has not found the tree yet.