The Monstrous Mine
| "The Monstrous Mine" | |||
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| The Re-Slayer's Take episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 2, Episode 4 (RST2x04) | ||
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| Special guests | |||
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| List of The Re-Slayer's Take episodes | |||
"The Monstrous Mine" (RST 2x04) is the 4th episode of the second season of The Re-Slayer's Take. The Re-Slayers and their reluctant ally, Xella Blacktongue, find themselves trapped between a rock and a hard place: deep within an abandoned mine with a ghostly behemoth looming.
Summary[edit | edit source]
The Re-Slayers and Xella, deep within Spectrum Gorge, find the underground river has dried up and is blocked by a purple fungus. Frog notices the ghostly fungus is similar in some ways to the Timberblight, and Xella, Heera, and Timpani discuss what this could be. Heera points out that Osysa mentioned mycelium to Timpani, who in turn believes this is an extension or creation of the Timberblight. Poogs, nervous, wants to leave, and Farah suggests they destroy the mushrooms, allowing the river to resume its flow. Xella agrees, and after Farah, still in her jam form and unable to get out, points out she can't do much, Heera releases Xella from her command and gives him Farah's crossbow. However, after Xella confirms that magic can harm the spectral creatures, not just the party's weapons, he prepares his lightning cannon instead. Farah tries to fire her crossbow when Heera returns it, but cannot due to her jam form.
Timpani suggests they break up the dam the fungus has created, but then retreat upward to avoid being trapped in the mine. Xella agrees, and fires his cannon. The lightning is effective, but he finds there's more fungus behind it, and the river is still not flowing. Heera stealthily approaches it. Farah asks Poogs to put the sleeping potion cupcakes within her form, which he does, and she walks towards the fungus, not attempting stealth. Frog also attacks the fungus, and her punches clear away some of it, but the river still is blocked. Timpani casts Fog Cloud to try to give the group some cover. They all see the cavern shake, and hear a scream. Xella fires his cannon again, creating a small hole that allows some water to trickle through, but not enough to clear a path or drown the rest of the fungus. Frog encourages him. Poogs asks Farah if she needs any help, but she tells him to hide in the Fog Cloud as she approaches the fungus, and he does. Frog attacks again, her radiant damage particularly effective against the fungus, but while the trickle grows larger, there is still a large membrane blocking the cavern entrance. Heera listens for the source of the shaking and rumbling, and prepares to attack, but is unable to pinpoint the location. She also feels as though she is being watched.
As Farah readies herself, the magma bulette suddenly bursts from below where she is standing and tries to attack her. She is unable to dodge, and takes a heavy hit as the creature bites down. Its jaws and tendrils encircle her, though her jam form halves much of the damage. Timpani tries to find out what he can of the magma landshark, and notices that it has marionette bulbs on its exterior, but no other marionette parts on its outside, indicating they are within. He yells at the others to hit the bulbs. Xella activates his helmet and shoots acid at the bulette, hitting it, though the bulbs are resistant. The bulette responds by shooting magma at him, but he is able to dodge much of it. He also, within the sound of the bulette, hears a familiar voice and realizes his friend is inside the creature.
Heera, now that the bulette has revealed itself, is able to attack and targets a bulb. When she destroys the bulb, the bulette takes massive damage, though it also emits a necrotic light that damages her. Farah, inside its mouth, also takes damage. However, as the bulb is destroyed, she is able to see a figure trapped within tendrils also inside the bulette. The figure appears humanoid. She concentrates and is able to return to her physical form, ejecting the items that had been within her body, and activates Rite of the Dawn on her crossbow. Meanwhile, Frog continues to attack the fungus as Poogs nervously looks on. She is able to break the membrane, freeing the river, but fails to jump out of the way in time and is bludgeoned by the sudden rush of water. She lands next to Zella, who, having been on fire from the magma, is extinguished. The bulette avoids the water, and leaps up towards the ceiling of the cavern, but takes damage from Heera's previous attack's Booming Blade. Timpani casts Cure Wounds on Xella.
Xella uses his lightning launcher again, and with the help of the existing acid on the bulette, is able to break another bulb. The bulette takes significant damage, and Farah is able to see that the figure inside the tendrils is a half-orc woman trying to break free. Farah tries to attack the burrowing bulette, but misses, and is dragged along with it. Heera uses Thaumaturgy to trick the bulette into hearing running water above it, and it retreats back, falling on Heera. Heera dodges, but is still knocked prone. Farah shoots towards the tendrils, trying to free the woman, whom she realizes is Sasha. However, she misses twice, and takes damage. Poogs runs to Heera and gives her some minor healing, and Frog focuses her attacks on the remaining bulb. She lands one hit and analyzes the bulette, learning its resistances and immunities. Timpani casts Healing Word on Heera, and Xella casts Faerie Fire on the bulette before hiding.
The bulette goes to breathe magma again towards Timpani and Frog, both of whom are able to dodge, though they still catch fire. Heera encourages Poogs to get to a safe place, and while he is hesitant and disappointed, does as she says. She then destroys the final bulb with her rapier, and the bulette destructs, dropping Farah and Sasha to the ground. Sasha is unconscious, and Xella realizes she is dying. He calls frantically to Timpani, but when Timpani tries to heal Sasha, the spell will not take. He realizes Sasha's veins are purple, and she seems to have a magical disease preventing her from healing. He asks Frog if she can determine what it is, and Frog uses her abilities which show her an illusory projection of Sasha and help her determine it is the result of Contagion, which Timpani is able to cure with Lesser Restoration. Sasha suddenly awakens, confused and upset. Xella rushes to her and explains that she has been trapped in the bulette for several weeks, comforting her. Sasha says she dreamed of a jam person and Farah tries to hide that that was her. Xella and Sasha continue to talk to each other, but as they do, the ghostly energy that often arises from reslayed creatures floats and, rather than entering the party's weapons, goes into Heera's chest.
Heera heals slightly, but feels her wrists burn, and when she looks down she sees that the chain tattoos are now embedded in her skin. She reluctantly shows them to Timpani and the others, admitting that she thought this would go away following their encounter with Osysa, but they have not. Sasha interrupts and asks if they can all leave the mine first, which they do, Xella supporting her.
Inside the mining building, Sasha tells her side of the story: she was investigating a sound in the mine when she was pulled in by spectral vines, and was overcome with fear. Farah notes that the bulette seemed to be at least in part powered by her, and recalled a similar case of a ship captain who was overtaken by a ghostly ship that disappeared once he was rescued. Sasha, grateful, asks how she can repay the Re-slayers, and Xella offers them several items from the mining building: he gives Heera a thin golden weapon that seems to be faster than her rapier. He gives Farah a pair of boots that seem to have properties that can use or defy gravity, and tells her they are Graviturgy Boots. Finally, he gives Frog a compass that points towards objects of Aeorian make. Frog questions why it doesn't point towards her, but upon Identifying it, realizes it only detects scrap metal, not metal that is part of an aeormaton such as herself.
Xella's bat, Micah, returns the egg to Heera before going to check on Sasha. Frog offers to let Xella take a look at her aeormaton make, but Xella says he has other things to worry about; when Frog asks if it's Sasha, he blushes. As the Re-slayers prepare to leave and give them privacy, Xella tells them that there's a gnomish village nearby that had had some suspicious events, and recommends that they, as a ghost hunters, investigate. He also suggests the party start talking through some of their secrets before things get messy; the group is less excited about that suggestion than the first.
As the group leaves, Heera notices a figure in a mirror within the mining building and realizes it looks like her mother, but when she blinks, the figure is gone. She gruffly dismisses Xella's statement about secrets. Xella and Sasha, meanwhile, decide to leave and take a vacation.
Elsewhere, in a swamp, Gurt Stumpstuck finds himself Held by Heldwell, who reveals he had learned of Gurt's location from the spectral hand. His shadow seems strange, and when he picks up the lantern, he is visibly tainted by the fungus in his veins. He thanks Gurt for giving him what he needed, and then magically throws him backwards before disappearing. Gurt shakes himself off and realizes his lantern is gone. He follows Heldwell out into the swamp, and tells him he doesn't know what he's doing, but Heldwell says he does and escapes through the secret passage in one of the trees. As Gurt runs to follow him, the tree bursts into flames, trapping him in the swamp. Heldwell stands by a burning tree in the Vesper Timberland and says "so it begins" as he holds the ghostly lantern.
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