Confronted by a gargantuan purple worm, the party braces themselves for a fight. Two smaller worms burst from the walls behind them, sealing off any escape route.
Krask starts off by firing a barrage of arrows at the most imposing threat, striking true on all of them. Fyn casts Haste, allowing Barnaby the opportunity to move in and strike as well. The massive worm reels back from Barnaby’s devastating attack, but not before Barnaby connects for exceptional damage.
Rock flies in all directions as the smaller worms lunge forward. They latch themselves onto Fyn and Trace, which prevents them from casting spells with somatic components. Fobias and Richard experience difficulty with their footing, being largely ineffective.
The huge worm picks up Barnaby in its gaping maw, rows of sharply curved teeth glistening under the dancing lights. It tries to stab at the halfling with its stinger, but can’t find purchase to do so. However, it clearly wants to swallow Barnaby whole.
Fyn attempts to cast displacement, but the grapple is too distracting. Similarly, Trace succumbs to the bite and venom of the other worm. Lucky for them, Barnaby is able to land the final blow on the larger monster, thanks in part to Krask’s deadly aim.
With the main threat neutralized, the party turns to focus on the smaller worms. Arguably, these are much more difficult. They move quickly, and wriggle with abrupt unpredictability. Fyn takes considerable damage before Barnaby charges in to detach it unceremoniously from his face. The final worm falls not long after.
Under Investigation
Obviously, the party needs some healing after the battle. Trace is kind enough to oblige, filling his role as a competent heal-stick. Fobias hacks away at the larger worm, hoping to find riches within. In fact, the stomach contains several items of note:
- A whopping 2,741 gold pieces, in various denominations
- Exquisitely-crafted Living Garments
- A Candle of Invocation, attuned to Neutral Good
- A small brass ring
Looking for a clue to her brother’s whereabouts, Urcai asks to see the ring. She holds it up to a similar one on her hand. They match.
Urcai begins to weep and cry, signalling a perfect opportunity of weakness for the party to interrogate her further about the Palms’ presence in the Cistern. Shaken, she reveals some extra information.
Barnaby discerns that she’s hiding something. As it turns out, the Palms of Charity broke into the Cistern to essentially loot and pillage. Numerous valuable artifacts and items used to fill these rooms. The Palms took them to fund their charitable efforts, or so she says.
Interestingly enough, she still doesn’t know why the water disappeared. Their water source, a small container of magical water, was on eternal display. Although stolen, it wasn’t supplying water to the entire town. Morally, this organization is certainly questionable.
The party asks Urcai to show them how they got into the Cistern. She obliges, leading them beyond the pillared room to a secluded antechamber. Down the steps, a dozen curved metal implements hang on the walls.
Urcai shows Krask and Trace the crack in the foundation. It’s only about fifteen feet of squeezing through the narrow gap before hitting the outside world. Krask tests this out and confirm; there’s more than one way to get into the Cistern.
Where is the water? Did anybody else get into the Cistern? Is the party as invincible as they think they are?