Less than a century has passed since the fall of Underhome; by dwarven standards, the sting of that loss is still fresh. A small but vocal group of dwarves actively seeks out confrontations with the local drow, seeking to drive them back into the depths of the Underdark. Vengeance is one thing, but at what point does it cross the line and become a senseless, endless vendetta? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure for characters level 4-7.

DM: Brett (khyron)

Player:

• Patrin – Dragonborn Fighter, Level 5 (Scott – ssevener)
• Keldaer’lyn – Revenant Drow Assassin, Level 6 (Craig – EvilRubberDucky)
• Morgen – Human Wizard, Level 5 (Chase – CaptainHorn)
• Armenius – Human Warlord, Level 4 (Preston)
• Atkunra – Human Invoker, Level 4 (Michael)

Our party met on the outskirts of Eartheart, stuck in line while attempting to gain access to the city’s merchant district until they were approached by an eager dwarf looking to employ a band of adventurers for a task of both sensitive and dangerous natures.  Behind closed doors, the dwarf introduced himself as Fidmis, Supervisor of the Guard Patrol of Hammergate, and explained that he needed the group to venture deep into a cave within the Underdark to retrieve a rare lichen that would be worth a hefty sum to a local alchemist.

Despite precautions about motives nearly costing them the job with the tight-lipped dwarf, they eventually came to terms and met with another dwarf named Boril who would accompany them and serve as their guide along their journey.  The first day of their travels was long and uninteresting, however come the second day their journey took a turn as the party found themselves ambushed by a group of Drow who were none too keen on visitors, especially of the dwarven variety.  Commanding an Umber Hulk with a thirst for blood, the Drow put up quite the fight before our heroes were able to pierce through the darkness and even the score…

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Onward to the cave that they had been pursuing, it wasn’t long before the adventurers realized that the lichen they sought was much more alive and in giant form and not nearly as willing to give up its spores without a fight as they had known other funguses to be in the past, with the added bonus that this gigantic fungal monster even had its own horde of exploding plant zombies to boot! The air was thick and dingy, reducing visibility to barely in front of one’s own face, and even that was before those who opted to breathe came to learn the true danger of these fungal nightmares up close.

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Barely making it out with their lives, somehow our heroes did manage to drop the slimy beast and earn the dwarves their prize, however victory is somewhat less sweet once you realize that you’re being double-crossed, and it was then that the short one’s dire plans were brought to light. It seemed that they had actually spent a considerable amount of time developing a powerful weapon to be used against their bitter enemies, the Drow.  An alchemical disease that would turn their people into horrible zombies for the sole purpose of wiping the entire race from the face of existence, it became obvious learned that the valuable lichens the party had just retrieved were the final component they required to set their evil plan into motion.

Of course, they didn’t honestly expect our heroes to just stand back and go along with it, now did they?!

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Pitted against a hideous mutant and the handful of dwarven alchemists who weren’t able to escape with their boss, the party stood their ground and made it clear with brute force that their fateful demise would not be that day, and with the final swings of blade and staff, the degenerate monster collapsed at their feet and put an end to their short, but nonetheless arduous journey. While it was unclear whether they had actually stopped or merely postponed the threat for this particular faction, the best they could do was pass along evidence of the dwarves’ vile plot in hopes that the local law enforcement could pick up where they left off to prevent further harm…

(Additional Photos Available Here)
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Living Forgotten Realms is a 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons shared-world campaign played Wednesday nights at Anthem Games, among hundreds of other locations around the world.

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