Xanathar's Destruction

Vajra looked awful. They have their hands full with Intellect Devourers and a man of metal with a squid head running around. She seemed tired, short of patience, and quite frankly, seemed willing to do just about anything to get rid of these things.

She wants us to kill the Mind Flayer Nihilor, but at the very least get rid of the source of the Intellect Devourers.

She told us of a schism in the Xanathar guild and a group of thieves that has been bred from that schism. Turns out they are led by Benu's cousin, Damarion.

So we took the job . . . Of course we took the job . . .

We tracked Damarion to the Hanged Man Tavern. Benu brought her cousin a drink as a kind of ice breaker - or peace offering? I certainly got the feeling there was no love lost between them. But he did speak to her and offered some help for the mere cost of 75 gold and a favor from Benu.

He told her of Xanathar - how it has become more and more erratic and downright crazy at this point. It's apparently very protective of its fish. It's new enforcer, the metal man with the squid head, is called "Knight of the Kraken." He also said Xanathar and Nihilor are going to be in their sanctum tonight. He could give us a map for the cost of another favor or 150 gold. Benu gave him the gold. We got the map. And now we know why Benu stays far away from her 'family' . . .

So we went back down through the basement and through the portal. Remember? This was one of the first places we ever explored when we first came to Waterdeep.

We fought through a few Bug Bears, many Koa toa, and big black dog with two heads.

Monster Note: Big Black Dog with 2 heads (Maybe we could call it a Death Dog?). This is the first time we have run across this monster. Pretty basic. Could see in the dark. I think its bite might be poisonous.

We hear what we think is Xanathar and Nihilor in the large audience chamber. They must have heard us because the door they were behind suddenly disintegrated. Death rays started flying, I threw the most fireballs I have ever thrown in a fight. Tentacles came out of the room - whatever they were attached to seemed too large to fit through the door.

This fight was chaos! I used snakes from the robe Ran gave me. They didn't last long, but they did their job of taking attacks that would have hit one of us. Trella was attacked by the giant tentacles. And speaking of tentacles: a Grell attacked Tyaa.

Monster Note: Grell. I asked around after this fight and found a name based on its description. A floating, tentacled brain with a large beak. Yeah, I know, it looked as gross and misshapen as it sounds. The tentacles are poisonous and it seemed able to see in the dark.

Brukk showed up. He was in his large form and slammed Trella with his war pick. Stellara attacked Brook and killed him. An Intellect Devourer emerged from his body. Skylar used her Lantern of Revealing and we find out there has been a Dark Elf in this fight!

Even more fighting ensued. A hoard of Xanathar soldiers joined the fight. A dwarf with a crossbow for a hand commanded them. Winter found a room with five dwarves sitting in a circle under a giant bell. They had been telling the others where we were in the sanctum! Her and Skylar took care of the dwarves.

Long story short, we found the Intellect Devourer's breeding pool and we're pretty sure we killed them all. We killed the giant tentacle monster in the audience chamber. Xanathar and Nihilor were nowhere to be found.

We started exploring around what we think is an empty sanctum. Turns out - not so empty. We found a gnome jester . . . or he found us. His name was Flutterfoot Zipwhistle and he took us on a tour of the sanctum.

He took us to the Knight of the Kraken's room. We found papers with crazy sketches and notes about tentacled monsters. Maloon's handwriting. The "man of steel with the squid head" is Maloon. Or at least Maloon's body with an Intellect Devourer in it. This Nihilor has to be stopped. We found one more thing: Azureedge.

He took us to a room off the audience chamber. It held a giant fish bowl and an old silver mirror that showed Zoblob's shop in real time. We didn't check these items out too carefully and we just walked out. We must have been upset about Maloon.

Downstairs, Flutterfoot took us into the Drow's office. Here we found his spellbook and 20 kegs of smoke powder (more about this later).

Farther on, we walked into a fairly large chamber with columns. Along the wall were statues of Beholders. All of them had a plaque with the name 'Xanathar' on them. Maybe it's a title and not a name? Or maybe they are all of the same family? Do Beholder's have families?

In between two of the columns was a sarcophagus. As Skylar and I were investigating, Trella came over and told us it was an illusion. Once we could see through, we realize the illusion is hiding Xanathar's goldfish! Skylar grabs it, then guess who shows itself?

Xanathar.

Here's what I can remember happened next: It sends a green ray at Tyaa. Tyaa ducks. A blue ray slows Winter. A grey ray tried to make Benu afraid, but she shrugged it off. A pink ray hits Skylar and she crumbles to the ground. Then I see a ray of green heading toward me and then nothing till I wake up here in the Temple of Gond.

I've tried to piece together what happened next by listening to the other Night Raiders. Here's what they told me:

Xanathar's single, large eye can send out a ray that can dissipate magic, so they had to fight with conventional means. And they fought. Trella took Silgar - the goldfish - and put it in her mouth. The move enraged Xanathar. More fighting. Trella moved close and shoved the fish into Xanathar's mouth. Well, Xanathar killed its own beloved Silgar. Everyone said they had never heard such whining and pitiful wailing in their lives. Then it stopped. Tyaa dropped the fog he had summoned and Xanathar is gone.

In searching around, they found a button that emits a green ray. Apparently it is a teleportation ray. So they did what every daring adventurer would do: they took one of the kegs of smoke powder they had found earlier, lit the fuse, and sent it through the teleportation ray.

One of the walls in the chamber had a relief carving of a wizard on it. It was behind this wall they heard - and felt - the powder keg explode. Then they sent another, and another, until the wall collapsed from the explosions.

They dug their way into a tomb. The real tomb this time, with the real sarcophagus. Oh, and pieces of Beholder strewn around. Good riddance to that one!!

Inside the casket lay one of the Manshoon clones and a scroll. I have copied the scroll here:

"Here lies the wizard Belgarath, spawn of Manshoon, my brother, my foe, my friend. He was the best of us, but trusted too easily to survive these wars, which will rage until only one of us is left to claim the mantle of Manshoon.

For you, who now read this eulogy, enjoy the curse which has befallen you in recompense for defiling his grave. I can now find you anywhere within the known planes. Take nothing from this casket, or I will have cause to visit you and reclaim what should be left with my brother.

With Warm Regards,

Halaster Blackcloak,

Sometimes known as the Halaster the Mad Mage,

Halaster the chief designer of the Undermountain,

Halaster heir to Manshoon,

now Halaster Kinslayer."

The body was laid out in grey robes, a black wand and an amulet lay around the corpse's neck. It seems as if my friends have been cursed for opening the sarcophagus, but who could blame them? They took the items, picked up my ashes on the ground and left.

It is now the next day at the Temple of Gond. Someone, I don't know who, burned one of their favors with the Temple, and along with 5000 gold pieces my friends paid for my resurrection. They cursed themselves by taking the wizard items from the tomb. I am in their debt.

Items Found: Robe of the Archmage, Wand of Conquest, Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location, some treasure in the fishbowl which was used as part of my resurrection payment

Oh! And Stellara has attuned herself to Azureedge.