The First Task
After a chase with a thief brings the group to the Underdark, they soon realize that they are in need of supplies and out of funds, so they take their chances with a local monster hunting job.
A Prayer to Dokire God of the Forge
O mighty Dokire, He Who Shapes the World,
In the fires of creation and the anvil of destiny, we call upon you.
In your endless forge, the land of Illnerya bends to your will.
The old gods have faded, and in their wake, calamity has scorched the earth.
56 years have passed since the world was ravaged,
But in your wisdom, the new age of steam rises,
For in flame and steel, hope still lingers.
We give thanks for the troupe of Diablo, Renatus, and Valerie,
For their strength in thwarting the ambush and freeing us,
For Renatus’ cunning hands, quick to unbind the captives,
And for Valerie’s grace, whose blades cut through doubt and suspicion.
May they walk in your light, their weapons sharp.
Craum’s magic flourished in the chaos,
Healing Valerie with the bloom of withered death,
While I, your faithful servant, summoned your mighty weapon in spirit,
A great hammer, a symbol of your unending strength.
And Diablo, the dancer of battle, split his foes with a single kick,
Striking down barbarians as his companions looked on in awe.
Bless our journey as we venture into the city of Illnerya,
Where the Watchers stir with their cloaked secrets,
And the Sunkeepers struggle in the shadowed depths of Cog Bottom.
As we enter the ruins of the kingdom below,
Or as we face the horrors lurking in the mines,
Or escort merchants through treacherous paths,
May your fires burn bright within us.
May my tools shine with your favor,
And may the weapons we use carry your blessing.
Guide us, Dokire, for in your flames, we are tempered,
And in your forge, our destiny is forged.
May we rise as champions in this new era,
Worthy of your divine gaze.
In flame, steel, and faith, we give thanks.
Praise be to you, Dokire.
Amen.
A chase ensued as a small halfling man fled with their money, quickly shaking off Valerie’s Hold Person spell and tipping over a cart to slow the group down. He cast Misty Step onto a descending lift, prompting Diablo to lunge down the chain after him, losing sight of the thief but sketching a detailed portrait of his face. Spotting a stitched patch of an open eye on the thief's sleeve, Valerie identified him as a member of The Watchers.
Regrouping on an Underdark level of the city, Diablo questioned a young girl who revealed the thief was named Gregory, a former monk of the travel god Caius who could change his appearance—and had just disguised himself as a Half-Orc woman to escape. Tracking down a local group of Watchers who claimed devotion to the goddess Heleste, the party questioned them as Ornnar preached the light of Dokgri. Selling a fabricated story about needing her stolen gold for sick children, Valerie was led to the Watchers Enclave to meet their leader, an Elven man named Eleryian, who served them Underdark vegetable stew. Diablo presented the sketch of Gregory, revealing the thief had donated all but four of their stolen gold to buy toys and food for starving children. Valerie donated 47 aurals directly to the cause, though Eleryian remained unconvinced by her sick-children story. Casting Detect Magic, Valerie noticed Gregory wore a magical necklace and discovered Eleryian was entirely cloaked in illusion magic, though he deftly sidestepped when she tried to touch his illusionary Elven ear.
Stepping away from the camp, Dakka quietly questioned the party about antlered, skeletal beings known as Heralds—demonic, robed messengers led by a deer-antlered figure who foretell afterlife suffering. Seeking a black market alchemist's supply kit on the 5th level, the group attempted to negotiate the 60-aural asking price, but moved on when Craum could not afford it. Instead, they claimed a monster-hunting writ from Sergeant Matthias to clear the mines, cross-referencing a lucrative bounty list from the Alchemists' Guild seeking basilisk eyes, spider fangs and venom, water weird essence, and various Underdark fungi.
Venturing into the mines, Ornnar led the way and spotted spider webs just in time. However, phase spiders ambushed the party, striking Craum and Valerie from the ethereal plane. Valerie and Renatus each slew a spider, but another charmed Craum into walking into a web, leaving him vulnerable to repeated strikes that knocked him unconscious before Valerie quickly revived him. Another spider dropped Diablo in a single venomous strike, leaving him stabilized but unconscious, until Ornnar killed the last visible beast and brought Diablo back with Lesser Restoration.
Suddenly, a Lightning Bolt struck Craum and Renatus as the surviving wizard from the earlier bandit camp appeared seeking revenge. Renatus summoned his ethereal echo for the first time, and a risen Diablo struck down the wizard with a brutal killing blow. Ornnar deftly harvested four doses of phase spider components and four fangs as proof of the kill. Noticing a wisp entering one of the spiders' victims, Renatus burned the bodies to grant them a proper burial. The party then took a short rest enhanced by Valerie’s Song of Rest on her guitar before setting off once more with Ornnar leading the search for more monsters.