S1:E5: Schemes and Machinations

After some strange encounters on the road to see the king, the party decides to divide and conquer with one envoy heading to see the a colony of mindflayers...

Transcript

Episode 5: Schemes and Machinations…

With the meat sold and rooms secure at the inn, the group has a meal together, discussing the last several days. 

“I must sincerely apologize to all of you about the troubles we had on the road. Especially to you, Piece and Enacelle. I am of a mind to make all of you stay here, safe, while I continue.  The constable warned me but, I must admit, what he described seemed much less worrisome than what we experienced.” Umgurn has his hands laid open on the table in a gesture of apology.

“Well, I would like to point out that we made an enemy in Woodshead who, in fact, is a druid. Do you think SHE could have convinced those creatures to attack us?” Fodinis frowns.

Enacelle perks up and places one claw on her chin. “It is certainly within her power to change her form. She cannot change into an owlbear as the magic doesn’t work that way but she can likely charm and speak with animals. I think she could have influenced them. But, that doesn’t explain the spiders which, I think, were after the kruthik?” 

Umgurn nods. “The kruthik, yes. Let me tell you all a bit about the underdark. It is a world beneath your surface world where my people come from, the drow. My home city, in fact, is below the wilds of Pathilius north of Woodshead. The drow are… mostly not like me. We are a self-sufficient people with customs and habits you would not understand. But it has always been the burden of my people to wait.” He sighs. “To wait for a surface people with whom we could be allies. I was taught this since I was very young. But, then, I saw the truth of it. They weren’t waiting for allies of peace and prosperity. They were waiting for allies to gain control and power. The underdark cities are all over Angedrian and connected through extensive systems of caves, tunnels, and passages. Although it is a many moon-turn’s journey, you can go to almost any land in Angedrian through the underdark, as I understand it. But, to the kruthik. There are many creatures of the underdark who do not come to the surface. We keep some of them as pets or guards. They would be frightening to you and some of them you might call, ‘horrors’. But, like we drow, the light is often too much for us so they stay in the darkness below. Kruthik would not venture to the surface, especially with immature ones, unless there was something very wrong.”

“Like what kind of wrong?” Piece sips a hot tea they made for the group after dinner from herbs Enacelle and they collected. When they give Kace his tea, they pat him on the shoulder gently. 

“If they were desperate for food. If they were being chased by something.” Umgurn trails off in thought.

“But you said these creatures were frightening horrors. What scares that?” Piece sips more tea.

“There are levels to the underdark. There are creatures from the far depths that sleep for centuries. There can also be, of course, intrusions of creatures from above.” He seems lost in his thoughts as if searching for a memory.

Piece sits down their empty mug. “The creature we saw being dragged by the spiders… that must have been a baby kruthik, as Kace described it. It was not very large. If we assume something frightened the kruthik to the surface and they just happened to run into the spiders, the perhaps Enicryn was responsible for only the owlbears?”

“Yes, I concur.” Theophania sets down her empty mug. “But, the constable said something was stirring up trouble. Enicryn doesn’t need to stir up trouble to send owlbears after us. I think the constable’s warning has more to do with the kruthik. If I had a few days with Enacelle in the wilds, we could learn more.”

“Wouldn’t that be dangerous?” Malege has a look of horror on his face.

“If I’m not mistaken, my little lizardfolk friend here can also change her form into beasts, no?” Theophania smiles.

“Yes, I can do that.” Enacelle sighs. “And if Enicryn is trying to send creatures after us to get to Malege, we will likely be in very little danger without him.”

“Thanks? I guess.” Malege now seems even more distressed.

Kace grabs Malege's shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “Don’t worry, little one. You will be with Fodinis and I when we go to see the mindflayer.”

Malege’s  face turns from distress to utter horror. “Oooookaaaay.”

After a hearty meal and a few ales, the group retires for the evening, taking a long, deserved rest in the safety of the inn.

The following morning emerges clean and bright as a full night of rest has refreshed the bodies and minds of the party. Enacelle and Theophania repack her cart with the supplies they would need and set back off into the forest to learn what they could about the disturbances in the wilds. The rest of the party in the wagon set out at first light on the road to the capital. 

The farms become more and more dense as the group moves further along the road. Many people wave or simply look at them and smile. Seeing travelers is quite common between the towns in Pathilius but, normally, the caravans are larger and a bit more heavily guarded. To see such a small group come through alive was rare. But the party is on task and focused. Kace, Piece, and Malege watch the farms with great interest. As they are new to this land, the opportunity to observe something new is welcome. Kace had traveled this road to Woodshead but he had slept, hidden, the entire journey in the cargo room of a large caravan wagon, not able to see much. Piece had traveled from Canville Port to Woodshead which was a long, hard road which they’d spent most of the time meditating and writing. Nothing dangerous had happened. Malege, next to Fodinis, realizes that he traveled from Cantha to Woodshead with a large caravan through the town of Plandeno but the surrounding farms had lasted less than half a day around it so it was mostly the wild. Hopefully, Enacelle and Theophania could come up with some answers as to why this stretch of road was becoming more dangerous.

“Malege, when we get to the capital, it might be best to hide your appearance somewhat. I have no doubt that our party together will be easily spotted if Enicryn or her people are looking for us. But, it’s best we not draw too much attention to you in general.” Umgurn smiles at the little flickering genasi.

“I think I can make him look less obvious when we get to the next stop.” Fodinis pats the genasi’s shoulder.

The journey continues for most of the day until the wagon reaches the second inn, The Timbers. Malege waits in the wagon, hidden, while Umgurn and Piece talk with the innkeeper. Fodinis vanishes from the wagon. There is at least an hour of light remaining so Kace steps out of the wagon and begins doing an exercise routine that includes stretching, flipping, twisting, and weight-bearing moves.

[Kace makes an Athletics check and a Performance check] Rolls an 11 and a 14.

The onlookers around the inn either selling food or wares or moving between farms, stop frequently to watch Kace’s activities. The movements and strength are almost as interesting as the lion-man himself. Malege watches from a slit in the wagon window, giggling..

[Kace receives 12 gp] 

Meanwhile, Fodinis dashes between two farms, sees a few symbols he’s looking for, and ducks into a cellar door on the back of a large farmhouse. Inside, he sees a few seedy characters look up from a game of dice but a quick flash of gestures of his left hand makes them nod and return to their game.

“Hello. What might be on the menu for you this evening?” The deep voice startled Fodinis.

Fodinis turns towards the voice and takes a minute step back. The deep, somewhat intimidating sound comes from a small female yuan-ti with bright green scaly skin, black eyes, four arms, and no legs. Instead, she balances on a muscular tail. She wears a sheer dark purple veil across her chest which falls nearly to the floor and is secured over her shoulders with a thick gold chain.

“Ah, madam?” Fodinis gender assumption doesn’t seem to bother her. “I’m in need of a disguise kit and a poisoner’s kit, if you have them.”

“Of course.” She turns quickly to slither soundlessly to a dark corner where a cabinet and a table reside.  He follows her and watches as she places the two kits onto the table. “Anything else?”

“Yes, in fact, some advice. Say I wanted to have a close encounter with creature and leave them much less healthy than when I met them but they are not a typical individual… would you be one who knows what special ingredient is needed for the task.” Because they are in a rogue’s den, Fodinis doesn’t bother with the thief's cant but remains cautious.

“Indeed, that type of knowledge is my specialty. And, for your information, my expertise in this area is very well known. You won’t find more information even in Pathilia.  What manner of person are we speaking of?” She crosses two of her arms and places the other two on the table.

“I believe they are most commonly called mindflayers.” He pauses and looks carefully at her face.

“A fearsome foe, indeed. I happen to be acquainted with one about whom I would be very distraught should something happen to them.” She glares at him intensely.

“My friend is also acquainted with such a creature. But this particular one is… how we say.. on the outs with even its own people, I think. A bit of a troublemaker and likely up to something disastrous.” He smiles confidently as best he can.

“And is your interest in this particular individual for monetary gain?” She raises her right eye which, if she had an eyebrow, would have made Fodinis unnerved. As it was, he is still a bit.

“No, my lady. There is no contract in this case and, I dare say, there likely never will be. It moves in shadow like all of its kind but far from the eyes of the public. I fear it is aligning itself with similarly dissident voices who also seek a disastrous outcome.” He pauses and makes a stern face to emphasize his concern.

“Very well. I don’t suggest you focus your efforts on removing problems from this world… unless you’re getting paid. It’s an assured way to shorten your life. As it were, my colleague of that ilk and I have discussed this before because he wanted to procure an anti-toxin as he feared for his life. He had come into contact with a poison but not actually been exposed.  As such, I know a substance you may need well because he gave me the sample. Unfortunately, it must be ingested but, once eaten, it is almost instantly effective.” She removes a small flask from her cupboard. The liquid inside is very similar in color and appearance to Fodinish own vial of memories.

“What is it, exactly, if I may ask?” He picks up the flask and examines it closely. 

“The poison to kill a mindflayer is simply a mixture of torper and purple worm poison. Those are easily available. But mindflayers only eat brains and, as I believe, they will eat this. It is a fascinating substance. It is a complete set of memories. Taken from a humanoid. Almost impossible to get. Those mindflayers feed on brains and are susceptible to most poisons. The combination is particularly effective if they ingest it. But how do you get poison into someone’s brain? You can’t. So, this liquid memory is the trick.” She smiles. “But it’s not cheap.”

“Oh? How much would you sell a vial of memories for?” He thinks of his own vial in his bag.

“I’m afraid I can’t sell this for less than 100,000 gold pieces. I know that sounds steep but, as I said, it is nearly impossible to get. I dare say it is the only vial I will ever own.” She frowns a bit, assuming the price has lost her the sale.

“Do not misunderstand my asking, my lady, but do you think there are others who might also have this substance available? I do not ask because your price is too high. I am very interested in the supply chain.” 

[Fodinis makes a Deception check versus the yaun-ti’s insight check] Rolls 18 versus 8 

“The supply chain? I acquired this from my colleague who intercepted it when it was to be used on him. Outside of that, I have never heard of it. My suggestion is that you speak with him but you must promise not to kill him.” She accentuates her last comment by folding her four arms across her chest, each of which is holding a vicious looking dagger.

“Would he happen to be in Pathilia?” Fodinis relaxes his own arms and lets them fall behind him, a sign of submission.

“Yes. He is the head of his hive there, first to serve their elder brain which resides below the sewers of Pathilia. The entrance to their lair is under The Fairhope Monastery.  I know they eat brains but I have found them to be a peaceful folk.” She also relaxes her arms and the daggers vanish.

“Then, I think my lady, I may already be on my way to see him. The friend of mine is… not of this world… but found his way here with the help of a mindflayer who now resides in Pathilia. If they are not the same person, I am sure they are acquainted. And I have no harmful intentions against them.” He smiles and bows. 

“Very well.” She takes the flask of memories back and replaces them in her cupboard. “It’s 100 gps for the two kits and, for 500 gp more, I can sell you 2 doses of the poisons I mentioned. They usually go for more, of course, but I’m feeling generous.”

[Fodinis gives the yuan-ti 600 gps and acquires a disguise kit, a poisoner’s kit, and a dose of torpor and a dose of purple worm poison] 

“Pleasure doing business with you, madam.” Fodinis bows and shakes her hand. The grip is very firm and painful. 

“Likewise. And, a word of warning. In the city, our den will be easy for you to find. But my sources tell me there is a crisis at the moment. I don’t understand the nature of it but choose your contracts, should that be your forte, carefully. The motivations these days are more sinister and evil than what I have a taste for.” She slithers away from Fodinis across the room. As she approaches the bar, she gives a busty young woman in dark leathers a long, deep kiss. Within a few moments, she has moved to the dice table and has all four of her arms in a seductive embrace of a large burly human. Fodinis smirks a bit at himself, gathers his items, and exits. 

Fodinis returns to the wagon to find Malege waiting inside and Kace outside talking to several people including a few men and women who are feeling his muscles and stroking his fur. Fodinis laughs out loud.

“I think I should be able to sort you.” He opens the disguise kit, peruses it for a few moments, and then begins pulling together an inconspicuous look for Malege.

[Fodinis makes a tool check, not proficient] Rolls 16

Malege and Fodinis emerge from the wagon and walk over to Kace.

“Fodinis! What lovely people here! And who is your friend?” Kace smiles down cluelessly at Malege.

“Okay, so, that works.” The three join Piece and Umgurn inside as a small boy takes the reins of their horses and moves them towards a large barn behind the inn. Fodinis chucks him a gold piece.

[Fodinis gives away 1 gp]

Inside, they find Umgurn and Piece at a large table waving them over. 

“Excellent work, Fodinis.” Umgurn looks at Malege with admiration.

“Oh!” Piece smiles, points at Malege, and giggles. Kace still seems oblivious.

“Are we going to leave Malege in the wagon all night?” Kace looks around. Malege tugs on his arm, points at his face, and flames flicker in his eyes.

“Oh! Wow! Okay.” Kace sits up and looks a little embarrassed. 

“Tomorrow, at mid-day, we will make it to the city gates. I will head with Piece directly to the king’s court and will send word I am coming when we enter the city. I would suggest that the three of you make your exit then and deal with your Drebask business. The Salted Pig is an inn a few streets outside of the castle to the south. We will meet there at dusk. Any questions?” Umgurn picks up a mug of milk and begins swallowing it.

Kace suddenly looks concerned. “Well. I know Drebask is likely here but I don’t know how to find him. I am not sure we can do so in an afternoon.”

Fodinis smiles and pats him on the back. “I think we can. I’ve come into some information about the mindflayers that reside under Pathilia and where the entrance to their dwelling is. I’ll make some inquiries but we should be able to find it quickly.” Kace looks flabbergasted but smiles. 

Fodinis, Kace, and Malege walk casually down a wide street with buildings of several stories on both sides. It is mid-day and Isvara is shining brightly in a cloudless sky. The Fairhope Monastery comes into view on the north side of the street, just as Fodinis contact had assured him it would. They pause next to it beside the alley running down its side and wait while a few passersby move on. Fodinis nods and all three of them duck down the alley and move to the back of the building. There are three doors, one of which is painted a dark black color and they go through it. Inside, the room is dark and Malege produces a flame in his hand to guide their way. 

[Everyone makes an investigation check] Roles 18, 15, and 9.

On the far wall, barely noticeable except when the flames flicker, there is an indentation in the smooth stone. Kace looks at it carefully and removes his emblem given to him by Drebask. It lines up perfectly with the wall space. He takes a few seconds to align it and then presses it firmly. The floor in the middle of the room opens up and a long dark shaft becomes visible. Malege leans over the edge and then looks at Fodinis and Kace with concern. He tosses the flame in his hand down the shaft and they watch it fall down the smooth stone walls for a very long time before it winks out. 

“Ummm…. How are we supposed to get down that?” Malege reproduces the flame in his hand and looks at his companions.

[Kace makes an intelligence check] Rolls 12

“We are not.” Kace takes Malege’s wrist gently and walks with him around the outside of the hole, studying the floor. He suddenly smiles in the darkness.

“Here!” He places the emblem on the floor in a similar indentation, orients it, and presses. A sudden drop of stones about one foot from the edge of the hole rings out and continues to drop, trailing off far below them. They move over to the first area and see that the stones have fallen to make a 2 foot wide stairwell going down which seems to follow the large shaft down below. 

“Mindflayers can levitate. That’s what Drebask told me. So, that is their entrance. And this must be for anyone else.” He smiles, gestures for Malege to lead the way, and begins descending the stairs behind him with Fodinis in the rear. 

After what seems like hours, they come to a flat landing that ends in another black door. The same indentation is where a door knob would be and Kace places the emblem there. The door opens into a large room with a vaulted ceiling and purple-blue magical flames illuminate it from suspended lanterns. The walls are stone, smooth, and highly polished with many doors. The center of the room has an elaborate design on the floor.

[Malege makes an Investigation check] Rolls 26 (nat 20)

“Wow. Look at the floor! It’s like a map of stars and planets and Isvara.” He walks around pointing and commenting while Fodinis and Kace watch the doors for any sign of movement. From the darkness appears, as if it were made of shadow, a mindflayer who walks patiently over to Malege. Fodinis and Kace quickly join him.

“You have found your way into this chamber which means you have permission to be here or you were sent here as food. Which is it?” The alien warbling voice of the mindflayer is more clear in their mind than in their ears. Kace holds up his emblem, bows as best he can, and steps forward.

“I am an acquaintance of Drebask. I am in desperate need of his help.” Kace bows again. Fodinis grimaces a bit in the dark, concerned that Kace’s admission of their need would be interpreted as weakness and give the mindflayer’s leverage. 

“Drebask.” The mindflayer takes the emblem from Kace, studies it for a moment, then returns it. “You are the man-lion that assisted him with his escape from the Luctus, yes?” Kace nods and bows again.

“This is a most delightful meeting. Have you brought these two as a peace offering of food?” The mindflayer taps its four fingers on each hand together greedily.

“No. I am Kace Amberdream of Theros, friend of Drebask. This is Fodinis Oradurk, bugbear of Pathilius, victim of a memory-stealing mindflayer. And this is Malege Urmdal, genasi from the elemental plane of fire, pyrogenius.” All three bow to the mindflayer.

“I am Golbill, master of security for our enclave. Let me show you to Drebask and the other two members of our Elder Concord who serve our Elder Brain, Singibur.” Golbill moves towards one of the closed doors which opens at its approach. It leads them down a long hallway, down a flight of shiny black stairs, and finally to a chamber with yet another black door. The door opens as it approaches. Fodinis, Kace, and Malege can see inside the room which is smaller but similar to the large vaulted room except that, instead of doors, the walls are covered in shelves of books. There is a table in the center with three chairs  occupied by three other mindflayers along with several empty chairs. As Golbill enters the room and moves to the side to bow and point at the party, the three mindflayers stand, bow to Golbill, and then look at the group. Golbill leaves and the door closes behind.

“Kace? Is that you?” The middle mindflayer quickly moves from behind the desk, approaches Kace hurriedly, and embraces him. Its  four tentacles wrap and twist around Kace’s head and neck gently. “It is very good to see you, man-lion.” 

The other two mindflayers move forward to stand next to Drebask. One reaches out with a hand to stroke Kace’s head and the other allows its tentacles to caress Kace’s ear gently. 

“And who are these two? I am sure there are not offers of food.” The three mindflayers make a strange warbling noise that might be laughter.

Kace smiles and repeats his introductions. Drebask bows to both of them and steps back, pointing its  hand at each of the other two mindflayers. “This is Ruophim, master librarian. And this is Tasgam, senior strategist. We are the Elder Concord of our colony. But, please explain your words, Kace. Fodinis is the victim of a memory-stealing mindflayer?”

“Yes, that is why we are here.” Kace steps back and allows Fodinis to move closer to them. Fodinis pulls the vial of memories from his pocket and shows it to them. All three illithids recoil in horror and then regain their composure. 

Tasgam steps closer to Fodinis. “If you will permit me, bugbear.” Fodinis nods. Tasgam places its hands on Fodinis’ shoulders and its tentacles wrap and undulate gently around Fodinis’ head. In his mind, Fodinis feels and sees the last year of his life beginning with awakening in the manor house. After a few moments, Tasgam ceases the mind-probing and the mind-share. “We are all now aware of your story, Fodinis. You need not recount it in detail. And we are pleased to know that you have met the Mistress Soltsa who showed you the tainted sample of extracted memories.” Tasgam returns to the others who all seem to be frowning with their eyes. Kace and Malege look at each other confused and then at Fodinis.

“Long story but, essentially, someone tried to poison one of these mindflayers with a tainted vial of memories and the vial ended up with a yuan-ti with whom I’m acquainted. So, what do you know about the mindflayer who did this to me?” Fodinis stands with his hands on his shortsword hilts and his shoulders cocked to the side.

“Varkidar. If mindflayers cared anything about our past or our history, there might be a book written about Varkidar. As it were, he is a problem now so we are all too familiar with him.” Drebask’s head dips slightly as if ashamed.

Malege steps forward, lightly grasping Drebask’s hand and smiling sadly. “Excuse me, Drebask. But you said, ‘him’. I understood your kind to be without gender or sexless. I hope that’s not offensive.” 

“You are indeed a clever child, Malege. Let me impart some of our biology to you so that Varkidar’s existence becomes clear. Illithids are, indeed, sexless and, ever so often, we lay a clutch of eggs. Most tadpoles that hatch are consumed by the elder brain. But, occasionally, when a suitable humanoid host is available, one of exceptional intellect and promise, we subject them to ceremorphosis. The tadpole is allowed to burrow into the new host and, in time, they become a new mindflayer. I can tell that you, Malege, would make an excellent mindflayer.” Drebask smiles genuinely but Malege drops his hand and returns to Kace’s side.

“Adrifeus of the Agmon was a brilliant wizard of incredible power and prowess. We should have been concerned when he came to us requesting to be made a mindflayer. It is not unheard of, especially for thralls who have seen our power, to ask to be made into our kind. But Adrifeus was a bit unique. He accepted the tadpole and over several months was transformed into a mindflayer. When ceremorphosis is complete, the mind of the new mindflayer may contain a few memories of the old self. Personality, some abilities. But Adrifeus was himself. He retained all of his memories and his power. The elder brain was very concerned and insisted on seeing Adrifeus to inspect him. Under the intense mental stress of the elder brain’s interrogation, the guise of Adrifeus finally broke. He was not a wizard. He was not even Adrifeus, only inhabited Adrifeus' body. You see, he was a demon, possessing Adrifeus who was a warlock and Varkidar–the demon–was his patron. At some point, Varkidar had subsumed Adrifeus soul and made the transition to this plane to inhabit his body entirely. Unlike the transformation of undead, however, Adrifeus was seemingly unchanged. And then the demon sought to change his physical form into that of a mindflayer to obtain our natural psionic powers in addition to his own magical abilities.” Drebask paused and returned to its chair to sit.

“But why would a demon want to possess a mindflayer?” Kace sits in a chair across from Drebask

“Isn’t it obvious?” Malege took the chair next to Kace. “He must be in league with Santernafulse.” 

“Truly brilliant, this little one. And at the age of only 14 isvarana.” Drebask and the others nod in unison.

“Theophania, our friend, told us about Santernafulse and how it’s full of evil and darkness. A demon who wants to be a mindflayer sounds like exactly the type of thing you’d expect from them.”

Drebask continues to nod. “Yes, Varkidar seeks to supplant the very power structures of this world in service to the darkness that rules Santernfulse. Magic is powerful but control of the mind, as we have achieved, is both powerful and subtle. With finely coordinated mind control, Varkidar can topple kingdoms.” 

Fodinis has also taken a seat. “But what does this have to do with me and my memories?”

Tasgam perks up and places its hands on the table carefully. “Everything, we’re afraid. When we consume a brain, we benefit from the physical nutrients and the psionic energy. But no matter how we consume a brain, we can only retain a few memories or traits from the source. And only at random. Varkidar seeks a way to capture every memory, every secret of a victim. His extraction process that he used on you, Fodinis, was an experiment. He could not predict what would happen if he tried to consume every memory of a being. So, he experimented on lesser beings. You see, he was not immediately rejected from our colony when we discovered his demonic nature. Our elder brain was fascinated by Varkidar’s theories about complete memory extraction. So, for a time, he was here. He experimented on rats, spiders, chickens, dogs… any creature he thought might have some but not too much brain to deal with. And he did these experiments in secret, saying he wanted to impress us with real progress. But he reached the limits of his power with psionic abilities and needed to combine magic to achieve his process. We mindflayers loathe magic as it is an immature and destructive use of nature. The elder brain banished Varkidar and we lost track of him. Then, a rumor came to us of a mindflayer aligned with drow. The Elder Concord sent us with four thralls to find him. We offered a diplomatic greeting and the thralls as gifts for his nutrition or his experiments. He allowed us to observe his progress and performed a complete extraction on one of the thralls. We were able to verify that the memory of the host had been completely erased and that the vial contained millions of memories. He even offered the vial to us as a gift and proof of his progress. We took the vial and insisted he feast on the remaining three thralls to honor him. He did not know that we had tainted one of the thralls by injecting its blood with water blessed by the priests of this monastery. Although the flesh was mindflayer, the soul was a demon and the holy water damaged him severely. While he was incapacitated, we destroyed his laboratory and burned his books and notes and escaped with the sample.”

“Is that the sample that Soltsa has?” Fodinis removes one of his daggers and begins twirling it and balancing it on his finger.

“No. The sample we obtained from the thrall was studied by us extensively. We learned a great deal about the vial of memories. For example, we could experience them without consuming them. We could also remove them by consuming them one at a time or by separating them into different vials. But eventually, it was exhausted. That is why the second sample was so dangerous. We had learned a great deal but not enough to know how to stop Varkidar or what he was planning. When the sample arrived in the hands of a criminal who told us he had stolen it and heard we might be interested, we assumed he was looking for profit. But Ruophim may be the most clever of us. Rather than paying the thief and letting him leave, Ruophim blasted him with psionic force and consumed his brain. Through that, we learned that the thief was sent to us directly by Varkidar and that the vial was poisoned. That is when we entreated Mistress Soltsa to evaluate the sample but also keep it far away from us. Only the three of us know that Varkidar succeeded. We have kept his success from the elder brain and our colony for fear that they might seek him out for these liquid memories.” Drebask picks up a piece of parchment and places it inside of a book.

“It’s addictive, isn’t it.” Malege sits forward in his chair with his hands on the desk. All three of the mindflayers seem to slightly reel at the thought of it.

“If consuming a brain is the ultimate feeling for an illithid, one sip of the liquid memory was that feeling multiplied by 10,000. Our experimentation ended because we ultimately had consumed all of the memory. It would sustain us for months without needing new nourishment. And the euphoria was indescribable. But we saw the danger in it. A tainted poisoned vial of memory in the hands of the colony with full knowledge of its power would have wiped us out completely. So we sent it away where it remains safe.”

“She did offer to sell it to me for 100,000 gps.” Fodinis smirks and Kace and Malege’s jaws drop.

“A pittance for what it is worth. Fodinis, if we did not have the better of ourselves in mind, we would offer you 50,000 platinum pieces for your vial of memories.” Tasgam put its hands to its tentacles and dropped its head with embarrassment. 

“As it were, Fodinis, we will not buy your memories from you at any price. But we do wish to help you. Although extracting a creature’s mind is difficult, replacing the liquid memory is not that difficult. But, you do have a choice to make.” Ruophim taps its four fingers on each hand together patiently.

“What choice?” Fodinis leans forward listening intently.

“That vial holds 20 years of memories about which you have no knowledge. Were you a slave? Were you an orphan? Did you starve and suffer in squalor? Were you the child of a king? Did you sleep in a golden bed? Do you wish to have 20 years of memory back without having the measure of them? Or would you prefer that we examine your memories very carefully?” Drebask’s tentacles seem to quiver nervously.

“And what? You will tell me about my memories?” Fodinis frowns.

“We, in fact, can edit your memories. We can remove any hardship or suffering and leave only the positive and the pleasure. We would be happy to do that for you.” Tasgam thrums its fingers on the desk. 

Malege sits forward again. “Wait. You can read them. And you can edit them. But, you can’t add to them, can you?” Drebask’s eyes smile and its tentacles flutter.

“You are truly a clever one. Nor can Varkidar. That is his ultimate goal, we think. He wants to remove someone’s memory, change it, implant it with secret instructions to insure 100% loyalty, and then return the memory to them. Think what would happen if the King of Pathilius was reprogrammed to allow the forces of Santernafulse to secretly replace all leadership. It is quiet and subtle but highly effective. But we are certain he has not mastered the re-entry of manufactured memories or changes to a subject’s ideals or morals.” Drebask sits back in its chair and lightly strokes its tentacles. 

“How can you be sure?” Fodinis folds his arms and places his hand on his chin.

“We have inserted an…. informant… into Varkidar’s ranks. He trusts her implicitly and she reports to us regularly. Of course, she is nearly as dangerous as he is but she doesn’t believe in quiet takeovers. She is intent on burning Pathilia to the ground simply to distract the people of this nation away from Santernafulse so she can be at the forefront of their invasion.” Tasgam pounds a fist on the table in frustration.

“Enicryn.” Malege sighs and puts his hands over his face.

“Of course.” Kace pats Malege on the shoulder. 

“We are aware of her intentions and her desire for your heart, little one. If Fodinis meets up with the rogues and assassins of this city, we are sure you will find a contract on this little genasi’s life for a high reward. By now, with her anger unchecked, there may be contracts for all of you. We cannot interfere with her activities in order to keep our information flowing.” Rhuophin folds his hands across his lap and its tentacles settle into a soft sag.

“She’s not a willing spy, is she?” Malege’s eyes grow wide and he leans close to the desk. 

“A nerve swimmer was implanted in her brain without her knowledge. Normally, they are useful for torture but we have attuned this one to telepathically communicate with us from any distance. We know her every move, her every conversation. And Varkidar, being a demon and her patron, is always in contact with her. If he succeeds in reimplantation, we will know immediately.” Tasgam seems very pleased with this information and its tentacles undulate wildly. 

Malege looks at Kace and then at Fodinis. “So, we can’t harm the druid warlock that wants to kill me?”

“Not until we have destroyed Varkidar. And trust me, I am perfectly happy to attempt that.” Fodinis brandishes both of his daggers and stabs them into the table.

“We have spoken too long and Rhuophim’s ability to shield the Elder Concord from the elder brain is waning. It is best you leave now but, before you go, we have gifts for you. We want you to succeed in your quest to destroy Varkidar. Rhuophim, please converse with Malege. Fodinis, please come with me.” Drebask rises and walks to a bookshelf which dissolves. Fodinis follows him. Tasgam moves close to Kace and leads him to another bookcase which opens and Kace follows.

Rhuophim pulls a necklace from a pocket in its robes which looks like a thin gold chain with 9 red baubles hanging from it. It places it on the table in front of Malege. 

“This necklace belonged to our brother. Before we were illithid, we were human and our brother was our twin. When a human who has an identical twin becomes an illithid, the bond of the twins cannot be broken. We often visited our brother who was a member of one of the wizard towers of the north. Our brother was a magnificent wizard of the highest degree, extremely skilled, and terribly kind and generous. Even when we were transformed, we remained close. On our last visit to see him, we were spotted by the tower enforcers and they burst into our brother’s room. Without a word, they fired multiple crossbow bolts at us but our brother leaped in front of them. A bolt struck him in the heart. We blasted the guards in anger and then we supped on their brains, one after the other. Our brother still breathed but he would die soon. He begged us to consume his brain so that we would always be together. We agreed and the remnants of our humanness found us crying tears of immense sadness even as his memories joined with our own. Our brother had a great library in his private study filled with his notes, journals, spells, and knowledge. We could not let the tower corrupt it. Using a clever manuscript of the Narvandor that our brother had given us, called a book of books, we gather all of the texts in his rooms. And then we removed this necklace from his neck and used two of the baubles to ignite the room in a blaze of fire that consumed the bodies and all evidence of our presence. We have kept this for sentimental reasons as we do not use your magic. But you are a special one, a pyrogenius, and you are being hunted by dark forces. So, to you, we bestow this necklace for your protection.”

[Malege receives a Necklace of Fireballs with 9 baubles]

“You are too kind, Rhuophim. And I will use it well. But, please tell me what is this book of books?” Malege puts the necklace on and hides it within his shirt. Rhuophim’s tentacles undulate with excitement. It pulls a book from within its robes and places it on the table in front of Malege. Malege opens the cover and sees, on the first page, the cover of another book. He flips that page and sees the cover of another book. He looks up confused.

“The book of books can hold as many as 500 tomes of any size. One simply opens the book to any page and places another book one rightfully owns against the pages and it is absorbed. When you open the book of books, the pages are the covers of each book. If one wants to read or use that book, one simply runs one’s finger down the cover like so and then all the pages of that book appear. When the book is closed, it reverts to its pages of covers. This book contains all of our brother's books plus a few dozen other books that we use frequently.” Rhuophim seems almost giddy as its hands lightly bounce together. 

“That’s a wonderful tribute to your brother, Rhuophim.” Malege smiles and Rhuophim’s tentacles lightly touch his head and ears gently.

Fodinis follows Drebask for a few minutes and then they turn into a room where many thralls are working on various projects and equipment. Tables are filled with vials of bubbling liquid and there are large machines that buzz and hum from some unknown magical source. Two thralls sit atop a stool and seem to be running in place with their feet on pedals that are connected to the machines. Sparks and flashes are everywhere.

“Your daggers, Fodinis. We know that you earned them in the manor house when you escaped Varkidar. And we can see that you have had them enhanced with magic to be more effective. But the handles you are using are still rough hewn leather and the hilt is not balanced as it should. If you will permit us, we wish to improve these daggers for you. They will remain as you earned them but we can make them better.”

Fodinis looks sideways at Drebask, shrugs, and hands over the daggers. Drebask takes them over to several thralls who are working with various metals and gems on several different projects. Drebask returns to Fodinis.

“While we wait, please tell us your decision. Do you want us to return your memories directly or do you want us to clean your memories before we return them?” Drebask holds out its hand and Fodinis retrieves the vial of memories and gives it to it. 

“I’m not sure.” Fodinis frowns and looks off in the distance. 

“Permit us to assist you.” Drebask moves the vial close to its face and its tentacles wrap around it while its hands undulate around the mass of tentacles and vials. Its eyes seem to roll back into its head. After many minutes, Drebask seems to return to itself and takes the vial in one hand.

“Our suggestion would be to separate your memories into two vials. The one vial that we wish to return to you that will make you a whole person again and the other vial which you should agree to sell to us for 25,000 gps. If you remember from our earlier discussion, the entire vial would be worth a fortune to us. However, the few memories we believe you do not need are worth significantly less. But, still, that may be a great deal of money to you. What is your answer?” Drebask holds the vial close to its chest suggesting that Fodinis simply leaving with the vial is probably not an option.

“You are vastly wiser than I, Drebask. You are also masters of mind control and manipulation. That being said, I currently love my life and would prefer to have no regrets. If you can clean my memories so that I am returned only that which will make me whole while removing those things that would cause me grief, I would be indebted to you. But I will also take the 25,000 gps.” Fodinis smiles and Drebask releases the alien otherworldly warble that Fodinis assumes is laughter.

“Your daggers, sir.” A goblin thrall hands the daggers to Fodinis. The blades appear to be unchanged but the hilts are now made of some sort of firm white shiny material and are inlaid at the hilt and the knob with a row of emeralds. The knob itself is a perfect sphere and the daggers feel incredibly balanced. Fodinis hurls both across the room and sticks them a few inches from each other in a door. He smiles and turns to Drebask.

“We have seen your heart, Fodinis. We know that your talents lie in the quick dispatching of those whom you target. Bright steely blades might betray you. Thus, we have imbued these blades with one additional feature in addition to their remarkable craftsmanship and perfect balance. If you speak the word, ‘gwath’ these blades and handles will go as black as night until you say, ‘calina’. Then they return to normal. Although we loathe magic, it doesn’t mean we cannot find some uses for it.” Drebask’s tentacles lightly fondle Fodinis shoulder. 

“That’s incredible. Thank you.”

“We are happy to help you. Your memories, however, will take us 1 moon-turn to complete the separation. We hope that it will not take longer.” Drebask bows and begins walking back towards the elder concord room with the vial of memories hidden somewhere in its robes.

Kace follows Tasgam down a long corridor and into a room filled with thralls that are training with various weapons and using various devices. Tasgam moves over to several thralls that are sitting in a circle on the floor with their legs crossed and their hands on their knees. A gentle, low hum seems to reverberate from their throats. 

“They are practicing the art of kai-tho, a form of body strengthening using the mind that we were able to perfect in the thralls. We sense that you have a friend very much like you that practices a similar art, shíjiàn-ki. Our bodies do not benefit from such training but your body can easily. The teachings of kai-tho take months to years for our thralls to master but, when they do, they are incredibly strong and able to defend themselves and our colony with deadly force. We have seen that you are an unarmed fighter who prefers your fists to a weapon. Your longsword and spear, though magical, were chosen by you because they allow you to fight unarmed. To that end, your strength is your most important attribute. And you are very strong. But kai-tho will make you stronger. For you, we wish to impart psionically all of the teachings of kai-tho. It will be mentally painful but we do not have time to train you properly.” Tasgam places its hands on either side of Kace’s head and its tentacles surround Kace’s eyes and ears. The mindflayer begins to hum a guttural song of complex intonations and Kace’s vision goes black. He can feel his body training, his muscles reacting, and his energy draining and refilling. After 20 minutes, Tasgam stops and disengages from Kace. Tasgam is leaking a profuse liquid from its eyes, tentacles and mouth. Its color has gone from a dark purple to a pale grey. It sits down for a moment to rest. A thrall runs over to Tasgam and hands it a bat. Tasgam tears through the head and ingests the brain in seconds. Its color returns and the leaking stops.

“You will now be compelled to exercise in specific ways and follow a specific diet. The results will be improved strength in a short time.”

[Kace will gain a +1 improvement to Strength the next time he levels and every 4 levels after (6th, 10th, 14th, 18th) that to a maximum of 24]

Kace smiles at the mindflayer. “Thank you for this gift, Tasgam. I am indebted to you.” They return to the Elder Court room. Malege and Rhuophim are sitting quietly looking at a book and Fodinis and Drebask have returned and are seated on the other side of the table. When Kace walks in, Fodinis stands up.

“Then it is time we were off!” 

“Malege, you are welcome to return anytime to speak with us and use our library. You are the most unusual intellect among the surface dwellers.” Drebask bows deeply.

“Thanks.” Malege smiles half-heartedly. Malege and Kace quickly stand and begin the pleasantries of shaking the mindflayer’s hands one at a time. As if on queue, Golbill appears and waves its hand to indicate they should follow. Less than half an hour later, they completed the climb to the top of the stairs and exited the monastery. In complete silence, they make their way towards the inn of Umgurn’s instruction.

[Fodinis and Malege have reached 3rd level]

[Fodinis chooses Assassin Roguish Archetype]

[Malege choose Artillerist Artificer Specialist, Malege replaces Enhance Defense with Replicate Magic Item, Chest of Preserving]